La La Land

La La Land - Chapter One

Amalthea's POV:

I am sitting on a chair, surrounded by other teenagers. A man is in front of us, saying something and violently gesturing at a board with writing on it. I struggle to remember where I was. Ah yes. A classroom. My psychologist says that temporary amnesia is part of the fact that I can escape the simulations and control them. Luckily, They cannot see the psychologist or hear my conversations. They do not know what I can do with the simulations. They do not know that I have escaped the simulations more than once and that I have heard Them talking. If They knew, I would immediately be killed. I am not supposed to be able to do the things that I can do. I am not supposed to know that all of the humans on Earth are in a simulation. My psychologist is something I imagined to get things off my chest when I am having a hard time coping with the fact that I am the only one in the world who could escape.

I turn my attention back the man teaching us. He is still gesturing wildly at the board. I sigh and imagine a clown nose on the man. I know that this could result in discovery if I'm not careful to control it. Thankfully, the clown nose does not appear on the teacher's face. I decide to escape the simulation for a little bit. Fortunately, I know that I will be able to open my eyes because They are never watching me. They find me uninteresting. I never do anything notable or extraordinary in the simulations so Their attention is on others. I feel the familiar warping sensation of being sucked through a tube. Before I know it, I am out of the simulation. I slowly open my eyes, making sure I am not being watched. Once I am reassured that I am not being studied, I fully open my eyes and scan my surroundings. I notice that there are none of Them in the room. I smile and slightly stretch my limbs, making sure that I don't rip any of the wires holding me to the computer that contains the simulation. I look around at the other eight people in the room. I glance over at an old woman, with greying hair, but barely any wrinkles. That is one of the effects of the simulation. You cannot get wrinkles because you don't smile, or frown, or even have facial expressions. You cannot tan, or actually get sick, or get fat, or anything. It all happens in the simulation. When you think that you have a horrible bout of chicken pox, it's all in your head and in the head of the others in the simulation.

I gaze at the woman. She is motionless. I am about to reenter the simulation when I hear a loud alarm. My eyes widen with fright. They've found out about me! I am going to die... While I am freaking out, I remember a similar experience that happened to me when I was eight. The alarm that I am hearing means that someone just died. It's coming from our room, so it...

It's the woman I was looking at earlier.

I can feel it and see it. Her chest is no longer moving up and down. She is completely motionless. I look down before reentering the simulation. I don't want Them to find me. I feel the normal falling sensation, like my heart is in my throat, and I reenter the simulation.

Once I am inside again, I realize that my assumption was correct. I am back in my class, and most of the people are at the window. I join them and see that the lady just had a car crash. Now, I know that that isn't what really happened. Once They saw in their monitor that she was dying, They chose a death for her and put it in the simulation. She probably died of a heart attack or something. But, now, everyone thinks that she actually died of a car crash. I must admit though, They really went all out in this car crash. The lady's body is twisted horribly and she is laying on a pool of crimson blood. The man that was driving the car is slumped over the steering wheel of his car. He must be gone also. Sometimes, to keep the realism of the simulation, They injure or kill people who aren't old or it isn't their time. They are cruel and ruthless, and are ready to do anything to keep people from finding out about the simulation and escaping. That way, They are always in control of us and They are always in power.