1 - Don't Sleep

Don't sleep

— Hey ... are we even in the same world ...? — Gabriel got more serious than usual when he spoke.

That thought echoed in his head since he woke up there. All those kind of monsters, all the new information and even magic, how could it be the same world? He didn't know if it was. But even after months there, he hasn't heard of anyone questioning something like "worlds". Perhaps because they were busy trying to survive, or because they preferred that place as it was now. It didn't matter. Whether that world was another or the same, its objective remained the same. Survive.

He was getting ready to go to school. Gabriel quickly took his shower and went to lunch.

I'm going to be late again, I need to eat fast - he thought.

While showering. To try to be faster, he didn't wash his hair and even before putting on his clothes he put his lunch on the plate and heated it up in the microwave, eating it as soon as he pulled it out.

He left as usual at twelve thirty in the afternoon and took his bus to school. At a normal time, Gabriel would have gone with his best friend, Vitor, on the bus, but he was already used to going alone due to his delays. However, he always told himself he would stop being late.

He could be late, to go with me, just once-Gabriel thought about that moment.

He didn't enjoy listening to music on his way to and from school, so having friends was much better than going alone, yet he did not always despise being alone with his thoughts.

Gabriel is not tall. But it is also not small. He has an average size for Brazilians, or so he thinks. His body is not thin, he had small muscles, on the right path to grow. He had been in the gym for four months and every day he put off the expected diet. His light brown eyes are a little neutral, like someone who don't give a shit about anything, but isn't always like this. he doesn't like to show many expressions, although he ends up not resisting and showing. It seems to be the type of person who didn't care about much, turned off, but he was very thoughtful. The hair was not big, a little messy, no different hairstyle, just the usual small one.

— I could look a little less like my dad. — He spoke to himself, thinking about his appearance.

In a short time, about half an hour, he arrived at the school, with a hurried step, he entered, avoiding looking at the doorman to avoid scolding him.

— How many times have you tried to pass without looking at me, Gabriel?

— If you know, let me know too.

I don't really need someone telling me I'm late, I know school time and I have a watch. Besides, I'm the one who misses the class, isn't it? - Gabriel thought, not paying attention to the scolding he was taking.

He knows that the longer I stay here, Later i come, don't he?

Stupid doorman. There was nothing he could do to make him stop talking, nothing that was going to be useful. He knew from experience that if he said something, he would just stay there longer, and he decided not to bother.

This guy is always nagging me, maybe it's because of my father.

After the doorman finished speaking, Gabriel went to his classroom.

Upon opening the door, the cold of the air conditioner quickly passed through his body, and after finding Vitor, he went on to sit beside him.

Vitor is tall and thin. His face looks like a nerd, with some pimples. But he was lucky to have blue eyes, however, with his hair is not a good combination, was what Gabriel thought the first time he saw him.

— I missed something?

Gabriel asked, but he had lost and he knew it. His reason for asking anyway was to maintain his routine.

— No, relax, you were only twenty minutes late. The teacher just started the subject — Vitor replied

This is very important, right, man, but okay, he always responds like that.

And, of course, it is useless to ask Vitor to help him with this, on past occasions he always answered, "There was nothing important. If he wanted to learn, he had arrived earlier", -at least he always says what he had on the contrary, when have it, he say that didn't have it, when didn't have it, he say that had it - that's what Gabriel thought about. And since he couldn't count on Vitor for that, he asked someone else, so he always asked his closest friends, usually doing a rotation, he thought it was fun. Sometimes it was Larissa, the smartest in her class, but he didn't have much intimacy with her so it didn't happen often.

Today i will ask to Alice.

Alice is the same height as Gabriel, at least that's what she likes to say. Her hair is red and long, and it suits to her face, which has some freckles, and light brown eyes, just like Gabriel's, except for the part that doesn't show very expressions. She was probably one step away from being overweight, but calling her fat was a mistake. She is beautiful, but not a beauty, that is the opinion of the entire room.

— So... when the class change, can you give me a brief explanation of what I missed? — Gabriel said, turning back, where Alice was sitting.

— Bro, I want a Brazil where you don't ask for this anymore and arrive early.

— i'll take that as a yes — said Gabriel, with a smile.

