This is Not My Home

Chapter One

Years Ago

The human mind is a truly terrifying thing.

Able to create fantasies, people, worlds, or words from nothing. It can remember hundreds of thousands of memories, for good or for bad. It can formulate sentences and create consciousness. It can allow us to move and to see and grow. We can create and tear down. We can learn to love, to hate, to forgive, and to forget.

But we can think. We can understand. We can compromise. We can destroy. Our minds can be used for wonderful things, but they can also be used to burn villages to the ground, slaughter innocents, destroy dreams, and so much more. We can inflict harm onto ourselves and onto others, even unintentionally. 

It's hard to find meaning in a meaningless world. Our minds so often forget our paths and create new ones. We do things that we could never fathom. Stray so far from our morals that when we look in the mirror to see ourselves, all we see is a stranger.

"Ollie Sky! The library's closing!"

Ollie Sky glanced up from her notebook. Surely it was not that late already! She'd only been sitting here for fifteen minutes, writing, but it seemed that time had other plans. 

"Ollie!"

"Coming!" she called, closing her notebook and grabbing her books. She stuffed them into her bag and zipped it shut, then stood and pushed in her chair. She started to run through the library, its tall shelves looming over her like trees. The ceiling swam with stars, and the lights started to dim.

Myrian was waiting for her at the entry to the library. He waved her out quickly and off into the night, heading for the dorms. No words were exchanged between them as they ran through the courtyard, the moon high above their heads. There was a set time for students to be in bed—a curfew—and they were about to miss it. The only consequence for being caught later than acceptable was having to study in a boring room, without music or entertainment. It was such a small consequence, but when students are allowed to study wherever they want and however they want, it becomes a real pain when those rights are taken.

They stopped at Ollie's dorm, out of breath. Myrian planted a quick kiss on her forehead and smiled, then started to run in the direction of his dorm. She watched him leave for a moment before rushing into the building. 

Ollie went to her room and dumped her stuff on the floor, jumping into bed and pulling the covers over herself. She slowed her breathing and waited, tense, as footsteps echoed from the hallway. Her door opened, and a shadow was cast from the yellow light. The door shut quietly, and the woman moved on to check on the other girls.

She let out a sigh of relief and relaxed, waiting until she could no longer hear anything from outside of her door. She got up and started to take off her clothes, then collected more comfortable wear and started to put that on.

Ollie's door whanged open as she finished putting her shirt on. She yelped and stumbled backward, her heart skipping a couple of beats, then fluttering inconsistently.

"Out after curfew?" the woman snarled. 

"I—I wasn't," she protested. "I fell asleep in my clothes and got up to change!"

"Hah! Do you honestly think that I didn't hear your footsteps as you rushed into your room, or the dropping of your bag after you flung it on the ground?" she replied, stepping into her room and looming over her. "What were you doing out after curfew?"

Ollie would not be incriminated. "I wasn't out after curfew!"

"Stop lying! Why were you out after curfew?"

"I already told you, I wasn't—"

The woman raised her hand and struck Ollie across the face. She fell to the ground and held her stinging cheek, feeling tears threaten.

"I'm letting you off with a warning, Miss Sky." She turned and stalked out of her room, slamming Ollie's door behind her.

She glared at the door and got off the ground. She sighed a bit and slipped under the covers, pulling them over her skull. Tomorrow was her final day before the weekend. Just one more day of school, and she could finally get some rest.