Chapter 1: In which Evelyn gets blown up

"Don't touch that!" I cried.

This has got to be the weirdest dream of my life

I watched gratefully as my sister Mina retracted her hand from a strange fungi at her feet. I was convinced I was in a bizarre dream because there is no way in heck this is actually happening. I cannot possibly be stuck in a video game. My favourite video game for that matter, Minecraft. That only happens to interesting people in books, and I, Evelyn am not interesting in the slightest. I come from a tiny where-even-is-that town, go to the most boring school, and have one friend. Who, for reasons I don't feel are important at the moment, kinda hates me.

But I'm getting carried away.

Freak where'd Mina go?

I jerk my head around only to see her dangling her feet into the water.

"Evelyn! Come over here!" she said with a broad smile. "Its actually water!"

I walked over, hearing my gentle footsteps against the grass. Once I reached the stream I stuck my hand deep into the water. It was cool and wet.

Awfully accurate dream.

A tiny bit of panic fluttered in my chest, but I pushed it down. It was normal enough to feel things in dreams wasn't it?

I stared at my reflection. First my hair caught my eyes, short and as of recently a bright blue. My eyes remained their boring brown, resembling mud in my opinion.

Mina was always much prettier. Her hair was a bright red, and her eyes a much softer brown. She looked a lot like my mother. Everyone who had known my father always said I looked like him. Too bad, apart from coffee once when I was young, I never knew him.

Neither had Mina.

"Evelyn!" Mina tugged at my arm, "look over there."

She pointed to a wide opening in the blocks, a cave entrance.

"Can we go in? Please?" she said hopefully.

"No, you are not going in there." I said, even if this was just a dream I didn't want Mina to find a creeper and get blown apart. "You stay right here, I'll go check it out."

"But I want to come too!" Mina pouted.

"If you aren't here when I get back then you'll be in big trouble." I said warningly, apparently this still worked in this dream because Mina sat down with a huff.

"No fair. I just want to help you," she sulked.

Help is one way to put it...

"You can help later, right now I need you to guard the pond," I said, "make sure its still here when I get back."

Mina nodded.

She'll be safe enough here I think, probably she'll have disappeared by the time I came back. Hopefully.

Dreams are the mind's way of sorting things out. Though I'm not sure what I'm sorting out about Mina, sure she's a bit annoying at times. But she's a good sister, but heavy on the following-you-everywhere side. Which is why I don't completely believe she'll stay by the creek.

I walked to edge of the cavern, inside was dark and cool. The walls were mostly stone with andesite peppered in and deep below I heard the burble of a stream. I had nothing with me, no tools or weapons.

Might as mark out some ore anyway.

I laughed lightly, but looking deep into the darkness the hair on the back of my neck stood up.

There is nothing to be afraid of silly.

I mean sure there is monsters in Minecraft. Creepers will kill instantly.

Wonder what that would feel like?

Stop it!

I decided to step in before I actually started fighting with myself. The floor was cold and as I wandered in the temperature dropped to chilly. It was silent save the sound of water. On the wall opposite was coal, I wished I had a pickaxe.

Maybe I can will one to appear for me.

I closed my eyes and screwed up my face. Nothing happened.

I waited concentrating.

Still nothing.

I opened my eyes and at a time and screamed. Right in front of me about 20 blocks away was a creeper, and it was coming my way. I tripped on my feet as I backed away.

"Nice creeper," I said, holding out my hands, "I was just leaving."

It got closer still.

I started to run, but not fast enough. The blast threw me into the wall, pain radiated through my body, I felt my energy drop down.

"Evelyn?" a little voice called.

Oh no Mina! I knew I shouldn't of left her at the pond

"Evelyn!" it was a scream. I ran toward the voice. Mina was cornered by a huge spider and had resorted to climbing a tree, as the thing tried and failed to reach her. "Eve-"

It finally reached up through the trees.