Strong, vibrant light beamed down unto the quiet earth. The brisk wind ran through the trees and teased the grass. Creatures faster than the eye could see dashed from behind trees, underneath bushes to unseen burrows. And in that land lay a strange figure asleep between the plains and the trees.

Why is my bed so cold and my room so bright? I spent $50 last year on light-blocking curtains. How can those go out? Is that even possible? The birds sound louder than usual, the AC is running super strong, and why is my bed so itchy? Rustling, I hear rustling in my bedroom. What rustles in my room. Opening my eyes, all I can see is prairie on one side and what seems to be forest on the other. Okay, deep breath. In. Out. In. OUT. Okay, that's not working. Let's try counting. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. What is that!

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Before my eyes is a blue screen.

Welcome to Altiria! You have been selected from among a group of your fellow human beings that survived cosmic energy poisoning to integrate into the world of Altiria. after the tragic demise of your planet. As such, we have created a support system to help with your integration.

I can't read anymore. I don't believe this. This is impossible. A whole planet can't just be gone. This is some virtual reality joke. Someone must have put a headset on my head while I was sleeping. It must be a really thin one, running my hands all over my hair and face. I’ve come to the realization I can’t feel anything on my face. On the off chance, this is real. Ow. I just scratched myself hard. The line of ash and pain on my skin tells me this might be real. I guess I'm not in Texas anymore.