The first to return was the sense of smell, allowing in excruciating detail the scent of old fast food products and sweat like some teen's nasty bedroom. 

Second came touch, the way pins and needles covered his entire body as blood came rushing back to his limbs as if he'd slept in the wrong position all night, but more spread out and ten times worse.

Then was taste, the rancidness of his own mouth. Whatever he'd eaten the night before causing a foul flavor to rise back up his throat.

Next come were his hearing, which was useless at the moment since the place was dead silent. 

Last, was sight. 

It all returned one by one, each slowly bringing him back to a conscious state. Gradually allowing a sense of self, bringing him out of that numbing darkness he'd been exposed to for what seemed like years.   

Aiden opened his eyes slowly, a wave of pain washing over him. 

He found himself staring up dazedly at a slightly moldy roof, half of the thing blocked from view by a shelf upon which several items were sitting precariously along the edge.

I'm...alive?

He thought to himself. But then he thought, Why wouldn't I be?

It was weird. He couldn't remember why he thought he would be dead. 

Where am I, anyway?

He looked around, but this did NOT seem like his family's vacation home, nor did it looks like the condo he'd moved into just a few months ago.

There was trash everywhere. Empty bottles of soda, candy wrappers, pizza boxes....dirty clothes and undies litering the ground. The air stale, full of dubious smells he dared not think about.

Various posters around the room, cute anime characters he didn't recognize on them. CDs and figurines also hanging on shelves and bookcases holding dozens of novels.

How drunk was I last night to wind up in a place like this? The woman lives like an animal. And with all this anime stuff she reminds me of myself when I was younger. 

Aiden had long since given up that particular passion of his, however. His family didn't think it was helpful to his career, pushing him to focus on more "adult" matters. He was never as dirty as this, though. He liked cleanliness.

He assumed whatever woman he picked up the night prior had taken him home, but he really couldn't recall anything of the like. 

But this was a mystery to be solved another time. Because a more urgent need arose at the moment. With that in mind, he got up, feeling heavy and slow. Utterly lacking energy of any kind, pushed on only by the current emergency. 

Bathroom...where's the bathroom....

He felt a great pressure below his waist, signalling a call to nature.

He saw a small door to the side, open, and lumbered towards the dark room. 

Shit, why did he feel so weighed down and sluggish today? And was it just his imagination, or did his sense of balance seem off? 

These were distant thoughts.

After turning on the light he saw the porcelain throne, beckoning to him, and sighed in relief as he expelled the fluids from his body.

Then froze as he turned his head towards the window.

Someone unknown was staring at him.

The man was young, maybe 17, with a double chin and scruffy neck. Greasy red hair and beady blue eyes like that of a dead fish. His face was slathered with fat and his teeth were, from what could be seen, an unhealthy yellow.

A large nose, wide too, made the boy have a very pig-like appearance. In all, he was disgusting to look at. 

Aiden didn't mind overweight people, but this guy was just so obviously averse to taking care of himself that even he felt a spark of disdain for him. 

And that would be true even without the way he stared at him as Aiden was taking a piss. With it, Aiden was thoroughly ticked off.

 Aiden was about to shout at the kid when he realized something disturbing. Which was that window...wasn't a window.

When he looked at the boy, the same anger and annoyance that Aiden felt was perfectly recreated on the other person's face. And he noticed that the same towel hanger that lay behind Aiden, was also behind the boy's chubby body.

The same dirty white wall, the same shower curtain,  the same everything. 

Because this window that wasn't a window, was a mirror.

But if this is a mirror, then...?

Realization slowly set in, and he tried to deny it. Refused the very idea. And yet, here it was. 

Impossible, He rationalized. This can't be me.  

Aiden raised a hand to his face in doubt, and the boy's fatty hand made the exact same motion. 

--System online. Evaluating current status of the Host. Please wait.--

"Holy fucking shit!" Aiden shouted, taking a hasty step back and hitting his head on the wall.  

A short string of words had came to life in his field of vision, causing him to be entirely caught off guard.

--Evaluation complete. Would the Host like to open his status screen?-- 

He blinked, but the words didn't leave. 

What...what the hell? What was this? What was happening? Aiden was at a loss for words. 

Was he dreaming, is that was this was? Was he still asleep? But that's bullshit, he didn't feel like this was a dream at all! Even a lucid dream wouldn't be this real right!

