I Woke Up In A Completely Different World! Chapter 1

Woman: "You're on Feles Isle, there's no place called Los Angeles around here . "

Those words shook me to my core, I couldn't believe what she had just said . Remembering what had happened to me and my friends, I yelled out their names, hoping they could hear me .

Steven: "William! Lucas! Where are you guys!"

My yelling, however, was in vain . I could only hope that they had gotten away . I was getting nowhere and I made the woman in front of nervous, who tried to calm me down .

Woman: "Calm down! We can find your friends, but you have to tell me what happened first . "

What happened? As I tried to think back and remember what happened; it began after I finished class and ran out to catch up to Lucas; who already rushed out to the front gate as soon as the bell rang . He was always energetic and kept himself clean as if he went to a Military Academy .

Lucas: "Bro, has visto a William? He should be here . "

Steven: "I haven't seen him since lunch . "

At the time, I didn't think much about him not being here, but now I was curious as well; because for as long as I'd remembered, William would always be at the front gate before us, waiting . We didn't think much about it then and Lucas shrugged it off by leaving a message through his phone and we made way towards my family's restaurant . I came from a family of restaurant owners and we would always go there after school to eat .

Lucas: "Man, William is going to miss out!"

Steven: "El sabe que vamos a comer at the restaurant; I'm sure he'll be there . "

Lucas: "Entonces será mejor que se apure . "

Spanish was the language we mostly spoke in the neighborhood and we all spoke it well with each other . As we headed to the restaurant, a girl came running towards us, crying and yelling for help .

Girl: "Help! Help! My friend is in trouble!"

She was as tall as Lucas was and gave off an innocent aura, her hair side-swept and all . Lucas, being the chivalrous knight he makes himself out to be, instantly offers to help . Although being obviously distraught, she was able to coherently lead us to a construction site .

Girl: "My friend, she's under there!"

Suddenly, I had this horrible gut feeling, as if I was charged at by a bull . I tried to figure out where it came from when Lucas rushed in and started clearing out the rubble . I jumped in as well out of good nature and knowing Lucas wouldn't be able to lift most of the rubble on his own . We dug and dug but we didn't see any sign of anyone being stuck even though the girl kept insisting there was .

Steven: "Are you sure she's here?"

Girl: "Yes I'm sure! Are you calling me a liar?!"

Quickly, I said no to avoid a confrontation and continued digging with Lucas; who was already getting tired and looked like he could collapse any second . I felt bad for him, he would help others without thinking of himself at times . He was already Lethargic and has difficulty in P . E .

Steven: "Lucas, puedes descansar . You look like you need it . "

Lucas: "No, I have to find her friend . "

I knew he would've refused, but it was worth the try . He would go so far for someone as to keep himself from looking weak, especially in front of a girl . Still, I admired how heroic he can be even though it's because how stubborn he is . It was a double edged sword and we would occasionally get into trouble because of it . Like this one time, where he forced himself onto the football field after being rejected because of his small stature .

Girl: "I see her! Keep digging!"

I didn't see anything but we both got a rush of adrenaline, motivating us to work harder and faster . Even Lucas was pumped after looking like he'd collapse any second . After another half hour, we were exhausted and ended up clearing out almost all of the debris in the area . Her friend was nowhere to be seen .

Lucas: "We cleared the area and your friend wasn't in there . "

I was confused, and when I was about to ask if she was going to be alright, I got the same horrible gut feeling again . I felt as if I were tricked, a lamb led to the slaughterhouse . I was about to grab Lucas and make a run for it when the girl gave off a demonic smile, one that betrays her innocent appearance and sends a chill down our spines .

Girl: "Thank you, but I only need one of you now . "

A shadow quickly embraced her and loomed over us . Grabbing what sanity I believed I had left, I attempted to run away with Lucas when a shadow came out of nowhere and began to suffocate me .

Lucas: "Steven!"

I felt my life slowly draining . I tried telling Lucas to make a run for it but the shadow was tightly wrapped around my neck making difficult breath . That's when William came running from the distance .

William: "Guys! Goddamnit!"

He dashed towards us and the shadow let it's grip loosen to go after William . With the strength I had left, I struggled against the shadow and picked up a piece of broken rebar and ran towards the girl . She had her arm out as if she controlled the shadows with a smile . I lifted up the rebar like a baseball bat and swung at her with all my might . I barely missed but it was enough to knock her onto the ground .

Steven: "You are not doing this to us!"

