Equals

Chapter 3

The Wild

           They give me fifteen packs of pills, two thick sleeping bags, and eighteen water bottles. Five days’ worth of food for me—five days for me to find this…hideout. The moment my shoes hit the grass I start running. No point in getting off to a slow start. The only clues I have to go by is a note they found in a runaway’s old room, thinking they may be directions to this place. Most of it seems like some distant language, but some are perfectly clear. About half of them are places that I know exactly.

           Step 1:Find the mountain with crying eyes.” What the hell is that? You’re probably thinking. But if you were with me, you would know exactly what it is. When you’re a six and under year, you go on trips. Not real trips, of course, it’s too dangerous.Virtual reality trips to the wild. There’s a mountain with water coming down from it, kind of like a cliff. There are two small openings sitting next to each other with water spewing out. When I was a six year people made up a nickname for it. The two holes looked like eyes, and the water looked like tears, so it’s called, “The Crying Mountain.”It’s a long hike,but I know my way around. I fun as fast as I can, but I don’t notice the small cliff ahead. Before I can stop I feel my shoes slipping off of the edge. I try to grab onto the side of the rocks, my hand clutches onto a sharp edge, it digs into my skin, and blood drips down my arm. I turn my head to see if there’s anywhere else to hang on to, a branch next to me hits my cheek, engraving a thin scar across it, and more blood drips down my face. I finally get a better grip, and climb my way up. Luckily I’ve always been a fast runner, so the long trip takes about an hour.

           “Step 2: Cross the Floating Road.” Another clear clue. There’s a long road looking thing that was built between two mountains, and the tiles they used to build it were see-through, so when you watch people walk on it, it looks like a floating road. Once I cross, I realize where I’m standing. In front of me is an enormous canyon, completely hollow. Seeing how much more is to come, I realize how tired I am. In our city, people rarely walk. You either transport yourself, or go in hover-cars. Don’t get us wrong, we do exercise, of course. But mostly only the sixteen years and under, once you become a sixteen year, you’re automatically the ultimate equal—I mean, perfect.

           You’re given the chance to stay the way you are, or go to the Equality Building at get a full body do-over. They re-sculpt your face, shape your bones, and peel away un-perfect skin, anything, to make you the ultimate beauty. I’ve never seen anyone choose to stay the way they are. I’ve noticed that once friends that are older than me go to their sixteenth year, they look completely different the next day. They think and act differently too, but maybe it’s just me. I would probably act different if I was perfect one day after being a nobody. I must’ve traveled at least fifty miles today, and the sky’s getting darker by the minute. I decide to set up camp in a small patch of grass and sleep. I wake up, and the sky still looks a darker shade of blue, but I can tell its day. “Damn it!” I realize I’ve missed almost an entire day. By the time I pack up camp its dark again, and I have no choice but to stay put. It’s stupid enough to be out here by day, but going out at night is suicide. I don’t care if they take me back and let me go, I’m not going to get lost and starve to death at night. The next morning I wake up immediately, pack up camp, and pull out my instructions.

           “Step 3: Jump.” This lunatic wants me to jump?! Into a canyon...? No! Unless they want some splattered mess to clean up I’m not jumping. But then again, if I don’t, I’ll never get my adventure, and if I go back, I’ll probably be let go anyway. I shut my eyes, and step off of the edge.

 

 

           I’m expecting pain, a thud, a crack, an explosion, anything to tell me the fall is over, but once I open my eyes, I realize I’m still standing. I look around, but it looks like I’m floating in midair. I pick some dirt and pebbles off the floor and toss them in front of me.They land right in front of me, floating. I go back, and look at the pebbles from a different angle. Then I see it. The canyon is an illusion. The ‘invisible’ path blends into the background to look like there’s nothing there. I step again, and keep waking until I feel real ground, and look at my next step.