--Repeat, would Host like to open status screen?--

Aiden tried to talk, but no words came. 

**********

---------

Name: Tachibana Yuuji  

Titles: Impurity, Human Trash, Shady Individual, Abandoned Son, Hated, Heir to the Tachibana Family name.

Jobs: NEET.  

Strength: 2--Abysmal--barely enough to lift a gallon of milk, even a grade schooler could crush you.

Intelligence: 30--Exceptional--Your capacity to learn and understand is commendable.

Charisma: O--Nonexistent--If one can't be smart they should at least be pretty, yet you fail at both. The shit stain on a dog's ass is more appealing than you.

Art: 20--Above Average--You surprisingly display a keen eye for art, able to both understand and appreciate the feelings of the creator.

Communication: 5--Below Average--It's best if you don't talk to other people.

Spiritual Power: ???--Terrifying--Only the gods know what kind of chaos a person like you can cause with this sort of power. 

---------

Aiden stared blankly at the screen that had popped up before him. It took quite some time before he was able to calm down enough to  reply to the weird text that had appeared in his mind. 

First off, who the hell was this Yuuji person? The name didn't seem familiar to him at all. Next, what's Spiritual Power? And it lacks a proper number, the fuck? 

Also, what's with the abusive comments? Seems a bit excessive, doesn't it? And those titles were really sad to look at...

His heart went out to the unfortunate guy.

Ah, wait...that person was him right? 

No. Not "him". Not "Aiden". He just had the guy's body. Apparently.

"Yes, apparently"

It was a voice. A man's voice. Deep and masculine, intruding upon Aiden's thoughts.

The voice startled Aiden, and his first instinct was to grab the large glass cup by his side and prepare for a fight. 

But when he turned to face the mysterious voice, the glass nearly fell from his hand. And Aiden could only stare in shock, in full doubt of his sanity.

Because there, standing by the door to the outside world, was a tall, hulking man with a distinctly menacing presence. Wide shoulders, long limbs and corded with thick, burly muscles, his leather jacket and black sunglasses made him seem a man prone to violence.

Yet that wasn't what made Aiden stare. No, it was the pair of feathery wings which sprouted from the man's back that did it. They were marvelous, majestic and fear-inducing. Jet black, with crimson red along the tips that somehow gave an impression of a raging fire.

"Don't worry, I won't bite." The man exposed a pearly-white canine, a motion that might have been done to set him at ease but served only to make Aiden's hair rise. 

"I'm not the one who should be worrying, asshole." Aiden snapped. "Who the hell are you, why are you here, and how did you get in? You got a minute before I chuck this thing at your fucking head, got me?" Aiden, he wasn't a guy to be easily intimidated. Some guy in weird cosplay certainly wasn't going to scare him. 

" You're a charming guy, you know that? Fine, skip the pleasantries then. My name is Arcadia. You, however, can call me Cade. That takes care of the who, I suppose.  Now if you were to ask what I am...well, the answer would be 'not human.'" Again, that toothy smile. "I've long since passed what can be called as such. Don't worry, you'll understand what I am in due time. For now we should get you settled, I'm sure you must be confused." 

"Huh?" Aiden completely didn't get what the guy was saying. The glass in his hand got ready to be thrown.

Cade frowned."Dammit kid, don't be so trigger-happy. Fuck. Oh, and don't worry. You aren't crazy. I know that's what's been on your mind since you got here, but no, you aren't that far gone quite yet. You just died." 

Aiden snorted. "Yeah, sure." 

The other man cocked a brow. "Denial, understandable. But you feel alive, don't you? Feel the breath in your lungs, the AC blowing wind through your hair and all that, eh? And you don't exactly got the same appearance you used to, right? Can't be a dream, and crazies usually don't think they're crazy so that's ruled out. Tell me, if this isn't a dream and you aren't insane, then what can this be other than reality?"

Aiden was silent. He was right, this really didn't feel like a dream. And though that remark about crazies not thinking they were crazy has a weird sort of sense to it too, even if it may not be entirely true for all of them.

But reality? What, he was supposed to accept that all this was really happening?  

While Aiden was busy deliberating, the man--Cade--walked in leisurely. He exuded a predatory grace with each step, causing something in Aiden's head to scream "danger".

