My Girl

I opened my eyes and I saw myself standing in front of the bridge. I looked around but I couldn't see anything because of the fog. All I could see was just the bridge I was standing upon.

I looked behind and saw a dark forest where I couldn't see anything in the forest.

I looked in front of me and saw a small castle beyond the bridge. If I could calculate the length between me from the castle, I would say it's about 200 metres away.

As I looked beyond the castle, I saw a small human-like figure on the castle's balcony and that human-like figure went inside. I wanted to find out about what was going on so I began to walk through the bridge.

As I was walking on the bridge, a storm came and it began to rain. Dark clouds and raging seas began to form. Bolts of Lightning and thunderstorms appeared sooner. The surroundings became darker and darker as I continued to walk.

Suddenly, the rain splashed its drops harshly, so I ran. I was soaking wet.

Now that I couldn't see my surroundings very well, I lost sight of the castle but I continued to run. I ran as fast as I could, I even almost fainted out of tiredness.

When I got a slight appearance of the castle, I didn't realise I was about to faint so I stopped running and sat on the ground beneath the raging storm.

I felt the chill and cold air weather covering my body and it felt very nice. When I looked at the castle once again, I saw the girl at the top of the castle.

She began to climb to the wall, I was worried if she would do something ridiculous. I stood up and ran for the castle, I was able to regain my strength so it wasn't a problem.

She was able to climb up the wall and stood there for some time. She noticed me and waved her hand, she whispered something then jumped to the sea.

I saw her falling but as she was falling, I felt something weird, I moved slowly. Then I realised that the time slowed down and everything around me moved very slow.

The girl was slowly falling away from the bridge and was heading towards the sea. I jumped off to catch her but it was too late, she was too far.

She was facing me and I was also facing her as we fell. I saw her charming face filled with nothing but emptiness, her blue eyes were like a deep well without water. Her mouth was gentle like a wind while it was slightly open. Her hair was like a beautiful rhythm note, swaying, as the winds blew. Her cheeks were as smooth as a bar of polished gold. I couldn't compare her amazing appearance to anything, she was almost perfect.

I started to reach out my hands to her and she also started to reach her hands to mine. I saw shark fins appearing on the water.

The sharks circled our area and revealed their heads and opened their mouths as they were ready to eat us.

I won't allow the sharks to eat us but I was thinking it was too late for both of us.

While I was making a way to save her, I totally forgot about my own safety, I was so careless on everything for myself at that time. All I thought was just to save the girl.

I was feeling more and more unreasonable to live while I looked at the girl's face full of emptiness. It felt like she was sucking your emotions dry by just looking at her.

When our lives were about to end, she whispered something but unfortunately, I wasn't able to hear any words from her because of the loud storms. She gave me a cold smile and everything turned black, I lost my vision.

I woke up right after the cold smile she gave me. "Where am I? Am I still in a dream?" I was completely soaked in my bed. I wasn't sure how I got it completely.

I grabbed my phone and looked at the time.

(8:43 a.m.)

I suddenly hear loud steps coming from outside my door, "ARE YOU AWAKE YET YOU IDIOT!?" A scream I heard from my mom, compared to what I dreamt, it was louder than the violent thunder I heard in my dream.

I got up from my bed, went through my door and opened it. I saw my mom carrying a small-sized bucket and it was around 15 litres? She yelled at me, "I'VE POURED LIKE 3 OF THESE AND YOU STILL DIDN'T WAKE UP, DI YOU HAVE A WET DREAM LITTLE BRAT!?" I was shocked hearing that from her, I guess I was in deep sleep from my dream. It seems to be impossible for me to not wake up after so many rounds of buckets filled with water poured at me. I really felt how angry my mom was.

"I had a strange dream last night and could be the reason why I've been like this." This might cool down her rage for a bit or so I thought about it.

I had no time to waste, today is the first day of my 4th-year of high school. I'm 16 years old now and I'm not complaining about any issues with my life, not even once even before when I started high school.

Well, I was still complaining about how unsocial I am around and not interested in making any relationship with anyone, whether that person is somehow I knew already or a classmate of mine. Especially, strangers, there's no way I would interact with them.

In my past, when I was young, I always stayed at home, as I said of being an unsocial person, it grew as we changed places to places due to my dad's work.

As a young kid like me, I don't really understand what was going on with my surroundings and just minding my own business before. That's how most kids were but I was growing differently. I grew more and more unsocial because it was hard for me to make friends when moving from place to place meeting new strangers.

