Cold.
On my face, my feet, my hands.
Like a needle, almost, that won't stop pricking at me, threading my arms and legs together so I can't move.
Where am I?
I look up. I am lying on a plank. Crystals of white snow melt into little puddles on my left cheek. Almost on cue, I wipe them away with the back of my hand . I wiggle my fingers. They feel frostbitten, like the teeth of the cold won't let go.
"Hello? Where am I?" I croak. My voice feels like it's almost gone. Was I shouting earlier?
"YOU ARE BEING ADMITTED INTO BLUE CITY," a robotic voice replies. It sounds like it is at least a mile away.
"Who are you?"
"I AM AN AUTOMATED VOICE GUIDE, PROGRAMMED TO ANSWER EVERY QUESTION YOU MIGHT HAVE ABOUT BLUE CITY."
Automated? Somehow that sounds familiar.
"AFTER YOUR ADMITTANCE, YOU WILL BE PROVIDED WITH THE PROPER CLOTHING. THEN I WILL GIVE YOU A SMALL PORTABLE VERSION OF ME FOR YOU TO KEEP."
Clothing? I look down. I have clothes, but they are kind of dirty. Actually, they are a huge mess of stains and blotches.
All of the sudden, a light turns on and my eyes adjust to what I am looking at. I'm not on a plank, but somewhat of a stretcher, frozen by cold. I am outdoors, as I had thought, but in somewhat of a glass dome. And somehow, it is snowing inside the dome as well as outside.
WHIIIRRR!
A mechanical sound reverberates from off the walls, and I spot a metallic gleaming in the dark. A mechanical claw-like thing is slowly meandering its way towards me, which only ads to my terrified uncertainty. When it finally reaches me, I realize what was gleaming so brightly in the dark.
It's a needle.
And a huge one, at that.
I want to scream. I've always been afraid of needles. Ever since I was little. A pang strikes me inside. A memory! One of my childhood. I was thrashing around...and then a needle...
I flinch a bit. The memory suddenly flashes away, and I am left staring at this enormous needle.
"I AM NOW GOING TO PROCEED WITH YOUR ADMITTANCE. THIS MAY HURT A BIT." the computer voice says with a hint of smugness.
Right before I can protest, the needle jabs my side.
And that's when everything goes totally dark.
YOU ARE READING
Blue City
Science FictionWith no memory of where she came from or where she is, Mira Higgins is thrusted into the Blue City, One of the Seven Cities that make up the Clear Society, a place for all who wish to escape regular life on Earth. Cold and alone, she is finally able...
