Lost Realms

4. Highway to Hell

Julie

You're worthless.
You're a weakling.
You're just an idiot.
Runaway, you coward!

I woke up with a start. My whole body covered in a cold sweat.

It's just a dream. Wake up. Focus.

When I was a kid I was bullied. I would hide from the other kids. They would make fun of me because of my glasses. It was always a nightmare.

Sometimes I would just shrug it off but most of the time I just wanted to go away from everything. And as I got older it got worse.

I was clumsy. I looked like a raccoon with big glasses and hair pulled uptightly. So no one else preferred to talk to me.

At some point, I had built these invisible walls around myself. Keeping to myself so no one could hurt me. But I didn't realize that I was, in fact, hurting myself.

Sometimes a person can only take so much pressure. Sometimes you just need someone to talk to. I mean you need to let go of all the pain.

When I thought I was going to fall apart Becca came into my life. Not only did she manage to break this shell of mine but she made me believe that my life will change forever.

Becca changed me for the better. She brought out the best in me and encouraged me to do what my heart told me to.

I got down my bed and got dressed after a nice long shower and made my way to the kitchen downstairs.

My brother was having cereal and my Uncle George was reading the morning newspaper with a cup of coffee on the other hand.

I went and took my usual place at the table and both of them looked up.

'Good morning dear. You seem to be feeling better now. I tried to come back as fast as I could but as it was I got stuck.' My uncle said giving me a sheepish smile.

Daniel and I cracked up and started laughing. Our dear uncle tended to make us laugh with his attempt at trying to be modest.

My uncle was the same age as my dad. They were cousins. He had tried to give us the best childhood when our parents disappeared 10 years ago.

Dan and I tend to call him Geo ever since we were six and I couldn't spell George. Now he smiled as we both laughed our heads off.

'I'll take it you're absolutely fine now' he said.

I walked over to him an gave him a hug 'I missed you uncle, Geo. Dan here is no fun at all. Always busy with those rocks of his' I said

Dan's face became cherry red 'don't you dare call them rocks. Those are specimens' he said as if that was a fact.

'Yeah, "specimens" sure' I said rolling my eyes.

He was going to say something when uncle interrupted him.

'I think we can talk about your specimens later on. Right now I have to tell you both something' he said.

'what is it, uncle?' I asked taking an apple from the counter and biting it.

'I'm going to be away on business matters for a few weeks. I don't know when I'll be back so Delphi is going to come to take care of you both.'

Dan spilt the milk from his cereal and I dropped the apple.

Delphi was a colleague of Uncle Geo. Usually, she tends to stay as far as possible away from us but when she did come sometimes to fill in Uncles absence it was always a disaster. There was either a problem with the drapes or with us.

In short, she's trouble.

'No... Please, not her again. Not now. I'm...uh...supposed to do this assignment! Yes! An assignment! ... And she won't let me do anything... Uncle can't we go stay at a friends place or... Or stay alone? It's not like Juel and I can't handle ourselves. Right, Juel?' Dan said looking my way with a pleading look.

'Kids i know you're old enough to take care of yourself but no I'm not leaving you both alone for a weeks. Just calm down. She isn't that bad'

'Seriously?' Me and Dan say.

'Alright she might be a bit annoying' Uncle said.

'A bit?' We said again.

'Ok ok alright she's trouble but who else will be ready to be with you guys for that long? And even if she's a devil in Prada she can be trusted' Uncle Geo said giving us both a look that seemed to say I'm sorry to be leaving you both with her but I have no choice.

They tried talking again when suddenly i saw something glow on uncles hand...it looked like...a watch? I blinked and it vanished. I must be going nuts

'I'm.....I'm going to be late for class' saying that I took my books and ran away from there before I saw something crazier. And to top this craziness i was going to have to spend a unspecified number of days with devil incarnate.

I heard my name being called but that didn't stop me cause It very much felt like I was on the highway to hell...