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Rated - ModerateSoloWriting - MSL
The day had been peaceful. Just any ordinary day in Samantha’s life. Going to school, hanging out with her friends, having some fun. There was nothing to complain about. If she were to be honest, she might even say that it was perfect.
But perfection could never last. Happiness could not exist without sorrow. Something was always going to happen.
Instead of going to a party that some friends were having at one of the local campsites, Samantha had decided to return home. There was a feeling that she had, a thought that was telling her she had to go back and see her parents. Heck, she was quite willing to see her younger siblings as well with the way that her mind was dancing over the very idea of giving each person in her life a hug. Why those feelings were there, she had no idea, but this was a normal part of life, right? Emotions always surfaced when least expected.
The main door opened and shoes were kicked off in the entrance area along with her backpack being placed near the wall, her eyes scanning the place and a smile crossing over her face as she could smell the spaghetti bolognaise that her mother was preparing them in the kitchen. Her father was in the living area, seated on his own personal seat with a newspaper in his hands and some old police drama on the television – not that he was paying much attention to it. The shouting from upstairs indicated that was where her sister was located, screeching at their brother over something with him bounding down the stairs shortly after and shoving a book into Samantha’s chest.
“Becky’s got a boyfriend, Becky’s got a boyfriend!”
The chanting could be heard even as he ran through the kitchen and out through the back door, with Rebecca – the middle child – following down the stairs soon after and snatching the book back out of Samantha’s grasp. Only enough time for Samantha to see that it had been Rebecca’s diary before sounds of her sister whining to their mother could be heard. Oh the joys of a family life. It was noted that the father said nothing, just giving a little huff and turning up the sound on the television a little. They were all used to this by now.
Why was it that she had wanted to give her siblings a hug again? Oh, right, because they were family. With the way they were acting, they were lucky not to be getting told off by someone.
The smile never faltered, heading into the living area and approaching her father. After a second of her standing there, he lowered the paper and looked at her, to then be greeted by Samantha wrapping her arms around him and placing a kiss against his cheek. Not the first time that she had shown affection but as she had been growing older, it became less and less frequent, always resulting in the look of surprise that was plastered on her father’s face as she exited the area and headed towards the kitchen. Her mother was much more open about such things, smiling brightly when she saw Samantha entering the room.
Once again, her arms were wrapped around the parental figure – this time with the other embracing her in return, both keeping the other close as though they were scared of losing each other if they ever let go. There had always been a connection there, one that would last the test of time.
“Dinner will be ready soon, why don’t you put your things away and come down when you’re ready?”
Samantha gave a quick nod in response, looking at her mother with a smile – though she didn’t head backwards to the entrance of the room, instead she headed over towards the door that would lead outside into the back yard, seeing her sister ready to kick the crap out of their brother if she ever managed to get hold of him. “Just got one thing to do first.” Samantha gave a low hum, stepping outside and walking over to her siblings, grabbing Samuel by the collar of his shirt and dragging him back towards her before lightly pulling Rebecca in closer. She hugged them both at the same time, keeping them close despite the fact that Samuel was trying his hardest to fight out of it. Rebecca was just confused by everything, especially when Samantha eventually let them both go and headed back into the kitchen without a single word.
At least the confusion stopped them fighting. The mother also seemed to be confused, staring out of the window and then looking at Samantha as she came back inside, as though staring at someone that had replaced her own child. No doubt because the siblings never hugged or showed love, even though they did care for each other and would risk their lives to save another in a heartbeat.
Samantha gave another warm smile, heading to pick up her backpack and then take it upstairs and into her room. The door was closed behind her, backpack dropped on the floor, with Samantha ready to fall back onto the bed for a moment of relaxation before going back downstairs for some food. It was the box on the bed that stopped any of that from happening, her hands reaching out with the assumption that it must be a gift from her parents – though she had no idea why. The box was lifted, looked over and examined, seeing that it looked quite old and antiquated, as though it were some lost treasure that didn’t quite belong here. Perhaps a part of the gift itself?
Fingers carefully opened the box, hearing the creak of the hinges and hoping it wouldn’t fall apart of her as she revealed the red velvet texture that was inside. A device of some kind was cushioned in the middle, looking far more futuristic and advanced than the box it had been presented in. Some kind of new smart watch, perhaps? Though a little bulky for just telling the time or tracking any exercises. There was a thoughtful hum as Samantha pulled it out, carefully placing the box to one side as she took a seat and examined the device a little closer. It looked so sleek, so shiny and new, something from some sci-fi show or one of those funky animated shows she might have watched when she was younger… Heck, she would still probably watch them into her adulthood.
