— Unknown —

Today I woke up feeling lost.

Why did I feel that way?

I had woken up in the middle of a fountain. Gasping for breath and in extreme pain.

I would have drowned if someone hadn't pulled me out.

Where the hell am I, and why Is my body on fire?

I would have screamed if I could have but I don’t think I Could of if I wanted to. I was trying not to move as everything was agony. Moving was like fire boiling through my veins.

Opening my eyes a blinding light causes me to gasp. Feeling my lungs burn.

What the hell happened to me?

What is going on? Suddenly I felt a cooling sensation flow through my body stopping the worst of the pain.

Trying once more I slowly opened my eyes. The light was still bright but bearable. Looking down at me was my mother. Oh, thank god she’ll help me… why does she look so sad.

Am I dying? That must be it, so this is what death feels like.

No. That can't be right, why would I be dying?

What happened? Maybe she knows.

I try to make eye contact with her, but no matter what I do I can’t seem to make eye contact.

Is she avoiding me?

As the cold passed through my body slowly I regained the ability to move.

My pinkie moved. With that movement, the fire returned to my body. My body unlocked from whatever was holding it still.

I screamed and flailed trying anything to make the fire stop. I felt soft hands on me holding me. “Shhh... Shh… It’s gonna be ok. Just hold on. It will pass in a moment.” The words were distant but they calmed me. I still felt the pain but I no longer screamed. I focused on trying to hear my mother’s voice. She was holding me, rocking back and forth as I contorted trying to lessen the pain. “Shhhhh. It will be ok. Just another moment.” Then, as if nothing happened, the pain was gone.

My muscles felt sore like a good workout but nothing like before. “That was unpleasant.”

Here me talk must have triggered something as my mother just held me tighter. “I’m so sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?” I looked up at my mother confused. Why did she need to be sorry? Actually, why was I even in pain? I held my head trying to remember but I couldn't remember. Mom would never have anything to do with it.

I pushed myself away from her. Trying to get my thoughts straight. There was just a bundle of confusion. Something about graduating, and going through a big red door. Then...What was it I can’t remember?

Slowly I unbound from a ball and tried to stand.

This was not a good idea. The world went black and I lost my balance falling back to the ground. My whole body tingled for a minute. I waited there until the blackness faded.

I think I heard muffled voices in the distance. Why is everything so muffled?

I felt an arm around me helping me up. Looking over it was my mom. I knew she would help. Was she helping me earlier? I can’t remember.

With her help. I was able to stand. I found myself looking around. I was in the middle of the town right next to the large crystal in the middle of the city. Soaking wet. We must have just been in the pool.

There were dozens of other people from my class in various states of debilitation all around. Everyone looked confused and was being helped by their parents. What is going on?

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I looked over to my mother. “What?”

She looked at me with pity. “Just come with me.”

I followed her to a small amphitheater with seats. “Have a seat. We’ll explain everything.” She practically shoved me into the seat. I tried to move but once my butt hit the seat I was locked into place. Unable to move, unable to move my head, only able to move my eyes. Fear. Fear beyond anything I had ever felt before ran through me. I blindly tried to move, throwing everything I had inside myself at the restraints. I don’t know how long I flailed until I heard someone speak. “Calm.” Something about the voice pulled away from my panic focusing on the voice. He began to speak about how we had all just died. That we needed to integrate our screens and that we would all need to find a class.

When he finished the calm dissipated and the fear returned as I began to remember the feeling of death. My body began to shake uncontrollably, and a hand grabbed me pulling me up to the front. ‘My name must have been called.’ I was still shaking as I took a bag from the man, I had never seen before. Who are you?

Some people around me were talking but I couldn’t stop shaking. All the voices around me were muffled. When I realized we were free. I didn’t know what to do. I just knew I needed to getaway. So I ran. I ran without direction. Going anywhere that was away.

At some point cement turned into grass, then grass turned into dirt. I was surrounded by trees.

This can't be happening. No no-no.

Why would she do this? They killed us.

She knew! SHE KNEW! How could they do that to us? WHY?

Do they do this everywhere? That would be monstrous. Could they really do that to everyone? Why would they do this to us? Just to install our screens? That can't be right.

I can’t trust any of them. They murdered us!

I wandered deeper and deeper into the forest. Just trying to get away.

*Snap*

It’s odd how a simple sound was able to bring my full attention. I hadn’t been paying attention to where I was going. I finally looked up and saw I was deep in the forest where the canopy was heavy and deep. I could see light barely breakthrough. Fear shot through me as I turned toward the sound. Under one of the beams of light, my mother came into view. Standing there looking worried and...scared? How could that be? She just helped murder me.

“Carna. Please I know what happened was horrible but it was something we all had to do?”

What? EVERYONE had to do this? “WHY!?”

Pain and sadness painted her face. “In this world, it is the only way to stay safe.” She struggled to smile after saying that. “But the nightmare is almost over.”

I just stared at her in horror. I knew she was trying to comfort me, but it just wasn’t helping. She held out her hand to me.

I stared incredulously at her hand. My mind was going a thousand miles a minute. Did she want to help me? Could I trust her? That look on her face, scared, sad, and... A little hopeful. What her words were not able to convey just that look made me want to trust her. I was lost and scared, and she was trying to help me find my way.

Slowly my hand reached for her, as I did here her smile was no longer a struggle but genuine. “Everything is going to be alright.” I felt my mother's hand grab me tight.

I didn’t know if I believed her but her hand felt warm, as we left the dark forest and headed back toward the city.