Re: Life-Like

[1] Awakening

A gentle breeze brushed my skin as I found my consciousness. I blinked a couple of times, rubbing my eyes as I sat up. I found myself in a field of tall, golden wheat. The air was pleasantly warm, and carried the smell of freshly cut grass with it. I climbed to my feet, still in a haze as I shook my grogginess. The wheat tickled my forearms as I stumbled through the field, searching for an opening.

W-Where am I?

The ground felt soft and cool under my bare feet as I trudged through the loose soil. A sharp pain shot through my foot as I tripped over a small rock, and I slammed my face into the ground. Blood spewed from my nose as it cracked on more solid ground. I clutched it with my hand, groaning as the blood poured out. Splatters of red tainted the luscious, green grass that swayed gently in front of me. I looked up to find the end of the field of wheat, and a much larger, more open field of rolling hills. Scattered clouds hovered in the blue sky above me, and a tall oak tree sat far off into the distance.

I pulled myself to my feet once more, still clutching my throbbing bloody nose, and looked around in a desperate attempt to find something familiar. Everything looked and felt so foreign. Even the air felt somehow different as it entered my throat with each breath.

Where am I? 

In the corner of my eye, I caught a dirt road running down and off into the distance along the rolling hills. I walked over to it, stepping onto the path and cringing as the dry dirt began coating my feet with every step.

Dry friction is so uncomfortable...

I trudged on, following the dirt road in hopes of finding someone that might be able to help me. Perhaps even a local town that could help me figure out where I was and where I needed to go. A soft tugging in my chest and quivering lips made me realize I was on the verge of crying.

What if nobody can help me? I don't even remember where I live, or my parents' names are. What if there's nothing they can do?

I sniffled, unable to fight the tears as they started streaming down my face. I started shaking in fear, and gave up on walking the road.

What if I die here? I'm already starving...I'm only sixteen. I might get in trouble just for being out here!

I sank to my knees, covering my eyes with my hands as I started to cry harder. 

"Oda! You showed up after all!" I heard a man exclaim excitedly.

I looked up, wiping my tears to find a tall, blonde haired man smiling down at me. He wore a grey t-shirt, jeans with various tears throughout, and a pair of red sneakers. Light freckles decorated his cheeks, and his eyes shined a near golden-yellow hue. 

"Aw, c'mon. Still with the waterworks? Normally guys stop crying by the time they're your age. Why are you crying this time?"

Who is this guy? Why does he know my name?

I sniffled and aggressively started wiping away my tears, "W-What? I'm not crying, I just got dirt in my eyes."

He grinned, "My bad. It's actually probably the sand in the air. We're pretty close to a beach, so it wouldn't surprise me if a gust of it just smacked you in the face. You must have just woken up, right? I'll bet you've got tons 'a questions. C'mon, I'll take you to the only town on the island, and we'll get you settled down. You hungry?"

The pain in my stomach suddenly returned as though the mention of it sounded off alarms in my head.

"Y-Yeah, I'm starving..." I replied quietly.

He offered me his hand. I grabbed it, and he pulled me to my feet.

"It's not really normal anymore for people to come into town looking like you do. You really need to wear something. I should probably lend you a couple of my clothes, especially since Rori's students are out on a field trip to learn more about the different kinds of work people do here. Here, throw on this shirt," he pulled his t-shirt off and offered it to me.