Chapter 1 — Waking Up The first thing I noticed was the sound of waves crashing against the shore. Slowly, I opened my eyes. Bright sunlight burned my vision, forcing me to squint. My head pounded painfully, and warm sand clung to my arms and legs. My clothes were soaked, and every muscle in my body ached like I had been thrown around for hours. I pushed myself up weakly. “Where am I?” I whispered. The beach stretched endlessly around me. Dark cliffs curved around the shoreline, and behind me stood a massive jungle thick with tangled vines and towering trees. The air was humid and heavy, carrying the smell of saltwater and rain. That’s when I noticed I wasn’t alone. A few feet away, three other teenagers were scattered across the sand. A tall boy with messy dark brown hair groaned and rolled onto his side. He wore a soaked gray hoodie with the sleeves pushed halfway up his arms. Even covered in sand, he looked athletic, like maybe he played sports. There was a deep scrape across his forehead. Beside him, a girl with long curly black hair sat up suddenly, coughing seawater onto the beach. She wore ripped jeans and a faded green jacket with tiny pins attached to the collar — stars, smiley faces, and one shaped like a camera. The second boy stayed motionless long enough to make panic shoot through me before finally sitting up sharply. He had blond hair that fell into his eyes and a sharp, guarded expression. Unlike the others, he immediately looked around like he didn’t trust anything he saw. Relief rushed through me. They were alive. But I had no idea who they were. The dark-haired boy slowly stood up, wobbling slightly. “You okay?” he asked, looking directly at me. His voice sounded calm, even though he looked just as terrified as the rest of us. I nodded automatically, even though I definitely was not okay. The curly-haired girl hugged herself tightly. “Does anyone remember what happened?” Silence. I searched my mind desperately for something — a memory, a name, anything — but it felt like hitting a wall over and over again.

I did a huge day today and almost finished the final touches. Also I updated the cover! 🎉🎉🎉 It should be up on Amazon by tomorrow.

🌙 Welcome dreamers, overthinkers, note-app collectors & “I had this random idea once…” people. 📚⚡ You do NOT need to be a writer to be here. This community is for everyday people with imagination, strange dreams, cool ideas, funny memories, spooky thoughts, or stories floating around in their heads that never went anywhere… Until now. 👀 Let’s meet each other 👇 📍 Where are you from? 🎯Favorite book or movie? 🧠 Weirdest or coolest dream you remember? And most importantly… 👉 If AI could instantly help you publish ONE book this month, what would it be about? ✨BONUS: take a selfie right now and post it!✨ I’ll go first, I’m from Montreal, Canada. My favourite movie is The Count Of Monte Cristo. (2002) My weirdest dream might have been the little mermaid swimming away from giant tires… And if AI could instantly publish one book this month it would be based on a recurring dream I used to have that involved a haunted house with a party, in which I could never get inside and my dad driving madly around the corner in his old pickup… Stay tuned! I’ll post as I make progress 🤩 Your turn 👀