Alters of Reality

Chapter 1: The Day It All Began

I first met Alea when we were four. We had both been ripped from our homes and dropped into a training camp to prepare for a war which may never happen. Spoilers: a war did happen, and we weren't prepared. We had vowed to fight by each other's side until we could no longer. To walk hand in hand into the gates of hell. Little did we know, the universe had other plans for us.

Everything seemed normal the day it all began. Mine and Alea's cell, which was actually a bedroom but it could've fooled me, was cold as always. The flickering lights flickered as violently as ever; I'd learned to ignore it but something like that can't be entirely ignored. The switchblade my father gave me rested comfortably in my hand. I used to be afraid of its jagged edges, fearful that it'd cut me, but now there's little I'm afraid of, let alone a knife. I spun it effortlessly in my hand as I had a million times before. Since my blade was one of the only things that could help me focus, I had it on me at all times. When it came to defending myself, it wouldn't do much, but I can carry my own weight without the help of a switchblade.

Alea stood opposite of me making her bed like the responsible girl she was. Her side of the room contrasted mine quite a bit. Her's was clean and organized exactly like she was. On the outside, her life seemed perfect, like she had it all put together and planned out. It isn't until you get to know her that you see how much of a mess she truly is, but that's human. I was pretty much the same except what you see is what you get. Messy room, messy life, but it all worked. If you asked me to find my lucky arrowhead I could point you to the corner of my room underneath my bed where I remembered placing it. Don't ask me how it got there, just know it was and that I have everything under control... I think.

"I'll never understand the attachment you have to this knife," she said as she grabbed my blade and began twirling it between her fingers.

"My dad gave it to me. It's the only thing I have from him." I knew this wasn't a valid reason, but it was the best one I had. How am I supposed to explain something even I don't understand?

"I don't see why you'd want to keep anything from the man that abandoned you, but whatever helps you sleep better at night." Alea said as she tossed the knife into the target hung on our wall. It had always been a question in my mind if he had truly abandoned me. Alea said my parents, just like hers and everyone else's, abandoned us, but that was hard for me to believe. None of us were ever given a clear answer of why we were at the Facility and none of us knew life before it since there wasn't any. We only lived a few days before being brought here, so how can we make an assumption about something we know nothing about? What I know for sure is that my family, whoever they may be, lived somewhere in the walls of Aldaine and I plan to find them, no matter how long it takes.

For the first time today I looked out the window of my cell. The outside world provided the only portion of color, contrasting the whites and grays inside the Facility. Aldaine was beautiful, despite the eyesore that sat in the middle. We call it "home" but it isn't really. The Facility was our house but not our home. Past the towering buildings of our society were the wheat fields that grew our food, rows and rows of plentiful, beautiful, crops. The fields were brought to an abrupt halt by the steel wall which stood at the outskirts of Aldaine, trapping everyone and everything inside. I couldn't help but be curious about what existed beyond the walls that reached to the skies. I'd always been told they were there for our protection and for a while, I believed it. I grew up hearing stories of frightening beasts and unfathomable horrors compelling every citizen of Aldaine to remain within the safety of its walls. Many people questioned what lay beyond but never enough to seek answers.

Alea's voice pulled me from my thoughts, "I'm hungry, wanna get food?"

"I would but I don't have any money."