Hai. Welcome to my new fanfic, Moments Between Sleep!

If you're not familiar with me as a writer, I am BuZZyReCKy (ps callum, y is a vowel btw), and this is both my first and fifth fanfic. Around July in 2010, I made my first attempt at a fanfiction with a story titled Moments Between Sleep, based off this VersaEmerge song. I locked it after like about two chapters to start my first serious fic, Perceptions, but the title of this fic has always been on my 'to-do' list, so what better time is there to start it than now?

Anyway, since 2010, I think my writing has improved considerably, and I soon hope to aim for writing a real novel. For immediate goals, however, this will most likely be entered in Dougieowner's 2012 competition, so I hope to see a lot of you supporting your favorite writers and/or participating.

Also, like usual, when I first start a fic, I thank Compy for introducing me to fanfiction, so yay for him. He's done so much for me, so its the least I can do to thank him, and compliment his collection of fish.

Oh, and if you like what you see here, be sure to check out my other fanfic, Redesign Me, as that is quite a few chapters in (and I don't update too often, I apologize for that). So... without further ado/adieu/tomato, here is the first chapter:

Here the seasons don't existone.

“Wake up, Isaac… please, wake up…”

My hands shake my brother’s body, oh so gently. Even in his current state, I try my best to not hurt him, but I can’t help it. I want him to open his eyes and tell me he’s all right. I just want everything to be the way it used to be. That seems like an impossibility, but could this really be the end? He’s only seven years old. His life can’t be over. I stroke his pale cheek and watch him sleep. He doesn't wake up, like usual. I’ve been visiting almost daily for the past year, and if nothing changed before, why would he get up now?

Maelle says he’s good as dead, but I don't listen to her. She might’ve been friends with him before, but I don’t believe a word that … female duck says. It’s like it’s always that time of the month for her. But maybe—just maybe—she’s right, and the more I think about it, the more the hopes I hold close to my heart crumble. My gaze falls on my brother’s serene face again… then the moisture on my cheeks and the splatters soaking into his shirt tell me I’m losing it. He would wake up not today, not tomorrow, but someplace else where life in this world loses all meaning. Maelle might be a horrible person, but she’s right.

Isaac’s steady breathing tells me he was still with me here for now, and I guess that’s all that matters in this moment. I just… can’t lose him. We came here when we wanted to leave our parents, our worries, and our world behind… and now he’s all I have left. I spend most of my time in my own town, Tourmaline, while Isaac stays here in Topaz, but it’s when I sit here at his bed that I feel lonelier than ever.

“You shouldn’t be in your bed all day, Isaac,” I tell him, “You still have a world of experiences out there waiting for you. You know… mom always said you were going to grow up to be quite the looker.”

The truth is, she didn’t. She didn’t have to; it was obvious enough. My eyes linger on his face; he sleeps like an angel. He’s just one of those kids that were blessed with godly genes. Born to be an athlete, a flawless face, sapphire eyes… he’s perfect. Then there’s me. Alice, the socially awkward girl. Alice, the loser that needs to wear makeup to barely scrape a seven. Alice, the girl whose friend jumped off the roof of the auditorium. It’s really not a surprise that I wanted an escape. Isaac, however, didn’t really want to come here. I shouldn’t sit here by his sleeping body and hope he’ll come back, because he won’t. He’s a child, and our worlds are completely different. I’m still here, but he’s moved on. I don’t blame him either. He has a good life, and he shouldn’t have to waste it away with me. Ten years from now, he’ll have all the girls he could ever want.

If he’d only wake up…

I sit by his side for a little longer, but eventually even hoping gets tiring. I slink back out of his house, feeling worse than I did before (which says a lot, considering). With Isaac gone, I really don't want anything else to do in this town, so I make a beeline for the gate. Who knows? Maybe I give up. Maybe I won’t be coming through here tomorrow.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see Maple. She and I used to be pretty good friends back when she lived in Tourmaline, but when she left I thought she was gone forever. Did I really not notice her being here, despite all the visits I’ve been making over the past two months? I want to run up to her, scream and hug her tightly, but I can’t. Not now. Not like this. She’d probably know how to make me feel better, but I don’t want to bother her with my burdens again. In our friendship, it really seems like that’s all I’ve ever accomplished.

