1.

It first happened when he was six. Elias had been born with the ability to dream walk. This power was considered dangerous to the people in charge.

At the age of thirteen, nobody, not even his parents, knows about his unique talent. Although he still gets surprised when he unexpectedly enters someone's mind, Elias enjoys it as it gives him a chance to escape reality. Some dreams he enters are boring, fascinating, or even repulsive.

Elias rose from his bed, still feeling drowsy. He glanced at himself in the mirror and made a face of disapproval. His complexion was fair, his hair sandy-blonde, and his eyes a captivating blue-green. As he entered the living room, he noticed his mother sitting at the table, relishing her coffee. Her hair was haphazardly tied in a bun, and her glasses rested on the bridge of her nose.

"Hey sweetheart, how did you sleep?"

Elias thought to himself, Well, I saw that our neighbor dreamed about becoming the wealthiest man in the faction. The girl across the street dreamed about becoming prom queen.

Instead, he said," I slept alright. Do you need me to make you breakfast before you go to work?"

His mom smiled and pushed her glasses further up her nose. "I'd appreciate it honey, but we're already late for work. Your father takes forever to get ready."

Just then his father stepped from their bedroom. 

Elias smiled. "Look who decides to show mum."

"Finally." his mom got to her feet. She grabbed their badges from the wall.

"See you when we get home." his father opened the door. "Stay out of trouble and do good at school."

After Elias's mother gave him a quick peck on the forehead and departed, he made his way to the kitchen. Elias opened the refrigerator and retrieved the necessary ingredients to prepare his morning meal. After he finished eating, he glanced at the clock and was startled to discover that he only had fifteen minutes to prepare for school. Without delay, he concluded his breakfast and hastily got dressed.

He slipped into a t-shirt, jeans, and a pair of worn sneakers. Elias grabbed his backpack by the front door before stepping outside.

Elias locked the door and made his way to the bus stop. He ran into his friend who was in his driveway tying his shoes. 

"Hey, Levi."

Levi had tan skin, curly brown hair, and a babyish face. He could never sit still. He would either be bouncing his leg, tapping his fingers, or tinkering with an invention. 

"Eli! Hey man, wait for me!"

Elias waited by his mailbox until he finished. Levi joined him with a wicked grin on his face. 

"Levi, why do I get the feeling you did something idiotic?"

Levi just beamed and grabbed Elias's shoulder, turning him toward his home. 

"Three. Two. One." Levi whispered.

Elias jumped when he heard a scream. The window on the second floor opened and green smoke floated out.

"What the..." Elias muttered.

Levi's younger sister poked her head out and started screaming bloody murder. 

"Far bomb." Levi laughed. "We'd better skedaddle before she starts throwing stuff out the window."

  ...

After school, Elias went out to the pickup area to start walking home until a black sports car pulled up. 

A woman climbed from the driver's seat wearing a suit and shades. Elias recognized her immediately, Elsa Daely, she was his mom's best friend. 

Elias ran over and squeezed her in a hug. "Hi, D."

"Hey, kiddo, how have you been?"

"I'm alright. What are you doing here?"

Elsa ruffled his hair and smiled. "Your parents asked me to come get you. Want to hang out with me?"

Elias nodded his head and ran to get in the passenger seat. Elsa was the coolest grown-up he knew. When they hung out, Elias always had a blast.  But this trip was different.

Instead of pulling up in a movie drive-through, a park, or a mall; Elias found himself in front of a tattoo shop. "Your dad is always talking about how you wanted to get a tattoo," Elsa said. "I finally got him to say yes."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Are you up for it?"

Elias swallowed. "Do they do custom designs? I have one that I drew."

"Of course they do."

As Elsa stepped out of the car, Elias grabbed his notebook and hastily turned to the page containing his sketch. He aimed to be ready for when they entered the shop. Upon entering, the ambiance was permeated with the pungent aroma of cigar smoke, blaring music, and the buzz of people conversing and chuckling.

A woman spotted them from across the room and came over smiling. She was wearing a black tank top and shorts, and her hair was cut in a bob and had bright orange streaks in it.

"Hey, Stacie," Elsa said, embracing her. "Are you free right now?"

Stacie nods. "Of course. Who's getting a tat?" she winked at Elias. "Is it this handsome fella here?"

Elias gave a shy smile. "Hi. I'm Elias. Do you think you can do this design?"

Stacie studied the sketch, her eyebrows going up in surprise. "Wow. That's beautiful!" she turned and shouted, "Hey Dav, come check this out!"

Dav was a bald, round man with more tattoos than skin, his head reflecting the light in the shop.

"What's up Stace?"

Stacie took Elias's sketch and showed Dav. He whistled. "Damn kid, you've got some talent. We;re going to have to talk later."

When the man waddled away, Stacie led him to a chair in the back. Elias tore out his drawing and hung it up for her before climbing into the chair.

"Alright then, this shouldn't take too long," Stacie said, getting everything ready. "You want me to use the same colors in the drawing?"

"Yes."

Stacie hummed. "No problem. Try not to move, otherwise, it'll be crooked and you won't like it. Got it?"

Elias laid back in the chair and sighed. "Got it."