ME, INSIDE OUT

Prologue

  "Marlene, are you paying attention?" Professor Green asked. Marlene didn't respond. There she goes daydreaming again, he thought. He waves his hands in front of her.

"Ms. Marlene Davis!" he shouted. She stopped daydreaming and looked at the professor. "Oh, sorry, professor. I got so lost in thought. What were you saying again?" Marlene asked.

"I was just asking your progress on your project, Ms. Davis," he sighed. "Well, the project is near completion. All that's left is to test it. Oh, that reminds me I need to go back to test it so I should probably go, professor," she said.

She packed her bags." Good luck and be careful, Ms. Davis," the professor said. "I will, I'll be going now. See ya, Professor Green," she ran and waved. "Ms. Davis, please don't run," he said. She never changes, he sighed.

She was waiting for a bus at the bus stop. She decided to take a seat. A few minutes later, the bus arrived. She got on the bus. So many people, she thought. She went to an empty seat and sat down. She put in her earphones and looked out the window. Much better, she smiled.

Marlene doesn't like being around people. She was bullied a lot as a kid. She also didn't have many friends which caused her to be introverted. She had a tough childhood. Her dad died before she was even born. Her mother was always busy. The only person that cared for her was her brother, Ezra.

Ezra was always there for her. There was this one memory that will be etched in her mind forever. She got back home from school covered in bruises. Ezra was waiting for her to come home. He was so worried when he saw her coming in like that. "Marly, what happened? Are you okay?" he asked. She was quiet. He just sighed. "Let me see those bruises," he treated her bruises. She didn't say anything the whole time. He finished treating her bruises.

He sat next to her. "Listen, you can tell me anything, Marly. I'll listen to you, "he looked at her. Silence. "Who hurt you?" he asked. She just shook her head. "Marly, I know you're scared but it's okay. I'm right here," he comforted. "You'll think I'm weak and weird," she said. "Why would you say that?" he asked. "They say I'm a crybaby and crying are for the weak, "she said with her head down.

He kneeled down right in front of her. "No, it's not. Crying doesn't make you weak. It's okay to cry because that's what makes you human. You're not weird either. You're unique and that's what makes you different. Look at me, Marly," he said.

She looked at him. "No matter what happens, you'll always be my little sister. You can't keep everything in because one day it'll just explode. So, if you need somebody to listen to you, I'll always be here for you. Just let everything out. It's okay, I'm here now, "he hugged her. She burst into tears at once.

"I miss him. I wonder how he's doing. I hope he's okay, "she said. They got separated after her brother graduated. He went to study abroad. And I'm still stuck in this town, she sighed. The bus arrived at her destination, so she got off. She walked all the way home. Suddenly, it started raining. Great, she sighed. She put on her hood and ran back home.

She finally got back home. She entered her house. Her dog came running to her. "Hey, Alfie. Did you miss me?" she petted Alfie. He barked. "I'll play with you later. I need to wash up first," she said. She went to the bathroom to wash up.

A few minutes later, she got out of the bathroom. Alfie was waiting for her. "Were you waiting for me?" she carried him. She went to the kitchen. She put Alfie down near his food bowl. She opened the cupboard and brought out dog treats for Alfie. "You must have been hungry, buddy," she put the treats in his bowl. He wagged his tail happily. She just petted him and smiled. She went to the fridge and grabbed a sandwich. She ate her sandwich while looking outside the window.

She finished eating. She looked at Alfie. His bowl was squeaky clean. "Was it that good?" she carried him. He barked happily. She walked to her lab to check on her project. She went in and it was a mess. I need to clean up, she sighed. She put Alfie down. She went to her project.

"I need to run some trials first, "she said. She pressed the record button. "This is Marley Davis. I have created a simulation program that basically turns fantasy into reality. All you have to do is type in what kind of genre do you want, and the machine will do its work. I want to help people that suffer from mental health problems like me. I hope to create an impact that will help society. Let us begin the trials," she pressed stop.

She went to the table and looked back at all her notes. She remembered all the work she put in to complete this project. She pushed away her notes and saw a picture. It was her picture with her childhood friend. I did it, Amara, she smiled. She grabbed her journal. Anxiety, depression, autism..., she read. She went to her board of notes. "I hope that this works," she said.

She went to the program. "Ok, it's time to test it. What should we start with first? How about something simple like... Sci-Fi," she said. She typed in Sci-Fi. "So, the headset should receive the command," she said. She took a deep breath and put on the headset.

She opened her eyes....and she was in another world.