I was glad lunch had arrived as all the brain work of following lectures had thoroughly drained me. Need foooood...

I ended up at the college cafeteria like usual. Slopping various amorphous food stuffs onto my plate, I wondered what food group it constituted. Slop perhaps? Amorphous blob maybe?

Done paying for the 'food' a little hope budded inside me that I'd get to see a particular familiar face. And I wasn't disappointed.

Bopping along to a tune only she could hear that familiar face came into view. Her head danced from side to side. Sometimes pausing in one spot as the dance only known to her shifted and swayed. I found myself staring. She was of Asian decent. Her Japanese parents had passed on their dark hair and eyes. Oh, and her small stature. Always hated to be reminded how short she was.

When her eyes met mine I felt both shame and warmth. A friendly grin grew on her face, but nothing else. Silly sausage, I'm not her type. Plus she's well out of your league. I stifled down these unwanted emotions and walked over to join her.

She gave me a little wave as the tempo of her music seemed to pick up a little. I plopped down across from her. She slid one side of her headphone off her ear.

"Hi Mel. Enjoy morning lectures?" She asks a little loudly.

I gesture to lower her volume. I can't help but enjoy the sheepish look she gives in response. "Lectures were fine." I grumble.

"But..." She gives me a playful stare. "I'm sensing a but."

"Your sitting on one, can't see why you wouldn't sense it."

She reaches over to give me a indignant slap, playfully of course. I dodge... of course. "No one tell you how to speak to a lady Mel?"

"I will do as soon as I find one." I smirk.

"Oh, now you've asked for it." She picks up her fork and scoops some mashed vegetable and aims it like a trebuchet.

Raising my hands I surrender. "OK, OK, queen of the tubes! I give! No need for violence."

"Better." She says smiling innocently. "Less snark next time. And it's Your Majesty to you."

"Hmm, sure... Wouldn't work anyway, I've got the higher ground." I point to her fork. Her eyes flash, she didn't like that. Why do I always have to take it too far? "Ah, sorry. No height jokes, my bad."

Ignoring my faux pass she prods again. "So what's got you so grumpy this fine day? Another obscure lecture from what's his face."

"Nah, nothing as horrific as that. The lectures were as comprehensible as ever, just... I was a bit spaced out through them."

"You spaced out, now that's novel." Now it was her turn to smirk.

"OK, OK. I've been having this strange déjà vu feeling all morning."

"Oh, what like?" She asks finally switching off her music to listen.

I scoop some food onto a fork and study it while I think how to answer. "It wasn't normal déjà vu as far as I can tell. With normal déjà vu you feel like the events that are happening have happened before."

She bobs her head in agreement. "Yeah, had that plenty myself. Always throws you for a loop."

"Yeah well this time I felt like I'd just been doing something but it wasn't what I'd actually been doing at all." I shrug and plop the fork in my mouth. Grimacing at the cheapest stuff on the menu I gulp it down. "If that makes any sense."

"No." She deadpans. "It makes absolutely zero sense. Run that by me again?"

I sigh. Words are not my thing, much prefer numbers and symbols. "Ehm, how to put this. All morning I've been having this sensation. Kinda like forgetting a dream in reverse?"

"Huh?" She cutely tilts her head. I end up looking away to the other students eating in the hall.

"Well, you how you gradually forget a dream afterwards? It can be so clear as you wake and by the time you've done your teeth it's just an impression."

Feeling like she's getting it I continue. "I dunno, it's just been bugging me all day, slowly getting stronger. Like I was just somewhere else but I'd been sitting in my seat the entire lecture."

As I turn back to Maiha I see all the joviality melt away. "Hey Mel. You OK?" She asks with a hit of concern. It kinda threw me. It was strange but not to the level of concern she was showing me.

She gives me a tight expression. "Mel, I dunno how to say this, but... that sounds rather concerning. It wasn't just a moment of déjà vu right? How strong was it? How long did it last?" She fiddles with her headphones in an idle manner. Clearly purtubed by her own line of thought.

"Con-concerning? It's just a feeling right?" She's overreacting. I'd been pinging on her concern radar for close to a year now. It was nice to feel wanted but I didn't want to be a 'project.' And I didn't like seeing her down.

She shakes her head. "I've had family who..." She cringes back. "Just if it gets worse please see a doctor. I know people generally shy away from brain stuff but it's important. There's nothing to be ashamed of with seeing a doctor. Better safe than sorry."

Shoot. I feel like I've stood on a landmine. "Well, it's probably just stress. Don't worry too much. I'll go to the doctor if I need to." I finish in a hurry. I kinda wanted to talk to her about it, but with this atmosphere...

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

We continue to chat for a while. Slowly phasing into more pleasant topics. I finish my meal of goop. And the day continues in a suitably mundane manner.

Soon I find myself at the end of the day. The discomfort of my strange episode of déjà vu has faded into the morass of daily events. But my day was not over yet.

"Just work left. Then I'm free to... start the cycle all over again... haa~" I sigh. Plopping a couple of things into my rucksack that I may need. Worksheets, pens, couple of textbooks. I take one last look at my bed mournfully and head out. No time for a nap, even though I could really use one.

Work wasn't far to walk. I could get a bus but the expense wasn't worth the 20 minutes just plodding along. But it did give me time to think idle thoughts.

As I walked the loneliness crept up on me. It'd been a while since my mind had wandered back to family but sometimes you just wanted to speak to them again. Tell them about your day. Ask their advice. What would mum have said about that strange episode? Would dad have asked about how uni was going?

But nothing. Just silence. That part of my life was now empty. I was waiting for an answer that will never come. A cold breeze has me pull my jacket close. I was trapped with my own thoughts as I walked in silence.

