It was a cold September night in Mystic, Connecticut and on one lonely street sat a tall, white house. It was the biggest house within the cul-de-sac standing right on the edge. Inside a young black boy slept peacefully, or at least as peaceful as you could be when you dream of otherworldly things. Tonight this dream seemed different.
He had gone to sleep hours earlier, only for him to open his eyes and see...red? And this feeling on his bare arms and feet. Grass? And then the full reality of the situation came to him. He jolted and sat up. He was definitely not back in bed at home.
He seemed to be in a vast subterranean cave. And in front of him stood the largest tree he had ever seen. It was beautiful, glowing a soft pink, and the boy could see that there was literal grass growing on its roots.
What was this place? Suddenly, Kameron heard a voice. Soft and soothing it seemed to wrap around him. Comfort him. But the sense of dread deep in his stomach only made the feeling worse.
And the flood of information that followed had Kameron gasping for air. He was every man and every woman, every childbirth and argument. Every divorced couple and great grandparent. He was family. He was every curious child, every hazard in the big wide world. He was the rolling waves and still earth, the growing roots and fierce wind. He was energy itself, flexing and changing into whatever it wished.
For he was the tall proud warriors ready for battle. He was the blood running through battlefields and the smell of gunpowder after a shot.
He was the poor and rich and middle class. He was corrupt politicians and unstable governments.
He was every animal, every cell, every atom, every molecule. And he was the people sobbing in despair and rage at the lost of a loved one. He was a billion, million, trillion deaths each equally sad and horrific. He was the violent force of natural disasters. He was an apocalypse, destroying life on earth. He was the sun and every star in the universe. He was pain, calm, tranquility, destiny, and love. He was miles of history that held horrible massacres and beautiful festivals. He was the ba-dum of every heartbeat in every city big and small. He was the constant motion of a boat, plane, train, car. He was reality. He was space. He was time. This knowledge of everything. Of everywhere. Of everyone. It was too much. And yet it was also not enough. He was....CHAOS.
"Take....my....place..." It whispered. A man? And then the beautiful atmosphere was ruined. And the knowledge disappeared. Thunder boomed and suddenly the sky turned red. The tree began to wither Large rocks began to fall from the crumbling ceiling and Kameron yelped and leapt to the side, avoiding a rock that had been a millisecond away from crushing him. What was going on? And then the voice came yet again. And this time it was dripping with malice. "TAKE...MY...PLACE...!" Kameron covered his ears screaming in agony. He needed to leave. He needed to...
Kameron gasped and fell to his knees, clutching his stomach. It felt as if molten lava were running through his body. And then he caught sight of His skin. He stared at his arms horrified. His veins. They were glowing a dark, sinister, red. What?
And then Kameron looked up just in time to see a rock the size of a school bus a foot away from crushing him.
And then he woke up. He screamed, thrashing in his bed before realizing that he was fine. He had not been crushed by a boulder. Panting heavily, and wiping the sweat from his brow, he relaxed, sighing. What was with that strange dream? Well it was no use wondering about it. He could figure it out in the morning. With that, Kameron fell asleep unaware of the remnants of wispy red and black energy flowing around his arms before disappearing.
Kameron awoke the next morning with a massive headache. He groaned and sat up slowly. His body felt sore, too. Hmm. With a little bit more effort than usual, Kameron dragged himself out of bed and glanced at this alarm clock. 5:26 AM. His parents wouldn't be up yet. As quietly as possible, Kameron tiptoed out of his room and into the bathroom to wash up. He really needed a shower.
As he waited for the water to heat up, he looked at himself in the mirror. He was a small boy only 5.6. He was lean, only about 168 lbs. He had curly hair and a clear unblemished face with a defined jaw line. He had light brown skin and beautiful hazel eyes. He had a small scar on his upper right lip. As he examined himself in the mirror he contemplated his dream. It was strange. And it had felt so real. He had heard of dreams that felt real but this...this felt like a completely different level. The growing steam snapped Kameron out of his daydreaming. he sighed and got in the shower, smiling. The warm water helped soothe his sore muscles which also didn't make any sense. How was he in pain when he had done nothing to hurt himself in the first place?
And the dream...He had felt something. Felt everything. All those sensations blending together into one large collage of information. It was chaotic. And deep down he loved it.
He was fully clothed and out of the shower a few minutes later. He had gone downstairs to make breakfast. The house was quiet which was how Kameron liked it. No loud sisters or nagging parents. Just peace and quiet. And no abusive broth--
Kameron's train of thought was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and being slammed closed. That could only mean one thing. Swallowing nervously he quietly headed to the front of the house where a man was leaning against the small table next to the door. "Darius. You're home a little late."
Darius looked up at him, eyes glassy and unfocused. Darius was much taller than Kameron and had some impressive muscles. He had short, black curly hair and a defined jaw. HIs hair was currently dyed white but it was fading at the roots. And his eyes were a dark brown. He was football player so the whole muscle thing made sense. His skin was lighter than Kameron's probably due to him being half-dominican.
Darius stood up shakily and stepped closer. Kameron frowned and backed away. Darius was only 21 and had a habit of drinking which he shouldn't even be doing. He would come home late at night or early in the mornings. He had a temper and usually he was at his worst when drunk. Kameron had only been living in the Lejoe house for a few years and they were not his real family. And Darius was a horrible brother, tormenting Kameron whenever he could.
And now would probably be no different. But as Darius continued to step forward doubts began to form in Kameron's mind. Suddenly he hit the wall and before he could move to the side, Darius had him pinned. He was close. Too close, nose almost touching his.
"D-Darius could you please move?" Kameron asked shakily. Darius frowned and said nothing. Then an evil grin spread across his face and he boldly pushed his knee between Kameron's legs. Kameron gasped as Darius's leg rubbed against his crotch. " W-What? Stop--mmph!!??" Kameron was cut off by a fierce kiss from Darius. Their tongues fought for dominance and it was obvious that Darius won. Kameron struggled but Darius had the upper hand when it came to superior strength. What? What was going on? No. Kameron used the last of his strength to push Darius away. Darius stumbled, caught off guard. Kameron used this moment to race past the stunned older boy and up the steps to the safety of his room.
He slammed the door shut and put his back against it. He couldn't breathe. he needed air. Kameron gasped and stumbled forward. His chest felt hot. And something within him rose. Kameron screamed, and a shockwave of pure energy exploded from him sending every item in his room into the walls with the force of a hurricane.
REVENGE
REVENGE
REVENGE
REVENGE
REVENGE!!!!!!
This word pierced through him and he could feel that these were not his words. Kameron felt the edges of his vision go blurry. He was seeing spots. And Kameron's last thought before he fell into darkness was Darius.