I closed my laptop and swung my legs around the side of my bed. My feet hung off the edge, brushing the thick white carpet of my tiny room. It was a dark, cloudy, night – not that I could tell without looking outside. Three interconnected locked rooms left me feeling claustrophobic.
I thought about making cookies, but turned on the t.v to distract myself. I flipped through fuzzy channels until stopping at a documentary. In a language I didn't recognize, a news anchor explained exactly how long and wide the world would be in the upcoming expansion. I clicked it off.
I went to the closet and considered my clothes for the night. I don't normally think about clothes, but some older who had said she was sad pointed towards one of my outfits as possible, as if I were some kind of fashion blogger.
Clothes played a larger role in my life than I'd like to admit. I wasn't what you'd normally describe as attractive. I didn't conform to a stereotypical beauty – the kind that got the attention of most men. Tall and thick, I had what my friend called a curvy shape, but of course "curvy tended to mean voluptuous, which I wasn't at all. I wasn't short and skinny either, so what was I?
I pulled on a long black cloak. I wound it around a white blouse and black jeans. The night air was crisp, but I didn't bother with a jacket. One thing I admired about this world's fashion was how practical it was. Most girls here wore little clothing. I didn't care if they thought I was weird, I'm not a fan of frost bite.
As I headed towards the door, my father appeared. He was nearly as wide as my doorway, filling the frame. "Hallo Katja," he said.
"I'm going to see Stacey," I said. I'm not hungry. I'm skipping dinner.
He nodded and I left. I didn't turn around to wave. I knew he'd almost certainly gone back to watching t.v. I'd made a poor excuse to escape, I didn't know Stacey that well. I'd never actually been to his apartment, but I knew where he lived.
He lived on the first floor of a big stone building downtown. A few buildings down, a group of enterprising college students rented out the bottom floor of an old hotel as a micro-brewery. As with most of this world's ales, they were not as micro as they were advertised. The giant vats occupied most of the space.
The main entrance to the apartment building had been walled off and repurposed as a convenient place to distribute and collect packages. There was a side entrance, which was facing away from the bar. I knocked nervously.
The door opened a crack. A black eye appeared in the gap and peered down. "What?" asked the drunk boy on the other side. He didn't even peek over the eye, keeping his gaze straight down. "We're busy.
I looked around the dark street, hoping I wouldn't see someone I knew. "I'm not here for you. I'm here to see Stacey.
His eye widened. "Stacey's not here. Excuse me. He slammed the door and I heard a rambunctious female voice yell out, "Dylan? Five minutes!
He mumbled back to her. "He's gone, he said.
I thought about leaving, but knew that if Stacey had any friends around, they'd be sober. Alcohol was illegal, so I stepped forward.
"Do you know where I can find his girlfriend?
He shook his head. "Everybody's girlfriends are gone. We're all homeless and we have to chip in for rent. Look, I don't know where Stacey is and I don't think I should have to know. You should ask him. He's obviously hiding from you.
I raised my eyebrows at him. He was clearly drunk. "If Stacey is out of touch, he can't protect his friends.
His eye fluttered up at me. "Fine. You should just go back to being a school girl.
I put my hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, I said. I didn't realize.
He shrugged. I'm not, he said. Prove it.
I was surprised by his mental function, but didn't comment on it. "I promise you, I'll get him to come back. What's your name?
"Logan, he said, gazing into my eyes, but you can call me Log.
I couldn't help but laugh. Okay Log, I'm Kat. Thanks, I said. I started to turn to go, but he grabbed me.
"No, he said. "I didn't realize you're a woman. I'm sorry.
I looked down at him. How can you see me? I asked. I'd thought he was an image, but he seemed to stand in front of me.
"That's how I can see the world, he said. They're all inside my head. You're right. I'm not very good at this.
"At what?
"Anything.
I put my arm around him. "It's not your fault, I said. "Come hang out with me.
He shook his head. "It's not safe. I'm sorry; I've got important people to keep out of jail.
I smiled. "So you're some kind of hero?
He gave me a big grin. "Yeah. I'm the hero.
I couldn't stop smiling. I had no idea what was going on, but I was happy. You should come with me, I said. Stacey's probably really bored. He's probably really lonely. We can play a game and then he'll be sure to come back.
"A game? What kind of game? he asked.
"Well, I'll have to think about that. We can make something up. If you're good, maybe you can come and visit more. If you're really good, I'll let you see parts of my world.
He eyed me up and down. Can I see something first?
Sure.
Okay, how about if I see only what you want me to see?
For one night, I said, it wouldn't hurt. Would it?
He nodded. I agree, he said. One night.
I smiled widely. I like people who agree with me.
I decided to use some of my money to buy a big can of beer for him. As I wandered away to buy it, I heard a familiar voice.
"Will somebody kill me?
"I'm taking him to Stacey, I said.
I wondered what Stacey would find on his doorstep, but I'd risk it. I hoped that would be all Log saw. I wanted to discover for myself what was happening. I wanted to see how the city looked under cover of darkness. I'd never seen that.
As I looked at the can under the streetlight I realized something wasn't right. The can was written in a language I didn't recognize. I looked around and I didn't recognize anything.
How did you cheat? Log said, shaking his head.
What do you mean? I asked.
He didn't respond. He dropped the can and then rubbed his head. He took a few steps away from me. Glancing back I could see the outline of our world. Log had somehow taught himself to see the magic of other worlds.
I'm not going to lie, I panicked. Log didn't belong in my world.
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I'm impressed with your writing... Just start writing novels already.