Edge of Dreams

13✯

I can't help but scowl on the inside though, because there were many seats that he could have taken, but he chose this one. It was just my luck. I glance down to see his foot in a cast, and snort trying to cover up my laugh at seeing it covered in flowers and butterfly doodles.

"Something funny?" He asks.

I shake my head and look back to the screen. There's no sound coming from it though, all I can see are groups of inhabitants trekking up an overgrown hill. They stick out in the green scenery with their white uniforms.

"Why can't we hear anything?" When the boy doesn't answer I turn to see him looking at me incredulously. I also notice how nice his long hair is, and I can feel the jealousy brewing over how shiny and healthy it looks.

"They don't use sound with the cameras," he explains as though everybody should know that.

"They don't? Why not? Surely with all the cameras they-"

"They rely on their little spies to listen out, okay? Anything else you want to ask?" He replies back meanly.

I withdraw back slightly at his harsh tone, "No..." I mutter. I look back up to the screen to see a few people rolling down a steep edge. The camera pans out to show some originals laughing and clutching their stomachs at the sight. I bite my lip, before turning to the guy again, "So can we only see what they show on this screen?"

The guy throws his head back and sighs. I swear it was like everyone was sick of me, even though I had never met or spoken to them before. Was I that annoying? Or was it my incessant questioning?

"You can choose which cameras to watch on your tablet. There's an app. Use it."

I pick up my tablet next to me, and mock him silently, though I'm sure he can easily see.

I hear him murmur to himself, and I'm unsure as to whether I'm meant to hear or not. "Why is it always me?" I don't comment on the fact that he chose to sit next to me out of the many free spaces.

I find the app icon easily, though I'm sure it wasn't on there before. I had once spent an afternoon going through everything on the tablet, and I definitely wouldn't have missed this. Instantly it loads.

A grey background with the title 'Challenge Day' in black writing comes up. A menu button is in the right corner, and a list folds out.

There's around a hundred cameras links available to watch and I click through each of them seeing the inhabitants in their white uniforms. I see them running up hills, and tripping a lot. I'm entertained for at least an hour by originals jumping out and scaring people from trees. Soon that grows boring. The red flags are easy to find and it doesn't look like a difficult challenge from what I can see.

I even try to search for those familiar to me like Stephanie, Aaron, Taylor, and even Link. It was easy to find Link on the feeds, he was with his usual group of friends, and they had their own camera feed to themselves.

I frown, when I change to another link seeing other original inhabitants as the main focus. I decide to click through them all again, and realise that there is one thing in common with all of the cameras. There's always an original inhabitant within the shot.

Even as one normal boy is at the top of a tree, in the corner below is one of the originals just standing about. Almost like he was waiting for him, but that doesn't make sense. I know there's an unspoken rule that they don't mingle with the rest of us. So why is it that all I can see is originals loitering around the normal inhabitants?

I remember the boy next to me saying that they don't have sound in the cameras because they use their spies. Was it possible that the cameras only focus on the spies too? I twist towards him and it's like I can already hear him grinding his teeth together in annoyance.