The Playground (Book #1)

eight

A darkness eats away at the room, leaving even the window in front of me completely black. As I see the change in the package, I feel myself break into a sweat of panic. I tell myself to stay calm, to stay steady. I'm thankful now that they have stopped me in because I would be pacing around the room; clawing and scratching.  My body lays paralyzed, flat against the cool back wall of the package, a light hum of the machine. A low hum disrupts the silence and vibrates through my hollow core. Then, I hear a few clicks, some snaps, and a number of other foreign sounds that create a mechanical symphony.  Then suddenly all these sounds stop and the package begins to move. It starts out slow then gradually picks up speed. I keep my eyes glued to the window in front of me, waiting. I'm not sure how long I wait. It feels like hours; days. But then, a hard jab sound seems to kick the package into an unimaginable speed and I scream in shock. The package takes sharp turns, it turns sideways, upside down. I can feel my body becoming nauseated, the muscles in my abdomen tensing, and I know soon my stomach will give out. Before I do so, though my eye catches it. I almost think my brain is playing tricks on me, that I only just imagined it. But there it is. The Playground is plain sight before me; a landscape of fantasy and pure innocence. Profoundly large and brand new looking toys decorate the trees above while bruting monsters inhabit a chasm of nightmares below. Bubbles blown from an unseen source fill the air, rainbows seems to cover every hill in the valley, produce that could never normally grow on trees grow in abundance by the water.  Bright pink water flows into fjords made of cotton candy, gingerbread houses and hopscotches decorate the hills towards the west, strange looking make-believe creatures graze in a field of candy canes, and overly smiley princess peer outside of the windows of their lofty towers. In the center of it all sits a large golden teddy bear with a clock attached to its belly. The melody of a jack-in-the-box sounds as my package comes to a complete stop. The package door opens and I hold my breath as if the air is toxic. The clamps of my arms and legs undo themselves and I stumble onto the floor. I hesitate, knowing that inside this package my humanity is still intact. As soon, as I leave I will be forced to throw it away. "Laelia!" A voice calls to me. Oliver. "I'm here!" I say. He emerges from thin air and into my package, helping me up. He looks different for some reason. Somehow he seems more alert, more alive. He opens the cabinet that I failed into even see on the side wall of the package. Inside are medicine, some utilities, a backpack, a few small but handy weapons and a long silver rod. I gather everything into the backpack and follow Oliver outside of the package. Unusually large trees tower over us and dance in the cool breeze. Fog fills the candy-scented forest. The rest of our team is huddled in the center, their backpacks intact. Raveena gives me a look but she doesn't make any snarky comment. "Our team is assigned for our first game at the jungle gym, which is north." She says analyzing images that appear on the circular disc on her wrist. "It's about a mile walk," Basil adds. "Could've dropped us closer," Opal says. "Shut up Opal," Ravenna says simply. Opal doesn't even flinch. "The game begins in twenty minutes. We need to move fast."  We begin walking immediately, Raveena leading the way with a long and sure stride. I wonder if she feels as confident as she looks. I feel the trees watching us as we go along; listening and analyzing. We walk until we reach a large dome made of entangling vines and tree branches. A chorus of animals can be heard from within the dome, growling and screeching. "Sounds like a jungle gym to me," I say. "Wheres the other team?" "Over here!" Someone calls from behind us. A group of five comes trotting our way, looking similar to us. About three of them are able bodied and muscular while the other two are a little skinny and less confident in stature. The one who answered me is a girl with a dark pixie cut. "Please to meet you." She says. "I'm Imogen." "Don't feel offended when we say we're not trying to be warm and fuzzy with our competitors," Raveena says with a bored tone. Imogen lets out a dry laugh. "Suit yourself." She says shrugging. Her eyes land on me and she smiles a little too wide. I look away. A countdown begins to sound. We have 30 seconds. I gulp. Steady, Laelia. We get into position, placing our feet on the metal platform that marks our start point. 20 seconds. I watch Imogen's team get into position, she smirks sinisterly into the jungle abyss. 10 seconds. I look over at my own team. Raveena eyes are at her feet. She is sure, focused. Basil and Opal look just the same. Even Oliver looks ready. I don't imagine myself looking quite as ready. 5 seconds. 4 seconds. 3 seconds. 2 seconds. Steady. GO.