Prologue It’s only 2 days away. My 21st birthday. It feels like jut yesterday it was graduaton day. I know it’s supposed to be a happy day. I just can’t stand the idea. It all just means nothing. what will be the outcome? how am I supposed to know if I have been “good?” it’s all just a matter of perspective at this pointl it’s like when you realize the fear of death is the only thing to fear. I don’t know what drives me to live the way that I do. Nobody taught me. I just hit rock bottom and I guess instead of rising above and being rich in the long run, I stayed and played in the trash. While all the popular people were doing what was needed to gain the popular vote. How can there be so many wany ways to live life? In the years before this one the teachings in school weren’t aimed at giving you the plans and lessons to make alot of money. I guess my universe is just a little different. At the age of 21 we begin the metalife. yeah yeah, virtual reality this, ai that. The machines are gonna destroy humans. Guess what? it doesn’t really matter. We have a collective community that worships the meta verse that we strive to enter. like for our whole life. I guess to be short and sweet, the virtual world that you enter, is based on how you did it in the real world. So if you played by all the rules put in front of you and didn’t make trouble, that’s the kind of metaverse you will enter. vise versa. The thing is, I’m not really sure what the hell “my” real world is. It’s like this. I’m into being true. I feel like it’s wrong to judge a book by the cover. What if for some reason I can see through the cover? what I mean to say is…. I have taught myself how to fend in this world from a youhg age. For some reason it didn’t go the way it could have. I don’t know, in truth, there’s just something that makes people hate me. It isn’t the worst thing tho. honestly the way I see it, I am here and now and I don’t really want to miss too much. I pay attention. When the opportunities arrise, I get to do meaningful things. The best part about it is… I get 0 rewards, however, people make fun of me. As the desert, most people think that when they are looking at me they are looking at a hardened criminal. When I first became a part of “the Poor” class citizens I found that no matter what it sas that I needed, when I would look through the rubble. Things just got better. If I needed warmer clothes, I would find some washed and thrown out clothes that were of decent quality. When i needed food and didn’t have the money to buy it in the stores, perfectly good, sealed favorite foods always filled my spirits. Not to mention when stomach was well full, the “Spirits” would always be pretty decent. Rubble booze is always a lifter of spirits. Hello, I am Ncik. I may not like that I have landed on planet homeless and poor. tho it would be nice to gert a little support every once in a while. Instead I get … Like None Ever….

Aimee

I wait with anticipation in the virtual world line. I see people step into transportation tubes, the modern versions of elevators, which I know lead to each person’s virtual world. I frown with the other people in my line as I see a group of people shove each other and speak in loud, harsh tones. Their voices sound unnaturally loud next to the quit murmurs of the crowd. One in particular catches my eye, her nametag reading “Lia”. She looks different than the others, but I don’t know how. Maybe she looks more reluctant to misbehave. But she’s still doing it. She catches me looking at her and I scenery my eyes. This close to achieving my goals, I really don’t want to get in trouble. I bet those people won’t get a good simulation.

I’ve been working hard all my life to get the best simulation possible. There hasn’t been a community service project I haven’t assisted with, a chore that I haven’t completed, or a person I haven’t helped.

I feel strangely calm for a person that’s been excited about this moment my whole life. As the line moves forward and I approach my fate, I have a certainty that this will all pay off. Everything will work exactly how it is supposed to. I’ve worked too hard for it not to, after all.

Lia

I feel strangely nervous. It’s an odd feeling. All my life, I haven’t really cared that much about how I acted. I’ve always believed there are two types of people in this world. Type 1: Cares about what their simulation will be like and is careful with their actions. Type 2, AKA me: Doesn’t care and believes that you only get to really live once, so you should spend that life outside of the simulation however you please.

Today though, I don’t really feel like type 2. I sip my milkshake, but I feel like I won’t be able to keep it down. I want to throw up from my sudden anxiety. My friend, Trina, nudges me. Hard.

“Watch it,” I mutter.

“Oh, is somebody nervous?” She says, and then mocks me, pretend biting her obnoxiously long nails.

I glare at her and she ignores me, elbowing another girl in the side. “Hey, we better get going.”

The rest of our group mutter in agreement. Trina grabs my arm and pulls me up, dragging me along with her as we run. All of my friends start yelling and making a scene, and everyone’s looking at us in disgust. I suddenly feel embarrassed. Another odd feeling.

I catch sight of a girl standing in line, staring at me. Her nametag reads “Aimee”. She look like she’d be type 1. She averts her eyes.

