Asleep

6 Welcome to Your New Life

Nora~~

Aaron. Kandice. Dad. Mom. Keagan. Pace. Cobbs.

Dream.

A tickling sensation prickles at the side of my neck before it builds, turning into an ache. I open my eyes to find a woman smiling at me from across a table. A small holoscreen hovers in front of her, and two folders, one blue and one green, lie on either side of it.

I was just—

Because it—

Nora.

Nora Everley.

Sixteen.

I blink, and my mind clears.

My name is Nora Everley. I am sixteen.

That's all I know.

The room I'm in is tight and dark. Light seems to come from the table and from a few overhead lights in the ceiling. Behind the woman is a mirror, and I immediately recognize myself. The only thing I recognize. The mirror reveals that I have a companion seated in the chair beside me.

She wears a dark gray uniform over her light brown skin, and the twin to my own outfit. I don't recognize that.

Panic builds in my throat, threatening to spill out of me. I don't know how I got here. I don't know where here is.

In the mirror she turns her head toward me, and I do the same to her. Her hazel eyes hold my gaze, unwavering. Her throat bobs though, and she runs a hand through her ebony black hair, her braids swept over her shoulder.

I raise my hands, flipping them over and back again. They look like hands, so that's good—ten fingers and ten sets of nails. "Where am I?"

The girl beside me echoes my question.

Behind the desk, the woman dips her head, acknowledging our question. Looking at her now, I realize she doesn't seem much older than me or the other girl. "If you're both ready, I can begin."

I dig my nails into the leather of the seat cushion. "Please."

She folds her hands in her lap. "Then I'm honored to welcome you both to Somnia, Radia, Nora. My name is Marcella."

"Somnia?" The word comes out of Radia as a rasp. "How did I get here?"

Marcella nods and smiles as if she's heard this question a hundred times before. "The truth is no one knows. No one knows what comes before Somnia."

"But I'm sixteen," I say. "How could I have forgotten sixteen years?"

Marcella's shrug is almost microscopic. "You'll quickly find you're not the only one who has experienced the same phenomenon. Everyone in this city is like you. For your own sanity, it's best to accept it. It's what helped me."

She flips open the two binders and withdraws a sheet of paper from each and lays them in front of me and Radia. "In Somnia everyone receives a home for free from the government. Everything else will cost you. Find a job as soon as you can if you don't want to go long without food. It's not pleasant."

As if her words trigger it, my stomach grumbles. I know what food is, but my knowledge—my memories about it are so dull, it makes me think I've never eaten before.

"Radia, you'll be living in this apartment." She pushes the paper closer to Radia, and Radia leans forward and picks it up. "And Nora, we've selected this cottage for you."

It's picturesque, the walls made out of large, white-washed grey stones and a porch with rocking chairs lining the front of the house.

Next, Marcella gives us each a map, explaining how to get from here—which she says is City Hall—to our homes and explaining to me which subway station I should enter and which train I'll need to board.

I study the map, study this city I've found myself dropped into. Somnia is laid out in a triangle shape. The outskirts seem to be more suburbs and woods, the inner parts of Somnia to be more of a city. Along the southern border of the map is water. The area where my cottage is located is labeled as Woodshire.

"Inside these packets, you'll find your ID cards and a sheet of tips for living here." Marcella pushes the folders toward us. "When you reach your homes, you'll need to show your ID to gain access to your key."

I slip the two pages inside the folder and pull it into my lap while Radia flips hers open and pulls out her ID.

"How do you have my picture?"

I scramble to pull out mine as well. Sure enough, my picture is printed on the card, my expression solemn. The top of a gray shirt peeks out at the bottom of the picture, the shirt looking awfully similar to the long-sleeved one I'm currently wearing.

Marcella tilts her head to the side. "Don't you remember taking them?"

"No." I clench the card in my hand.

"It was only a few minutes ago, before we started talking." She stands, motioning to a door to our side. "I wish you both an amazing life."

I know I should have a million questions, but none come to me. All I can think about is getting outside, seeing the city with my own eyes.

Discovering if it is unfamiliar.

"That's it?" Radia asks.

"Yes, Miss Dacy. I wish I had all the answers in the world for you, but I regrettably do not. But remember what I said: don't overthink things. You'll never adjust if you don't."

I hug the folder to my chest, wanting to say something, say anything, but Radia is already prowling to the door, her scowl reflected in the mirror. I don't want to lose her. I don't want to be alone until I can sort out what's going on.

The door leads to a short hallway where only one door is waiting for us. In front of me, Radia pushes it open and sunlight pours in.

Squinting, I raise the folder to shield my eyes.

As my vision clears, Somnia comes into focus. We seem to be in the heart of it. Skyscrapers rise up into the air. People pass by on the sidewalk, only a few bothering to spare us a glance. Cars drive up and down the street. In the distance, someone honks.

Radia pulls out her map and looks at me. In the sunlight I see that her hazel eyes have flecks of green. "I know we don't know each other," she says and snorts softly. "I don't even know if I know myself. But would you stay with me? At least for right now. I—I don't think it's a good idea to figure this all out on my own. Not safe, I mean." She scratches at the back of her neck. "I'm rambling."

"I know what you're trying to say." I take a deep breath, breathing in the city. "Something's definitely not right."

This might be more of a question for my readers from Expiration Date, but I've been thinking about making a Patreon. What kind of content would give value to you? I was thinking of possibly doing chapters from other characters' points of views or taking requests for which chapters/characters.