Flash
I'm sitting at a brightly coloured desk,
White buttons glowing.
Where am I?
Flash
I'm standing up, looking at my white shoes on the dark floor.
What am I doing here?
Flash
'It will be fine, ' a male voice says. I'm sitting down, fingers closing over the arm rest, an injection in my arm.
What is the purpose of this?
Flash
There is the sound of a familiar voice whispering.
'This is wrong,' she says in a shaky voice.
Who is that person?
Flash
'It's not wrong, ' a voice asserts. 'You're wrong.'
Flash
I'm looking down at my hands. 'I'm so scared.' A girl's voice says. I look up to see a face reflected in the screen in front of me. Her eyes are terrified, only visible in the spaces between her fingers, hands hiding her face. The girl has a mass of lilac hair- giving away her identity immediately, scaring me.
'It will be ok, ' a familiar guy's voice reassures. 'But it won't be. ..' the girl trails off, taking a deep breath.
'It's me next, isn't it?' I ask
Flash
I wake up with a scream, breathing heavily. What the fuck was that?
'Dude!' Cara shouts. 'What the hell. ..' I pant. 'What happened?' 'Um. .. nightmare. It didn't make sense, it... it's fine, it's fine, don't worry about it.' 'That's bullshit, Greenie, and we both know that.' 'Well, so what? It's a dream. What are we gonna do about it?' 'I dunno, but I'm pretty sure waking up screaming isn't normal. ' 'Yeah? Deal with it.' I say, heartbeat slowing down to proper rate. 'We still have a few hours left. Try and get some sleep, shank.' Cara tells me. I nod and turn over so that I'm lying on my side, and try to get to sleep.
But how the hell will I be able to sleep after that?
I'm gonna climb this tree.
I say this to Cara who rolls her eyes. 'You're not.' 'I am.' 'Why?' 'Because nothing makes sense so why should I?' I reply. She looks at me as if I've just insulted her. 'You're mad.' She shakes her head. 'Thanks,' I tell her. 'But seriously dude, what's the worst that can come from it?' 'I don't know, just thought it was a bit weird,' She pulls on something that looks like a chest harness but what she insists is a Runners bag. 'I'm gonna go find Ben and start work. Look, shouldn't you be working?'
'They're finalising my job choices today. I have one more free day before I'm getting rid of dead bodies or cleaning or any of that shit.'
Cara shrugs. 'Ok then. See you later.' 'See ya.'
She leaves, and I look around the forest. My eyes settle on one that I reckon I could attempt. I grab a low- hanging branch and attempt to climb, feet gripping onto the bark. It proves difficult, after the branches still being wet and damp from the rainy night before.I grab another, a branch beside the first one. And so it continues. It's a strange feeling, but a good one, nonetheless. Soon enough, I'm at the top, crouching in a fairly safe spot between the branches, and what I see is.... Highly unusual. Everything is exactly the same, but when you're seeing things from the trees, it's rather strange. First of all, you obviously see the amount of trees around you, but then you spot people, everyone just doing their own thing. Minho talking to Wyck, Jeff giving Winston a hug, Leo searching for things amongst the bushes. I clutch a twig, slowly standing cautiously.
Whoops.
I let out a shout of surprise as my shoe slips and throws me off balance, leaving my legs dangling from the tree. Why the hell am i so clumsy? Why can't you just be normal? I think to myself. I suddenly feel embarrassed at my past self, my determination to climb a bloody tree.
No, I'm not stupid. I correct myself. It was the tree. It threw me off balance. This isn't my fault. . . But of course it is.
I shake my head, as if it will remove my conflicting thoughts from my mind, then remember that I am hanging from a tree. I heave myself up and return to my crouching position in the branches.
'What's the weather like up there?' An ever so slightly familiar voice shouts. I look down to see Leo, Ben's friend.
'Oh, uh, hey, Leo.'
'Just curious, maybe the answer is somewhat obvious, but why the hell are you up a tree?' 'I got curious and felt like climbing.' 'Uh huh,' he muses, saying the words slowly as if trying to comprehend my answer. 'And do you know how to get down?' 'Not really. I guess I'll just jump and hope that I don't break my neck.' 'So you're stuck up there?' '... I mean- I guess, yeah.' 'Wow. You are one dumb shank.' 'Yeah I know that now... Shit how the hell am I gonna get down?' 'Mind you don't break your neck.' Leo mimics. 'Why not? You'll be spending time with your favourite newbie,' I say sarcastically. 'I would say Glader, but we all know what blonde haired- runner is your favourite person.' 'Shut up,' he blushes. 'Look do you want me to help you avoid some damn fractures or are you going to live as a Squirrel for the rest of the time we're in this shucking place.' 'I don't need help. I'll figure things out for myself.' I assert. I don't want to be weak, and I refuse to be the girl who needed help getting out of a bloody tree. 'I'm going to get someone to help you.' Leo tells me, as if he didn't hear my previous reply. 'Leo, wait, stop!' I shout as quietly as I can as he jogs away as to not draw more unnecessary attention to myself.
Well, shit. Leo- 1, Me- 0.
I crouch in the leaves and get into a sitting position, carefully crossing my legs, and wait for Leo to get back. I'm currently dreading to find out what 'help' Leo is bringing. 'Hey, squirrel! Still up there snacking on acorns?' 'Shut it, Leo! What do you want?' I shout, not bothering to look down. Chances are, if I tried to lean out of the tree any more, I'd fall and possibly die.
... Actually, that doesn't sound too bad right now.
'I may not have brought help but I brought a friend!' He announces proudly. 'Good for you. But tell him he can leave.' 'You might change your mind when you find out who it is!' 'Believe me; I'm overjoyed that you brought a friend, but I really don't need anyone right now.' 'Ok, but I'm leaving him here.' His voice gets quieter, so I'm assuming he's walking away. He hasn't brought anyone, I tell myself. He's only teasing you for what you said about Ben. I close my eyes and accept that I'm going to be up here for several hours before I will eventually give up and jump down. Yes, it will be painful, but am I willing to hurt myself instead of simply calling for help?
Well, yes.
I peek out from the leaves, partly curious as to see who my company is, and partly fearing for my life that I will fall headfirst onto the ground. I see a guy wearing a brown shirt, looking at the trees. I duck immediately.
Fuck.
The last thing I need is for Gally to see me. Remind me to strangle Leo the next time I see him.