It was hard to tell with the sunglasses hiding his eyes, but Aiden swore he was being glowered at. "Bullshit. Honestly I'm quite harmless. Most days." He popped his knuckles, chuckling. "Wouldn't hurt a fly. And put that fucking thing down already!" He, of course, referred to the glass cup.

It was a big cup, it had to be said. Thick, nearly a foot tall, would leave a pretty nasty wound. Aiden obviously wasn't putting it down.

"So stubborn." Cade clicked his tongue. "....Filthy place...." Cade commented, stopping over an empty cup of noodles and giving the room what may have been a baleful glance. 

"Well it's not my fault." Aiden muttered, unbidden. He agreed, but for some reason felt a bit defensive.

"Hah, sure. But is that all you have to say? A stranger walks into your home and you're fairly calm about it, even if you seem intent on putting me into a coma." He jerked his chick towards the still-raised glass.

"I'm still pretty sure this is a dream, so why would I freak out?"

That "pretty sure" got less and less "sure" by the minute, but really what other explanation could there be for this shit? First he wakes up in the body of some overweight slob, now he's seeing a freakin' angel from hell. Dream or mental instability, only two rational explanations he could think of. And he preferred the former.

Cade sighed. "Trust me, I ain't an angel. Not even one from hell." 

The hell? He can read my mind? 

Aiden's mouth nearly fell open. 

"I got phenomenal cosmic powers, what do you expect?" The tone was desert-dry. "Ah...not that I'm a genie, mind you." An unhurried continuation. "I ain't here to grant you any wishes. No, you'd have to find Cassius for that I'm pretty sure the bastard would just fuck up the order for shits and giggles even if you did." He stretched his neck. "That aside, if you still think it's a dream then could you please put the glass down? Why even pick it up?"

Aiden replied, very seriously. "I'm not going to be fucked over by a figment of my own mind's creation. Now are you going to tell me why you're here, O Imaginary One? What is my subconscious mind trying to tell me, hmm? That I should join a biker gang?" He eyed the leather jacket warily. "Please tell me it isn't."

Aiden had a bad experience with biker gangs. One never knew how irritating they can be until one of your clingy one-night-stands sends her brother and his cronies to beat up your car and constantly hound you for weeks after in some nonsensical way of forcing you to crawl back to the bed that got you into that mess in the first place.

Which he didn't, he just sent someone to set fire to their beloved bikes instead. And personally stalked then beat each one to the ground and kick them in the balls when that didn't work.

Ended their family lines right there and then, probably. 

Aiden had a temper sometimes, which usually ended badly for the other party.  

"You are a sadistic little fucker, I like that." A hint of amusement eased the severity from Cade's face, a small twitch of the cheek and rise of the lips. "But no, not that. Remember the part where I said you died? Yeah, well, I'm the one they sent to explain it to you."

"Sticking with that, huh? Fine, fire away." Aiden magnanimously granted him the right to speak.

"What a kind and patient king you are, this humble servant is awed by your graciousness." Another bone-dry comment that lacked any sort of respect for Aiden's authority.

"Right, so, on with explanations." He leaned against a wall casually, a lit cigarette appearing in his hand. After a long drag, he continued. "See, it's like this: You, Aiden Alexander Maddox, died. And you were supposed to enter back into the reincarnation cycle like usual, but something went wrong--we suspect foul play--and your soul ended up in a..." He seemed to struggle with the words. "Well, a slightly different earth than you remember. Something that was never supposed to happen." 

"Mhmm, go on." Aiden took a seat on a chair, once more annoyed by the large body of the boy and how it jiggled uncomfortably, indulging the man and his story. 

"You have to understand, this just doesn't happen. I mean souls belonging to one universe shouldn't appear in another. It causes an Impurity. Like mixing water and vinegar. We aren't sure why someone like you wasn't properly looked after, but what's done is done." He gave a careless shrug "This world isn't like the one you knew, either. The general populace is much stronger than the average human of your world...your current self excluded... and there exists exceptional humans even among them."

"But it's not like there's some grand scheme in mind for you. You just got a bad break, someone decided to play god and plucked you out from your world to bring you here. See what an Impurity can do. And make no mistake, just you existing has already made ripples throughout the world so it's not like living your life in seclusion is going to do any good."

"That said, due to the nature of the incident and given who you are, and not to mention how this world differs to your own, we came up with a bit of a "don't give up" kind of gift. We would like you to live normally, just enjoy a bit of life. Sadly, because you are an Impurity, life didn't make that easy for you and it's only now we can really do something about it."

