by C. S. Harte
Emily rolled her eyes at Jaime. “Here we go, Mr. Show Off.”
Jaime extended his right arm in front of his chest. His palm faced up. “I’m going to picture a ball of fire spinning around in my hand.”
That seems dangerous in an enclosed space.
A small spark flickered in Jamie’s palm, exploding into a fiery ball. An invisible spherical shield prevented the fire from expanding and consuming the room. The flame continued to rotate and swirl like a miniature gas planet.
Kayla gasped. “Wow! How?”
“I’m a pyro. That’s my talent. This is easy stuff for me.” Jaime flexed his arm muscles.
Emily inserted a finger in her mouth, pretending to gag.
“What are y’alls talents?”
Emily snickered. “Y'all. That’s cute. We got a Texan in the house.”
Kayla smiled, unsure if they were making fun of her.
“We have the same talents. Probably has something to do with the fact that we’re twins.” Haley shrugged.
Emily stood and extended her arm with her palm up as Jaime did. Her entire hand glowed yellow like she was wearing a glove made of sunlight. The light pulsed in brightness and moved around her as if alive. It shifted its shape as it moved, stopping in the center of her palm, settling on the form of a dagger. The weapon continued to pulsate in brightness, but its shape no longer changed.
Kayla stared at Emily, then at the blade, mesmerized by the magic of the display.
Emily grabbed the handle of the dagger and turned her body towards Jaime. She threw the dagger at his left ear which narrowly missed him — intentionally it seemed.
Jaime ducked nonetheless. “Hey!”
The knife stuck in the far wall and disappeared after a few seconds.
Haley laughed. “We’re projectionists. We can project our Chi into our hands to create weapons we can use to fight with or throw at idiots like Jaime.”
Kayla stood in amazement at the superhuman displays of talent in front of her. She looked at her palms, appearing lost in thought. The other three in the room were talking, but their voices drifted into the background. Could I ever do what they just did? She flexed her hand opened and closed, urging her talent to rise.
“Careful, if you stare too hard, you might burn a hole in your hand,” Emily said, snickering.
Kayla looked up to see everyone laughing. She laughed with them. “Can Helen really train me to use my powers?”
“Let’s hope so,” Emily replied with a hint of sarcasm.
Kayla frowned. Did I do something to piss her off?
“That’s the plan!” Jaime said, adding to Emily’s response.
“What can I do with my Telekinesis talent?”
“We’ve never seen anyone with that talent. So hopefully you’ll show us in training,” Haley said.
Jaime winked at Kayla. “Don’t worry. I’ll go easy on you until you get better.”
Emily crossed her arms and looked away from Jaime, muttering something to herself.
“Do you know what we’re training for?” Kayla asked.
Emily shrugged. “So we don’t hurt ourselves. Don’t hurt others.”
“If we control our talents, can we leave?”
The three guests all glanced at each other but did not immediately answer Kayla’s question.
Jaime whispered to Kayla, “We don’t talk about leaving. It’s one of the house rules. You can get punished.”
A soft sigh escaped Kayla’s lips. I’m never going to leave here.
Talk of leaving seemed to have ruined the flow of conversation. An awkward silence blanketed the group, lasting almost a minute.
Jaime’s face lit up with an idea. “Kayla, have you seen Hollywood yet?”
“No, I haven't gone much outside of Austin.”
He laughed. “That’s not what I meant.” Jaime turned to Emily, “Let’s take her to Bonfire Beach.”
17
Jaime gestured with his hand as he mapped out the house for Kayla. “All the living quarters are in B-wing which is where we are now. Hollywood is in D-wing on the other side of the house. That’s where Bonfire Beach is.”
Kayla passed a mirror in the hallway and placed her arms across her chest, hiding her insecurities. It was rare for her to wear a bathing suit in public. “How big is this house to have a beach with a bonfire?”
Jaime returned a sly smile. “I guess you can say Eden House is like its own little world. It’s easier to show than explain. You wouldn’t believe it until you see it anyway.”
