Preface

The alarm goes off and I open my eyes. I straighten up in my bed and roll my eyes multiple times. The first thought that comes to my mind is that it will be another boring day just like the others. The second thought is that I really need to make that annoying alarm stop.

"I'm awake," I growl, glaring at the transparent glassy alarm on my nightstand. It silences almost immediately. I sigh in relief.

I move my eyes away from the alarm and look up at my room, expecting to see what I see every morning. The color I hate the most. White.

Everything is colored in white. The walls. The floor. The ceiling. The couch. And even the desk. Not only my room. Everything in this space facility is in white. Well, except for the gray nightgown and leggings I am wearing now, and the blue-black dress and leggings I'm gonna put on in a couple of minutes. Whoever designed this facility and the outfits we wear absolutely lacks anything related to style.

The whole place is simply plain, boring, and lifeless.

I know exactly what is going to happen in the next five seconds. Five, four, three, two, one...here she comes.

"Good morning, Ms. Alice," the voice of the mysterious nice lady that I have never met sneaks into my room through the speakers on the wall. That happens every morning. She never elaborates or changes that line. And yes, she calls me Ms.; I'm only fifteen though.

"Good morning," I say, faking a smile.

"Please get ready then proceed to the breakfast chamber," she says. Her voice never changes. I think she isn't even real. She is a computer generated voice or something.

I get off my bed and walk to the bathroom. I have my own bathroom which is, as you might have already expected, in white. I wash my face, then stare at my reflection on the mirror for a long moment.

Colors! Finally! Green and light brown! My eyes are green and my hair is long light brown. Each morning I'd stare at myself and ask a simple question.

Am I beautiful?

Well, I like how I look. My skin is fair and my eyes are wide and entrancing. Still, I couldn't tell for sure that I'm a beautiful girl. I need others to see me and judge. That won't happen. Not very soon at least, because I'm not allowed to interact or talk to anyone.

"Be quick, Ms. Alice. Thank you," the lady's voice pulls me out of thoughts.

I sigh and walk away from the mirror and back into my room. I put on the blue-black dress and white leggings, grab my shoes and walk to the couch to sit down and put them on. While I'm tying the lace up, I'm counting the seconds to the next thing that happens every morning.

Five, four, three, two, one...

My cell phone, on the desk, beeps. Wow, I didn't see that coming! I sigh in frustration and walk to the desk to grab the phone.

"You have just received your today schedule, please confirm," I whisper to myself, mimicking the lady's voice.  

"You have just received your today schedule. Please confirm," she says. What a surprise.

"Affirmative," I say.

"Good. Please follow the schedule accurately."

"As if I have a choice," I murmur.

I grab the earphone from the desk and wear it. The door of my room flashes green and slides open. It opens and closes automatically according to the orders the lady gives me. I grab my shoulder bag and walk to the door. I step outside, and immediately it closes behind me.

White.

The long hallway is colored in white. With only some weak glows here and there it is lit. I stand still for a moment to put my bag around my shoulder and to straighten my outfit.

"Start walking, please. Thank you," the lady says to me through my earphone.

I sigh and shake my head in sorrow. I can't even have a moment to make sure I look good. Who cares. No one is gonna see me anyway.

I start to walk down the long hallway. All of a sudden, the hallway is lit by bright neon lights. The steep change from darkness to light hurt my eyes. I squint and use a hand to shelter my eyes. I hear the door of my room slides open and turn around to look at it.

"Back to your room, please. Sorry for the inconvenience," the lady says.

I walk to my room. I have no idea what is going on. This has never happened before. I don't mind it though. At least it is a change in my never-changing day.

I walk back into my room and immediately the door slides shut.

From my door window I watch the doors of the other rooms slide open, and dozens of boys and girls emerge out of their rooms. Some of them are my age, some are younger, but all are dressed the same like me. I watch them meet and greet each other. Smiles decorate their faces. They are happy to meet each other again after the long boring night.

I sigh.

I wish I am out there with them. I wish I have friends the same way they do.

Sadly, I can't. Because I'm sick. Like, very sick. That was what the lady's voice told me.

I don't even know who I am. My name is Alice, and that is it. One day I was sleeping and opened my eyes to find myself laying on the bed of this room. I was eight. It was the first time I hear the lady's voice.

"Good morning, Ms. Alice."

I straightened up in my bed. I tried to remember who I was and how I came here, but I simply couldn't.

"Welcome to your new home. Callisto facility."

I didn't utter a word. I simply stared.

She said that I was a human and that humans lived on a tiny planet called, Earth. But a crisis hit Earth. A plague. But they saved us and moved us into the facility. Callisto is a giant moon that goes around Jupiter. Back then, I had no idea what Jupiter was. I even had no idea what Earth was.  

I tried, but couldn't remember the plague or any other memories of my life on the planet she called Earth. The lady explained it and said they wiped away our memories so that we wouldn't miss our families or remember any tragedy. She said that after we're cured, they would bring back our memories and send us back to our families.

The lady said I was the sickest of all the other kids, and that, for their safety, they needed to keep me apart from the other kids for a short period of time.