"As for the gift, it's something Kable whipped up. My understanding is that it's kind of like a game? Kable really spends too much time with mortals." He tsked at the unknown man, obviously not thinking well of his habits. "It'll help you get a bit more fulfillment outta all this. You can't interact with the world without your Impurity status eventually trying to take you by the ass, and seeing as how we wouldn't want you to just waste away here we all agreed to allow you a system that would give you the power to fight back your shit luck without having you go out of control."

"But it really depends on how you use it,  it won't just fix all your problems. We're not that biased, we're all fair individuals." He nodded to himself. "So do what you want with it. Live however you please, if you can, and don't say we never lent you a hand. Oh, but if something weird happens in the system, blame Kable. He can be a bit hard to deal with. No telling what he included in that thing. His definition of enjoying life tends to be different from most people's."

...And finally, he was done. 

Aiden, all throughout, was nodding along easily. Calmly. His double-chins rolling up and down as he did so. 

He looked for all the world like a man who'd listened with rapt attention, who understood everything with perfect clarity of mind. 

Yet his eyes were glazed over with boredom and the polite smile upon his face seemed almost mocking.

"That, " He said, "Was complete and utter bullshit." As if possessed, a spark of rage appeared in his eyes and he rushed to grab Cade by his shirt. 

"The fuck you mean, I died? The fuck you mean, Impurity? Another world? And if this is real, if I'm really stuck in the body of this fat, sickening waste of humanity, you think you can just walk in here with an "oops, sorry" and be forgiven for not doing your fucking jobs?!" He roared into the man's face, growing more furious by the second. "Doesn't happen? If what you're saying is true, it did happen! To me! How the fuck did I even die? Why can't I remember? Even if you're just my imagination, there's a limit to how much you're allowed to fuck with me! "

And he was angry, because he was starting to believe it. Insane or not, he feared what the man said was true.

He was slowly coming to face the fact that he may have really died. That who he was, was gone. 

That he'd never see his friends again, the ones who never let him down. Never let him drink alone or fight without one of them watching his back. 

That's he'd never see his family again. 

His sister, his little sister who'd always pestered him endlessly and was so adorable when she did that he could never stop her from doing it.

His brother who copied his every move, who idolized him even though he shouldn't. Barely ten and a Maddox to the core, never afraid to face anything  

His mother and father who despite their pressuring gazes had always watched out for and loved him. Who, even during the times he acted out and lost his temper, had stopped him from doing anything too rash just by being the ones he thought of when he wanted to do something that might bring shame to everything they worked so hard to achieve...

Cade waited for Aiden to calm down, then effortlessly extracted himself from the other's grip.

"This is your life now. Make of it what you will. That's all I can tell you. Whether you continue to remain motionless like you have been or you move foward, it's all up to you. I'm did my part, so I'm done here." 

Aiden threw him a dirty look. "And what about me? I don't know anything about this world!"

"Don't you?" An enigmatic grin, that's all that was given.

His wings unfurled, that one move alone causing a wave of air that pushed Aiden back several steps.

And with a single beat of his wings, he was gone. 

Vanished, disappearing into the ether.

Only a few black, red-tipped feathers to indicate he was ever there at all.

**********

--High Grade Spiritual item detected--

--Single use, Arcadia's Feather. Effect:  time distortion. Slows the passage of time around the user for ten seconds. Depletes large amounts of spiritual power---

Aiden fingered the plume, running his hand along the soft, silky feather listlessly. He'd recieved the notification each time he picked one up. Ten large, beautiful feathers had stayed behind when Cade left.

A final gift, Aiden assumed. As a guy who played games fairly often in his past life, he understood the value of something like this.

If only he understood how to use it. Or had a use for it in the first place. 

He sighed, feeling...he didn't know. Morose, maybe. Or, no. melancholic may be a better word. 

He silently grieved for the things he'd lost. Without warning, rhyme or reason. It was like a heavy stone that pressed down on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

Jess....Ty...

He thought of his sister Jessica, how he'd no longer hear her soft laughter or have her constant shadow follow him around.

He thought of his brother Ty, and realized just how young he really was. Barely 15 but still not even old enough to walk outside without someone watching to make sure he didn't cause trouble, the little rascal. He'd never be able to see them again. Never be able to watch Jess grow up and marry and have kids of her own. 

