Fabricated World

Chapter 6

"Rikka! Hurry up and set the table." I hear my mom order. I let out a sigh and get up from my seat on the couch and help her with the dishes.

"Why do I always have to do this?" I grumble, eyeing my sisters. "I'm the youngest! Shouldn't the oldest be doing this?!"

"Now now, Rikka, learning new things is not bad. In fact, you're even luckier than your sisters. In the future, you'll be able to apply this knowledge to your everyday work." Mom shook her head. "And besides, Yuri has to study for her test and Kim just got back from her cheer leading rehearsal. Both are busy, and you, are not doing anything. Naturally, I would ask you to do it."

I roll my eyes. "I'm busy too. I have to catch the lasted episodes on Netflix!"

"That's not called busy. That's called having nothing to do. Now hurry up before the food gets cold."

I set the table while fuming inside. Why does nobody ever understand me? Sure -- maybe watching T.V. is not as productive, but it's still something that can keep you busy.

Suddenly, the plates slipped from my hands and crashed onto the floor. I bit my lips and muttered a curse word. Bending down, I quickly try to collect the shards but my hands just go right through the debris. Confused, I continue to grasp at nothing.

"Rikka!" I hear my mom shout, reaching her hand out. Everything started to warp and dissipate. My heart raced as I reached my hand out to grab hers.

Our fingertips brushed -- oh so slightly until the floor collapsed around me. I screamed as I plummeted into eternal darkness as my mother sat in the light, crying my name over and over again. My arm was still stretched out before me, frozen in mid-air as I was tumbling down the unknown space. Tears blurred my vision as my heart ached. Mom...!

I shot up in bed, panting and forehead beaded with sweat. I glanced around the room in a panic, not familiar with my surroundings. This wasn't my room. This wasn't my house.

I then recalled the events that happened the day before. That's right... I was transported to a different world. Everything happened so fast I didn't have time to think matters out. I sat on the bed, hugging my knees to my chest as I buried my face into my clammy hands. I want to go home so badly. I want to go home.

I swung my legs out of bed and stepped into my combat boots. Standing up, I walked over to the window and tugged on the curtain, revealing the busy streets of Luoyang outside. It was so early in the morning yet everyone was already up and lively.

Taking a deep breath, I let the curtains fall back in place as I walked over to the bathroom to wash up. They didn't have toilets, and that sucked since I had to to my business in little wooden buckets. Needless to say, it was an uncomfortable experience.

A basin of water was waiting for me as I grabbed a towel from the rack. Washing my face, I stared at my reflection in the mirror and thought about my family back in my world. How were they doing? Did they notice my disappearance yet?

I folded the washcloth neatly and hung it over the side of the tub. There was a wall divider that separated me and the rest of the team. Peeking over the divider, I noticed that the straw mattresses were all rolled up and stacked in the corner, along with the cotton blankets. I felt the bedding, and because it was cold, it meant that Kai'en, Wang and Jun had all got up a long time ago.

"Lady Rikka? Are you awake?" I hear Jun ask as he knocks on the door. I walk over to the sliding entrance and greeted Jun.

"Good morning, Jun." I yawn, stretching. "Man, you guys are up early, huh."