Adeline opened her eyes.

Her vision was filled with pretty, vibrant colors, yet also warm and soft. The bed she laid in- though she was unsure how she got in it- was probably the best bed she has ever been in. This room, how beautiful it was, filled with things Adeline didnt even know she loved. Though, the admiration was taken over by confusion.

How had she even gotten here?

Was this what heaven was like?

She was neither heavily religious like the rest of her family had been, but maybe it had all been true.

She checked her pulse, and to her surprise, her heart wasn’t beating. Maybe it would’ve been the right time to panic. But she, the usually anxious girl, felt calmer than ever. She came to the realization that she had died like it was a thing that happened every other day. The feeling of nothing but calmness and clarity was nice, extremely nice. She got to her feet and it was like her feet glided her along to a pretty wardrobe, like she had been living here for ages and knew where everything was. She picked out the perfect outfit, and when she looked in the mirror, she felt good about herself, for the first time in forever. And then slowly, she opened the door to the outside.

It was a small, homely town, with friendly people who all knew eachother. Her calm mind didnt allow her to question whether or not these people or real.

Adeline walked around town and several people greeted her, some offering to show her around town. Usually, she’d refuse to minimize social interaction. This time, she accepted.

They were so friendly.

They were so wrong.

Deep inside her brain, she knew it.

And when she finally laid down on her bed for a rest after a whole day of orientation, answers, and meeting people, she finally tried to question it.

But she couldn’t. Like somethhing was pushing them away, something was stopping her. All she could think about was how great this life was, or what she was going to do tomorrow, or about how much she loves her new friends.

Because questioing it, that would cause negative feelings to arise.

And we can’t have that, can we?

As an unsettled feeling started to arise, the calmness settled back over her again. She didnt have control of her own thoughts, her emotions. She felt trapped. Well, if she could feel anything but calmness and happiness, she’d feel trapped.

But she couldn’t.

Days went on, weeks, months, years, without her questioning anything. And she became just like all the mindless people in this town, happy without any problems until their brains turned to mush.

Adeline looked in the mirror one day, as she always does, having a strict routine.

And for the first time in forever,

She felt unsettled.

Adeline reached and touched the mirror, at the mindless girl she saw in the reflection.

This wasn’t.. her.

And as she started to be able to think, think her negative thoughts, think to herself, she began to panic. What was wrong with her? Why was she feeling this way? Where was that calm that always kept her feelings at bay? It was gone and it wasn’t there to stop her from realizing the flaws of this so called perfect world. So she did the only thing she knew to do; she went to her closest friends in the town, speaking to them fast, rambling like a madman.

They looked at her like she was insane.

They had only seen one other person who ever acted like this, and after getting talked to the celestial beings that ran this heaven, he had been fixed. So in their concern for their friend, they brought her to them, despite Adeline’s protests.

Alone with the beings she once had trusted but now feared, she stared at them, hoping her glare was fierce enough to scare them off.

It wasn’t.

They sighed, and in a flash, Adeline was in a white room, confused and unable to move.

They knew how to fix her.

So they gave her a factory reset.