The Experimental Cosmos

5. Into The Unknown

Racing faster than the wheels of this train
Bracing for the for the journey and the storms of rain
My heart dizzy with excitement and heavy with goodbyes
Soars into this boundless sky- and far away my mind flies...

I won't torture myself with the memories of my departure again-the only thing we're worst at than social contact is bidding farewell. This morning, we hugged, kissed, cried and talked like we'd never talked before, and then I picked up my suitcase and left for the train station.

Train 555 is the only train to the training landscape, ours being train 555A, and it runs only twice each year - first to transport initiates to the arena and second to take them to the choosing ceremony.

As I sit in the train and stare out of the window, I feel the most excited and uncertain I have ever felt. The uniform I wear makes me feel different from myself, and for a moment I consider changing into my regular clothes.

But just as my feelings start to get the better of me, I spot the uniform on three other figures down the aisle and I am amazed how much a piece of clothing can make me feel included and safe. But I am even more delighted as I make out the faces of the three figures- Kalani, Jay, and Jay's best friend, LC(Lionel Charles).

Jay and LC are inseparable right since they were toddlers, and when we were kids LC kinda hated me because I was such good friends with Jay. And Kalani kinda hated Jay for more or less the same reason.
Now as we all smile at each other and exchange adrenaline-fuelled greetings, I realise how much times have changed, and how much we have.

________________________
At the Training Landscape

Two trains stop at the bus stop -
train 555A carrying initiates from the Reticence and train 555B carrying initiates from the Outside.

"Initiates, line up- Reticence on my left and Outside on my right." A man calls over the loudspeaker.
"My name is Mr. Jerry Fernandez and I am going to be your weapon instructor--so y'all better fall into lines in 2 minutes" he completes with a wink.

I latch my hands onto Kalani's shoulders because she can push her way to the front of a crowd like no one else, and I am also very sure that she will find us a good place in the line.

Just as I start to move forward, I feel someone's hands grab MY shoulders, and I almost shrug them off before I realise that they are Jay's.
"Sorry, can LC and I tag along??" he shouts over the chaos, and I smile and nod in reply, because there is no space or time to say much.

We march in silence behind Mr Jerry Fernandez as he leads us into a huge building.

" This is the entrance to the stimulation landscape and training Arena" he says. "Inside this building you will find everything technical you need to know about this place and about the Reticence and the Outside-whatever you wish to base your Choice on. This place is full of reference books, cards and also biographies and autobiographies of people and of alumni who left behind the experiences so that your choice may be easier.

Behind this building is your training Arena, your dormitories, your entertainment centres, your weaponry training courts, and also concert halls and Art training centres.

This is going to be your home for the next year and this is going to build the most integral part of your personalities. I hope you will all be obedient and respectful and hardworking and I hope you will also break the rules just enough for us to punish you a lot but not banish you." he completes with a grin.

We follow him as he guides everyone to the living quarters.
THE Living Quarters.

Oh. My. God..

They are a set of about a 100 huge, future-tech dormitories.

Initiates are split into groups with a huge scanner fitted into the ceiling and I almost jump with happiness when I find out Kalani and I are in the same dormitory. The dormitories are, of course, separated by gender, so we wave to Jay and LC as we move towards our living quarters.

"What. The HELL is this??!!"
Kalani half screams half whispers into my ears. I front of us is a huge, gaping, circular abyss in the floor, with what seems like handrails fixed on it in a spiral.

"We have to slide down the circle. " A voice says from behind. Kalani and I turn to find a girl with golden streaked purple hair standing with a cocked neck and a smile on her face.

"I'm Miranda Rivers. If you're living in dormitory 442, then we are roommates. See you on the other side!" she says, and before we can process what's going on, slides down the spiral.

I grip the edge of the handrail and lower myself onto the slide. Then, with whatever little energy I have left, I force my mind to ease up and let go, and as I slide faster than light into the dark, somehow I know it. I know that I am going to get through this with much more than what I had ever before.

Thank you for reading. My apologies for not being able to publish a chapter yesterday due to some technical issues but I hope today's chapter made the wait worth it!!