The Eternal Rhapsody of Cassidy York

Chapter 1: Descendants of the Void

              The year is 2050. The key to eternal life was staring me in the face, my black-strapped watch's glass gleaming, the black numbers still. Still, like they've been for a whole year now. Still and lifeless, like I should've been one year ago. I should've been dead, but I still breathe, my body showing no signs of illness or possible life-threatening injury. I pull my eyes away from my watch, and now stare at the rustling, crowded London streets, as I continue making my way slowly to the shiny, new building in front of me.

          My name is Cass, short for Cassidy. I wander the planet alone, my parents long departed. It's not that they didn't love me, rather that it was inevitable. Both of their watches stopped when I was little, and I've been alone ever since. I am an abnormality, a rarity, a flaw in the system imposed unto us. 

          Last year,  the numbers that had been counting down ever since I was born just stopped all of a sudden. Back then, I expected the usual response when one's watch stopped, they croaked. In fact, every time someone's watch stopped,  they just literally dropped dead wherever they were. They could be working , eating, driving, or just be doing anything and they could just drop dead. So when I looked at my watch on what seemed to be my last day, I was ready to accept my fate and just drop dead like the millions of other people which had done so before me. I watched my watch, as the numbers counted down what would've been my final seconds just to find out nothing happened. 00:00:00 read my watch. My body kept functioning, I was breathing. I was showing no signs of dying. At the moment, I felt relief. Now I feel almost miserable. I feel like I've done something wrong. Like I wasn't supposed to exist.

       That's why I'm going on a quest. A journey to discover myself and why I exist. I just need to know what happened to me. Why I'm not dead. I've asked myself everyday for a year. 'What should I do now? I'm all alone. I have no one to help me. I might as well just head to the nearest city and search for the people that handed me my watch. I need to know why I'm like this.'  I looked up in front of me and squinted my eyes as the sunlight reflected from the building's new, clear windows. As I approached the golden doors, I read the name, 'Ballard Inc.' on the glass,  and I opened them and walked in. 

        As I walked in to the main lobby of this elegant building, I took notice of the surrounding people who walked right past me, but not before taking a long, judgmental stare at me. 'That makes sense', I tell myself , as I look down at the old, black skirt full of patches and the wrinkled, white shirt, and then down to my worn-down converse high tops. Feeling more insecure and anxious than I already was, I tightened the leather strap of my satchel against my arm and scurried towards the pristine elevators on the other side of the lobby. As the numbers on the elevator counted downwards-- 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Lobby, I tried to calm myself. I was attempting to stop my legs from shaking because honestly I couldn't just show up timid and scared to my possible saviors. I had to appear brave and confident, at the very least for the people that might just end the misery I've been living in for the past year. I went inside the elevator, just to watch my broken reflection stare back at me; my messy, auburn curls in two small buns and my somewhat clean, sun-kissed, olive skin glimmering, most likely due to the sweat caused by my panicking.

        When the elevator doors opened, I stepped out into a narrow, white-covered hallway, leading to what seemed an array of empty offices. The atmosphere of the hallway was eerie, with no sounds of life. As I walked down the hallway, the only noise that I could hear were the squeaky, awkward steps I made with my old sneakers. As I reached the end of hall, I took notice of a large, metal, black door with no writing on it, and came to the conclusion that whatever was behind the door would be important. Not because of any kind of sign, rather just that it was the only big door in the hallway, and I just used my common sense. Just as I was trying to come up with a reasonable way to open up the door, as there was no handle, a hand was pressed against my shoulder blades. I froze dead in my tracks and my anxiety spiked to new levels. The arm pressed a bit harder. A deep, yet high-pitched voice came from behind me. Masculine, but still it sounds so young. "What are you doing back here? This area is off limits, even for Ballard staff. Who are you?"

           My body stayed frozen to the ground, refusing to move. My legs were shaking. My lips quivering in fear, not being able to even mutter a sound. I knew internally, at least, that I was completely screwed. I was caught off-guard because of my own fault, because I didn't pay attention to my surroundings. At this point, I only had about two options: fight and flee from my possible oppressor, or confront them and attempt a conversation, hoping for the best possible scenario where I would be allowed to escape. 'I don't know what to do. Both options are risky at this point. However, I have nothing to lose. I had nothing to lose since day one.'