Kayla nodded her acceptance of his answer but scowled at Jaime. She still had so many questions.
Jaime placed a hand on the small of Kayla’s back pushing her to keep pace with the group. Emily glared at Jaime, having apparently seen the physical contact.
The group walked in silence until a question popped into Kayla’s mind. “Why is D-wing called Hollywood?”
“That’s where all the studios are,” Haley said with a matter-of-fact tone.
“Like movie studios?”
Emily groaned. “Oh my God! Just shut up, and you’ll see when we get there.”
Kayla stopped her walk, taken aback by the aggressiveness of Emily’s reply.
Emily and Haley continued on without bothering to look back, leaving Jaime alone with Kayla.
Jaime leaned into her. “Don’t worry about Emily. It’s a day of the week that ends in ‘y,’ so she’s upset. Believe it or not, she can get worse.” He laughed.
They continued their tour of B-wing — a hallway that seemingly continued without end. Kayla had been counting the number of doors they’ve passed to get a sense of where her room was. She lost track at 40.
“How many people live here?” Kayla asked.
Jaime shrugged. “Most of these rooms are empty. At least I think so. I don’t know how they handle the room assignments. And some people here are anti-social. I don’t know much about them since — you know — they’re anti-social.”
“That's kinda sad.”
“I guess they have their reasons. I would go insane without the company of others. The reverse of that is also true. People would go insane without my company.” Jaime grinned.
Kayla laughed out loud. It was her first deep belly laugh since the whole sequence of unfortunate events. “You’re too much.”
“A blessing and a curse I’m afraid.” Jaime whistled a tune, his stride showing extra pep.
The hair on Kayla’s arm stood, her body instinctively shivered.
“Speaking of loners, we’re about to pass Masa’s room. He doesn’t speak much. But Haley has a crush on him. She’s into the dark and brooding type. I don’t see it myself. I think it’s because of his man bun.”
Kayla stopped at Masa’s bedroom door, peeking in. She stared at a man meticulously working on an ice sculpture. He appeared older than the group. His long black hair flowed freely down his back, reaching all the way to his waist.
She waved to him and immediately started to blush. Why did I just wave at him?
Masa looked up from his work. His face remained expressionless as he walked over to Kayla.
She saw his face clearly. He was in his early twenties. His eyes were curiously blue — a shade somewhere between the light blue of an ocean surface and the deep blue of an ocean floor. Scruff covered his face. He was closer to Helen’s age than the other residents in the house. There was a well-defined symmetry to his features. He’s beautiful. I can see why Haley would like him.
Kayla’s heart began beating faster as he neared, her face blossoming red. She tried to cover her body with her arms, pulling her knees in together. The motion left her in an awkward pose where her lower body was turned one way, and her upper half twisted another. Good job, Kayla. Really smooth.
Masa stopped in front of the door. His eyes scanned Kayla from top to bottom, his face neutral in appearance.
As tall as Kayla was, he stood a head taller. “Hello, I’m Kayla.”
Masa closed the door o
n Kayla without saying a word.
Jaime laughed. “Yup, that’s Masa.” He nudged Kayla to keep going. “We need to catch up to the Wonder Twins.”
Was it him on that painting in Helen’s office?
“I guess Masa’s talent has to do with ice?”
“Beautiful and smart!” Jaime smiled. “He’s been here longer than most of us and keeps to himself except for training. He doesn’t always show up, but if he does, he usually kicks everyone’s butt.”
“Do we fight each other in training?”
“Sometimes. Depends on what Helen wants us to work on.”
Kayla winced. “I may look tough, but I don’t want to get hurt.”
“I don’t know exactly how everything works, so you will have to ask Helen later, but you can’t get hurt in this house. If I threw a fireball at you, you wouldn't incinerate. You will see yourself engulfed in flames, and it’ll look crazy fun, but you won’t feel anything. What you do feel is the hand-to-hand stuff. We practice that more than anything else.”
“If we’re here to control our talents, why do we have to learn hand-to-hand combat?”
Jaime shrugged. “Beats me. No pun intended.”
