The Dreamer Trilogy: Book One

Chapter 13

I jumped back off the bed and finished hanging my clothes. By the time I was done, it was already 3:30 and I had nothing to do for the rest of the day. I paced by my bed for a while before deciding (after careful consideration) to go down to the Main Living Space and try to make some new friends. Moving up to the Amateur Level means a new life right? Why not try to be social for once. I make my way to the elevator and click the “Down” arrow. The numbers above the elevator doors lit up one by one, counting down from 4. As the number 2 illuminates, the white doors slide open. I step inside the box with three other people, all going to the first floor. I hadn’t seen these people before, so paid no attention to their appearances. The elevator doors open once again, revealing an extremely crowded Main Living Space. Immediately I could see at least one hundred people here, and all of them were occupied with something. Either talking or going from point A to point B, everyone was busy with something here. I was overwhelmed to say the least, and had no idea how to join a group of people without being completely outcasted. I stepped outside the elevator and into the bustling atmosphere of the Main Living Space. I had no idea where to start, and going back up to my apartment and sitting on the couch watching television was sounding like a better and better idea. I moved slowly around the clutter of people, sizing everything up before walking in. Now that I take a bit of a closer look at it, there only seems to be cliques of people; With some other stragglers scattered around. I decide to approach one of the loners, and try not to subject myself to too much questioning. Looking around the room, I spot a few people that didn’t look too busy, from either boredom or loneliness. Then I see someone that seems perfect. He had short black hair, buzzed to almost baldness. His eyes were small, like he was deep in thought. The thing that caught my eye most about him was his posture. Unlike all the other people in the room, he was sitting straight up, like he wanted to see over everyone’s head. I walked nonchalantly over to him, eventually arriving two steps in front of him. His gaze shifted almost robotically to look at me. “Hello” He said, his expression remaining neutral. “Hi,” I reply back, “I’m Roger” I offer my hand out to him smiling, but he doesn’t seem to have “Shake Hands” In his list of known commands. He doesn’t move a muscle toward me and I just revoke my hand, running it through my hair. “Well it was nice meeting you I guess” I frown, still hoping he would show some sort of emotion. “Nice to meet you” He speaks, and returns his gaze back to the previous position. I try to follow his line of sight, but all I see are the elevator doors. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to try again. I walk back to the outskirts of the Main Living Space and look for a new choice. Maybe I should try to join a group of people instead. The thought sends shivers down my spine, and I choose to wait until another day with this whole “Social” thing. I walk back over to the elevator and head back up to my room. I get off the elevator, and head back down the labyrinth of hallways to my apartment. The door opens with a quiet click, and I walk over to the couch, jumping onto my back and grabbing the remote from the table in front of me. The remote for the television only has four buttons; On, Volume, Channel, and a fourth button that I’ve never known what it’s used for. It has a symbol of two stars, connected by a string. Every time I press it, nothing happens. It’s like it has some sort of secret use that no one has thought of yet. I press the On button and the television flickers on, displaying a security camera of the Main Living Space. Oh, I forgot to mention that the only channels we can watch are the security cameras of this facility. Of course, we can’t get channels like what is going on in The Room or other’s apartments, but this is as close as it gets to fun. I scroll through the channels, seeing all the hallways and rooms of the facility. The qualities of these cameras are crystal clear, which helps if you’re looking for a certain person. After an hour or so of watching the hustle and bustle of people, I make the decision to go to bed. I shut the television off, and get up from the couch and shuffle tiredly to my room. I enter and close the door behind me, then go over to peel the sheets away from the mattress of my bed. The fabric is soft, which will make it easier for me to fall asleep. At night I have to attach wires to my brain; That’s how The Guild records our dreams. The wires are attached to some machine, and that machine has some wireless communication thing that allows The Guild to monitor us. If for some reason the wires get disconnected during the night, The Guild has an Overseer come and reattach them during the night. As creepy as it sounds, they have to do it or else we will be sent straight to The Room. I attach the suctions on the end of the cables to my head, and crawl into bed. Somewhere in the night I drift off into dreamland.