That was six years, 255 days, 13 hours ago.

When I asked who "they" were, the lady's answer was short and simple.

"Angels. We're guardian angels."

I was only eight. I bought the trick and believed they were real angels. With white dresses and wide wings. I have never seen any of those mysterious angels in person. We only had voice contact.

Angels taught me everything from how to plant a rose to how to use all sorts of weapons. They said that Earth was no longer a safe place and that we would need weapons to survive.

 During all those years, I have never talked to anyone. Never uttered a word. Never had a friend. Except for Eve. She's my stuffed doll.

The door of my room dings, flashes green, and opens again, bringing me back from my ocean of memories.

"You may proceed now, thank you," the lady's voice say.

I immediately storm out of the room, hoping that someone is still out there. Maybe I will finally chat with someone. Maybe I will finally have a friend.

The hallway is completely empty. Though I can still hear some giggles echo in the distance. I sigh in frustration and feel a tear escaping my right eye and sliding down my cheek. I wipe it away.

What was I thinking when I ran outside the room to catch up with the others? I shouldn't have tried to get closer to them. That's for their own good. How selfish I am that I don't mind infecting them all only to have a friend or two. Angels are right. I need to stay away from the others until I am cured.

The bright lights of the hallway are off again and the weak glows are back.

Alone, I walk slowly down the hallway and to the dinning chamber.

Massive, all in white, with many gray tables, that is how the dinning chamber look like. The others sit there, eating, chatting, and giggling, while I walk to my own dinning chamber. It is a small room with a single table in the middle of it. A wall of thick glass separated my chamber from the main chamber. There is a door too. A door that has never been opened before.

Angels don't serve our meals, Robots do. They are programmed to accurately do their job without interacting with us. A Robot serves my breakfast and I look up and smile at him.

"Thanks," I say. "So, do you have a name?"

The Robot silently pours a glass of orange juice and move away, ignoring me as if I don't exist.

"Okay, thanks again. See you around!" I beam, loud enough to be heard by him.

I start to eat my breakfast.

The next stop in my schedule is the conference room where I sit alone, after the other kids are done, and have my lessons. The room is dark and the lessons are shown on a wide razor-sharp screen. Angels teach me, and the others, things about Earth. How it looks like and how we can survive when we return there. They also teach us about the solar system and the other parts of the massive universe.

I am done with my today's lessons and it is time for my best part of the day.

The training session.

I walk to my bow and grab it. It immediately recognizes me and glows. Fascinating bright purple tiny crystals of light surrounds it. It is a bow that fires no arrows. It fires light.

I squint my eyes and pull back the bow string. The bow sparkles and an arrow of light appears. Every time this happens, a smile finds its way to my lips. I focus and get ready to fire. A moment later, the wooden targets appear.

I fire an arrow that accurately hits the first target in the middle of its forehead. I lose no time fixing another arrow in the bow because the arrows of light appear automatically once I pull back the bow string. Another target appears immediately, and I welcome it with an arrow in its heart. Quickly I pull the string and fire at the new two targets that have just appeared.

A human woman appears and I hold my fire. We're not supposed to kill humans. Once the human target goes away, three targets appear. Faster than a blink of an eye I fire three arrows, aiming at and accurately hitting their hearts.

The targets start to appear faster, and immediately I feel my heart rate elevate. I am having an adrenaline rush for sure. I don't blink and barely take a breath from time to time to keep my hand steady. I began to fire arrows faster than a lighting strike and my arrows race the wind to the hearts of the targets. The targets became faster, and that has only one meaning...

I'm about to have more fun and excitement.

Now I am almost moving automatically. My heart is faster than a horse running in the middle of the desert, heading to an oasis far ahead after days of thirst. It seems as if my mind and eyes see the target before they even appear. That is how I never miss a target. More targets. More adrenaline. More arrows and more accurate hits! Wow, I wish this never ends!

Three more targets appear and I fire and take them down. I watch my last arrow fly directly to the middle of the forehead of another target, and then it is over.

I pant. The smile that appeared on my lips once I hit the first target is still there. Only that it grew into a grin. I move the bow down.

"Impressive, Ms. Alice," the lady's voice says.

I smile in satisfaction. Of course it is impressive. When it comes to shooting and hitting targets, no one can beat me. Yes, I'm the best.

My next stop is the library. I head to the literature department and immediately to the romantic fiction books section. I've just completed a novel the other day and today I'm going to pick a new one. Romance, is the only thing I read about. Maybe because I'm striving to fall in love. To love and be loved by someone. I am no longer a little girl and yes, I'm counting the days, maybe the hours, until I meet the one who would blew me off my feet.

I wonder how it feels to be hugged by someone. To be kissed by someone. To pour my heart out to someone and tell him all the thoughts in my mind and the feelings in my heart. To share my pain and fears with. To laugh together. To grow up together. To do all the things lovers do with each other.

I know that this isn't going to happen soon. Not before I'm cured. So, for now the romantic books satisfy me.

I look around and then my eyes fix at a certain book. Romeo and Juliet. I like the name. I think I'm going to pick it up. Yes, I'll pick it up.

