Nothing. Everything was nothing. I couldn’t see anything, feel anything, hear anything. Everything was just… nothing. It felt like I was just existing. Nothing more. Nothing less. Then, my everything started to crack. It was like looking at glass shattering. Revealing something I should never have seen.
Me as a little girl riding her bike for the first time.
Me hiding as my parents fought.
Me getting a good grade on math.
Me watching dad slap mom.
Me playing in a jungle gym at a park, laughing.
Me crying when dad hurt more than just mom.
Me laughing with my friends at something funny.
Me calling the cops on my father.
Me learning I had half siblings.
Me staring at the scars on my mother’s wrists.
Me faking my smiles.
Me, mom, and my siblings going to the mall.
Me graduating.
Me….
It went on and on. I was watching my life like a film. Then, all of a sudden, I was standing in a white room. Marble surrounding me in every direction.
“What a strange life.”
I turned around and was faced with something even more bazaar. Something white and fluffy was hovering in front of me. It’s eyes gold. It’s ears round crescents on its head, and it’s hands and feet almost hidden by its… fluffiness?
“Mortal, what do you think of the life you saw?”
I stared at it in utter confusion. What is it talking about? What do I think of what I saw?… But Wasn’t that my life?..
“Hhhh” It let out in a sigh
“Time is not limitless, mortal. I would not try to comprehend what Is. Think, but do not Think.”
I looked at it. Then I looked at my life. Everything I went through. Every good thing. Every bad thing. It wasn’t the best life, and it wasn’t the worst life.
I thought about it. Then stared at it.
“I had the courage to persevere.”
It looked at me and nodded to itself.
“Good. You are one of the more worthy of this New World. Go. There will be joy and hardship ahead of you. Like all those with you. What is happening is what Is. No more. No less. GO.”
Everything went blank.
***
Heavy. Everything felt heavy. I let out a groan and sat up. I cringed as I moved some of my muscles. Somehow my arms, legs, and even my lips hurt. Let me rephrase, EVERYTHING hurt. Then I winced. I had moved my hand and touched the back of my head..
“What on earth happened?”
Then I actually looked around at my surroundings.
I laughed. Then shut my eyes.
Trees.
TREES.
Whatever I saw, that was NOT the college campus …. right?
I cracked one eye open and gulped.
I wasn’t imagining it. A literal Forest was surrounding me. I got up quickly, but groaned as my backpack felt like fifty pounds instead of fifteen.
I staggered over to the closest tree and looked around. Very tall trees surrounded me in every direction. I desperately looked around for anything then…
“Thank goodness!” I said with relief.
Believe me, not to the forest, but to the very familiar building standing just behind some trees.
The college building I was in was still there!
I squinted at it, but realized not all of it was there. It looked like it was blown up.. or just separated from the rest of it..?
I’m not proud, but I think I yelped as I fell on my butt.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
How could anyone accept a glowing message, a fluffy fluff ball that talks, and even more glowing messages as a new reality? And I didn’t even mention the FOREST that had now grown inside a building I was just in?!!!!
My mind was scattered. Or in better words. Scrambled.
I looked over the message reading it, but not reading it.
Then I focused on one specific word.
———
Name: Maeve Banet
Age: 18
Level: 1
Gifts:
Abilities:
Strength: 4
Constitution: 8
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 12
Charisma: 11
Wisdom: 12
Willpower: 26
Perception: 15
Stat Points: 18
———
What. The. Cracker. Jacker.
What was I looking at? Was this some sort of game status?…
I somehow willed the yellow glowing message back in front of me. And I screwtinized it hard.
Well, it definitely said we ’earth ones’…. were all given gifts. Like a literal Status sheet that tells us everything about ourselves?..
Wow.
I really don’t know if I should be freaking out more or what…
I sighed and leaned up against the very real tree.
I looked over my Stats.
Welp, to be honest. I think it summed me up pretty well. That is, if the average was seven… yah.. I’m really weak.
I could understand those seven stats, but what was a
Surprisingly, the useless message actually explained something.
“Huh.”
Yah, this thing was totally reading my mind.
I don’t know how long I sat there against the tree. Thinking. Trying to understand.
Sitting there, I just gazed at the forest. Then I looked up in the air.
“It stopped raining.”
“Also, where is everyone?”
That huge crowd of people was gone. But if I was able to come back to the exact spot I was originally, then the others must too?
Looking back, the yellow message did say I was one of the first to arrive..
That thought made me wonder if my perception was accurate.
“Oh, forgive me.” I said sarcastically.
“Why would I ever doubt the all powerful yellow screen.”
Yep, that was how I dealt with stress. I faked it till I made it. Give me like a year, and I might be ok…. Maybe.
I sighed and looked at the… trees.
What did happen to everyone? Were my mom and little siblings ok? Abby? did they wake up earlier than everyone else like me? Would they ever wake up?
I was just about to try and use my cellphone, when all of a sudden something popped. I almost jumped as a person appeared three feet off the ground and smashed into it. Right in front of me
I stared at him and understood everything.
Ahh. That was why I was so sore.
I dropped my backpack and quickly ran over to him and checked his pulse.
Good. He was breathing.
I didn’t recognize him, but he must have been someone inside the crowd. He had summer clothes on and his backpack was laying half way under him. His brown hair a complete mess as it covered his face.
I waited a few more seconds and was rewarded with a groan
I quietly stepped back to let him gather himself. He slowly sat up and started to curse profusely.
“What was that?!”
He stopped rubbing his head and finally looked at the forest surrounding us.
I watched as his profile froze up.
“Frick.”
I realized he could stay like that all day if he could. But I wasn’t waiting for that. I needed to talk to someone about what just happened.
“You good?” I asked concerned.
He jumped up and turned with wild eyes looking straight at me.
My eyes widened and I raised both hands slowly.
“Whow there dude, I’m as lost as you are. Were you, I don’t know, also brought to some place…”
He brought both hands up and rubbed them down his face as he let out another groan.
“What the heck is happening? Last I remember I was trying to figure out what this.. this message was in a huge crowd in the Hall. When suddenly I was…”
He left off as his eyes glazed over. He stared into space as he tried to understand everything that had and was happening.
I was about to ask him more, when the forest was filled with the sound of pops.
***
People were now popcorn. Simple.
I had to sprint to a tree just for cover as people appeared out of thin air.
The guy I was talking to just stared as many more people.. popped… into existence. But because he did that, he also got squished as a middle aged woman appeared right above him.
I cringed as I watched the middle aged women smack right into him. He yelled out and fell to his back as the heavier lady was lucky enough to have a soft landing.
He must have gone unconscious because he didn't get up.
I continued to watch the human popcorn and after what seemed like five minutes, the last of the pops stopped and everyone was at least sitting up and staring at the forest.
Then the almighty yellow message decided to grace us.
All hell broke loose.