This Is Destiny

I wake up from a sound sleep. I remember dreaming about being on a stage in front of a large crowd, cheering and screaming for me. My dream was interrupted when the sun shined right at my face. I roll over on my side and look at the time. The clock reads nine and my jump up from my bed. The floor feels different, the room looks different. Am I still dreaming? I look around, surveying my surroundings. I'm in a hotel room, location unknown.

"I must be dreaming," I say to myself, voice deeper than usual. I hold my throat, feeling a bump in the middle of it and stubble all around. A lump formed in my throat as I ran my hands through my once long hair, but now is short and shaggy. The phone on the nightstand begins to ring the generic iPhone tritone. I walk over to the bed, taking a seat as I see who is calling. I read the name on the screen. Jack. I slide the lock button over to answer the call. "Dude, will you let me in? I left my key in there." A voice says on the other line. I hear a muffled voice on the other side of the door and I go to let this Jack person in. I mean, if it is a dream, I'm not going to die, right?

I swing the heavy door open only to reveal a scrawny, dark haired Jack Barakat standing in front of me. I lose all ability to speak as he passes by me, talking about something. I can't quite make out his words. I must be waking up.

"You okay, man? You look sick."

"Uh, I-" I start to speak, losing the ability to form words, "uh, I. I'm fine." I smile before running to the bathroom. I slam the door shut behind me before turning the light on. I search for the switch as I begin to panic. The room lights up with a bright white light, hurting my eyes in the process. I fear looking in the mirror. Biting my lip, I creep forward, terrified of what I’m going to see. I face the mirror and my throat closes, my brain shuts down and my lungs collapse.

I stare at my reflection, jaw hanging open. I stick my tongue out, look at my teeth and smile. It wasn’t my tongue, they weren’t my teeth and it definitely wasn’t my smile. Alex Gaskarth is looking back at me through my mirror, mimicking my every movement. My heart starts to race in my chest, my head throbs and I lose all sense of where I am. My knees buckle in. I lose my balance, trying to grab for the sink but my hands don’t grab the edge fast enough.

“You okay in there?” I hear Jacks voice call through the door before he twists the doorknob.

“I’m naked!” I yell out.

“Like that’s never stopped me before,” he laughs as he opens the door, seeing me lying on the floor. He raises his eyebrow and begins to shake his head. “Liar.” I bring myself up to the counter, peeking at the mirror again. I look into my now dark chocolate eyes. I must be dreaming. I hear the phone ringing again from the other room. I ignore the sound as I poke my face and pull at my lips. “I think that’s you,” Jack says as he leans on the door frame arms crossed. I look up at him like he’s an alien from another planet.

Pulling myself to my feet I feel the weakness lingering in my knees. I wobble back into the room, hunched over and holding onto everything. I don’t listen to Jack’s comments about me being drunk as I grab the phone off the bed. Why am I calling myself?

Notes

Thank you so much to everyone who's read this so far!

<3