Trina raises her eyebrows at me, and I know that if I don’t join in with my friends, she’s going to tease me about it. So I start hollering and laughing along with everyone else, and suddenly, I don’t feel so bad.

After we get in line, Trina pulls me to the side, away from our friends. “Listen, I’m sorry. I get that you’re nervous about the simulation. I—” She pauses, looking around timidly to see if anyone is listening before continuing. “I think I am too. But I don’t regret it, not one bit. How we’ve lived our lives. Maybe the others who care about their simulations, maybe they’ll get better ones. But they won’t ever experience what we did. And that, I wouldn’t trade it, not for the world.” She looks at me as if she’s expecting something.

I know she wants me to say that I don’t regret living how I lived either, that I’m happy with the way I’ve spent my life so far. I’m not, though. I’m a horrible person who has done horrible things. My simulation is going to be terrible, and I wish I could change it. Hell, I bet that girl, Aimee, thatI saw in the line earlier has a great simulation. I wish I could just trade places with her. Suddenly, I see something in the distance. A little shimmer in the air, a whisper.

_Wish granted. ___ __ __ __ __ Aimee

The person who was in front of me in the line steps into the transportation pod and disappears with a flash.

Before long, I’m gone too.

Something is wrong.

I’m standing on the top of a mountain, my wrists and ankles chained to a metal post. A cold gust of wind chills my bone. The inky thing for miles is jagged rock, stretching out in every direction.

I don’t belong here, I know it. This isn’t my simulation, it can’t be.

“Where am I?” I ask the open air.

There is no reply.

Lia

Strangely, I’m not scared anymore. As I step into the transportation pod, I feel calm. The last thing I see is a flash of light, and when I blink again, my world is gone.

“Greetings!” A man dressed in professional clothes grins at me.

“Where am I?”

I’m standing in the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen. Decorations line the halls, rooms packed with furniture invite me in, and to top it all off, a grand staircase leads to another floor containing who knows what.

The man explodes into laughter as if that’s the funniest thing he’s ever heard. “Your new home, of course, Aimee. You can call me Ronnie. My job is to cater to your every need. Would you like a tour?”

Aimee. He called me Aimee.

“No thanks, uh, Ronnie. Do I have a room?”

He chuckles again. “Right through those doors.” He gestures toward an elaborate archway. “You can call me anytime by pressing the silver button by the walk in closet.” With that, he shuffles away.

I make a beeline for the doors and, shutting and locking them behind me.

It all makes sense now. How he called me Aimee. The wish, and the few seconds I thought I hallucinated. I switched worlds with the girl in the line. And if my social studies classes taught me anything, it’s that this is irreversible. I ruined Aimee’s life with my selfishness.

The words echo in my mind. _Wish granted. _

And another whisper from the same voice sears new words into my mind: _Be careful what you wish for. _

__ __ __

They say that if you’re good, you go to heaven and if you are bad, you go to hell I’m now 21 and I sit beside my supervisor and my parents and the priest and they show me the memories of my life and an AI computer works out on balance whether I’m good or bad Click me into the machine everyone is now in the machine I will meet my friends and my parents and everyone I will now join the living or the unliving within the virtual matrix I’m an NPC in a game I open my eyes. I see volcanoes send Baron it’s a hellish place. I’m shocked could I have been that evil that they’ve sent me to hell? I’m sure I was good. There’s something wrong here. I walk along the lava flows. The heat is horrible. I expect to see Demons but none here I seem to be alone in the distance like a mirage. I see a Garden of Eden. Babylon of luscious flowers, trees and rivers within this oasis surrounded by fire.. Morality was about seeking redemption and that was virtual redemption .

The line grows longer as I stand in anticipation. I watch everyone around me. Some are laughing with their friends while they discuss what virtual world they expect to be in. Some are on their cellphones trying to hide the fact that they are terrified. Some stand with no expression at all.

No one tells you what to look forward to. All they say is, “when you turn 21, your life will change forever”. They aren’t lying, but that barely gives any information. I am walking into the unknown and to be honest, I am terrified. I just don’t have anything to keep me occupied from the future that awaits me.

My heart jumps as I realize I am closer to the entrance than before. The building is 50 stories high. I’ve even heard they have more floors underground. Of course, no one knows for sure except the ones who work here. Once you step foot in this building, you never come back out.

I take a deep breath as the man in front of me hands his ID to the guard at the door. The guard looks it over and then nods. The man walks in. I see the lobby inside full of chairs and sofa’s, but no one is sitting in them.

I pull my ID from my back pocket and hand it to the guard. He looks it over. It feels like he is inspecting the ID as a fake. I gulp, anxiety rising in my chest. He finally looks at me and nods.

