Reality.

•i•

７：００ａｍ
The warden knocked on my door thrice to wake me up. It's not like I had been up a long while now, was it?
I had been lying in bed since the past three hours and it somehow became my everyday routine.
I stared at the fan rotating at a slow speed. It's been like more than a decade since I've been here and everyday I just hate this place more than the day before. It wasn't fair. Just because we know what happens behind the curtains we're locked up in this institution.
Sighing, I got out of bed and dragged my feet to the basin and saw Medusa staring back at me.
Oh god, it was me. Those weren't snakes but my really tangled hair. Drool running down my face, dark circles underneath my eyes and hallowed cheeks just defined my look even more. Was I pretty? No one is. It's just a term made up by the government to make us feel inferior. I brushed my teeth and went back to bed.
My room was mainly white covered with tiles. A hospital bed near the wall and a dresser where the main attractions of my room and maybe the window with bars too. It's not like I could escape even if I wanted too.
The nurse came in sometime later with my medicines. I took the glass of water and medicines from the nurse's hand and as soon as she looked away, I threw the medication away and drank the glass of water and handed it back to the nurse.
I went back to bed and tried going back to sleep. It's not like there was much to do here anyway. Just when I was about to drift off, my favourite murse burst into my room.
"Rise and Shine Sky!" , He shouted and i covered my ears and groaned in response.
"Go away Joel" , I answered back.
"Come on! I brought you breakfast  bub."
I started at the tray he brought. Some pancakes and orange juice.
I let out a sigh of exasperation and looked at him.
"Where's my froyo Joe?" I uttered.
He pulled out a small plastic cup of strawberry yogurt and threw it at me. I chuckled and catched it in a very dramatic way and he snickered at me.

I've known Joel for about 8 years. He stood tall at about 6 feet. His heart shaped yet chiseled face was one of his most defining features. He had a soft creamy complexion with millions of freckles adorning his face. It was hard not getting lost into his almond shaped,hazel coloured eyes. He seemed really muscular so I figured he went gymming regularly.
"Earth to Sky. Earth to Sky."
I lost my train of thoughts and looked at him with a blank expression.

"What? You were staring at me with your mouth wide open. "
Fish. I mean I didn't mean too right?
"You're a self obsessed baby, you know that right?"
"Yes of course I know. Now eat up and come outside."

１０：３０ ａｍ
I walked into the courtyard and saw people scattered all around. It was like those High schools you know? Different groups judging you. I never fit in.
I did have a few friends here but I preferred my own company.
I spotted a vacant bench in the furthest corner and made my way towards it. I sat down and the day I came here flashed before my eyes.

I was about 12 years old when this happened. I remember playing with June on the swings. June was my little sister. Was. We sat down on the same swing and tried going as high as possible. The swing was meant only one single kid but we were two preteens. It broke. The swing broke and we had a terrible fall from a great height. I still remember what it felt like when adrenaline rushed in my entire body.
No one was in or around the play ground so we just lay down unable to even move. I tried calling out for my sister but no words came out.
I felt my eyes closing and the feeling of peace over powering me.
I woke up in the hospital and everything was different. Every moment I experienced before then felt like an illusion. A dream. Fake.
My mom rushed in my room and hugged me.
"Wh..Where's June?" I muttered out with much difficulty.
"June..She's at a better place now.", My mom answered unable to meet my eyes.
"Where Mom? Where is she?" I was screaming at this point.
"What she means to say is that your sister is dead." ,The doctor replied with a bored expression.
"Now can you please get out so I can perform the tests on her?" The doctor fake-asked my mom.
My mother obliged and left the room.
I felt tears running down my face. Even if June wasn't my real sister, I still loved her.
I loved her a lot and now that she's not there anymore I don't know what to feel or say or do anymore.
The doctor, Ms. Moore , as the nametag read grabbed me by chin and said," Do you know?"
I tried making a poker face and playing dumb but the doctor knew better.
"Oh can it. Take her away" The doctor ordered the staff boy in the room.
As he dragged me away, I put up the best fight I could but i failed. The last thing I saw was the doctor telling my mom that I didn't survive. But I did and now I'm here.
What did i discover that day? Everything.
This world? The world we live in isn't true.
Everything about us is fake.
Our identies, our families, our emotions. Everything.
Every human being outside this institution was hypnotized.
Our families are nothing but government files put together to form a group of people to conduct experiments on.
The emotions we feel are electric impluses sent to our brains by the agents watching us all the time.
When we get a concussion, we feel sleepy. Why? Once we wake up from the sleep the hypnosis is broken and we can see it in clear light.
And since the government doesn't want the world to know, we're locked up here.

"Here you are. I was looking for you everywhere.", Reese shrieked.
Reese James was my best friend for the past 10 years. Reese has a petite and fragile body. Her strawberry blonde hair cascaded down to her waist with flowers in her hair.
She had amber eyes and a triangular face with defined features. If beauty existed, Reese was the epitome of it.

"Hi Berry", I answered back clearly not matching her level of excitement but what can I say? It's not my fault I just don't care about things anymore.

That's when i saw him. Black ripped jeans and a loose grey tshirt with a silver metallic earrings. I felt a shiver run down my spine when he looked back and his eyes met mine. I had this weird feeling in my stomach and I felt blood rushing inside me. I could feel my cheeks reddening and I don't think I've ever felt this way before. The authorities weren't allowed to send impulses here so why was I feeling this way?
His face was somewhat sqaure shaped with
delineated cheekbones and blue eyes. You know the kind of blue the sky is before a thunderstorm? His face was void of emotions and his aura was calm.

Just then Joel appeared in front of me with a gloomy look on his face.
"It's your day today Sky."
It couldn't be. I went there last week, it's not possible that it's my chance already.
"You..you must be wrong Joe..", I stammered.
"I'm so sorry",Joel replied without even looking at me.
The look of despair on his face was the last thing i saw before the nurse pricked my skin with an injection and then everything went black.

４：３０ ｐｍ

I woke up in the room.
The most horrible place in this institution.
The room was filled with all sorts of machines and creepy looking paintings. I was lying on the bed. Wait. Scratch that.
I was tied to the bed. My wrists and ankles bound to the table and all sorts of wires connecting my body to those machines.
One of those wires was drawing my blood but yet I didn't feel anything because of the numbing cream applied on my arm.
Ms Moore walked into the room with her face covered with a surgical mask and her signature white coat. The look of hatred in her eyes could be seen from miles away.
God, I don't wanna do this again.