The Sim

In The Beginning

How long had I been sitting in this same room, waiting in this plastic chair? It was becoming more uncomfortable by the minute, and I had never been one to sit still. Finally, a woman with a clipboard walked into the room. "Faith Green?" I stood slowly, looking around at the others seated in this grossly inadequate space. I wondered if they were here for the same reason as I was. That would explain the nervously tapping feet and the shaking hands. As I peered once more at the faces of those I hoped to leave behind, I saw anticipation, impatience, anxiety, and, surprisingly, misery on some of the faces.

We walked briskly out of the room, Elsie, her name tag read, moving much more quickly than I; this made it somewhat difficult to keep up. I, being somewhat short, didn't have the long legs to keep up with this woman who towered over me. We stopped directly in front of a plain, metal door.
"Just go right in. I'm sure you'll do absolutely amazing."
I took a deep breath. I'd been waiting for this, hadn't I? It was just the Sim. Everyone went through it to apply for a Life, though nobody spoke of it afterward. I had never even met someone who had been through their Sim, and I knew all of the people in the Place of Origin. I snapped myself out of thought and walked hesitantly into the room. It was... empty?
"Welcome, Faith, to your Sim!"
There was a speaker over my head.
"You have decided to apply for a Life outside of your Place of Origin. Please, drink the liquid in the glass on the table in the corner. This will activate your Sim. Good luck."
I hadn't noticed it before, but sure enough, there was a glass full of clear liquid resting on the stainless steel, utilitarian table. I walked over and drank the Sim-inducer. Suddenly, the room went fuzzy...
~~~
I woke up, and immediately knew that I'd passed my Sim. Why? I was looking at a place I'd never seen once in my life. It was a gorgeous, open meadow, filled with wildflowers and beautiful green grass. Everything in the Place of Origin was asphalt and concrete. There was only one weird thing... I couldn't see any signs of civilization.

I decided to walk in the direction that I believed to be west. I'd find something eventually, right? I'd find the thing we learned about in History. What was it? Western Civilization, that's right. I set off at an easy pace. I absolutely hated exercise, so running was off of the table. As the day wore on, though, I didn't see any buildings, trees, or anything other than grass or flowers, and I began to worry. Where was I, anyway? Had I been walking in circles? I banished the thought from my mind. I needed to stay optimistic. I continued to walk until, finally, I saw a building in the distance. I ran at it, despite being fatigued from a day of walking nonstop and not liking running at all.

As I sprinted happily toward the building, I realized that it wasn't getting any closer. I'd been running for what seemed like miles. I slowed my pace to a walk, confused. Why wasn't I getting closer? I sat, defeated. What next? I felt myself growing drowsy, and laid down. I fell asleep, the fact that I couldn't remember my Sim not even crossing my mind.
~~~