Ruby Simmons was pretty normal I guess you could say. She had friends, she was well known, and her grades were okay.
Ruby wasn't happy. She didn't like being where she was, being stuck in some city with no one who made her feel the way she desired. She wished to leave, every now and then she would dream about a place... A magical world that was all constructed of her wishes and dreams. She knew she would never get there, she would never truly be happy. She knew it was impossible to get somewhere so beautiful, so she only visited during her dreams.
"Mom! I'm home!" She yelled from the living room. No answer... Ruby figured her mom was still at work. So she raced up the stairs to her room. She was tired, and thought of taking a nap. Normally Ruby would never sleep in the middle of the day, but she couldn't stop thinking of her magical world. Every time she closed her eyes, it was like she was there, and every time she arrived, she never wanted to leave.
Ruby woke up with a jump, breathing heavily. She calmed down quickly.. "It was like... It was like I was actually there. Like I could feel everything!" She thought. After a while sitting frozen on the side of her bed she rushed downstairs to find the house still empty, dead silent, and looking very dark. She thought the emptiness must be giving a gloomy feel to the house, but she was feeling very uncomfortable and decided to take a walk. Anything to get out of the awkward feeling that she wasn't alone, yet it still seemed to be an empty house.
Ruby called her mom several times on both work and cell numbers, but all she was left with was voice mail every one of those times. Knowing it was hopeless to keep trying she put her phone away and continued walking, sill trying to calm herself down. "Where could she be?" She wondered, still very worried.
Where could she go... She didn't want to return home alone feeling deserted again. She wanted her mom, she wanted somebody... But she brushed off the feeling quickly, she knew she needed no one, no one was good enough for her. No one could make her happy, the way she wanted to be.
A car quickly sped past her. It was her mom! She ran as fast as her legs could take her and hugged her mom so tightly it stopped both her and her mom from breathing for a second. After she let go her mom looked suspicious. "What's the occasion sweetie...?" Her mom asked. "Nothing mom, I just missed you. You took longer than expected." She replied. "Hun, It's my late work shift today, you must have forgotten." Answered her mother.
They both hurried inside. After a moment of silence Ruby felt tired. She went upstairs and hopped in her bed, she wanted to sleep. She wanted to dream. Quickly sleeping, she was where she wanted to be. Back in the world, over the beautiful rainbow and across a pink river. Where she was eating multicolored Cotton candy and riding a bike that can hover one meter off the ground. Everything was colorful and bright and just ... Happy! She was always happy where ever she was in this world. But she could never stay. No matter how much she wanted to, she always woke up. She never wanted to leave. She loved how welcome she was in the world over the rainbow.
"Ruby! Wake up sweetie!! Time for school! C'mon! You're gonna be late!" shouted her mother the next morning. Ruby opened her eyes slowly, noticing that it was 7:15 AM next morning. "I was in the world for more than a nap length of time?!?"
"Ruby!! Hurry! You're gonna miss the bus!!" Her mom was disappointed. "Okay, Okay mom! Sorry..." Ruby quickly got up, got ready and raced outside just in time for the bus.
School was a blur for her. She couldn't stop thinking of the world over the rainbow. How she stayed there longer this time, and how she wanted to go back. "Ruby... Can you answer this one for us?" Her teacher asked. "Oh! Uh.... I, I... I don't know, I'm sorry" Ruby hesitated and turned away, slightly blushing. "Ruby, please pay attention. This is class, not dreamland." Her teacher said firmly.