My dad was always busy with his work, he could barely spend some time with me as his son but I soon looked at him as a stranger as I grew up. My mom has always been with me. She raised me to become a student with good academics.

Anyways..

After my mom yelled at me, she told me "If this happens again, I'll pour a bucket of boiling water at you next time so keep my words you lil' brat." I was quite frightened by her.

I went downstairs to go to the bathroom sink for me to brush my teeth. I went to the dining table after I brushed my teeth to eat my breakfast.

I ate some noodles and an egg with rice for breakfast. I went back to my room upstairs to prepare my stuff for my first day of school.

After I prepared myself, I told mom that I was heading out, but she kept silent. Maybe it was about earlier that kept her silent.

I went to the door and headed out. I closed the door and walked to the highway where I'm going to ride a bus for school. I crossed the pedestrian and waited at the bus stop.

A bus arrived after 3 minutes and I rode the bus for school. There weren't many people on the bus so I felt quite secure.

I arrived at my school, the gate was quite huge and the walls were very high, most likely hard to climb for those who even try to cut classes like delinquents do.

The school was quite old fashioned but even so, paying for the school tuition fee is the complete opposite.

The school doesn't look bad, it's a newly built school like 2-3 years ago I would guess. I went inside the campus and there were so many trees and grasses around every area. This school is almost becoming like a garden to have so many flowers around.

It really is a beautiful and very clean school campus. I went to the building and went inside. I changed my shoes in my locker and checked the billboard where my classroom was and looked for my name, I was in class 3, 3rd floor.

I went upstairs on the 3rd floor and checked the hallway as I looked for my room. I could hear every chat from students that were beside the hallway the moment I walked through the hallway but I just ignored them.

My room was the 3rd room after the staircase so I opened the door and went inside. When I entered, the class was already introducing themselves.

The whole class looked at me, it was quite expected to happen since I was late, very late I suppose.

"Are you Tsukasa, the new transfer student?" I nodded.

"Wait there until Mai finishes her introduction." *Mai, the current student who's introducing herself to the class*

After a few moments, my teacher called me and I went to the teacher's desk and started to introduce myself. I was a bit nervous as I continued.

"Good morning everyone, I'm Akira Stukasa, I don't really do much at home but playing my guitar and play games. I hope to get along with you all."

After I finished my introduction, my teacher pointed at the vacant seat in the back row beside the window. I went to my seat and sat.

The introduction of the class goes on. Our class has 35-40 students.

As the introduction was finished, we started our class. I got bored and looked beyond the window below, I saw the girl that looked mostly the same appearance I had in my dream.

But, she was wearing a blue hat and a gym uniform with a pink jacket on her waist tied up. She was heading east of the campus.

I was shocked as I questioned myself, "Why is she here?" I planned to look for her after the bell rings for lunch break because I wasn't fully sure if it really was her since she was too far to be fully recognised. Her hair was most likely the same just by looking at it.

(3 hours passed)

The bell rang and it was lunchtime. I hastily went out from our classroom and went down to the ground floor. I looked at the school's map and pointed to where the east was headed to. It shows a path that leads to the school's garden so I rushed outside.

I went to the path where the garden was and so I arrived. I looked around but nobody was there, only the whistle of the wind and the leaves' rattle are the sounds I heard.

How the garden was maintained was very splendid, and flowers surrounded the sphere-shaped paths. There were many slant cement benches around the paths and there was this dazzling pink sakura tree in the middle of the garden. It was like visiting a 1st class grade mini-park.

"I don't see anyone visiting this place despite its beauty."

Suddenly, someone called out my name with a gentle and sweet voice. "Tsukasa." I thought it was a classmate of mine but it wasn't, it was her, the one I've been looking for.

She was wearing a mask and sunglasses, it was very hard to identify her appearance.

"Why are you here, Tsukasa?"

"I was just visiting this place since many people said it was a beautiful place."

She went closer and held my face with her right hand. "You're lying. You're here because you saw me from your classroom heading here. You were looking for me, right?"

I wasn't sure what to reply, my heart was beating faster and faster.

"How does she know about things she's not supposed to know?" I asked myself.

I nodded. "You're right, I was looking for the girl I had in my dream. Since I found you, you looked like the person in my dream."

She took her mask and sunglasses off. When I saw her full face, it was exactly the same face I saw in my dream.