“Interesting…”
“Voice recognition: Samantha Hope… Registering... Activated. Welcome, Miss Hope.”
Okay, that was definitely weird. She had almost tossed the thing across the room because it had startled her. Definitely not the latest version of Siri, Cortana or whatever the heck Samsung had these days. And it knew her just by her voice? Had it already been programmed to respond to her so that she could start using it? There were a few buttons but no instructions on how to use the device, so it was going to be a learning curve in working out how to use the thing.
“Alright. No idea what you are or how to use you but we’ll get there eventually.”
“Ask and I shall help. I am programmed to take you anywhere you need to go, to help you fulfil your destiny.”
“Google Maps telling me I need to exercise more or something then. Couldn’t they have just gotten me something else?”
"You have been chosen. If you wear me, I can show you other worlds and take you on many adventures. Everything you have ever wished you could do can all be yours with a few commands and some presses of the buttons.”
Okay, that was crazy talk right there. Chosen? For what, exactly? It was the question that should have been asked but not the one that came from her lips. She figured it was just going to be some fancy Virtual Reality kind of stuff, with a motion tracker built in to record all of her movements and activity. The next evolution in wearable technology, a device that took up most of the forearm.
“Worth a shot, right? Try it for a few minutes before dinner, then just take it off for later.”
Besides, who didn’t want to see other realities and go on some crazy adventures, getting into a lot of trouble on a wild rollercoaster of a ride. There was a small shrug, the device being moved in close and then placed on her wrist – with it snapping shut instantly and pulsating a green light from it’s face. Either an indication that this was a bad idea or the start of some great experience. It was uncertain right now. Though as the world around her started to blur, everything slowly starting to look like some messed up watercolour painting, Samantha had to think that it was the former over the latter.
It wasn’t long before she found the soft bed underneath her had been changed into a much rougher rock and the area which surrounded her seemed to be void of all life or anything that could even be considered shelter. An endless desert of nothingness, with only sand and rocks surrounding her. Of course instinct had her remove the device, believing that it would snap her back to reality and her own home but even with it being taken from her wrist and dropped to the floor, nothing changed and she still found herself in the empty land.
What exactly was happening here?
But perfection could never last. Happiness could not exist without sorrow. Something was always going to happen.
Instead of going to a party that some friends were having at one of the local campsites, Samantha had decided to return home. There was a feeling that she had, a thought that was telling her she had to go back and see her parents. Heck, she was quite willing to see her younger siblings as well with the way that her mind was dancing over the very idea of giving each person in her life a hug. Why those feelings were there, she had no idea, but this was a normal part of life, right? Emotions always surfaced when least expected.
The main door opened and shoes were kicked off in the entrance area along with her backpack being placed near the wall, her eyes scanning the place and a smile crossing over her face as she could smell the spaghetti bolognaise that her mother was preparing them in the kitchen. Her father was in the living area, seated on his own personal seat with a newspaper in his hands and some old police drama on the television – not that he was paying much attention to it. The shouting from upstairs indicated that was where her sister was located, screeching at their brother over something with him bounding down the stairs shortly after and shoving a book into Samantha’s chest.
“Becky’s got a boyfriend, Becky’s got a boyfriend!”
The chanting could be heard even as he ran through the kitchen and out through the back door, with Rebecca – the middle child – following down the stairs soon after and snatching the book back out of Samantha’s grasp. Only enough time for Samantha to see that it had been Rebecca’s diary before sounds of her sister whining to their mother could be heard. Oh the joys of a family life. It was noted that the father said nothing, just giving a little huff and turning up the sound on the television a little. They were all used to this by now.
Why was it that she had wanted to give her siblings a hug again? Oh, right, because they were family. With the way they were acting, they were lucky not to be getting told off by someone.
The smile never faltered, heading into the living area and approaching her father. After a second of her standing there, he lowered the paper and looked at her, to then be greeted by Samantha wrapping her arms around him and placing a kiss against his cheek. Not the first time that she had shown affection but as she had been growing older, it became less and less frequent, always resulting in the look of surprise that was plastered on her father’s face as she exited the area and headed towards the kitchen. Her mother was much more open about such things, smiling brightly when she saw Samantha entering the room.
