Everything seemed to be eerily quiet.

    Not a single sound echoed through the stone room.

     Nicolas Lieux's head remained resting against the cold, stone floor. The young boy blinked his eyes open, his brain not fully comprehending what had happened prior and where he was now.

      Nico stretched out his limbs—-they felt like they were cramping, especially his legs.

     Nicolas wetted his lips as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

     "My head is killing me," the eight-year-old boy groaned in pain as he scooched himself backward and leaned against the wall.

      Nicolas raised his small hand up to rub his head in an attempt to soothe his raging migraine.

      Is my forehead… wet?, he began to think as he pulled a face. Am I sweating? Or did someone dump water on me? He grumbled at that thought. Very funny, Bethany! You pour water on your brother while he sleeps? How dare you?

      Nicolas pulled his hand away, blinking a few times in disbelief at the red that stained his hand and dripped down his wrist. "What the…?" He began, completely and utterly confused. Am I bleeding?, he questioned himself, looking horrified.

     Nicolas hesitated before attempting to raise his other hand up to his head—-instead, he couldn't; all that Nicolas could feel in his right arm was pain.

     "What the hell?" The young boy questioned as he looked over to his arm.

      Nico reached his bloody hand over to his injured arm, poking and prodding at it. He winced loudly. "Ow!"

     It's broken, isn't it? He groaned. Dammit.

     Nicolas continued to lean his head against the old stone wall, exhaling heavily. When he went to brush his hand through his hair, his fingers met something sharp—-he poked himself. "Ow!" He exclaimed once more as he yanked his hand back down.

     The eight-year-old boy examined his hand, noting the small cut on the tip of his pointer finger.

      Nicolas reached back up to his hair, pulling the object off and then looking at it.

        Glass.

        Nicolas then raised his uninjured arm once more to brush the remaining glass out of his hair.

      Why was there so much glass in my hair?, he questioned. Then he stiffened. Crap. What time is it? It's Tuesday. I'm probably late for school!

        Nicolas then let his gaze patrol the room—-the room only seemed to be lit faintly by torches that were mantled on the wall.

       Torches?, the little boy began to think. What is this? 1450?

       Nicolas stumbled to his feet, wincing a little when he placed weight on his left ankle. Please don't tell me I hurt my ankle too, he begged in his mind. He shifted his weight onto the other ankle instead.

     "Bethany! Bethany!" Nicolas began to call out to his older half-sister. "Ha. Ha. I get it… You wanted to prank me. …You got your laugh, didn't you? Come out. Bethany?"

      Nicolas continued to stumble around the room, in pain. "This isn't funny you know…"

      He stepped forward, slipping and losing his balance, smacking against the wall—-he bashed the shoulder on his injured arm against the wall. "Dammit!" The young boy shouted when he hurt himself.

      Just my rotten luck!

     Nico groaned once more as he used his uninjured hand to push off from the wall and regain my balance.

      A lump formed in Nicolas's throat.

      "Bethany? Bethany?" He called out once more, starting to sound a little desperate.

      This isn't just a cruel prank, is it? He swallowed the lump in his throat.

      "Bethany?" He called once more, this time in a shaky, frightened tone.

       When Nicolas didn't get a response back, he called, "Mom? Mom!" He continued to stumble around the room.

      There was not a single word uttered by Anais; she didn't hear him. She wasn't there.

      "Kara!" Nicolas's voice grew even more desperate and it raised in volume. "Kara! Please! Kara!"

     Why can't anyone even hear me?, Nicolas thought to himself.

      Nicolas looked at the wall. "I… I'm dreaming… I must be." The young boy pinched his eyes closed as tight as he could. "I'll just count to ten and I'll open my eyes… Back in my own bed. It'll be fine… It all will be."

      "One," he whispered with his eyes still closed tight.

      It'll all be okay.

     "Two."

     You'll see. Everything will be normal once more.

     "Three."

      You'll be back with Mom… She'll hug you… Make you cookies and stuff.

      "Four…" Nicolas felt his heart rate increase a little bit.

       Stay calm. That's all you need to do. Simple, really.

     "Five."

      What if this really isn't a dream?

      "Six."

      What if this is actually real?

     "Seven."

     What if I never make it out of here?

     "Eight."

      Does… Does someone here want to hurt me? Oh crap. Am I in danger?

      Nicolas's heart rate spiked again. "Nine."

     Stay calm… No… I can't.

     "Ten."

     I want to go home.

     Nicolas's opened his eyes once more, his heart sinking when he realized wasn't home but instead still within the stone room.

     "No, no," Nicolas began. "I'm not supposed to be here." His eyes watered and he sniffled. "I'm supposed to be home! With Mom! And Kara! And Bethany and Gaël! Why didn't it work?"

     The eight-year-old boy started to sob. "Why? Why?" He slammed his fists against the wall repeatedly—-again and again. He slammed the sides of his fists against the wall until he was in excruciating pain… Until he was sure he had injured both of his hands. "I wanna go home!" He shouted, seemingly to no one.

     Nicolas slumped forward, his fists still pressed against the wall—-he rested the top of his head against the wall too. He continued to sob, loudly. "...I wanna go home," he repeated in a softer voice.

      Nicolas closed his eyes as tears continued to stream down his face. I'm gonna die here… And Mom, Kara, and Bethany will never realize where I am… He sniffled loudly.

       Nicolas pressed his full weight against the wall as he continued to keep his eyes closed. He felt the wall slip out from under him. He opened his eyes, looking up quickly as he stumbled into a hallway. "Huh?"

      The young boy looked up and down the empty hallway before deciding to make a run for it. He was going to escape this strange place, no matter what.