"Do I look pretty up close?"

"Yes you do, I've completely fallen for you at first sight back when you were in my dream."

She made a cutely cold laugh but her emotionless face still remains.

"Are you a student here? May I know who you are?"

She held out her hands from my cheek and turned around as she walked away.

She turned around again. "I don't exist, I'm just your "dream" character."

She smiled and faded away into thin air.

Dust sparkling around the area as if it was a rattle sound of "woosh" thin air. I felt so depressed after she faded. I wanted to meet her again but where could I find her?

I went back to the building and went to my classroom as the bell rang being so desperate that I couldn't focus on my class. As periods went by, all I was doing was staring at the window below looking for the girl.

After our class ended, I packed my things and went out from the classroom. I went downstairs and as I was going down, a girl with short blonde hair passed by and it seems like she was somewhat familiar to me and yet, I just ignored.

I was too concerned about the girl that kept me from noticing anyone I passed through.

I left the building and went to the gate, I would hear birds chirping here and there, the ones that were on the trees beside the path through the gate. The surrounding sounds were sometimes occupied by nature or students and teachers as they passed through. It could also depend on the time periods and places where many students would hang out.

The breeze in the air felt so great and calming every time I passed through the paths outside the building because of so many trees that would give good air for us. The winds were also very strong but I didn't complain about that.

I went beyond the gate to ride a bus home. After 2 minutes, a bus arrived and I rode the bus. I sat on the left side of the 5th seat in the bus and many students were also riding aboard. The bus started to move.

It wasn't sooner when I was looking at the window and saw a familiar figure at the building's rooftop.

I didn't have any second thoughts and stood up and asked, "Driver! Can you please stop the bus? I forgot something in my classroom." The driver stopped the bus and I got out of the bus and ran towards the gate.

I entered the gate and ran for the building. I went up the stairs, by the way, I don't know how many floors this building has. Before when I first entered the campus, I made a glance at the building and I would guess there are 7 to 8 floors. It was quite a tall building.

I counted every floor whenever I entered a new floor. As I arrived at the very most top of the building, I counted 10 floors. Well, it wasn't the number I expected.

I arrived at a stair that led to the rooftop and went up. I opened the door and went to the rooftop. I looked around and no one was there. I was quite worried about where the girl went.

I went to the left side of the rooftop and looked below at the campus where the entrance of the building was. There were too many students around the area and it was a hard time to look for her or she could even be in a room within the building.

I was about to give up until I heard the same voice. "Why are you here?"

I looked at my left shoulder and she was there, standing on the door.

I felt so happy yet confused thinking if she was a ghost or some sort of a spirit but I don't care if any of my thoughts were real. All I want is her.

I've given up my reality, she owned me for good; I wanted her more than anything else.

A ran towards her and hugged her. Her face was bright red after I hugged her. I held both of her shoulders, closed my eyes; and kissed her without any permission, that's how desperate I was.

"Hee. Are you this desperate Mr. Tsukasa?" She gave another gentle smile like before.

I thought she was going to disappear but- "Don't worry, I won't disappear randomly, I chose the time when I would disappear."

After hearing her soft words, I felt delighted. "Question: Why did you kiss me without my permission?"

"I-"

"It's alright, I don't mind. You're already mine anyways." She came close and suddenly kissed me.

I became unconscious after that happened me. There was something I didn't understand about her nature.

I was questioning myself if I'm in the real world, it's most like a fantasy story that I'm experiencing, how things went weren't normal.

Well, even if I'm not in reality then I would be glad. It would be better for me because I'm no good with my own life. I made myself so useless.

Whenever I'm home, my mom would always scold me because I wasn't enough for her. Every small mistake I made, she would yell at me and even slap me. I was forced to be good at academics since I was young because I was so afraid of my mom when she knew I wasn't doing enough. Wasn't that enough?

One time, she told me to study hard just like other successful people were. I studied so hard that I became top 1 every subject and year I was.

But there was this new transfer student before when she became the new top 1 of our Science subject. After my mom knew, she yelled at me and disowned me as her child.

She was a cruel mother. My dad can't help because he's always been working. As I said before, he could barely spend time with his own son and prioritised his work more than spending time with me.

I've always been so hopeless, never in my life I felt great even just once, even the achievements I've made didn't make me happy.

Sometimes, I thought of just dying rather than living a complicated life.

