So, this was it huh? This is where his life would change into something else entirely. I mean, mistakes happened, right? Heâd gotten in trouble with the law plenty in the past. Mainly just speeding tickets and parking fines. But this? People wouldnât look at him the same anymore. He had a record now. A proper one. Taking in a deep breath of cool air, Evan wasnât sure what he felt. Was it the weight of burden? Guilt? Maybe. It was hard to tell. Either way, he was here now. Lying in the cold of his cell, awaiting the consequences of his actions. It hurt, and it was hard, but he needed to do it. Accept the facts. He was scared for what it meant for him. To be a criminal. And when his time was up, what then? Life would never be the same. Still, scared as he was, he wasnât going to ignore it. He had to take responsibility for what he did. Thatâs why heâd admitted guilt in the first place. Now he had to brave societyâs judgement. Gently bringing his hand up to his neck, Evan gingerly rolled the ring of his necklace back and forth between his fingers, before letting it loosely drop.
Closing his eyes to try and sleep, Evan didnât notice the change to the space around him at first. Then he heard it. Or was it a feeling? It was hard to describe, but it prompted him to sit up and look around, a sudden flash of light causing him to cry out and shut his eyes again as they failed to adjust to the sudden change in brightness. Hazy pinpricks filled his vision, but as soon as it had come, the light faded, leaving him in darkness. But not the familiar one heâd gotten to know over the past few hours. A sense of weightlessness -not falling - just kind of floating. Evan was acutely aware that the pressure of the mattress was gone, instead leaving him absently devoid of touch apart from his clothes against his skin. It was eerily disconcerting to have his feet off the ground.
Was this void some sort of manifestation of the stress heâd had over the past week? Either way, it was a pretty trippy dream. Flailing about in the dark, Evan tried to get upright. Or at least, the direction he felt was upright. Still, it was hard to stop his momentum from almost tossing him right round again. Finally however, he managed to face in a way that his equilibrium told him was correct, and almost as if it had been waiting for him to do so, a voice spoke to Evan at that very moment. Not with words. Or maybe they were? Honestly, this place made little sense to Evan, and his mind felt clouded, so he wasnât good at paying attention. Innocent? Virtue? Island? It was all a little ludicrous. He was anything but innocent. In fact, Evan said as much to his mystery guide. His subconscious or whatever it was. Losing his memories for some inner peace or something⊠No, screw that. He wasnât forgetting Amelia or what happened. It was his fault. To simply forget it and move on would be a cowardâs way out of the situation. He thought heâd resolved to do this but⊠Maybe there was more conflict in his mind then he thought if he was questioning himself like this and dreaming up some fantasy?
Before Evan had any further time to contemplate his situation, it was like the world fell apart. Or maybe it came back into reality? Suddenly, gravity was ripping him downwards through the darkness at an alarming rate, sending him tumbling and hurtling towards⊠Well, there was no end in sight, but it was terrifying all the same. Then, sharp and jarring, he hit something. Exhaling and gasping for air, Evan sat up, sweating and bringing a hand to his face as he caught his breath. Jeezus⊠What a nightmare. Felt so real too, his heart was pounding a mile a minute. That wasnât the only thing pounding though, he had a splitting headache to boot. Too disconcerted to lie back down, Evan set his hand down next to himself to stay propped up. Then, he began to take in his surroundings as all at once his senses told him it was all wrong. It was light out. Grass with warm dew between his fingers. A breeze across his face. WhereâŠ? HowâŠ? Dragging his fingers through the dirt, he could feel the grains. Was this⊠A dream? It felt real⊠And heâd never had a lucid dream before.
âAre you alright? Can you hear me?" Turning towards the source of the noise, Evan began to realise he wasnât alone in this place. Two girls were just a few metres away from him, a taller looking chick leaning over another girl, while just a few feet away a brown haired fellow was getting his bearings. He didnât recognise any of them, which was pretty weird for a dream. Well, dream in a dream. Some inception shenanigans going on it seemed.
"I'm Concetta, hello!" That tall girl spoke again, and Evan reflexively winced at the increased racket as his head reminded him how much it was stinging.
âYouâre also way too loud.â Evan grumbled as he finally got to his feet, dusting himself down. Bringing his hand to his forehead to shield his eyes from the sunlight, Evan did another once over of the area for anything of familiarity, but was left with failure. Softly swearing under his breath, he placed his hands back into his pockets as he looked down to the other fellow, back to the girls, then back to the man below him. Just what the hell was all this?
ââSup Toto? You from Kansas cause thisâŠâ Evan gestured around him, looking about to the flowers swaying about in the breeze.
âDonât look like home.â Turning back to the man, Evan thought about extending a hand, but then thought better of it after spotting the multitude of bandages and the like on his body.
âDidnât know the Mummy originated in OzâŠâ Evan stated plainly, not really thinking anything on it as he walked over towards Concetta and her newfound friend, glancing back to see if the other fellow followed as he stood a short distance away, forming a small semicircle with the group.
âSo, anyone know whatâs going on here? Or is that too much to ask?â Shifting his stance slightly to place his weight on his other foot, Evan smirked slightly as he noticed the disproportionate heights of the girls before him. Heâd have to make a joke out of that at some point. Coming up with something so soon was a tall order though. Good jokes about height were in short supply. Musing on all this, Evan briefly squinted to some figures in the distance, making their approach. Well, that could be dealt with when they arrived. For now heâd deal with the people in his immediate vicinity.