Once again, her arms were wrapped around the parental figure – this time with the other embracing her in return, both keeping the other close as though they were scared of losing each other if they ever let go. There had always been a connection there, one that would last the test of time.
“Dinner will be ready soon, why don’t you put your things away and come down when you’re ready?”
Samantha gave a quick nod in response, looking at her mother with a smile – though she didn’t head backwards to the entrance of the room, instead she headed over towards the door that would lead outside into the back yard, seeing her sister ready to kick the crap out of their brother if she ever managed to get hold of him. “Just got one thing to do first.” Samantha gave a low hum, stepping outside and walking over to her siblings, grabbing Samuel by the collar of his shirt and dragging him back towards her before lightly pulling Rebecca in closer. She hugged them both at the same time, keeping them close despite the fact that Samuel was trying his hardest to fight out of it. Rebecca was just confused by everything, especially when Samantha eventually let them both go and headed back into the kitchen without a single word.
At least the confusion stopped them fighting. The mother also seemed to be confused, staring out of the window and then looking at Samantha as she came back inside, as though staring at someone that had replaced her own child. No doubt because the siblings never hugged or showed love, even though they did care for each other and would risk their lives to save another in a heartbeat.
Samantha gave another warm smile, heading to pick up her backpack and then take it upstairs and into her room. The door was closed behind her, backpack dropped on the floor, with Samantha ready to fall back onto the bed for a moment of relaxation before going back downstairs for some food. It was the box on the bed that stopped any of that from happening, her hands reaching out with the assumption that it must be a gift from her parents – though she had no idea why. The box was lifted, looked over and examined, seeing that it looked quite old and antiquated, as though it were some lost treasure that didn’t quite belong here. Perhaps a part of the gift itself?
Fingers carefully opened the box, hearing the creak of the hinges and hoping it wouldn’t fall apart of her as she revealed the red velvet texture that was inside. A device of some kind was cushioned in the middle, looking far more futuristic and advanced than the box it had been presented in. Some kind of new smart watch, perhaps? Though a little bulky for just telling the time or tracking any exercises. There was a thoughtful hum as Samantha pulled it out, carefully placing the box to one side as she took a seat and examined the device a little closer. It looked so sleek, so shiny and new, something from some sci-fi show or one of those funky animated shows she might have watched when she was younger… Heck, she would still probably watch them into her adulthood.
“Interesting…”
“Voice recognition: Samantha Hope… Registering... Activated. Welcome, Miss Hope.”
Okay, that was definitely weird. She had almost tossed the thing across the room because it had startled her. Definitely not the latest version of Siri, Cortana or whatever the heck Samsung had these days. And it knew her just by her voice? Had it already been programmed to respond to her so that she could start using it? There were a few buttons but no instructions on how to use the device, so it was going to be a learning curve in working out how to use the thing.
“Alright. No idea what you are or how to use you but we’ll get there eventually.”
“Ask and I shall help. I am programmed to take you anywhere you need to go, to help you fulfil your destiny.”
“Google Maps telling me I need to exercise more or something then. Couldn’t they have just gotten me something else?”
"You have been chosen. If you wear me, I can show you other worlds and take you on many adventures. Everything you have ever wished you could do can all be yours with a few commands and some presses of the buttons.”
Okay, that was crazy talk right there. Chosen? For what, exactly? It was the question that should have been asked but not the one that came from her lips. She figured it was just going to be some fancy Virtual Reality kind of stuff, with a motion tracker built in to record all of her movements and activity. The next evolution in wearable technology, a device that took up most of the forearm.
“Worth a shot, right? Try it for a few minutes before dinner, then just take it off for later.”
Besides, who didn’t want to see other realities and go on some crazy adventures, getting into a lot of trouble on a wild rollercoaster of a ride. There was a small shrug, the device being moved in close and then placed on her wrist – with it snapping shut instantly and pulsating a green light from it’s face. Either an indication that this was a bad idea or the start of some great experience. It was uncertain right now. Though as the world around her started to blur, everything slowly starting to look like some messed up watercolour painting, Samantha had to think that it was the former over the latter.
It wasn’t long before she found the soft bed underneath her had been changed into a much rougher rock and the area which surrounded her seemed to be void of all life or anything that could even be considered shelter. An endless desert of nothingness, with only sand and rocks surrounding her. Of course instinct had her remove the device, believing that it would snap her back to reality and her own home but even with it being taken from her wrist and dropped to the floor, nothing changed and she still found herself in the empty land.
What exactly was happening here?