I woke up after a few hours, all that came to my mind was to look for the girl, I stood up from a bench, I was still on the rooftop.

I looked around looking for the girl, she wasn't there. I went to the railing looking below at the garden, she was there sitting while holding a small flower with a deep red color.

Though I knew where she was, there was a problem; the door of the rooftop was locked. I couldn't leave the rooftop, nor the school because the gate could also be locked.

I got no way out but to climb down the 10 story building. If I wait 'til morning and sleep here, it would be useless and would cause more conflict between me and my mom.

I took the risk and so I started to climb the railings. While I was looking below, I felt the goosebumps going through my body.

I was losing hope. I planned to jump instead to free my life from many pressures and conflicts. As I was looking at her, I closed my eyes and imagined myself with her getting together having our sweet moments. I had no regrets after.

Even if I was to shout and call for her help, there's nothing she could do for a 10 story building.

I started to let go of my hands and closed my eyes, then I fell. I felt the strong breeze of the air and heard eolian from the winds. I was falling at my back. My hair was being blown by the air as I fell.

I relaxed every part of my body; my arms and legs were spread. I slowly noticed the wind became weaker and weaker and felt my hair slowly moved by seconds.

I opened my eyes and saw the girl in front of me reaching out her hands towards my face. She was like moving without any gravity. She was moving freely on air.

I couldn't believe what I saw. She reached her hands to my face and pulled it closer to her face and kissed me.

I felt the feeling that I've never felt before, the feeling of being cared by someone, the feeling of nostalgic love. It was all mixed feelings I couldn't understand.

We went down slowly while we kissed. It was the greatest moment I had in my life.

When we reached the ground, she stopped the kiss. "Are you alright?"

I almost cried and I held my tears. "Yeah, I'm fine, I guess."

She carried me like I was weightless into the sky. We went up 900 feet above ground. The view I just had was the best.

I struggled since she was still carrying me. "Ahh, can you put me down please? It's also kinda embarrassing."

She grinned and laughed at me. "Ahahaha. You're such a baby, Tsukasa, here, I'll put you down."

She placed me down, wait, down? Weren't we up in the sky? But I'm floating though.

"You're still within a dream Tsukasa."

"Which dream? Why can't I just fly by myself if it were so?"

"You're within my dream; I'm in control of everything."

I looked around but it was empty pitch black. We were like inside a void the dream she created.

"So, you made me?"

"I didn't create you, you have your own conscience, I was in control of everyone."

"But how about my past memories? My mom and dad? My classmates and the whole school were just all fakes?"

"That's right, but, your current memories with your family and other relations like your friends are all real, they are just a copy from your real world." She replied with ease.

I was so confused, I don't know how to start thinking about my situation.

"So, who are you?"

"As I said, I'm just your dream character, this body of mine isn't real. My real body's already bedridden at a nearby hospital in this town."

"In this town? We're in a dream you said." I responded with confusion.

"Sigh. I'm not quite sure either but all you need to wake yourself up from this dream is to kill yourself."

Woah that's kinda crazy if you ask me.

We continued to talk about how we really ended up being in an abnormal dream. We both don't know our real life address. Before my mind opened thinking I was just in a dream, it agreed at the moment she said it since things happened now and then weren't normal for a normal world.

Both of us don't know about our real information, everything that we remembered was made up of the girl's conscience.

To be honest with you, being inside the dream was more realistic than a normal life, except for unrealistic events of course as I said before. Well, that's all I could say for now.

The girl suddenly opened about how to find her after I woke up.

"I dreamt and made this dream as my reality before I could ever remember anything from my real world, I would not be able to wake up unless someone knew how to wake me up. It'll be your job. I might be sleeping."

I nodded on what she said after and told me to fall off to the ground and die for me to wake up since we were still up in the sky.

As I fell, the girl waved at me. "I'll be waiting for you darling!"

Those were some sweetest words I've heard in my life.

I continued to fall and my vision went black after I hit the ground. I was still conscious even after I died but I couldn't see myself or anything. I was in a dark room, more like a void.

I guess the words she told me were true, if I could've died for real, I wont have any conscience before till now.

My memories started to fade slowly. I gradually forgot about the girl, the school; and even my own family. All memories were lost after.

I questioned myself, "Where am I? Am I dreaming again?" I woke up sooner.

I pulled my body out of my bed immediately because I thought I was suffocating from darkness.

I looked around. "Everything seems normal. That was a weird dream having a void to only exist."