• Dana stumbled forward, his shaking hands frantically searching for a grip on the ever-changing reality. Or was it? Reality certainly couldn't shift so quickly, could it? It was terrifying and yet comforting at the same time. His green eyes darted around as he collapsed onto his knees, breathing hard. That light... shouldn't it be cold? It looked too early for the kind of warmth he felt on his skin, free of goosebumps.

    Don't stay still. Don't. Don't.

    Compelled by this urge, Dana found himself standing straight again, walking though he looked like a drunk. Wherever he was, there was more. He knew it. There had to be. Something called to him from the dark recesses of his mind, wrapping through each thought like ivy. Killing everything else in it's path, it snaked through his body, pushing him forward in this off-balanced movement of his limbs. The scenery blurred together in his eyes, not really taking anything in.

    Don't stop. Don't. Don't.

    His feet ached as if they had been walking for miles over what felt like seconds. Seconds that stretched into interminable amounts of time. Who knew anymore? Figures. Focus, boy, focus.

    Stop.

    There. People, and quite a few all gathered into this one area. And a couch? Was this planned? Who? Why? Heart beating erratically in his chest, Dana froze again, trying to put it all together. Why? Why? "Wh-where-" he started, posing the half-thought in words. His hands flew to his mouth, covering his trembling lips. His voice... still there. No different. Had he expected it to have changed? Maybe. This had to have been a dream, right? Slowly, he pulled his hands back, studying his fingers and arms with reverent awe. Everything was in it's right place, nothing had altered. So why was he so scared?

    He looked up again, towards the others and closed the distance between himself and the small group with steadier steps. Sitting on the fringe of the small semi-circle, Dana held his knees, resting his chin on top and swayed a little. "When in doubt, keep your mouth shut and wait for a better answer," who had said that, he couldn't recall. He took it to heart though, studying each of them with the eyes of a child. Curiosity, mild confusion, wonder. His surroundings were new, like walking into a classroom for the first time, but they seemed real enough. Tenatively, a hand reached out and his nails brushed across the ground, very solid, very real. Not a dream, then, he concluded, though unsure why it was so easy to accept.

    A small smile crept it's way onto his lips as he played with individual blades of grass, twirling them between his fingers and then letting go. Here, there hadn't been any threat so far. Nothing provocative enough to cause an attack, as there was no other way to name it. Things slipped in and out of his mind easily, tumbling through like water over rocks before it floated down river. It was so much easier to concentrate on whatever he felt like without worrying when the next time he'd have to go out would be. Before, he had been an undesirable. Maybe here, wherever it was, he could start again. Like heaven? Yeah, that could work.

    Questions? Snapping out of his mild trance, Dana's hand shot up in the air. It was a childish impulse, but who knew what kind of people these were? The hand fell back down as soon as the bed appeared. Large and intricate, it was far too masterful to appear out of thin air, right? Again, the small hand entered the air, though it was a more hesitant movement now. His shirt stretched over his stomach, revealing a small section of pale skin and a tattoo encircling his navel. What is this place? His bright green eyes flicked between the only two standing. They seem to be in charge. They might know.

    While unprovoked, it was hard to tell that there was much wrong with him, possibly the only sign being severe fright around others. But these people didn't constantly pester him, asking questions, poke at him. Before, it was only natural that every student had known of his... problems, in depth or not. Parents were always forewarned of his joining, and they in turn informed their children that the new boy was 'different'. Different. That led to persistnet questioning which usually became the onset for expulsion. Dana pulled his knees closer, unwilling to remember. They hurt you, didn't they? hissed the alluring and familiar voice in the back of his mind, kept locked away as often as possible. He didn't like it. It hurt too many people, got him into too much trouble. I don't care, he countered, pulling away from it the best he could. Don't listen, don't listen, began the mantra, a constant reminder. A dark chuckle sounded in his head, the click of claws on some hard surface. It hadn't left yet. Of course not, child. Of course not.

    Dana didn't reply. Instead, he took rested his head on the top of his knees, dark strands of hair covered his now closed eyes. He held a wrist with one hand, wrapping it around his legs down towards his ankles, listening for any other sign the fanged creature might make. It remained silent, for the moment. Sighing with relief, he took another steadying breath before slowly lifting his head again. Any questions he had were gone, long forgotten in the split second inner turmoil. Again, he looked at each of the others, wondering. Do they have a monster, too?

    As one of the two in charge reached towards him, Dana recoiled quickly in shock, unprepared for the sudden closeness of... anyone. Okay, they were friendly all right, but actual human contact other than the girls was something he had been deprived of for years. Even around Maree, he never talked, and she was one of those bubbly people who were hard to ignore. Instead, his contribution to conversation had always been short statements or, more commonly, a smile and nod. His eyes wide, Dana's nails dug into the ground as he pulled himself backwards, shaking his head. I changed my mind. I don't like this. That horrible question. The name question. What had always started it all.

    No. Nonononono. Again, he shook his head, still inching farther away. He bit his lip, trying to keep focus. Go ahead. Answer. I'll bet, even if he doesn't say it out loud, he'll think it. The demon mocked him, silent to the ears of anyone else, still just a voice in the back of his head. Openly dripping with falsification and cruelty, Dana couldn't help but flinch at the sound of it. Oh come now. We both know you cannot ignore me for long. You cannot block me out, you cannot rid yourself of me. Give it up, child. This battle has already been won. The taunts always started this way, slowly breaking him down from the inside until it could break free. His thin arms shook, unable to hold even his small form up for long.

    Within seconds, his arms gave out and his shoulder blades and head hit the ground with a solid thump. This only drove the paranoia deeper, as if it could have possibly made some form of escape for the demon. He scrambled to his feet with his heart pounding in his chest. Out. Gotta get out. Far away. The metallic tang of blood crept into his mouth and a small gasp escaped from Dana's crimson-stained lips.

    Run.

    There it was. That commanding voice. He didn't resist. Instead, he let this feet carry him back towards the fog. I have to get back. The low-lying cloud began to dampen his face the moment he burst into it, followed by a gust of an unnatural cold. Suddenly the air seemed to thin and too heavy all at once and he froze. Gathering water droplets pooled at the tips of his hair and hung in his face, covering parts of his eyes.

    Get out.

    Slowly, he walked backwards. Something here was unwelcoming and he didn't want any part of it. Dana kept his eyes locked forward, trying to see an exit. Lost now? What if no one should find you? Are you going to die out here? The voice scorned. His hands flew to his ears and his eyes squeezed shut, making him unaware of his sudden emergence from the fog. Now it felt… different. Slowly, his eyes opened again. It was dark here and from what he could see, there wasn’t anyone else. “H-hello?”