I reached a familiar crossroad. My eye wanders to the other side of the street. A road lead away towards the storage business that now holds the rest of my worldly possessions and the last memento's of my family. I'll never return home anymore... that thought hollowed me out a little inside.

Perhaps all the stress over the past year is what got to me. It's been over a year hasn't it? I shook my head trying to rid it of unpleasant thoughts. It was a dream wasn't it. The feeling passed but the memories remain. Must have been one I had this morning and it somehow kept playing through my head? Maybe? It was the best explanation for the experience I had.

Mulling these depressing thoughts all the way to work I eventually found myself outside a run down electronics store. A small smile played on my lips as I pushed open the door and heard the electric jangle announcing my arrival.

A clutter of parts, laptops, wires and breadboards scattered the various displays and shelves. This place had become a familiar sight over the past year. Having lost the support of family I'd had to find a way to supplement my money to pay the tuition fees and bills. Only this job and a scholarship kept me afloat. My family had never been the well off in the first place.

It could be dull at times but my boss was OK. The work was simple enough and I had the time to complete work sheets while I waited for customers to come.

"Denis! I'm here!" I call out to the old goof who runs the show. No response.

I meander through the store, avoiding the clutter of 'items' for sale. Arduino boards for hobbyists mixed with various Pi's. Small screens to attach to said boards. Servo motors. Regular electric motors. HDMI cables. Various expansion cards for PCs. Web cams. Even consoles from bygone eras. The sort of stuff any geek would love to tinker with.

Where does he get all this stuff. I plop myself behind the counter. A till, card scanner and fully kitted out gaming PC sit before me. One of these things is not like the others. I'm tempted to switch on the computer but other things come first.

Pulling my backpack around I riffle through to find what I'm after. Pulling out my work sheets for the week I get started on whats essentially my home work. Only the gentle hum of electronics and electric lights fill the store. Occasionally some of the street sounds outside filter in. But it's quite and I'm thankful for that. Probably not the best for business though.

"...!!" A muffled curse carries through the back door. Unmistakably Denis's voice. A clatter of metal and a few moments later I can hear his footsteps come this way.

"No good?" I ask as the door behind me opens.

There's a pause before he lets out a big gruff sigh. "Nope. No dice. I think he fried his motherboard."

I wince. A lot of work for Denis if he asks him to replace it. I continue my work. Not much I can do about it.

"Haa~." Another sigh. "Why don't you, you know, play a game or something. I always catch you cracking on with those work sheets. You make an old guy feel guilty." He quips. But it's not like you don't work hard yourself?

"I am at Uni." I answer while distracted by a tough question. "No one else will learn this stuff for me." I wave my pen over the calculations I've been writing.

"Bah, and what will you use it for? Working for Macy Dee?" He retorts with some bitterness. Don't project your shattered dreams onto me. Not that I disagree though.

I look up from my working out and take in the sight of my boss, Denis. He wears a checkered shirt perpetually stained with sweat, his balding also head glistens with it. Baggy eyes tell of his insomnia and his chubby frame reflects his fast food diet.

Unhealthy as he may be he's not a bad person, nor is he a bad boss. He's just jaded by life and can't stand the sight of those trying their hardest to succeed. Sorry Denis but I think I'll continue to work on these if you don't mind. I can sort of understand it. I haven't asked but he probably worked hard at Uni once too. Only to get slapped down by society and end up with this failing business.

"Don't worry, I'll slack off in a while. Just let me finish these couple of questions." I mutter as my mind returns to the task at hand.

"Yeah? Well good." He smirks. "Wouldn't want to see an employee actually working now would I? I installed a couple of new games by the way, have a look when you got a moment."

With a halfhearted grumble he pops back through the back door. What did he come out here for anyway? I hear the clatter of cups as he makes himself a drink with the coffee machine next door. I turn back to my work.

It's about an hour later when I've done the two questions I promised when I'm considering a third. My minds not with it at the moment. They were tough questions which needed a lot of setup and I just wasn't feeling it. May as well give it a rest for now.

Booting up the computer I quickly spot the games he recommended. One being a new factory sim game, the other being a fantasy RPG. What a diverse selection of genres. Fantasy huh? Yet I can't feel the desire in me to learn a new game. Non of the older games peak my interest either.

Opening a browser I idly type in 'Universal Geometries.' The results are lack lustre. Don't know what I expected to find. Some mathematical topics such as Universal Algebraic Geometry turn up, along with a couple of geometric patterns. Not the sort of thing I'm looking for, still interesting though... Hmm, sacred geometry? A couple of links later only leads me to disappointment.

If only... If only magic were real. If only something so enchanting could pull me out of this spiral of depression. I dreamed of a new chance. I dared to believe for just a moment. For the first time in a long while my heart beat with something resembling excitement. Perhaps my life could have meaning again. If only it were true.

The evening goes on and eventually my shift comes to an end. Bidding Denis good night I head back to accommodation. Absolutely spent from a full day I just want to flop into bed.

As I open the door back to our shared accommodation a nice warmth envelopes me. I really could just plop down here and sleep. Passing Maiha's room I can't help but chuckle as I hear the bopping beats of her rhythm games. She's still working I see, dunno how she does it. The muffled sound of her chatting to her audience comes through the door. I'm too busy doing my impression of a zombie to care though. I should watch her stream at some point.

Entering my own room I dodge my own clutter to finally plop down on my bed. I can feel sleep beckoning. Will I see that dream again? Will my mini adventure continue? That small hope buds inside of me. A recurring dream like that may be nice, even if some of it is a bit weird.

I should change. With a begrudging groan I sit up. With all the effort of my tired mind I shuck off my hoodie.

Clink.

What was that? I look where the sound came from. My ruffled hoodie sits discarded on the floor. I pick it up.

A familiar looking metal circle sits on the floor. A medallion I'd only seen once before.