Replica

Chapter One

   Were my eyes deceiving me? How is this a possibility? Maybe be some sort of projection? Questions flood my mind as I peer into an archway that seems to lead into a dark, back alley. As if it were no more than a door leading outside.
   The image appears to be illuminated, the rays of light flooding into the room. But how? I'm currently in a basement. A basement that smells old and dingy.
   This arch was at the heart of the room. And the machine, it was very peculiar, with the pad of buttons all evenly distributed on a stand a few feet in front of the arch. 
    I notice embellished swirled designs in the golden arch itself. Strangely, I couldn't see any cords or wires connecting the arch to the stand of buttons.
    I know I should go. Turn around and retreat back upstairs where a wave of people danced to deafening music. But for some reason, I'm grounded to the floor. Entranced, I just gaze at the dozens of buttons before me. So many vibrant colors light up the buttons, each holding a different purpose. My fingers itch to meet the colorful lights. To examine the machine more closely; to see what makes it tick. My curiosity drives me to push these buttons, but my fear keeps me at bay.
    The archway was filled with nothing more than open air before my foolishness came and fell into the stand. My elbow met a handful of the buttons in an attempt to catch myself. The sounds from the arch immediately following startled me. And as I turned around I was struck with astonishment as I witnessed the alleyway appear in the empty space centering the archway.
    I gaze at it now. The alley I catch sight of has such a realness to it. It's extraordinary that  anyone can produce such an image. It felt as if I could actually walk through the arch and into the alleyway. Suddenly, I feel a breeze coming from the alley. A gust of wind rushes through the archway. It washes over me as I inhale the air; A chill runs through my body and the scent of fresh outside air runs through my nostrils. How? I try desperately to theorize how this could be a feasibility.
    I'm  yanked from my thoughts by the loud yawn of a door with rusty hinges cutting through the air. A bright light spills into the room from the top of the stairs. It takes only a moment's time before someone begins to descend the staircase.
    Once I hear their heavy shoes hit the first of the creaking steps, panic pierces through my entire body. What am I to do? I can't be seen down here and there is no escape as the only exit I am certain of is the door currently being occupied. And with what they find when they come down here? A random girl snooping around an area that is restricted to her.
    There wasn't really anywhere to hide, as this basement was mostly empty, consisting of only a few boxes scattered around the room. Oh, and not to forget the mysterious archway that seems to perceive a back alley. Would they think the exact thing that I did when I saw it for the first time? I look back into the alley. It seems real enough; As if I could walk right into the alley. It has to be the best chance at being concealed within this basement.           
    Uncertainty tugs at me, I should just confess. But what would they do if they found me like this? I mean, it's hidden for a reason. Would they kill me? They're probably just scientists and they wanted a safe space to invent things. I would explain that it was a misunderstanding and that it was never my intent to find this machine. They might let me go and nothing would come of it. I could forget about this basement.
   That idea is foolish thinking. If this machine can do what I think, if it can transport people instantly across the planet,  they wouldn't let me leave. Not if it threatened the secrecy of their inventions. You're overthinking this Lia.
   So, without the thought of a right-minded person, I break out into a sprint, my eyes dead set on the archway. This is insane. I shut my eyes tight as I throw myself through the arch. My body hits cold cement as I hear the machine sound behind me. I whirl around just in time to see the image of a basement begin to shrink. The last thing I see is the outline of a dark figure before the image disappears. What was just a basement to a house is now nothing but empty space.
   I am struck with bewilderment as I glance around. I notice that at the end of the alley, there are lights. I pick myself up and walk to them, rubbing the shoulder I landed on. The street lights allow me to see people in vehicles. It seems that I have been transported, as everything I see before me seems like reality. But questions begin to fog up my mind. How can someone have so much capability to put together a machine like that? But a more important question boggles my mind; Where am I?