They both laughed.
Jaime pointed to the nested chandeliers. “That’s the foyer. Hollywood is just beyond that. I can’t wait to show you our studio rooms.” His eyes lit up with excitement. “Bonfire Beach is Studio B. They figured that would make it easier for people to remember.”
They reached the foyer. Other teenagers were lounging around, laughing. Kayla stared at a group of two guys and one girl with stacks of books around them. The girl had a book on her lap with one hand resting on top of the book. Her eyes were closed, but her lips were moving. She sat that way during the short time it took for Kayla to walk through the foyer. Where were all these people before? Where are all the adults?
Jaime pointed forward. “We’re almost there Kayla.”
The B-wing corridor looked like hallways you would see in a high-end hotel. In stark contrast, the hallway in D-wing looked sterile — a hospital hallway. Studio B was the second door in another seemingly infinite tunnel.
They reached the threshold of Studio B. Kayla sucked in a quick breath then covered her mouth with both hands. Directly in front of her was something impossible. A beach — an actual, real-looking beach with an ocean connected to it. The night sky draped over the ocean, embroidered with stars, a full moon, and a comet streaking across its fabric. On the beach a bonfire blazed, illuminating the scene with its intense fiery glow steadying the evening from falling into night. Beach-goers splashed in the water, waves crashed onto rocks, seagulls squawked on the pier. Kayla heard everything. The sea air wafted into her nostrils. She tasted the saltiness on her tongue. Kayla looked behind and saw the hallway of B-wing. She pinched herself. “Ow!” Her eyes blinked rapidly. “I don’t understand? Where’s the ceiling? Are we really outside?”
Jaime laughed. “I had the same reaction my first time I saw a studio. Thought I literally died and gone to heaven. I hope my eyes didn’t bug out as much as yours.”
Kayla punched Jaime. “How is this possible? There’s a beachfront with an ocean connected to this house.”
He scratched his head. “I think it’s magic. It feels like magic.” He walked onto the beach, pulling Kayla with him.
The sand crunched between her toes.
The light from the hallway narrowed, disappearing as the door behind them closed.
Panic shot up Kayla’s spine. “How are we gonna get out?”
“Just touch your hand to something solid and say ‘exitus.’ A door will open somewhere close to you.”
Emily and Haley approached Jaime.
“Sure took you guys long enough,” Emily said, her voice full of disdain.
“Yeah, we stopped in the powder room to fix our hair and touch up our makeup. You know, girl stuff,” Jaime retorted.
Kayla laughed.
Emily gave Jaime a menacing glare.
“And then Masa came to talk to us for a bit.”
Haley’s ears perked up. “You did? What did you guys talk about?”
“Well, mostly it was just Kayla talking with her weird hip movements —”
Haley’s teeth clenched ever so slightly, but enough for Kayla to notice her displeasure.
“It was totally not like that,” Kayla quickly interjected.
“— And then Masa responded by slamming the door in her face,” Jaime finished.
Emily and Haley burst out in laughter.
“I wish I was there to see the look on your face!” Emily pointed at Kayla.
“It wasn’t like that at all. I was just curious why the temperature dropped below zero all of a sudden.”
“Would you three mind if I had a word with Kayla?” Helen asked.
Kayla jumped forward.
“No Helen,” said all three. They made their way to the logs surrounding the bonfire.
“My apologies for startling you.”
Kayla stared at Helen. “Does everyone have the talent to sneak behind people and scare the crap out of them?”
Helen smiled. “No. I suppose I spend more time invisible than visible these days. Just a natural impulse. Come. We need to finish our conversation from earlier.” She extended her arm for Kayla to take.
“I understand you’ve been talking about leaving.”
Every muscle in Kayla’s body tensed.
Helen placed her hand on a tall rocky outcrop. “Exitus.”
The original doorway reappeared.
18
“Follow me, dear. Do keep up,” Helen instructed.
They traversed the hallways of Hollywood stopping in front of a door labeled Studio N.
Helen placed her hand on the knob. “Initus. Atlantis Hotel, Nassau, Bahamas. Present day.” She opened the door and entered.