Please don’t see me… please don't see me…

I hurry towards the gate. Oh well, she’ll understand. It’s not like a day is going to make a difference after it’s been this long. I make a mental note to visit her when I’m not feeling like killing myself, and then I enter the gaping archway at the edge of town. Like usual, that preppy dog is at his post, but I’m in no mood to deal with him right now. He appears to be zoning out, but when he hears my sneakers striking the cobble floor, he comes back to reality.

“How was he today, Alice?” he asks. I don’t answer. Copper should know how Isaac was anyway; we’ve gone through this conversation way too many times for me to bother. I shoot him a grumpy glare, and he nods in embarrassment as I leave Topaz. It’s really a shame he only sees me like this. If I weren’t always in such a bad mood, we could be friends. He seems to be nice enough, despite his normally sour face. Nothing like the Copper in my town, at least.

Instinctively, I whip my umbrella out before I’m fully outside. And no, it’s not because I like to show off my black umbrella. The ocean is literally falling from the sky just outside town, despite there being clear skies inches from the gate… but that’s just how it is here, and I’m used to it. There’s no taxi to take me back this time either. It’s fine. I don’t want a ride anyway. I huddle my arms, shivering, and I head in the direction of my home. I don’t care if the sun is still far from setting… I want to curl up and die in a bed of my own.

Maybe then they’ll know how I feel.

I post.

Nicely done, and I expected it to be great, coming from you. ;D I really liked the part where you said the ocean was falling from the sky, gave me a clear picture and I like that... um... words failing me at the moment... exaggeration I think? Yeah, I like that in general.

Mhm. This post turned out fail. Um, *inserts generic awesome I throw flags at you pun*

...

I really like it. Good job and good luck in Dougie's contest! At first I couldn't tell whether the person speaking was a boy or girl but obviously the name Alice clears it up for me. =p

Also I enjoyed the ocean falling from the sky bit too. I could imagine waves smashing down on the girl. XD

I loved it! 8D Then again, I always love your fanfics, Buzzy.

Good luck in Dougie's competition, and I hope to read the next chapter soon! ^^

By the way, I also loved the ocean bit. :3

" (ps callum, y is a vowel btw)"

Ian...

Great opening to the fanfic though. Definitely flagging!

I also liked the ocean part.

Haha thanks everyone!

I don't get why everyone likes that part... it was random

"Ian...  

Great opening to the fanfic though. Definitely flagging!

I also liked the ocean part. "

Oh wow, I really didn't think you were going to see this, loool

Mando linked me. But yeah I'll read xD

This is really good so far! I really like where you're going with the plot. Good luck in the competition!

this is realy good ive been sucked in

Thanks guys! (and thanks for the advertising Mando, if you actually flagged the story and are still here).

If you want the spoilers for what is to come next, click here, where I was announced through to stage two (this is Dougie's Comp, in case you didn't click when I told you to because you're a rebel).

Next chapter will come after I update my other fanfic.... hopefully next week.

(and yugioh, you seem to read/post on every fanfic on the board xD)

well i wont say every fanfic just the ones ive flagged and thats just 13 right now

Hey, BuZZyReCKy... don't question the readers... Don't question them!

Awesome fanfic~

" despite his normally sour face. Nothing like the Copper in my town, at least."

Has the third wall already suffered enough on this forsaken website? D:

but other than that, i like it. As usual. Seems like it's gonna be very deep and mess with your head. (Like Opheliac maybe. I liked that one the best. <3)

Thanks missamazing <3

and ohai Varil! I haven't seen you in forever, so I thought life-shattering, horrible things happened to you (aka getting bored of acc)

thanks for reading! I personally didn't like Opheliac much, but my fanfics usually are the 'mess with your head' kind of things, so yeah

"Has the third wall already suffered enough on this forsaken website? D:"

I'm glad someone mentioned this, but what do you mean? Did I do something bad?