Just when he was turning around to pay attention to the rest of the class, and not be so lost when Alice explain, his teacher scolded him.

— Gabriel, are you late and still talking?

Oh man, I wanted to eat noodles at home, today will be one of those days.

Without much delay, the class returned to normal.

Right at break Gabriel and his friends continued in the room as usual and talked normally.

— Did you see that there are many animals going into a coma without explanation?

Ana commented, completely changing the topic they were having before, about the worst teachers. Gabriel didn't really like to speak ill of the teachers, although he didn't love them, so he preferred it and went on with the subject of Ana.

— I didn't hear about it, are they all the animals?

The others listened to Ana's question, but as soon as Gabriel paid attention, they started talking about the teachers again.

Is it okay for others to ignore her?

Gabriel was a little sad, but he didn't need to be. She was unmoved and that was clear, but he didn't seem to notice, and wondered a little about it.

— Not all animals, but several species do, veterinarians simply can't find an explanation and can't wake them up.

She really is beautiful

Gabriel lost his focus while Ana explained about the animals in a coma, he admired her a lot, she was always the kind of girl who was nice to everyone and didn't hurt anyone. And Gabriel had a crush on her.

Ana was short, her hair was long, to the point that hit her butt. It color always changed, well, "changed", with the lighting, sometimes it seemed to be red, sometimes brown, blond and even black, that's quite insane. Her eyes were dark brown, almost indistinguishable from her pupils. And her face, as well as her personality, was that of someone who was really proactive, oozing happiness and beauty.

Sometimes even Gabriel doubts that he is friends with both Alice and Ana.

However this is not the time for him to admire her, he was the only person paying attention to her, and if she realized that he is not actually paying attention, she probably would not do anything, but he would be carrying a huge weight in conscience, and he didn't want that. He didn't want his passion, Ana, to be not taken seriously by himself. Then he paid attention to her again.

— What do you think it is?

— What?

I forgot what we were talking about, man, oh man, I couldn't forget, it was like right now.

— Oh yes, I freeze here, sorry. I have no idea, maybe it's a new type of disease, whatever it is, we probably won't be at risk.

I remembered at the last moment, I wish don't need this luck anymore.

Even though he managed to recover the conversation, Gabriel was weighed down by the conscience of not having given due importance to the friendship that she conceived of him, somehow he always thinks he has to do his best for them, that is an obligation for they be friends with him. Even more so with Ana. But does he really need it? Where did that thought come from? Perhaps it is self—deprecation. Maybe he just thought his friends were too good for him. However, with Vitor he felt different, Vitor was not the most social person in the school, he was like Gabriel. He had his acquaintances, and his close friends. The rest he only spoke if he needed to. Without an aura of kindness, without fame, only good and old Vitor, is what makes Gabriel think that he is more reliable, more "companion", someone like him.

Besides Ana, Alice and Vitor. There was also Paulo.

Paulo was like Ana, only a man. He was beautiful, well built. His face was well made, is easier to say that Ana was a version of him as woman, because he was more beautiful than she. His eyes were blue, and his hair was black, painted. Originally his hair was blond, but he wanted to change it, and left it black. He was friends with everyone at school, and Gabriel, of course, was a little jealous. They never got along, it was correct to say that the two hold on for being in the same circle of friends. But Gabriel never knew why he didn't like Paulo himself, was it envy? Or maybe instinct? Or even jealousy of his other friends.

At the end of the day, while everyone was packing their bags, for no reason, Gabriel thought about the animals again.

Was that really true?

No, it shouldn't be.

But what if it is?

Maybe it is something that we get too.

But asking yourself about it now would not change your knowledge about. Then, he decided that when he got home, he would talk through whatsApp with Ana about.

— Hey, Ana — Gabriel said while putting his books away.

— Say it — Ana replied, getting up from the stall and also putting her things away.

— When you get home ...

He failed to finish. Gabriel was suddenly sleepy.

Huh? I...

His eyes closed slowly. Gradually, he could no longer hear his colleagues or see. He sat down in the chair again, with no strength in his legs, the last thing he saw, were some of the people in the room also sitting back in the chairs, and he couldn't even think straight to himself ask why. The last thing he heard was Ana saying:

— Gabriel? Don't sleep!