Kayla stood at the threshold. On one side of the door was the linoleum hallway of D-wing. On the other, an island resort on a beautiful sunny day. She followed Helen inside and was greeted by a cool ocean breeze. The smell of freshly cut fruit floated through the air. “How many studios are in Hollywood?”
“I suppose many. However, that doesn't matter. Let’s sit down in the cabana over there and continue our talk.”
They walked along an Olympic-sized swimming pool towards the other end of the resort. A few dozen people were having fun inside the pool, swimming and playing games. There was a lot more people in this studio, adults and little children — not just teenagers. The resort wait staff bustled back and forth, attending to the guests.
Kayla’s eyebrows raised. “Are we really in the Bahamas?”
Helen smiled. “Our studio system is a marvel, isn’t it? But to answer your question, no. This is a simulation.”
“So then the people. Are they real?”
“They are not. We call them simulants. Or sims for short. Long ago, we realized a simulation felt empty without people to make it real.”
“How real are these sims?”
“I suppose that depends on your criteria for what is real. If you touch a sim, they will feel real. If you talk to them, they will interact accordingly. If you push them, they will fall. If you ask them to do a task tomorrow, they will remember. They are capable of real emotion and expression.”
They passed a mother playing with her baby. Kayla scrutinized her every movement. “But are they alive?”
“I believe the better question to ask is, ‘Are they aware of their own existence as a sim?’ The answer to that would be no.”
They reached the cabana. It was large enough to fit eight people. A wooden pergola stood over them, providing a little shade. White linen curtains hung over the sides of the pergola, muffling the wind. Helen and Kayla were alone. The wait staff did not come to service them. They each took one love seat for themselves, facing each other.
“I remember when I first arrived here.” Helen closed her eyes as if recalling a memory. “One day I was asleep in my be
d in Coventry. The next day I was here.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Quite a long time I should say. Though time, in a manner of speaking, does not seem to exist here.”
“I don’t understand.”
“If you would indulge me, I find it’s easier to show than tell.” Helen motioned for Kayla to stand. “There are clothes behind you. I suggest you change into them.”
Kayla switched into her new clothes, putting on a t-shirt and pair of jeans over her swimwear.
Helen placed her hand on the table next to her. “Initus.”
An eerie quiet settled in. The sound of the ocean paused. All the sims stood frozen in their tracks.
Kayla surveyed the resort. Her mouth slacked as she stared at the sight of everyone in mid-action.
“Pyramid of Djoser, Saqqara, Egypt. 2650 BC.”
The room change was sudden and dramatic. In one breath, the walls, the people, and the landscape were solid. Then it was as if everything turned to dust and was blown away by a stiff wind. A new landscape rose from the ground like it was underground all along and was just now being pushed to the surface.
Kayla blinked rapidly and spun around in a circle assessing the new scene. A few moments ago, she was at an island resort. Now she stood in a desert overlooking the Nile River alongside a massive pyramid. The heat from the sun was uncomfortably intense.
The desert wind blew sand into Kayla's eyes. She rubbed them with her palms — removing both sand and disbelief. “Are we… are we in Egypt now?”
“A simulation of ancient Egypt to be more precise.” Helen traced her hand along the wall of the pyramid. “A very real simulation.”
They started walking towards the entrance.
“I brought you here, the Pyramid of Djoser because this time and place represents a curious moment in history. We are in the Third Egyptian Dynasty period when Egypt was ruled by King Djoser. We are about to enter his tomb.”
Kayla wiped the sweat off her brow.
“Ahh. Finally some shade,” Helen said as they reached the entrance.
“This was a period of astonishing intellectual growth, not just for Egypt, but for humanity in general. Significant advances were made in many branches of science; architecture, engineering, medicine, and so on. All these advancements came from one person, King Djoser’s vizier — his right-hand man so to speak — a very high and prestigious position in the kingdom.” She pointed to a group of pictographs on the wall, “I don’t suppose you can read Egyptian hieroglyphics?”