"I'm glad someone mentioned this, but what do you mean? Did I do something bad?"

Oh-ho... That all depends on how you answer this question, mister. Are you a Deadpool wannabe... or not?

erm... what's that? I guess not, unless the answer is yes. Then yes.

(I don't see how my acknowledgement of the fact that there are multiple copies of the same npc in the AC world has to do with the third wall though )

in other news, I have a chapter sorta ready, I just need to type it up (wrote it during class, like usual ;D)

expect it as soon as my midterms are over

Yeah, I think that is breaking the third wall.

I love how you never noticed me being on at the same time as you a lot of the time and me posting on my BT and stuff, which you also post on. :L

Great fanfic

Thanks Chrissycat! And Varil: Oops... ;D I swear I had you on my buddy list the whole time, so Idk. Maybe it was your absence from the fanfic and forum games boards... or just maybe all the boards in general.

a summer held in handtwo.

The rain doesn’t stop. Not as I head towards town, and not as I pass through the town gate either. No matter. I am already drenched to a point where my skin could be peeled off like feathers, so the raging sky only makes it easier to hide the fact that I’ve been crying.

As usual, despite the grass being a peppy shade of green, the moment I leave the safety of the gate’s stone floor I get a shoe full of earthen pudding. An appropriate curse slips out, and I want to make the clouds feel my pain, but it’s not the end of the world, right? I don’t care anymore. A lot of the things in this world are mixed blessings, and they are ones I’ve chosen to live with. Still, I try to avoid as much grass as I can the rest of the way home. The mud is surprisingly less… muddy.

My walking– no, my sloshing continues, and after eternity has ended and started over again, my house comes into view. I see that the cosmos garden someone’s made nearby has grown. Ew. My hand goes up to cover my nose. I consider trampling it into oblivion, but for the planter’s sake, I don’t. Sometimes I’m too kind for my own good. It’s going to be the death of me tomorrow… I know it. The smell alone of that wretched plant is poison enough to end me, but I’ll just lock myself in and pray it dies before I leave my house again. Which will be never, of course. I guess that’s another reason to thank the rain. It sort of blanketed the stench, and the aroma of wet earth was surely better than that of the cosmos.

Well, here we are. My front door. My only door, actually… isn’t that a fire hazard? I swear, the way the buildings in this town were made… Tortimer, I’m onto you. That aside, I yank it open and fly across the room into the shower, not even bothering to take off my clothes. That’s the joy of living in a one-room house. Two, technically, but we’re not permitted to keep anything but beds in our attics, though I’m not complaining. I got lucky; this is actually one of the bigger houses in Tourmaline.

The hot water faucet groans as I spin it right round, but I’ll save my compassion towards inanimate objects for another day. Right now, nothing but warming myself is on my mind. I feel like I could sit under this rusty stream of heaven forever, and I just might. Why not? It’s not like my skin will look any more like a raisin than it already does. The filth falls from my legs like rotting flesh, temporarily painting the floor of my tub brown, and I’m clean again. I sigh. There’s no point in staying in the shower. It’s not the rain that took my warmth away. If I waste any more water, Nook will want to murder me, and that would make two of us.

The fatigue from my walk home protests to my apathy, and my legs begin to ache. It’s been a long day. I let the flow of water slowly die, then I climb out of the tub and collapse on the floor. Am I sick? No. Tired? Maybe a little. Maybe a little of both, and maybe even more than that… Not literally, but of life and everything in it. I’m pathetic. Look at me, waiting for recovery, redemption from a nightmare I’m forced to live every time I wake.

There’s no hope for Isaac, and none for me either.

I stay down in my pool of tepid water, in my soggy clothes, in a house that I am certain is my grave. I stay anchored to the splinter-ridden floor… by heavy thoughts and emotions I’ve had to carry for longer than my body can handle. This is my limit. I’m not going to lie. It’s painful… the breaking down of one’s will to survive. I’ve had experiences like this before… but in this one moment, I’m certain that everything I’ve built up¬ – everything I am – has come tumbling down. My body might be physically healthy, but there’s no doubt in my mind that my emotional state will kill me.