I lifted up the rebar over my head and began to make the motion of swinging it down . A sharp pain overwhelmed me and I let out a blood-curdling scream, the rebar slipping from my hands . When I looked down in horror, a shadow had stabbed me in the abdomen . Soon after, I was raised and was stabbed again, this time in the chest . I felt nothing but pain as the shadows continued stabbing me . I felt my blood rushing out of my mouth and tears streaming across my face as I attempted to call out my friends, telling them to run . Looking at them, I could see the horror of what's happening on their faces . Finally, one last shadow pierces my heart and lets me go . Darkness slowly filled my vision as I fell to the floor . I didn't feel anything but a small pulsating pain from where I had been stabbed . A light appeared in front of me . A compulsion led me to go after it, as it slowly grew bigger . The more I walked towards it, the less I felt the pulse and the bigger the light became until it finally completely filled my vision, no matter what direction I looked . I felt hot when a sudden energy jolts through me, causing me to fall off the bed I found myself in . Thinking it was a nightmare, I stood up and realized I wasn't in my own home .

Steven: "Then you came in after that . "

Woman: "You were found on a beach, we had Captain Esmond and the others carry you here, where you were unconscious for a few days . "

Feeling light-headed, I fall hard against the bed and bang my head on the wall . The stranger rushed towards me and held me to make sure I was okay .

Woman: "Be careful! You could get a concussion!"

I tried to apologize, but I could only do so weakly .

Steven: "I'm sorry…"

I was blushing as she held me, her hands traced across my head as her soft skin was touching mine, her black hair was soft as silk and smelled like flowers; I was entranced and for the time it lasted, came peace . I wanted to know who this woman, the one who was holding me, the one who looked and felt like a Goddess, was and why she's even helping me .

Steven: "What's your name?"

Kanna: "My name? Just call me Kanna . What's yours?"

Steven: "Steven . "

Why was she here? So many questions came to mind and I wanted to know more about her; she seemed like a really nice girl .

Steven: "Why are you helping me?"

Kanna: "I was the one who found you on the beach . I don't know, it just feels like the right thing to do . "

She releases her gentle grasp and sits on the floor, in front of me .

Steven: "Do you live around here?"

Kanna: "In Feles Isle? No, I might be Nekomata but I was raised in Everhand . I'm here visiting family . "

Everhand and Nekomatas? I didn't know what she was talking about and it confused me . Giving it some thought, it could've been a demonym for the people around here, like how we sometimes call ourselves Angeleno in Los Angeles . Though, I'm not exactly sure .

Steven: "What are Nekomatas?"

She looked at me for a dead second, I thought I offended her, but she looked at me perplexed as if I should already know .

Kanna: "You don't know what Nekomatas are?"

Steven: "No, I'm sorry if I offended you . "

After a few seconds, she started blushing as she slowly pulls her sun hat off and reveals two cat ears that both shocked and amazed me . This is amazing! They look real, too!

Kanna: "We're basically part cat if you want to think of it that way . "

Steven: "Wow! That's amazing! Do you have a tail too?"

Her face turned even redder as she pulled a string from her dress and revealed her tail . Being raised around cats, I noticed that she was nervous by the way her ears were twitching and by instinct, I reached out to pet her . I continued petting her as to calm her down and soon enough, her ears were relaxing and her tail was beginning to quiver; signs that she was calming down and starting to relax if she really was part cat . It wasn't long until I realized what I was doing and instantly pulled my hand embarrassingly .

Steven: Ah sorry! I wasn't thinking when I was petting you!"

Kanna: "N-no it's fine, I-I should go get the Elder, he should know how to find your friends . "

She left in a hurry, both of us embarrassed by what happened . I slowly stood up as I still felt light-headed and didn't want to fall back into the wall . Looking around the room, I noticed a drawer with pictures on top of them and upon closer inspection, it looked like a hand-drawn family portrait . This was far too elaborate to be a prank and was convinced that Kanna was part cat . Apart from the photos, the rest of the room looked like a traditional Japanese room, like a guest bedroom . When I noticed the lamp slightly flickering, I saw a floating gem surrounded by a flame responsible for the light . I backed away cautiously to avoid blinding myself and to protect myself as I wasn't sure what the orb would do if I touched it and I wasn't keen on finding out . After a few more minutes of looking around, I peeped through the partially opened door that led outside and couldn't believe my eyes .

Steven: "Where the hell am I?!"

It finally became clear that I woke up in a completely different world . . .

Chapter end