Kane awakens on the floor next to their bed. They rub their eyes & let out a long yawn. They put their head on the bed & try to push themselves into standing. They push down & shift into a kneel, but their body prevents them from standing. Thwarted, Kane slumps down onto the floor once more.

They wake up sitting in a field of golden leaves. They look in each direction & see nothing else. Nothing but gold expanding out forever. Its vastness hurts their head. They stand up, stumbling a bit. Kane looks up at the jade sky, covered in red-orange clouds. Its structure seems...wrong. Not even just the color, it seemed like it was folding in on itself. Like it’s constantly warping & caving in on itself. It makes Kane’s eyes feel kinda funny. Like their eyes are mimicking it.

They look back down & someone. No, something is standing there in front of them. It was vaguely humanoid in appearance, but without normal skin. Covering its arms & head-like appendage was a disgusting, purple sludge. The sludge bubble & gurgled like a simmering bisque. It made their stomach do the same.

A force compels Kane to approach it, but they resist. They don’t want to go any closer, but they have to. They can’t resist & before they know it, they’re right in front of the bubbling person. A large bubble of sludge pops onto their shoulder. Kane grabs the spot where the sludge hit. It sears intensely. Every fragment of their being is overcome by pain. Kane collapses to the ground. They try to scream & they feel their vocal cords moving, but nothing comes out. Nonetheless, he continues to scream. That is until the figure shoves its arm down their throat. They start gagging & the feeling from their shoulder is replicated throughout their throat. Kane flattens onto their back & starts puking a little.

Kane jolts up from the floor, breathing heavily. They grip their chest & suck as much air in as they can. They grab their phone off their nightstand & check the time. While huffing & puffing, they blurt out, “Ahh! I’m about to be late! I have a test in first period! Ohmygoddohmygodohmygod!”

They quickly slip into green cargo shorts & throw a hoodie over their black undershirt. They bolt out their room & dash down the stairs, tripping over the last step. A little stream of blood bursts from their nose as they slide forward on the hardwood floor.

“Well, look who finally decided to join us,” Celine says.

“No time mom gotta get to school,” Kane grabs their backpack off a chair in the kitchen.

“You have to pack a lunch, honey.”

Kane turns around & walks up to Celine, “Mom, I don’t have time. I have to go right now. There’s a unit test in science & I can’t be late. Okay. Bye.”

They turn around & march off, but Celine grabs their shoulder, “I understand honey, but you have to eat lunch.”

Kane turns around to face her once more. They inhale sharply & say, “I’ll get some from Clark or whatever. But I really have to leave. I can’t be late. Okay. Okay.”

As Kane turns around, Celine says, “Hey! Don’t walk away from me!”

Kane spins back around, squeezes their fist, face palms & says, “What.”

Celine rubs the back of her hand on the side of Kane’s face, much to their chagrin. “Honey, I’m worried about you. You’ve been staying up until 3 am & then wondering why you wake up late. You have to start going to sleep earlier.”

“How many times do I have to tell you that I can’t go to sleep earlier. I’m Junior now, I get a lot more homework than last year. Plus I have to study twice as hard for the tests. I’m fine & I’ll be on time. Just as long as you let me leave right now.”

“You have to understand where I’m coming from Robert, I ju-”

“My name is Kane.” Kane locks a cold glare onto Celine.

“Well, I’m sorry honey. It’s just so hard for me to remember.”

“Really. Really mom. You can’t remember something that I’ve told you literally every day for the past year. Wow, I always assumed you didn’t care what I thought, but now I know for sure. Can't say I'm surprised, but it still hurts” There was a pause. A long, painful pause. “Oh, now you’ve got nothing to say.

“Ro-” she pauses & digs her nails into her palm, “Honey, I just need you to be-”

“Be what?! A boy! You can’t appreciate me unless I’m exactly what you want me to be. And y’know what, I’m tired of it! So unless you’re gonna call me Kane, stay the hell away from me.” Celine watches devastated as Kane stomps off to their car.