NOT AN ILLUSION

~{LUKE'S POV}~

*

I was breathing heavily due to how much I had struggled to sail the boat in the whale's belly. I was drenched in its food and muckiness and it irritated me to no end.

The only thing that kept me sane was the fact that I constantly reminded myself that it was all in my head. Just an illusion. And thankfully, every illusion had an exit but strangely the waiter's illusion didn't have one.

"What if I have been looking the wrong way," I said to myself and looked in the far direction where I had entered.

What if I could get out of this illusion by going through its mouth?

As I tried to turn my boat, I felt the whale move in a dangerous way and no matter how I tried to hold my balance, I tumbled off the boat and fell into the disgusting water.

It took every strength in me not to open my mouth but I had to and the water from its belly got into my mouth, making me feel like ending my life entirely. This was pure torture and I couldn't bear it anymore.

"Luke!"

Someone called my name but I couldn't focus since I was trying to swim through the water and all the way to the boat as there was no land.

"Luke! Give me your hand!"

When I got to the boat, I absentmindedly stretched out my hand to whoever it was and I was helped back into the boat. Once my body fell onto the boat's floor, I coughed and tried to vomit what I had swallowed but couldn't and it made me begin to feel sick.

"What are you doing here?"

Now that I could finally hear the person properly, I looked at her and went completely still as shock covered my face.

"F-Frances?"

"Yes?"

She looked really scared as she kept darting her eyes back and forth wondering how I or she wound up in here.

"You're not real," I said and quickly scrambled away from her.

Funny enough, no matter how much I move away, there's still no room to run to since the boat is small.

"I'm not real? Is that how you thank me? How is any of this even in my mind? Do you know that I'm going insane right now? One moment I was thrown into a horror movie and had a terrifying experience in a cemetery and now I'm here! What is going on?" She was devastated, torn and all teary eyed at the same time as she rambled to her heart's content.

"I'm sorry but I need to know that you're real…"

"Luke!" She snapped at me in annoyance.

"What! How do you expect me to believe you when I don't even know what to believe anymore. This is an illusion!" I snapped back as I sat upright.

"An illusion? Did you accidentally trap yourself in your own illusion? And of all places why this?"

"Come on Frances, that's impossible," I said in all seriousness.

"Do you know how I got in here?" She asked and I blinked in confusion and watched her pat the floor of the boat.

"There was a door here, a real one." She said and I blinked at her.

It still felt strange that she was here and I was finding it hard to believe.

"You think I'm joking right?" She said.

"How can I not? Magic doesn't work here," I reminded her and she scoffed.

When she tried to stand up, I quickly screamed for her to sit back.

"We'll fall! Sit down!"

But she didn't heed my words and got up while eyeing me in annoyance.

As I was about to scream at her again, my words caught in my throat when her hands glowed bright gold in color.

"H-how?... you…you're a yellow cell and not gold," I said in disbelief.

Without answering my question, she squatted before me and used both hands to touch the boat's floor. And at that instant she touched it, a door manifested and my eyes nearly popped out in disbelief.

"Now do you believe I'm real?" She asked but instead of answering, I quickly hurried to her and embraced her.

Gosh! I really missed her.

I had really thought she was an illusion.

"I thought you were an illusion," I said and moved away to look at her face.

"How did you end up here, Luke?"

"A weird waiter sent me here after drugging the others through their food," I summarized and she frowned at me.

"Quick! Let's go now," she hurriedly said and made me move aside so she could open the door.

It was a small door, like a window with a metal handle like a ring.

She opened it with not much difficulty and a bright yellow light shone into her face, causing her to squint them.

"After you," she said but I hesitated and she glared at me.

"Are you still doubting me now? Come on Luke, we don't have time!" She snapped at me and I quickly prepared myself to enter but she caught my shirt and pulled me into the hole…

I jerked as my eyes instantly came open and I looked around in fright just to find myself in a confined space with Matthew, Job, Toby, Rene and the waiter.

I tried to breathe as I looked again but couldn't find Frances. Didn't she jump in with me?

She couldn't be an illusion right?

She saved me.

But where could she be?

"How did you find your way out?"

At that question, I looked at the waiter who stood in the midst of us and glared at him.

"Who are you and why are we here?" Matthew asked loudly as he tried to free himself.

Suddenly, Job broke free and got up as his hands glowed brown in color.

"Start explaining yourself!" He angrily demanded but the waiter simply stood in fascination.

The next thing Job did was make the ground move and out of it a block man was formed.

He had brown cell so he could use any earth property to his advantage.

"What are you?" The waiter asked back as he frowned at the creature he created.

Toby on the other hand began to melt the plastic stuff around him and soon he released himself and went to free Rene.

I on the other hand was in a trance as I tried to figure how Frances ended up there.

It has never happened in the whole of history.