Prisoner

Prologue

I'm not crazy.
The whole world thinks I am, but I'm not.

People just don't understand me, because I'm different. Because I discovered.

I have an Astral, a being that I have a connection with, that I can talk to. My Astral, Silas, is part of me, as I am a part of him. He lives in a different dimension, somewhere us humans probably could never comprehend. He explained it as a spirit realm, almost.

I don't know anyone else in this world that has an Astral. Silas says that every being in his dimension has one, but almost all of them have humans that aren't aware of their presence.

You see, when you are born, an Astral forms in that other dimension, just for you. It's connected to you, sees what you see, feels what you feel. It helps you, watches over you, almost like a guardian angel.

Thousands and thousands of years ago, every human was aware of their Astral. It was an accepted part of life. Our two worlds were intertwined. Until one human decided he wanted to use his Astral for power, to become the most powerful. Because of him, people died. Astrals vanished as their humans perished. This one human was creating chaos. So, to save our world, the Astrals cut of the connection between their dimension and us. The connection was the thing that had let us humans feel our connections with the Astrals, but ever since it was broken, Astrals have faded from the world, and hardly anyone knows about their Astral.

Except me.

I was young when I discovered Silas. He was my only friend, because I was the weird girl that talked to herself. My parents grew worried. My teachers grew worried. Everyone was wary of me and my conversations with Silas.

One night, I simply couldn't fall asleep. I was watching the night sky through my small bedroom window, watching the stars and imagining that one was Silas, and that there was a star for everybody's being. And then the name came to me. Astrals. And so it was.

And here I am.

In prison.

I don't even know the name of it. My guess is that it's a Mental Asylum somewhere in the middle of nowhere. They think hiding the world's imperfections in prison will make them go away. Make it seem like they don't exist.

For some, that'll work. I'm sure there a people who will die here, and never get the chance to be a part of the world. I'm sure some people are just too far gone to care that they're missing out on everything.

But I'm not old enough to die yet, and I'm not too far gone. I'm not even in that direction yet. Which is why I don't intend on staying in this place.

The thing is, it's not like Earth where the Astrals live. They aren't limited to the ground like we are. They have powers, something us humans can tap into.

I've been in prison for five years. Some people might argue I've lived the asylum for five years, but I can tell the difference between living and imprisonment. Four stone walls around me? Check. Bars on the single window? Check. Steel door? Check.

Here's the thing; if people have the choice, they will always choose the beautiful lie over the painful truth, because it's better not knowing and not being in pain. It's better to pretend you're happy then to admit you're not.
With me, I'll choose the painful truth any day. Because it's the beautiful lie that has been keeping me in prison, locked up. The lie shines right over the fact that I'm not crazy, I'm just different. It blurs the lines so people only get one half of the story, the believable half.

So people believe that I'm that poor crazy girl, who was just too stressed out as a child, who couldn't cope, who began to let herself go. And bless her heart, because now she's somewhere where it's better for her, where there are others like her.

Silas? Yes?

Let's get out of here. I've been waiting five years to hear you say that.

I can feel his smile, his excitement.

Finally.