I walk in and I am greeted by a young woman with a beautiful smile. “Hello, miss.”

“Hi,” I say quietly.

“Follow me,” she says. We start walking down a bright hallway with high ceiling windows. “Welcome to VW Tech. Today you will be chosen for one of the four virtual worlds: Plethoria, Queentia, Vacivus, and Tenebris. Plethoria is the world of abundance. Queentia is the world of opportunity. Vacivus is the world of destitute and Tenebris is the world of darkness. Every world is a reflection of who you are and how you live your life.”

I gulp and begin to think about my past. I have heard many stories of Tenebris. The monsters that lurk in the darkness. It is the world for those who do the most wrong.

We enter a room. There is a long table in the middle and someone sitting at the end with a laptop and a notebook.

“Well, I hope you get the world that you deserve,” she says with a smile. I watch her walk away, but her smile stays imprinted in my mind. Her words send chills down my spine.

“Come, have a seat,” the woman at the table says. She looks older and I realize I have never seen someone older before. I walk to the chair next to her and take a seat. “I am going to ask you a few basic questions and then we will proceed with your initiation. What is your name?”

“Uh… Florence Goodman.”

“When is your birthday?”

“June 20th, 2003.”

“Do you identify as male or female?”

“Female.”

“Good,” she says, writing down the information. “Now, we will begin the initiation.” She looks at her laptop, types in a few things, and then looks at me. “So, I see you once shoved a cupcake in your friends face when you were 8. Can you explain that to me?”

I give her a confused look, but all she does is stare at me. “I-uh…”

“The questions sound a bit out of the ordinary, but I assure you it is part of the process to determine what world you will fit best in.”

I nod. “Well, I was trying to be funny. She was having a hard time a few days prior, so I thought I could make her laugh.”

“She didn’t laugh, did she?”

“No,” I say, looking down at the notepad.

“Have you felt any way towards that situation?” She crosses her legs.

“I felt guilty for a long time. It seems a little silly now, but I lost one of my good friends over it.”

She types on her laptop for a good minute before looking at me again. “Why did you feel the need to bully Mr. Dripps when you were a freshman?”

I think back on freshman year, but most of it feels like a blurr. “I-uh. I don’t remember. I just remember wanting to get back at him for something.”

She types some more of her notes. “Do you remember running away when you were 16?”

“Yes,” I say.

“Why did you?”

“I heard rumors about Tenebris. It scared me.”

“Why did you break into that house?”

Suddenly, my ears begin ringing. My pulse gets extremely fast as if it might burst through my chest. “I’m sorry?” My palms are sweaty and I feel like I can’t breath.

“The house on Evans Street. You broke into it a couple of days after you were caught from running away.”

“I, uh, I don’t remember.” I do remember. I remember every thing. The man dragging that body inside. The baby crying upstairs. I remember the broken glass and the blood…

“Ms. Goodman, your chances of redemption are much higher when you tell the truth.”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “I was trying to help.”

“Who?”

“There was a woman and a crying baby,” I say, my voice cracking as the memory floods my mind.

“The perpetrator was never caught which lead many people to believe it was you.”

“It wasn’t!” I snap. I open my eyes wide. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-“

“You have done much good in your life, Ms. Goodman. I have one last question. Do you believe yourself to be a good person?”

The question echoes in my head, but I can’t seem to find an answer.

“Ms. Goodman?”

“I-“ I am interrupted by the door flying open.

“Ms. Goodman, we have come to an agreement on which world you will reside. Do you have any last requests, questions, or concerns before we continue with the process?”

“No,” I say. My body feels tense as I stare at the man in the black suit. His hands are together and placed in front of him.

“Good, we must proceed with the next step. If you will please follow me.”

He begins walking and I rush out of my seat to follow him into the next room. It looks like a hospital room with a bed in the middle and some equipment lying on a mayo stand.

“Have a seat and Dr. Strenge will be right with you,” the man says before leaving the room. The door closes roughly behind him.

I take a seat on the bed and stare at the head piece sitting on the mayo stand. My heart pounds at the thought of not knowing which world I will end up in. I feel as though they enjoy watching us suffer.

The door opens and an old man walks in wearing a lab coat. DR. STRENGE is embroidered in black letters.

“Good day, Ms. Goodman. I am Dr. Strenge and I will be launching your virtual world for you today. I am delighted to inform you that you will be residing in Queentia. Do you have any questions before we begin?”

I sigh in relief and shake my head.

