Under-World

A Whole New Color Spectrum

*Breathes hard.*

Pain

*whimpers*

*breathes hard*

Soft,something soft against my lips.

That what I felt when my senses started coming back.

Soft,

NO,don't pull away.

The softness was comforting,hard to describe, It's like kissing the breeze, melting into each other and becoming one.

*breathes hard*

My senses comes back like snails across my back,the first thing I felt was the kiss,then slowly I felt the slight chill in the air sweeping across my bare skin.Then,I felt the grass,soft grass(supposedly grass) not the hard grass they "grew" in the Under-World.Then I felt the gaze,the scanning gaze,the gaze glued to my body,my entire body exposed for that gaze to memorize,the gaze that made me afraid to open my eyes.

"Hey. Are you alive? You're breathing really hard,you should open your eyes,I think it helps." The voice boomed into my ear and I flinched. What a weird accent,so "bouncy",so light,so "carefree". 

I open my eyes,and his gaze intensifies. I want to jump into the "pool" of water beside me,so clear but there's nothing else I can use to hide from his gaze.I can't even if I try,my body is completely numb,with shards of pain shooting here and there.

My "rescuer" is young,maybe as young as me, his clothes are dark and shines with weird textures. His face is like I've never seen before,it's so familiar yet so unimaginable.

The color of his skin reminds me of a drink Rigi has shown me once.What was it? "Coffee",I think that's what it's called. His skin is the color of coffee,which a little drop of something else that makes his skin glow with shadow. His eyes are brown and can only be described as "lazy",like his eyelids refuse to work and would rather droop over his glowing "hazel" colored eyes. His face is a whole other color spectrum, red/yellow dots his face with brown and tiny black spots here and there.It's beautiful,I've never seen anything like it. He himself is "skinny",his eyes and cheeks slightly sunken in but still full of life. The boy sits in a weird position,his legs a tangled cross and arms, "lazily" resting on them. Everything about him is a wonder,yet there's a shadowy glow to him,like there's always been an invisible rain cloud above his head.

"Your stare is really creepy by the way." His voice is slightly deep and "cracks" a little,this time at least it doesn't boom into my skull.

I ignore him and continue staring.

"Hello? It's been a long time since you've opened your eyes and you do know that you haven't blinked,not once?" He waves a hand in front of my face and continues to perform other "actions",hands dancing in the air.

"Who are you? Where am I?" I finally ask. My voice comes out a croak and he frowns at me for a second before his face becomes the glowing "sun" with a row of misplaced teeth.

"It speaks!" He shouts and the rain cloud is gone.

"Who are you? Where am I?" This time my voice comes out clear.

He frowns again and his face is near mine.

"You speak like a robot." He says,then pulls away.His breathe smelled different.A scent I've never smelled.It smells intriguing in a way,like a game forceably stopped and paused to a different day.Robot is definitely not what I am. Rigi had taught me that they are evil metal creations that have created Under-World to trap and rule over humans the way they want to.I am not like that,nor do I ever want to be like that.

(a/n No Idea why I started rhyming.)

The boy stands and makes "actions" with his hands again while he presents himself.

"I am Crest. Your savior who really really would like to know why you were lying at the bottom of the lake naked." 

I stare at him then stand,disappointingly only coming up to the end of his ribs. I turn my head to look up at his prideful face.

"I am Echo. The Echo number two thousand and ninety-nine. Sorted into the 3rd Forerunner Dwelling of the Under-World." I repeated as I always did during the start of my lessons. The many educators of the Under-World would ask each Learner of theirs this question before every lesson. Rigi explained that this must be for brainwashing,brainwashing us to believe and commit to the Under-World. I don't like to admit it,but there are times when the Under-World seems like the best home to be in.

"Ok,no idea what you just said to be honest. I got that you are named Echo. What's with the numbers? And you are sorted.....into something...... of the Under-World. "

He doesn't really understand. Never mind. I nod.

"You are from the Underworld? Like the one where there's the dude named Hades who bathes in water filled with tortured souls?" He has an eyebrow raised. I like that expression. Rigi has told me of the Underworld.And coincidentally,he had also mentioned the Death God bathing in his subjects.

"No,I am from the Under-World a world created by robots.I do not know how I escaped it,nor do I know how to get back." 

"Damn! You need to speak with more emotion. You sound like Siri's little sister. So,you are from this made up world and you do not know how to- Oh forget it! Roll credits! I get it! I've been set up for a prank. Where's the hidden camera? Really original idea,a naked girl with a weird request." His hands dance to his loud words and it's beautiful.

*snap* *snap* goes his fingers,right in front of my face.

"Hey,you. You can stop acting now. You can tell them to stop the cameras too." He says. Whatever he is saying,I sadly do not understand. This isn't something that Rigi had taught me,or maybe it's a lesson that I have forgotten.

"I do not understand what you are saying."

He stares back at me with big eyes and an open mouth in response.

"Ugh. Just-just. You can follow me back to my place.But wear this." He removes his weirdly textured garment from himself to reveal the black-graphic t-shirt underneath and holds it out to me.His t-shirt is like one of many that Rigi owns.

"It should cover most of what should be covered. I don't want you getting written for public indecency. I already killed an old lady,I don't want more trouble."

Whatever he had said,I do not understand. Rigi hadn't prepared me for this too.OR maybe I'm just a bad student.

"It's a hoodie? And it's leather,which isn't your usual hoodie cloth but it won't hurt you." 

I stare at him.

"Whoever is hosting this prank cam business better pay me big bucks. Don't scream." He gently takes my left arm and puts it through the garment's sleeve and pulls it up to my shoulder then his arms circles around me,and he does the same to the other arm. The garment is "warm" with his "heat" and soft on the inside. It feels nothing like the harder materials we dress in. Crest's face is near mine again.So close that I see another spectrum of color in his pupils,grey mixed with "confettis" of blues and greens and yellows.

"I'm gonna zip you up now,and my hands are gonna be very close to your precious area." His voice is gentle and soothing in a way. I wonder what he means by my precious area.

I follow as his head looks down and his hands connect the cut in the fabric together. He pulls up a tab and a ZZZIIIIPP! echos around the clearing. Now the garment covers me from my shoulders to my knees."Warmth" is what I feel and it feels nice. 

He looks back into my eyes,"Hold my hand and follow me."

a/n

I swear Echo's just blank faced the whole time.

Also that bedamned typography is by this bedammed dude who's profile is Psychonauts