Kiana Khansmith peered out the train window, her dark almond eyes peeking up above the frame. The battered train car lurched as it hit a sudden incline, its tarnished steel walls straining with the effort. The scenery outside the train had even less color to offer, the vast gray landscape broken only by jagged cliffs and boulders. The clouds were an almost identical shade of gray, with lightning sporadically arcing the sky in abrupt flashes. Thunder boomed overhead, Kiana ducking for cover with an alarmed squeak. Despite her petite frame, the floor of the train groaned under her sudden weight. Kiana had been in this dysfunctional car for hours, and she prayed that this step in her quest would draw to an end quickly.
After listening to the gale and nervously eyeing the train’s unstable structure for another twenty minutes, Kiana finally saw her stop. The train was no longer running any faster than about twenty or thirty miles per hour, so Kiana slung her backpack over her tiny shoulders, opened the car window, and jumped, tucking and rolling as she made contact with the hard stone ground. She slowly rose, making sure she didn’t hurt herself. Realizing she survived with only a few scrapes and bruises, Kiana began the second step of her journey: A hike through a massive stone cave.
Leaving the raucous noise of the thunderstorm behind her, Kiana made her way through the winding tunnels with only a withered map and a conveniently-discovered torch to guide her. She soon had no need for either, however, when she noticed a yellowish glow at the end of the tunnel. Kiana knew that this was exactly where she was headed. After taking a quick moment to pray, she cautiously entered the opening, fearing what she saw. A colossal mound of a mysterious substance rested in the middle of the room, glowing a sickly amber and pulsating grotesquely. Kiana cringed at the syrupy sweet smell the substance exuded, closing her eyes, resigned to what she must do. For a moment she considered turning back while she still could, but remembered the incentive: an international treasure was protected at the heart of the yellow mass. If she succeeded in her ultimate task, the whole world would thank her. She approached the foot of the mysterious mass and slowly unzipped her backpack, removing the contents from it with shaking hands. In her trembling hands were a fork and knife. Kiana reluctantly sliced off a chunk of the substance and brought it up to her mouth, her heart racing and a single tear running down her flushed cheek, when suddenly--
“Kiana Mai!” her father exclaimed impatiently. “You’ve been staring at that pizza for a half an hour! I know you don’t like pineapple on pizza, but can you please stop being dramatic for a moment and just eat your slice?”
Kiana’s eyes flew open as she realized she was still in her parent’s kitchen, a lukewarm pizza slice sitting on her plate. She glanced up at her parents’ exasperated faces, then back down at her disgusting dinner, the amber pineapple chunks staring menacingly back up at her. I must be a film student for a reason, Kiana thought to herself and she closed her eyes and took a tentative bite.