But this isn’t how it’s supposed to end… is it? No, I’m not going to let myself go. At least not here in the middle of my house. If I’m going to go, I want to at least get myself comfortable. I stretch as I force myself onto my feet, and I head towards the stairs like a zombie. Personally, I’d rather climb Everest on a good day than have to deal with this now, but the thought of my bed being just upstairs keeps me determined. One step at a time, I creep up the stairs, moving almost as slowly as the mayor on a Saturday morning. Gosh, whoever designed these stairs needed to be smacked.

But that thought instantly becomes irrelevant, because I see my bed. With newfound energy I sprint across the creaky floorboards and I dive into it, not even caring that I’m still wet. I realize how weird that is… being excited to fall asleep, but you know what? I’m a freak, I’ve always been told I was, and maybe I like it. At least I’ll be free from this crap for a good nine hours.

And if, by some chance, I never woke up again… now that is an opportunity I’d die for.

My comments and stuff:

I really wasn't feeling this chapter. Was it just me? Hopefully, since I'm usually more critical with myself than I need to be. I just felt kinda terrible about it... the way it was written, how pointless it was, etc. So, the two things I'd appreciate you guys telling me are:

1-Your thoughts on if it was good or bad

and

2-What was good/bad about it, and how I can make my writing better for when the next part comes around.

But regarding the chapter... hopefully it gives you a better sense of Alice's basic personality. As the story goes on, I plan on working on it to make it go even deeper, as I don't think I've given her much depth yet, but yeah. The plot is going to do the typical shift from one setting to another, as all my stories do, so we're still in the intro stuff right now. I'm pretty sure these first few chapters are just a bunch of filler that could've been removed/condensed, but hopefully you think its good enough so you don't mind

Thanks for taking the time to post, especially if you give me stuff to improve on. I haven't been given a lot of that recently (maybe its a sign that I've become a good writer? ;D), but I'm sure I still have plenty to work on.

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Butterknif'd.
Can't wait to read more!

^I will forever use that in place of saying *flagged* btw

thanks for reading ;D

I think I may know why you didn't really like this one. (No offense, but I kinda felt the same.) I think it was because there was just too much irrelevant stuff. And how you kept saying something like 'I know that has nothing to do with anything, but whatever' (or the like) just seemed to make it worse to me. I seemed to me like you just threw in some to try and make it kinda funny at parts (at least i think that's what you were doing) and you really shouldn't have at all. This story isn't meant to be funny and doesn't really need any funny or irrelevant stuff at all.

Also how she never took her clothes of to shower or change to get into bed seemed to me just a really weird thing to add. Maybe it was to keep it ACC appropriate or something, but you really don't have to go into detail at all and I think it'd be okay.

So yeah. Still pretty interesting to read though.

Yeah, I get what you mean... I didn't really try to 'make it funny', but some parts were weird, and some of it was stuff I just added because... I got stuck in one of those places where you hit a dead end and you need to continue somehow, you know? Like, I'm sure everything that happened couldve taken all of one paragraph in total, but my thoughts were 'oh no, I should just milk out what I can so it doesn't rush the story to that certain part just yet' and I guess that was a mistake.

and about the showering thing... idk why i randomly decided to make her shower in her clothes... it was probably more so just to highlight her 'screw the world, its horrible and I'll do whatever I want without caring' feelings. You're right, it probably wasn't necessary. Idk, I kinda liked the idea of her soaking the clothes she worked so hard to keep as dry as possible (or else why would she have had an umbrella?) but idk. She's just the sarcastic, pessimistic person that I enjoy playing with in my writing, and she tends to exaggerate things a lot. Maybe a little TOO much in this chapter ;D

I don't think I disliked the chapter enough to lock and repost the story (as I have done with Redesign Me in the past... hehe ), but I will definitely get around to editing this sometime.Thanks for the criticism, Varil <3

I love how you just said 'thanks for the criticism' instead of 'constructive criticism' or 'CC' or something. <3