I grab the book and take it to a table. I sit down and read. It immediately pulls me in. Wow, I'm really enjoying it so much. I can't put it down! I lose the feeling of everything around me, including the passing time.

"Library time is over. Proceed to the dinning chamber, please. Thank you," the lady's voice says. I shudder. The book pulled me in that hearing her voice shocked me so much. I sigh. I have to put the book down. I have to obey the orders.

Before I leave the library I walk to the bookshelves and randomly grab other books. I grab as many as my bag can contain and my hands can carry. Those books are not for me to read. They are for the wicked plan I'm going to execute tonight.

Time passes at a snail's pace. After the lunch there are more lessons. Then more lessons. Then a break which I would spend alone, watching a movie. Then the dinner. Then we're all off to our beds.

 I walk into my room and immediately all the lights turn on and the door slides shut. I walk to my bed, hardly kneels, and put the books I grabbed from the library on the floor. I empty my bag and add more books to the pile of books on the floor. I left the bed sheet up and pull out the piles of books I hid under the bed. I think they are enough to do the trick.

I know the lights are going to be off soon and I'm supposed to act quickly. I change my clothing and put on the gray nightgown and leggings. I'm ready to sleep.

I lay on my bed.

"Good night, Ms. Alice," the lady's voice says.

"Good night," I reply innocently. The lights are off.

It is time for me to execute my plan.

I get out of the bed and immediately the lights are back.

"What is wrong, Ms. Alice," the lady's voice says.

"Nothing."

"Then get back to your bed, please. Thank you."

I smile evilly and climbs back into the bed. Immediately the lights are off.

"Good night, Ms. Alice."

I get out of the bed again and the lights are back.

"What is wrong, Ms. Alice?"

I chuckles. This is it! The bed senses my weight! That's how they know if I ever get out of it!

"Get ready to be tricked, Ms. sweet voice," I whisper.

I carry a pile of books and put them on the bed. I repeat that multiple times. I wait in anticipation.

"Get back to your bed, Ms. Alice. Thank you."

I sigh in frustration but I won't give up. I carry more piles of books from the floor and put them on bed. I have been collecting them for days and I'm sure I have enough books to pull the trick.

"Get back to your bed, Ms. Alice. Thank you."

Well, I think I'm heavier than what I thought. It is something related to hitting puberty I guess. I carry more books and spread them on the bed. And more. And more. Suddenly, the lights are off.   

I gasp in glee and my eyes widen in excitement.

"Good night, Ms. Alice."

"Yes!" I exclaimed.

"Good night, Ms. Alice."

"Sure, um, good night!'

Now they think I'm on my bed. I pull Romeo and Juliet book from my bag, grab my cell phone, and get under the bed. I lay on my front and use the cell phone to light. I start to read. No one is gonna stop me now.

I keep reading and reading, and then I hear the alarm goes off. I open my eyes and find myself under the bed. I spent the night down there. I try to straighten and hit my head. My back hurts me too. I think it is because how I twisted my body during my uncomfortable sleeping. I flip the book close and get out from under the bed.

"I am awake!" I yell, and the annoying alarm silences a moment later.

"Good morning, Ms. Alice."

"Good morning," I say, stretching my body and almost all my joints crack.

"Get out of your bed, please."

"What? I'm out of my bed already!" I growl. Now I remember the books I left on the bed. "Wait, what? I mean, sure. Just give me a moment!"  

I carry them, pile after the other, and hide them under the bed.

"Just a second! It has been, you know, a long night!" I say while moving the remaining of the books. The bed is empty now. I heave a deep sigh.

"Please get ready then proceed to the breakfast chamber," I whisper quickly, mimicking the lady's voice. She is gonna say it now. Here we go...

"Please get ready then proceed to the breakfast chamber."

"On my way," I said.

The day is going to be exactly the same. They are going to change the lessons, and we are going to use guns instead of bows in the training session. Otherwise, everything is gonna stay the same.

I decide to take Eve with me today. I walk to the bed once I became ready to get out and the door slides open, kiss her good morning, carry her, and walk out of the room.

As I expected, the day was the same.

It is bed time and I'm doing the same trick again. I need to read that book. I've counting the hours to the moment I'd return to my room and read again. The trick works again and I'm under my bed, reading, and escaping the life I've been imprisoned in for years to another life full of prettiness, dreams, and love.

Happiness creeps into my face. I'm alive, finally.

"Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs. Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes. Being vexed, a sea nourished with loving tears. What is it else? A madness most discreet. A choking gall, and a preserving sweet," I read, then I heave a sigh, from the deepest part of my heart.

I want to be loved. I badly need to. I want to taste that feeling.

I want to feel the cold fingers of my lover gently touch my cheek. I want to feel warm and safe in his arms. I want someone to look me in the eye and tell me that he loves me more than any other thing in the whole universe.

Tears well fast in my eyes. I feel lonely. Very lonely.

I hug myself with my own arms that I have no one else to hug me. I close the book and my eyes. I sleep, hoping that a day would come and my ultimate loneliness ends.

*****

Author's Note

early draft