A Rift in the Hologram

Chapter One

The sterile shrill of the evening bell pierced each classroom, uniting them in the same dreadful harmony. Holoboards at the fronts of each room flickered from the class notes to the city's emblem, signifying the end of the period, and, in this case, the end of the school day.

Calypso Moore stayed seated and peered over her shoulder at the others who were practically trampling each other in an attempt to escape the prison-like air of the building. Just another minute and enough people should have cleared the halls.

"Ms. Moore. The bell," her teacher started. Snapping to attention at the sound of her name, Calypso turned to the voice. Being singled out was not something that generally meant well. Reaching deep inside of herself, Calypso dredged up her remaining social skills for the day and drew them out.

"Ah, my apologies, Ms. Watson. I was just making sure I hadn't forgotten my..." her what? What excuse could she use this time? "Tablet pencil set." Tablet pencils? Really? In any case, Ms. Watson seemed to buy it.

"Very well. If you have them, I suggest you leave now." That's how most days went. Glasenic was a city rooted in extreme order. Leaving your assigned location even ten minutes later than expected meant a close eye on both you and your family. Perfection was an expectation, not a privilege.

Bag on her shoulder, Calypso breathed in. Pushing her way through the throngs of people, she scanned the crowds for a familiar face. The white hallways burned her sensitive eyes from hours of being glued to her classes' holoboards.

Catching a glimpse of the outside through one of the few windows of the school, Calypso was drawn to the sight. In sharp contrast to the interior of the school, the night sky was a breathtaking mix of vibrant navy and purple. The stars littering the blanket stood out, and each seemed to glow with a unique personality. At least, that's what Calypso imagined the sky to really look like. Stepping out of her daydream, she gazed at the true sight outside of the window. Yes, the night sky was navy, but it was muted and gray. The industrial smog thickly coated the world above Glasenic, and the only visible twinkles were from the electric blue lights of the city center, its skyscrapers standing proudly. Even from this distance, Calypso could hear the faint buzz of holograms. She dreaded the inevitable deafening noise she would be forced to endure on her way home. The closer to the city center, the louder the sound. Everyone knew it came from the skyscraper holos. They were massive, covering entire buildings with mirages of beauty and light. No one knew what laid beneath the holos. Why should it matter what the actual buildings looked like when such a lovely exterior could hide them?

A sudden hand on Calypso's shoulder caused her to squeak, and in the instant it took her to turn around, seven different excuses for why she wasn't on her way home yet flooded her consciousness. Instead of a drone, however, she was pleasantly met with a familiar face.

"Roman," she breathed, clutching her white uniform shirt slightly. "You nearly scared me half to death." The boy in front of her only chuckled and stepped aside, gesturing her to walk ahead of him and towards the exit.

"Ah come on, you were so obviously lost in thought. It was simply my duty as a citizen of Glasenic to check on you in order to put your mind at ease regarding any concerns relating to the city" Roman said in an overly sweet and polite voice, reciting Article II of the Glasenic Guide to Proper Citizenship. Calypso rolled her eyes.

"And I suppose you were prepared to direct me to the nearest Clarity and Insight Facility in the event I actually did have a concern?" she responded, finishing the instructions of the guide. Roman closed his eyes and smiled.

"Naturally."

The articles of the Glasenic Guide to Proper Citizenship were common knowledge in the city. They may even be memorized throughout the country, that is if anyone was living outside of the city borders at all. Glasenic was the capital city of a larger country, one whose name had been long lost to the ages. Some claimed the land used to be known as "The United States", a myth that spread among children like wildfire. Such a silly idea, Calypso thought to herself. And an idea that the government clearly found quite frightening. Those madmen were always dealt with so quickly, producing ridiculous statements and then vanishing into thin air, like the people never existed at all. The Theorists' believers were also taken care of. After all, it wasn't safe for lies like that to spread. Everyone knew that.

Truth be told, it couldn't even be proven that there was a nation outside of Glasenic at all. No one entered, and no one could leave the city borders. Sure, history courses were administered in schools, but they were brief and watered-down, and none seemed to decisively tell the story of the country's origins. 

Outside of the education department, news broadcasts flaunted the nation's power, reporting stories of the newly conquered land from north to south. Questions to Chief Executive Angevin, the leader of Glasenic, about the state of the nation and true size of the expanding country were dismissed in a vague, optimistic, yet somehow satisfying manner that never fully addressed the situation but did succeed, however, in putting the dull minds of the population to rest. Besides, what did it matter what laid beyond anyway?