Never be able to take Ty out for a night of fun, to share a drink with him and get roaring drunk, then wake up the next morning and nurse his first alcohol-induced headache.

They were his most important people, those two. Even his father and mother lost out to them. Aiden had always taken care of them, and despite his somewhat laidback lifestyle, he thought he always would. 

He'd just been about to get his life together. He'd stopped going to clubs, kept drinking--and women--to a minimum. He'd even gotten accepted to teach English Literature at the very same University his parents had attended.

Even if he thought he'd make a mess of it all since the only reason he even worked to have that particular skill set is because his parents wanted it.

Now it looks like he'd never get a chance to mess up, a thought that would have made him ecstatic before now. 

Aiden almost wanted to cry, but he'd never been one to let out emotions like that even if there was no one there to watch him. 

Maddox men didn't do that though. Or if they did it would only be when they were babies, and even then only for food or a diaper change. 

Other than that crying simply wasn't allowed, period. Instead we took our feelings and shoved them into a little corner of our souls, never to see the light of day.

That way no one would see them, or use them against us. The only thing you could do was buy a drink and slowly kill yourself that way.

It's just how he was raised. 

Even though crying right now seemed like the only thing that might make him fell not so shitty. And so he just sat there, staring at the feather, feeling a profound sense of loss and sadness the like of which he'd never known before. A dull ache in his heart that he didn't know would ever go away. 

Aiden took the glass cup by his side and hurled it across the room in frustration.

It hit a shelf and exploded into a thousand pieces, the only sound that was made in the last half hour. Several figurines also fell, some breaking upon contact.

Somehow a piece of glass bounced back and embedded itself into Aiden's cheek. He hissed a bit.

"What a joke." He cursed, letting out a laugh that rang hollow even to his own ears.

"All of this is just...a sick joke." 

He idly picked out the shard, flicking it away wordlessly. 

His hand became smeared in his own blood, the metalic, coppery scent sickening.

"So this is really my life now. Fine. If that's how it's going to be, at the very least I'll live it however I damn well please. Impurity or no." Aiden muttered.

Sorry, Yuuji. I don't know if you have any family, if anyone will miss you, but your life isn't mine. I'm not going to live as you, and neither will I want what was once yours. 

Aiden apologized to the original owner of this body. 

He made a choice right then,that whatever baggage came with assuming the identity of the young man, whatever friends of family he might have, wouldn't belong to Aiden. 

Whatever drove a person to become like this, he wanted no part of. Whatever life he led up to now, Aiden wouldn't continue it. 

If nothing else, Aiden got a second chance at life. To do whatever he wanted, become whatever he wanted. 

He didn't want to waste it pretending to be someone he wasn't.

***

Aiden once more tried to remember what happened to him. 

The last thing I'm sure of is...the bar. My friends all nearly passed out inside the booth...That pretty blonde...And then...what? Did she take me home? Did I take her home? 

Aiden was from a wealthy family, had just gotten accepted for a position as an English Professor at the University his uncle and father had both attended. 

His sister was coming to visit the night later, their mother leaving on a trip with her new husband and leaving her in his care. 

His friends took him out for some drinks, and as usual Aiden started chatting up a cute woman he'd caught the eye of. 

They paid for their drinks, and got up to leave...after that, it was a blur.

Did I ...die?  Everything feel so real, and I'm remembering things that I shouldn't. Saying things I shouldn't know about.  Speaking a fucking language he shouldn't know about. 

Shit.

Aiden, having long since closed the down, slowly slid down to the floor and hit his leg angrily.

I have no idea how I got here. I probably died and don't even know how. In the body of some  kid who apparently can't even brush his teeth properly.  

This "system" in his head could be just a figment of his imagination, making his doubt his sanity even if the rest of this is real. 

He'd read books like this. He'd loved novels with settings like this as a teen. But to actually have it happen to him...how can he accept it? 

His entire life had turned upside down. He had no idea where he was, who he was, now. Most protagonists in those novels got all these memories to tell them how to act, who the previous owner of the bodies were. Told them what kind of world they lived in was.

Aiden, however, seemed unable to remember a damn thing about this poor sod's life. 

His sister...how long ago would that have been? Did he die recently, or years ago? Assuming this is all real...which he didn't want to admit to...then who knows how much time has passed since he "died"?

His mother, father, his friends, maybe they were even long dead too... 