“Alright. Let me go over the steps with you before we begin. I will place this device on your head,” he says, referring to the head piece. “Then, you will lay back and close your eyes. Once you are relaxed and comfortable, you will need to clear your mind or else it may affect the virtual reality process. I will then push this button on the side which will send you into the virtual world. Are you ready?”

“Yes, I am,” I say.

He places the device on my head and I lay back on the table. The more I try to clear my head, the more I think. I close my eyes and relax my body. I try to play the word Queentia inside of my head to help keep my brain occupied.

“I am going to count to 3 and press the button. Within those three seconds, you must clear your mind. 1…”

My heart pounds vigorously in my chest.

“2…”

I can’t keep my mind still. A hot flash takes over me.

“3.” His fingers press against the head piece. The last word that enters my mind is “Tenebris” before everything goes black.

I wake up on the ground. The air is damp and cold. The clouds cover the sky making it dark underneath the canopy of trees. I sit up. My mouth is dry and my head is pounding. This is Queentia? I stand up, although my body feels weak. I try to walk, but end up leaned against a tree. My breathing is heavy.

However, my breathing stops when a roar echoes through the air. My eyes widen and my stomach turns. This isn’t Queentia. Fear rises in me.

This is Tenebris.

My world is going to kill me. The moment I woke up here I had to run for my life. Some creature was chasing me, looked like it was going to eat me in all honesty. They always told us this world would be based off of if we were good people and I was, I swear. I mean at least I thought I was. I got the perfect grades, I never got detention or anything like that, I was always nice to people even if I had differing opinions, I don’t even know how to fight. This has to be a mistake. This is all in my mind. I am going to die here.

I take a deep breath. Swallowing down a terrifying mixture of emotions and worries, I lean forward and close my eyes. What’s the worst thing that could happen? It’s a virtual world. There’s no chance I could be hurt or anything… Every twenty-one year old goes through this process, and most of them have been completely fine. Why would I be any different? I’ve worked my whole life for this… I’ve been a good person. I’ve given to charity. Put up with intolerable people. Helped out the poor and sick. My morality is unquestionable, for the most part. So why am I so nervous? I put my head in my hands, trying to calm myself down. I inhale, then exhale slowly. I’ll be safe. Nothing will happen.

    An olive skinned lady with raven black hair walks into the waiting room. “Paisley Ashford?” she calls in a loud voice. My heart beats faster. I wipe my sweaty hands on my pants and stand up. I walk over to the lady and she gives me a kind smile. “Are you ready?” she asks, but I know that if I say I’m not I’ll be whisked away to a new world anyways. There is no escaping this. I nod a little too vigorously, and she senses my discomfort. “Don’t worry…” the woman trills. “Everything will be okay. Follow me.” The lady scrawls a few notes on her pink clipboard, and hastily starts walking. She leads me into a dark, rather small room with no furniture nor decorations. The only thing in the room is a uncomfortable looking chair, with a VR headset resting on it. I pause in the doorway and take in the room. I’ll be here for a year. A whole year. Without my family, without my friends, but instead in a whole different world. The olive skinned woman gestures to the chair. I trudge over to the it, my legs feeling limp like noodles. I exhale shakily, before sitting down. The lady stands in the doorway and watches as I pull the headset over my eyes. Then I hear her footsteps retreating down the hallway. 

     Darkness. All I see is black. I start to have doubts. I don’t want to do this. Panic sets in, and I reach up to take the headset off, but I can’t. It’s like it’s glued to my head. There really is no escaping this. I ball my hands up into fists so tight that my fingernails dig into my skin. There are a few more seconds of darkness before a world comes roaring to life in front of my eyes. Inhale. Exhale. I can do this. This might even be easy. That’s what I thought. Looking back on it, I could never been more wrong.

Booting Up________________________________

Simulation Commencing______________________

in_________________________________________

3__________________________________________

2__________________________________________

Error

You took off the headset, and reread the instructions. You haven’t made any mistakes, and yet…

You took out your phone.

Maybe it just needed repairs.

You called the company, eventually you heard a lady’s voice on the other side.

“Did it take your blood sample?”

“Did you make sure it scanned your pupil?”

“It recognizes your brain waves, yes?”

She continued going on the standard questions, and to which you always responded with yes. You always found it surprising that this lady might as well have been in some fantasy world right now and yet still had a job here.

The Earth still has to work properly you suppose.

All workers were picked by the government of course.

“And it still isn’t commencing the simulation, yes?”

“Hmm . . . I’ll check in with the customization department, please hold for a few moments.”

Then you heard her voice get cut off by abrupt music, you don’t complain and place your phone back down on the desk beside you. The headset still sat there as you stared at it.

