"I'm bored."

  "You are always bored."

  "I can't help it, I've done most everything I can think of that is interesting."

  "Well, let's talk about something then. Hm, what do you dream about?"

  ". . . . I don't know. I've never had one, or at least I've never remembered one."

  "Really!? Why do you think that is? Does it have something to do with Edit?"

  "Possibly, if I did dream, wouldn't all my dreams be real? Edit works on absolute confidence and faith. Do you ever doubt your dreams?"

  "No, not when I am having them. So maybe you don't dream because your power would rampage?"

  "Or maybe, every dream I've ever had has happened."

  "Maybe you are dreaming right now! Ha! That's a good one."

  ". . . . STOP!!! If I am dreaming it would explain all of this ridiculous nonsense I've been through, and what happens if I wake up? Maybe this is a bad dream and I will wake up normal! It is the most believable explanation I've ever heard."

  "Hey! Calm down. I promise you that this isn't a dream, I'm real."

  "No. . . I can't know I'm not just dreaming you say that. Is this the truth? I'm dreaming?"

  "Don't overthink it!!! You are not dreaming! I am real! This world is real! If you convince yourself you are dreaming then you will be dreaming and everything! All of it! It will be gone!"

  "But this is the closest I've ever been!"

  "Joshua! STOP IT!"

  "Just maybe… I can be free! I'm sorry, I must be dreaming. And this dream must end!" Then the world ended.

  I woke up in cold sweat in the midst of a lush forest. Not just a bad dream then. But I should check, I immediately pinched myself, it didn't hurt. I am still immortal. Still a monster. I… failed. That was my first dream. . . I don't think it was just a dream though. The world is different from that dream too, I don't know these mountains. This place is strange to me.

  A dark seed of fear entered into my soul. I have a secret now, and no one must know. Edit is more dangerous than I ever realized.

  Then remorse came, my friends, my home, all I know. Gone.

  "Please put my name as Bill/Ted on the role." The words left my mouth with a bitter taste. I've been in school with some of the kids in this classroom all my life. They don't even know my name? They should have known full well that my name wasn't Bill/Ted!

  "Really? Are you serious? Bill/Ted?" Asked the teacher incredulously.

  "Yes, absolutely, Bill/Ted." Why not? None of them care about Dax. Instead this year I will be Bill/Ted. I wanted a new image this year, and I guess I've been given one named Bill/Ted.

  "All right then! Bill/Ted it is. That's a new one." Shaking his head the teacher put away his clipboard and began a lecture about his expectations for his class.

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  Bill/Ted looked around and quickly found that none of the class cared about the teacher's expectations. They were all talking to each other. His moment in the spotlight was passing. The teenage mind does tend to wander quickly.

  “I have to join in on the conversation now before they all form into cliches!” Bill/Ted knew that these first few minutes were crucial. Alliances would be made and bonds of friendship reconnected and woven stronger to help survive another year of high school. It was now or never, he would not be alone this year! It was time to be proactive, to invite others to interact with him. Bill/Ted opened his mouth to laugh and join in on a conversation in front of him. They were talking about how badly some sports team had lost. Even though Bill/Ted didn’t follow sports, he could fake it. But then he heard his voice.

  "So Bill/Ted, how do you like the name I've given you? How does it feel to live under a new label?" The voice came from the seat to his right and seemed to penetrate him, as if the speaker was talking to someone in distant view that Bill/Ted only happened to be obscuring.

  Bill/Ted turned to look at the boy who somehow changed everything. First on the bus, now here in class. What is his deal? Sizing him up, I once again took in his gangly figure. Joshua was on the thin side and not quite tall enough to be considered tall. The muscle definition on his wiry limbs was ridiculous, he looked like a state champion wrestler. His facial features were similarly angular with a sharp chin. Though I had never seen him with anything other than an easy smile on his face, I could picture those features contorting with savagery. Our eyes met. His eyes are just like his voice, oh yes, exactly the same. Distant, looking through me. Not at me. Then his face split into a wide grin..

  "I hope silence means you love it." He said, practically radiating charisma, friendship, the joy of life, and several other things that seemed to repulse me on a fundamental level. Then I realized the significance of his question.

  "You did this on purpose? Why? I just met you an hour ago!" What kind of a manipulative little turd is this guy? Who does he think he is?

  "Same reason as I decided to be your friend when I sat by you on the bus, because it seemed like fun," said Joshua. "Besides, you didn't have to be Bill/Ted. You accepted the name of your own free will. You chose it. May I ask why?" Joshua's voice was gentle now, understanding and nonjudgmental. Comforting. Like he could listen and understand everything that no one else could. What the heck is he?! Juniors in high school can't talk like that! Bill/Ted felt a thrill of fear run through his body, he heard one word echo endlessly in his head. It was the bus driver saying "Immortal?"

  An eraser hit Bill/Ted in the head clearing his thoughts. Joshua had thrown an eraser at him. "Hey! It's rude to not answer other people's questions!" He said, feigning insult.

  "I. . I had been wanting to change things up a little this year, and Bill/Ted seemed like an easy way to accomplish it." Bill/Ted bit back any resentment and suspicions he had. He had to admit, Joshua had done him a favor, even if Joshua hadn't known it at the time.

  "Excellent! I promise to take good care of you!" Crowed Joshua as he slapped me on the back.

  "Wait, what?" Take care of me?

  "Of course! I always make sure to take good care of everything I name. Isn't that the rule? It's a big responsibility you know. But don't worry, I am more than equal to the challenge." Joshua paused to let it sink in, then leaned in to add these terrifying words, "And let me tell you, we are going to have a lot of fun!"

  The teacher finally noticed that none of us were paying any attention and shushed the whole class. Which was a good thing for I had lost the power of speech. What just occurred was literally the creepiest thing to have happened to me in my entire life. Joshua just compared me to a pet! What have I got myself into? It can't get worse than this.

  Unable to focus on the teacher, I looked around the classroom in a daze. Trying to clear my head from the muddled thoughts that currently filled it. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand even further up, as I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. A beautiful girl was staring at me, normally a cause for celebration, but not this time. Her face was disfigured by a scowl, but I still recognized her. It was the girl from the bus, Joshua's sister Erin, and she was not happy. Things just got worse.

  I think I should seriously consider asking my parents to be home-schooled. They would agree of course, even if they complained about the paperwork.

  I sat planning my escape until finally the Bell rang, social interactions could wait one more year! I stood up and gathered together my things and booked it for the door, leaving behind Joshua and his sardonic grin. As soon as I left the classroom I felt a hand like an iron clamp squeeze shut on my elbow, and then a thud on my neck. Blackness came faster than any sensation of pain.