Snakes Don't Bite Their Owners

There's Water in Oxygen

So I'm awake now and have only just processed what happened yesterday

I almost died.

Twice.

The first time was when the robbers attacked Axel and I at that store... and the second time was in the cornfield.

Wow.

My life is finally exciting!

"Oh good, you're up. I have some people I'd like to introduce you to."

"People?"

"Yes, the crew. The gang. The fellas."

hUH. I mean sure I wasn't expecting he just lived in this house alone... but a gang? Sounds a bit sketchy.

"Uhhh, okay then."

I proceeded to roll off the paper-thin matress - like a piece of sushi unraveling and spluttering all it's contents onto a table stained with grease and lime juice - and fell onto the concrete floor... accidentally murdering a family of innocent bugs in the process.

Axel watched from the door frame as I struggled to remember how to use my limbs and by the time I managed to climb off the cockroach family, he had abandoned his post.

I followed him into the real world and was greeted with the smell of freshly brewed coffee and cinnamon rolls.

"Hi."

Wow. Many people.

Okay... there were only three of them, but they were loud enough it could have been 50.

Not loud in sound... but more so in terms of character.

...and colour. I mean, one had a neon green buzzcut and a bright yellow dress... and another, bright pink hair and a scarf that was purple and blue and yellow and orange and...

"I'm Pia. Nice to meet you."

She stuck out her hand like Axel had done and I responded in the same way. As we waved our fingers up and down in unison, I noticed how soft her palms were... which is a weird thing to notice about someone but nevertheless, you now know she has soft hands.

"Welcome."

She also has a soft voice... and she looks at me as though she recognises me from a past life. (I bet I was like a rock or a piece of concrete or something)

"Uh, hello. I'm Harriet."

I look around at the others: The girl with the green hair, and a young boy dressed head-to-toe in black. They seem occupied trying to avoid my gaze. He shrugs and stares into his bowl of cereal seemingly searching for a way out of this situation, and she continues scrolling through her phone.

I don't really know what to do with my face... so I imagine it morphs into that one emoji with the long eyes and the mouth that's just a straight line from one side to the other. OOh, or the one that's smiling but not reeeaallly smiling. In short - I felt a little bit awkward.

Thankfully Axel breaks the silence.

"Feel free to help yourself to a cinnamon roll... or there's some cereal in the cupboard if you want it. Bowls are under the sink."

I'm not feeling particularly peckish, but it's something to do so I venture further into the kitchen.

The lady with the radioactive grass head glances up for two seconds - potentially catching a glimpse of my socks - and then looks back at her screen.

"That's Saoirse. She'll talk a bunch once you get to know her."

"Hello Saoirse."

She grunts in acknowledgment of my existence.

"She going to be famous one day. She's going to make movies."

I turn back to Pia who had so kindly been narrating for me, and pointed questioningly (is that a word?) towards the boy in black.

"EJ."

He looks up so I smile at him, then he looks back down again.

Well, seeing as nobody else is talking a whole lot, I decide to narrate my life story for the second time in a matter of 24 hours.

I think I'm going to like it here.