Adam let out another sigh as he closed the gym and got to work cleaning. He had gotten this job through a friend last year and it was sucking the life out of him. It was supposed to be a desk job for a Jake's Boxing and Fitness Gym, but the owner seemed to think Adam doubled as a janitor or a sparring partner just fine for a pittance.
This is not what I wanted to do with my life. I don't even like boxing. Maybe I should just quit?
The only saving grace was that this job put him in contact with some women who wanted to keep their figure with the fitness portion of the gym, which was the main reason he hadn't abandoned it yet. He currently had his eye on a pair of blonde sisters by the name of Serena and Maddy that had just left. They were about as hot as rural west coast girls get, and he'd been trying to work up to asking the older one, Serena, out on a date for the last 2 weeks.
I should just go for it. I have confidence in my looks if not my wallet, so the worst she could do is laugh. There's other fish in the sea if she says no.
Deciding that made good sense, he finished up his mopping and resolved to ask her out tomorrow. After getting off work he called the guys to see if they wanted to hang out and headed to the beach for some fun...
----------------------------------------
Adam entered the front door of his apartment and kicked off his shoes before heading for the fridge. After quickly making up some pre-cooked chicken quesadillas, he plopped down in his comfy computer chair exhausted. While munching on those, he brought up One Piece to where he had left off and got started.
This hobby was relatively new and had a story behind it. About a week ago one of the more nerdy regulars at the gym, a high schooler by the name of Michael, had gotten him to read manga on a lost bet. Adam was skeptical of talks of 'japanese comic books', but he wasn't one to break his word and he had lost the bet. After getting a recommendation, Adam browsed the internet for a site after he had gotten home and started his slog through One Piece.
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
Adam would never admit it to anyone, but he had enjoyed the childish humor much more than he thought he would when he started. Every time Luffy did something stupid, Adam would laugh and it would make the worries of reality a little less heavy, so he had continued even after the bet was square. He didn't really have much time to read in a day with his 9-to-5 work hours and commitments to friends, but he should finish the next arc by tonight as long as nothing else came up.
3 hours later...
So now there's a time skip. I really want to know where this goes but this is a good place to call a break for today.
Unfortunately he was out of time. Adam knew if he continued he wouldn't be able to stop until the arc finished, and he had to get up early the next day. He still had some housework to do tonight before sleep and he promised to help Boston with moving his stuff to his new place before work. He had bought a family home and Adam suspected this was ground-laying and that he would give up bachelorhood soon. Adam wished him all the best with that, but really didn't want to get up at 6:30 in the fucking morning. Unfortunately friends are friends, and Boston would do the same for him if he needed it. Sigh.
So with that thought, he went to sleep earlier than he usually did.
----------------------------------------
Adam woke up to a glaring sun peering through his eyelids and the peaceful sound of the tide of the ocean. The feel of sand on his back completed the thought that he was not in the bed he remembered.
What the hell? I don't remember going to sleep outside, much less on the beach. Something is pressing into my back too.
His eyes finally adjusted and he sat up to a feeling that was just wrong. Unfamiliar beaches in front, and no humans to be seen anywhere. When he looked at his hand he about fainted, as it wasn't the hand he remembered either. It was the hand of a small child, maybe 5-7, but more important than that was the light grey skin tone that no human could possibly have, with small webs growing between the digits.
Ok, don't panic.
Then the memories hit.