David went straight to the nearest restaurant washroom, splashed water on his face, and looked at his wrist. The bracelet was still there.
It wasn't a dream.
When he was young, he used to dream of becoming a superhero or finding a magic wand. But he wasn't a child anymore. He didn't believe life was like the movies, where finding a watch turned you into Ben 10.
"It's not a dream," he whispered to his reflection. "Let me think... Let me think. Should I go to a hospital? They'll know how to remove it. No. What if they want to study me? Or what if this is a hallucination? Maybe third-stage stress..."
Looking in the mirror, he desperately wanted to wake up.
"Today, I will go back to my room and try to remove this thing myself. If I can't, I'll go to the hospital tomorrow."
Suddenly, a pang of hunger hit him hard. Why am I starving?
He went to a nearby street food stall and ordered Gobi Manchurian. As he ate, he kept glancing at his wrist. The chain, which had been silver-black earlier, had now turned completely silver.
He devoured three full portions of Gobi Manchurian—an unusual amount for him—before taking the earliest bus back to his rental room.
"I need to search online," he muttered, opening his laptop. He connected it to his phone's 3G hotspot and started typing frantically.
Search: liquid flowing bracelet
Search: how to remove bracelet without pain
Search: Alien bracelet
Search: Ben10 watch real life
Search: Skin hospital nearby
Nothing useful came up. Then, a terrifying thought struck him.
The book was titled Volume One. That means there must be a Volume Two somewhere. What if the owners come searching for the missing volume? What if they can track me through this bracelet? I have to remove it ASAP.
He tried everything—oil, soap, water—but nothing worked. The bracelet remained fused to his skin. Exhausted and strangely hungry again, he gave up.
He lived on the fifth floor, the topmost level of the building. The cafeteria was on the ground floor, so he went down for dinner as evening set in.
Ajith is late today. I should call him. David dialed his friend's number. Ajith was his only close friend in Hyderabad, and David was genuinely concerned.
"Ajju, where are you? Why are you so late?"
"Nothing serious, I'll be there soon," Ajith's voice sounded tired. "There was a fire at the Central Library, so the roads were blocked."
David froze. Sweat prickled his forehead as he stared at the silver band on his wrist. "What? A fire in the library? When?"
Was the fire related to this bracelet? Why is my hunger growing worse?
"The fire started in the evening," Ajith explained. "Hey, didn't you go to the library today? Did you see anything, or did you leave before it happened?"
"No... I came back early. Were there any casualties?"
"No, it happened after the library was closed."
"Oh, that's good. Okay, I'm going to eat now and then sleep. I'll keep the door open."
Like most PG hostels, their room was small, designed to be shared by two or three people to reduce expenses. After eating a stomach-full—nearly three times his usual portion—David returned to his room.
With or without this bracelet, I have to study. That's the only way to get the job I want.
He sat on his bed to revise. It was January, and the Hyderabad winter was cold. Sitting and reading soon turned into lying down and reading. He put on some music, and within fifteen minutes, sleep overtook him. He was exhausted from the day's madness.
Then, the dream began.
THE DREAM
He woke up early in the morning, just like any other day. He ate breakfast with his mom and dad, put on his school uniform, and went to wait for the school bus.
Suddenly, the ground shook. An earthquake split the road beneath him, and he fell into a deep crack filled with monsters. One of them, a creature with razor-sharp teeth and a bloody mouth, leaned close and spoke.
"David, how much did you score in last week's math test?"
David jolted awake in fright. He realized he had been dreaming in class. He wasn't a child anymore; he was a high school student again.
What kind of dream was that?
"Hey, Shahil, what class is this?" he asked his desk mate from eleventh grade.
"What class? We're going swimming today, don't you remember?" Shahil looked at him warily.
The teacher walked in, trailed by excited students. Right there in front of everyone, they started changing into swimsuits.
Shahil looked at David expectantly.
"What? You want me to change here? But I don't have a swimsuit!" David felt a surge of anxiety.
When the others heard this, they all ran toward him. They stripped him naked and carried him out of the classroom. But instead of the school corridor, they threw him into a vast, endless ocean.
"Help... Help! I don't know how to swim! Somebody help!"
As he drowned, a rope descended from the sky. It twisted around his wrist and pulled him violently out of the water.
He woke up again.
This time, he was sitting inside a train, drool on his face. He stood up and looked around. The scene was familiar.
Yes, this is after graduation, he realized. First school, then high school, now college graduation. That means next, I will be in my job. But... why can't I remember having a job? What did I actually do after graduation?
The train screeched to a halt. David stepped out to wash his face at the station tap. As the water hit his skin, he remembered.
The bracelet. I never had a bracelet like this before.
He stroked the silver band on his right wrist.
Suddenly, it began to glow. The metal turned searingly hot, burning his skin. Then, his whole body was on fire. It felt like needles were being driven into his brain. The pain was real, visceral, and agonizing.
"DAVID… DAVID…!"
David woke up with a gasp.