She woke up in a cloud of white, the color drenched each and every structure she laid her eyes upon.
“Hey? Anyone there?” a girl spoke. Her frail stature matched the plainness of the landscape. “Oh dear? I’m hallucinating aren’t I! Can’t believe I’m going even crazier!” The girl looked oddly familiar to the other on the floor.
“Ah-Sis?! Oh my, p-please tell me it’s you, Sis, my sister, my actual sister?!” The other spoke, startled. The girl crawled over to her “sister,” grabbing her foot and staring up at her with hopelessness. “It is you…right?” she whispered meekly.
“W-what the? Why is it touching me! Stop touching me!” the girl screamed. She exhales and tries to calm down, “And excuse me? I am NOT your flesh and blood!” The girl backed away from the person on the floor. She clears her throat again, “Ahem! I am number 1 of the council and my name is uh…I can’t tell you!” She looked away; her brows furrowed.
“What touched you..!? Are you talking about me?!” The girl asked in deeper confusion.
“Who else?! Of course it’s you!”
“Well, I have no idea..! This place is completely foreign…not to mention bland and…” She pauses only now noticing- and staring-at the number on the council member’s wrist.
“What are you staring at? Oh!” the council member looks down at her wrist, the number 1 and a butterfly are imprinted into her skin.
She continued to stare at number 1, tilting her head as she proposed the question, “That’s…great and all…but what do any of those numbers mean?!”
“I’m #1 in the council? There’s a #1 on my wrist? I think any 15-year-old could connect those dots…” the girl spoke disappointed, “Oh, and the butterfly is a barcode-y’know like one of those IDs? To get into the buildings?”
Her confusion only grew as she blankly spaced out on the butterfly. “A b–barcode..like..in a grocery store?!” she yelled out in confusion.
“I JUST explained it to you. To get into buildings, 57! Oh carp, I wasn’t supposed to call you that.”
“Okay…now you’re referring to me by stupid names..! My name is @@##$$%!” ‘57’paused as the gibberish sputtered out of her mouth, “Why can’t I say it..?”
“Ah yes what a great name; a name that I cannot understand, nor you can understand, sweetheart..or should I say 57, for your information, that is the number on your wrist dawned with a butterfly too!”
57 shakily stared down at her wrist, screeching as she noticed the number and the insect, “D–did you do this to me?! I–I…I think I’m gonna pass out..” She wobbled over, nearly falling on her face.
“Okay, now that we’ve established that now you should…” #1 paused, “nevermind I guess; she passed out…”
THUD! 57 was out cold, lying on the floor of the white realm. She obviously could not hear or see anything, yet a lingering feeling of anxiety remained. Suddenly, she could feel herself breathing again, against the hard surface of the ground.
She whispered to herself, standing to her feet, “W–where…where am I..?”
“Welcome back my dear 57! How’s the headache? Absolutely horrible, excruciating, painful, and diabolical? That means it worked, yay!” #1 cheerfully interjected talking on top of all of 57’s thoughts as if was trying to shut 57 up in the most cheerful way possible.
“W–what worked…egh…” 57 stood to her feet dizzily, glancing around the room with blurry vision. She suddenly felt…lighter?
#1 got even louder, “We just rearranged some of your parts– well technically we got rid of them but blah blah blah..! Who cares about the details; I don’t, nor should you worry your little ‘brain’ out!”
57’s limbs made an odd sound as she struggled to walk around, “Am I dead..? Is this %#&@% [hell]..?”
“Nuh uh uh! No cursing! Those profanities are not allowed in this perfect, lovely, and did I say perfect world! Thank you Miss Editor for bleeping that out, but editing out 57’s life might be more useful…nevermind!”
“If it’s so perfect, then why do you exist in it..?” she mumbled quietly.
She laughed, “That’s weird…you basically copied my comment which makes you plagiarizing which makes your comment… irrelevant!”
“It’s so difficult to walk…” 57 nearly fell flat, “AGHH! What the actual sugar?! I can’t move or speak properly at all! My entire body is killing–” she paused, “WHY ARE MY LIMBS STIFF?!”
“Womp womp-actually that’s mean so… because maintenance physically hurts you? I mean does it not make sense to your puny little human brain? Well based on your looks…it makes sense! I wonder where all that forehead goes…”
“Mai…maintenance..?” tears welled up in 57’s eyes, “Tell me how to get home..! N-now..!”
“Hmmm sorry. Can’t tell you that part ‘cause…I don’t even know! I’ve been here WAY longer than you, sweetheart! Face the truth because I know you aren’t right now”
“You mean…I’m stuck…HERE? O–of all places..?” She had begun to panic, a drip of insanity in her voice.
“Hehe! Yep! You’re stuck…with me! Forever! Well…’till you die of course!” she exclaimed.
She glared at her, “I will NOT be staying here forever…I will not be staying here for a year..I will not be staying here at ALL!”
“Sure, sure…then what are you doing now? It kinda looks like you’re staying right now! You haven’t even tried leaving yet!” she responded cheerfully.
57 instantly spun around and took off, venturing far into an empty void…
TO BE CONTINUED.
