I parked in my usual spot, grabbed my stuff from the passenger seat and went to my apartment. I was completely drained from a whole day of classes.

I locked the door behind me and put my Chipotle order on the table. I went to sit at my desk, looking at the assignments I had to do. To say I was overwhelmed was an understatement. I sighed and rubbed my face. I didn't have the energy for any of these things. 

I went to the kitchen table and watched YouTube videos while I ate my tacos. I looked out the window. It was night outside, too late for me to wash my hair. I'll just do it in the morning.

When I finished eating, I laid on the couch and went on TikTok. The first thing that came up was "If this is on your for you page, then TikTok thinks this is you." The first verse of She Don't Like Boys by Aria started playing. I rolled my eyes and kept scrolling. That was the third time I've seen that TikTok. It's annoying that it's somewhat accurate. 

A short Latina with tan skin, medium dark brown, wavy hair with purple highlights, brown eyes, dark blue glasses, wearing jeans, a pink shirt, sneakers, and a gold necklace. 

I was tired. It felt like I was numb. I've been feeling that way for a while now. Life was doing a good job of draining me. I was the embodiment of Numb Little Bug.

I played I'm Just A Kid by Simple Plan on my phone and sang along. As I got close to the end, I got choked up. I connected too much to this song and the words were sinking in. I was lonely and I hated it.

When the song ended, I sighed and wiped away a tear. I wasn't helping myself by moping. I'm uncomfortable in these clothes and I definitely smell. I'm just gonna shower, watch TV, have a cookie and then go to bed. I'll worry about work tomorrow. 

Just as I was getting up from the couch, I heard what sounded like static. I looked around the room. At first I didn't see anything, but then I saw a faint white glow. 

"What the…?" I said to myself. 

The glow got brighter until it was the size of a basketball. I froze in place. What the heck is that thing?

I heard what sounded like a voice from the glowing ball. I didn't hear it at first, but it got louder. It was a man saying, "Protect the stone!"

Something shot out of the glowing thing, or… portal, I guess, and crashed into the room. I ducked into a ball on the floor, afraid of being hit.

After a few moments, I slowly got up and saw the portal was gone. I looked behind the sofa to see what fell. It was a rock. 

I picked it up and examined it in my hands. It just looked like a normal rock. That was kind of underwhelming. 

At least, that's what I thought until the rock started vibrating, "What the hell?" 

Another portal appeared, but a lot bigger and it was light purple. 

My heart stopped. I dropped the rock and was about to hide, but I felt the portal pulling me in. I gripped onto the couch, but it was too strong. I felt my legs being lifted off the ground. 

I screamed as I felt my grip loosen from the couch and suck me into the portal.