.

          .

                         .

You thought about what it would be like.

You wondered how this headset could possibly hold all the necessities to survive, it came with a manual but you already knew most of it was just lies made up by the government.

Not that there was anybody there to protest, all the people that were legally allowed to vote were in virtual reality.

You admit that the first time you saw your older sister wearing it, you cried. Once someone put that thing on, it was like they got transported to another realm.

The only hope of ever getting the chance to communicate with them was for the government to specially choose them to, though the chances of that were highly unlikely. Or if you tried to take it off of them, but if you did so the headset would inject a lethal chemical into the person’s brain that would kill them instantly.

You hoped she was doing well wherever she was.

.

          .

                         .

The music cut back to the lady.

“Return the headset and we’ll make sure it gets fixed within a week.”

That was all she said before hanging up on you.

.

          .

                         .

You slammed the headset against the wall.

I woke up to hear seagulls outside my window. Strange I don’t live near the ocean. But wait this isn’t my house. I’m confused and scared. There’s a knock on the door and a man comes in.”Your pepermint tea, my lady” As I take it I almost drop it because of how shaky my hands are. The man starts to leave but I grab on to his arm to stop him. My voice shaky I ask him “Were am I? Why does everything look pixelated?” He responds “Oh! Dear me, I forgot the introduction! Well basically you got transported here when you turned 21. And that’s about all we know. Now get dressed.” I blinked and then hopped out of bed “Why did I end up here in a fancy mansion instead of a normal house?” He stops giving a frustrated sigh. “You were very kind and nice in your other life so now you get this mansion because you deserve it. And we will take the tour along with more explanations when you are ready.” With that he opened the big doors and stepped out. I went to my wardrobe expecting frills and puffy dresses but was surprised to see that they were all outfits I would like. I put on a short dress with butterflies on it and some leggings. Then I stepped out through the doors ready for anything, only to realize my hair was a utter disaster. So I went back in, fixed my hair and stepped out through the big doors for a second time.

In the twilight of an era marred by societal decay, humanity sought solace in a novel solution—a virtual world crafted to reflect one's moral compass. As the clock struck 21 for every soul, they were seamlessly plugged into a digital existence, a manifestation of their life's choices and ethical code.

Among the throngs of entrants was Eli, a young soul burdened by the weight of a turbulent past. He had navigated a world riddled with moral dilemmas and faced circumstances that shaped his choices, leaving an indelible mark on his conscience.

As Eli crossed the threshold into the digital realm, expectations colored by his altruism and empathy for others illuminated his path. But a shock coursed through him as the virtual landscape unfurled—an unforeseen sight greeted his eyes.

Instead of the utopia he anticipated, Eli found himself standing amidst a haunting, desolate wasteland. The sky bore an ominous hue, the once-vibrant colors now drained into shades of ashen gray. Skyscrapers stood dilapidated, their skeletal frames whispering of forgotten glory.

A world devoid of the lush forests he sought to protect, replaced by barren landscapes scarred by humanity's disregard. Where pristine lakes should have gleamed, lay stagnant pools of polluted water. This virtual world, a somber reflection of humanity's darkest deeds, left Eli bewildered and dismayed.

Distraught, Eli roamed through the digital wasteland, his heart heavy with the stark disparity between his moral aspirations and the harsh reality before him. Confronted by this grim manifestation, he grappled with questions that echoed through the desolation.

But amidst the ruin, a glimmer of hope beckoned—a chance for redemption, a possibility to rewrite the narrative. Eli realized that despite the unsettling truth revealed in this virtual realm, the power to alter its course lay within his grasp.

With resolve solidified, Eli embarked on a journey—a mission to reconstruct this bleak landscape into a vision that resonated with the moral fabric he held dear. He sought to cultivate compassion, nurture harmony, and sow the seeds of kindness in this barren land.

Through unwavering determination and unwavering belief, Eli transformed the desolate wasteland into an oasis of empathy and benevolence. As the colors of compassion breathed life into the virtual world, it reflected a newfound harmony—a testament to Eli's unwavering commitment to goodness.

In rewriting the story of his virtual existence, Eli discovered the transformative power of his choices. As the digital horizon blossomed with renewed hope, Eli understood that while the past shapes us, the future remains within our grasp—a canvas waiting to be painted with the hues of our virtues.

The golden crown shined so bright it blinded by eyes The once tattered jeans I wore now turned to a lovely dress that spanned down a whole foot

Elegant white gloves With lace coating them

I walked down the hallway towards the crown Stumbling over my dress and heels

I let out a faint mutter How could this be real