Aiden sat there a moment, feeling something tightening around his heart. 

If...if this is supposed to be my life now....At least I should start to find out exactly what that means.

He took a few breaths, then forced himself to move.

A guy like this has to have a computer or something....

Aiden rummaged around the place, and it wasn't long before he found a thick glass blowout of some unknown characters posing provocatively. His had a brownish stain on one of it's corners. 

So that must have been what killed this guy, he realized.

Death by anime characters. Betrayed by what he loved. How laughable. Still, how weak must his skull be to die from something not even weighing a pound?

How unlucky would Aiden have to be for getting the body of a guy like that, too?  

If I had to die then I would prefer a real end rather than reincarnate...or transmigrate....into the body of a slob. Fuck, and I got younger too. What is this guy, 17, if that? I thought I was done with the awkward teen years. 

He cursed at whatever god was sadistic enough to pull shit like this on him. It really wasn't funny. No way did he want to be a snot-nosed brat. 

He pushed those thoughts aside and his hand his something hard. 

Hidden underneath a bunch of magazines with scantily clad women was a small...tablet? 

Not, not quite. It was a glass. Surrounded by a metal frame, with several buttons on the side.

And it was flexible. It bent just a bit under his hands. He curiously played with it, and found that the screen enlarged twice as big when he pulled at it. Weird. Was this kind of tech available before?

If this really was Japan it may not be odd to have something like this though. They were always a bit more advanced than the rest of the world. Then again he didn't know how long he'd been dead and it was an alternate world anyway.

Aiden fiddled with the thing a moment more, and something told him to press the red button on the bottom corner.

He was blinded by an intense flash of light.

Then it died.

"BATTERY AT 0%" A cold voice intoned.

....Well son of a bitch.

"There goes that idea." Aiden sighed. "Fuck it. I'm taking a shower." 

He hated being unclean. Well, not hated, per se, but he didn't like it. And this body was just downright filthy.

So he searched the closet for some clothes. There was no towel that he could find, a clean one anyway, but he just grabbed another shirt and decided to use that to dry himself.

It irked him, but beggers can't be choosers.

**********

Ding, ding, ding.

An unexpected alarm nearly caused Aiden to cut himself with the razor he was holding in his hand.

"Fuck! Can't a guy get a few minutes of peace!" 

This sound had been bothering him for a while now, each notifying him of some change in stats.

Just from washing his body the Charisma stat increased from 0 to 3. Brushing his teeth increased it by 1.5 and shaving by another 1.5. In total he had 6 in Charisma, and he didn't even understand what the hell that was supposed to mean!

--Charisma--A stat which displays how appealing you appear to others. Affects Leadership and Charm. The higher your Charisma, the higher your chance of mating with the opposite sex-- 

--Charm--Determines the persuasive ability of Host. Scales with Charisma. Note that once Charisma reaches a certain level, Charm is automatically upgraded to Glamour--

...Aiden was flooded by a sea of words. Well. That answers that question. He had an inkling, but couldn't be sure that's what it was.

He remembered that his Communication stat was Below Average at 5. So maybe 10 was Average. And 20, judging from his Art stat, was Above Average.

Was that how it worked? The ranks seemed pretty weird so maybe it was just the system making rude remarks. So maybe he shouldn't really mind these things.

He wondered how high the stats went. Logically it would be 100, right? If so then it may not be as easy to raise stats like Strength and Intelligence. 

Thinking all this, he finished washing up and looked towards the messy room.

The apartment was small, with just a bathroom, living room, kitchen, and one bed. Everything able to be reached just by walking down the hallway. No much privacy to be had. 

Aiden felt another headache coming on just looking at the chaos. 

Yuuji, you really weren't a very functioning member of society, were you?  I really wonder how you could live like this. 

Whatever drove the boy to be a Human Trash must have been a pretty traumatic event indeed. Few people would fall this far on their own. 

Well, since Aiden was apparently the current occupant of this body the least he could do was try and make the best of the situation.

Yuuji Tachibana, huh....that name really didn't feel right. In fact, for some reason, he hated it. Let's not begin referring to himself like that. Aiden, now that was a good name. Let's stick with that for now.

Sighing heavily, Aiden began cleaning up.

Everything else about this new life he can figure out later. For now he would like to sleep on a bed not covered in crumbs. 

When he woke up tomorrow, maybe he'd find out all this really was a dream....at least he hoped so...