Through Shattered Glass

My eyes slowly fluttered open as I felt a sharp throb in my head. Lifting myself up, I removed the blanket as my eyes tried to adjust to the environment. After a while, I realised that I was not at the building anymore. Looking around, I saw pictures of myself when I was younger, a linear sequence from my birth through my childhood and until the age I am as of now.

I'm back home. I thought to myself, confused. Was it all a bad dream?

Slowly getting up, I walked around touching everything in sight, trying to figure out if my reality was real. The room was tidy just how I liked it. Opening the cupboard in the corner, all of my clothes were folded neatly and sorted out based on their colours. I had a thing for colour ordering. It made life much easier as based on my mood, I wore a certain colour. The lamp on my desk was still turned on, shining onto a notebook that lay there.

The one my mother bought for me on my birthday. I thought with a smile on my face.

Picking it up, I brushed my hand over its soft cover. It had a picture of our family dog on it. I opened it up, looking at all the notes that I had written for my education. Flicking through the pages brought back so many memories of my times earlier.

Leaving the room, I walked down the stairs hearing the water in the kitchen turned on. My mother was humming a pleasant tune to herself whilst she washed the dishes. Not wanting to disturb her, I stood there with a smile watching her as she worked. She had such elegance in her movements that were something to be admired off. Her beauty was unmatched, and her softness reminded me of... of Annabeth.

Who was she again? I thought to myself.

That name seemed familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Oh darling, you're awake, eh?" My mother said, interrupting my train of thought. "I made you sum food. Wash those hands and sit and eat, eh?"

"Mother, I've told you to stop using slang so much." I said with a chuckle as I obeyed her.

"Now, now. It aint a big deal now, is it. You is my daughter ain't ya?" She said, smiling with joy.

"You have a point, Mama." I said, sitting down and digging into my food. Bacon and eggs were a staple in this household. And no one cooked them better than my own mama.

"How was your sleep, darling?" She asked me to give me a peck on the cheek.

"It was... interesting. I don't really remember anything that happened, though. I feel like I'm missing something."

"Well, don't stress too much about it. You will remember eventually. We all have these moments, but they always come back to us."

"True, but I feel like it is something really important."

"Don't sweat it. It isn't as if some friend of yours is in danger or something."

Friend. Annabeth. Danger.

It all started to come back to me. My eyes flew wide open as my hand began to tremble. My mother realised something was wrong, placed her hand on me trying to comfort me. But I stood up instantly, removing her hand of mine. Looking around the house, I began to feel nauseous. My head began to spiral as I started to lose my senses.

"Darling you, ok?" My mother said, standing up. A look of worry planted on her face.

"This isn't real." I muttered to myself as I began to distance myself from my mother.

"Honey, you're scaring me. Are you sure you are, ok?" She said, advancing towards me.

"Stay back!" I screamed as I darted towards a knife holding it up to her. "This isn't real!" I screamed again even louder.

And then my mother began to laugh as my body froze. It was a low, maniacal laugh. Something I knew my mother wasn't capable of.

"She found out earlier than I expected."

A voice said that came from my mother. But it was a male voice. One that I didn't recognise.

"Wake her up."

And suddenly, the place I called home began to collapse and crumble in front of my very own eyes. My mother, or whatever was standing their impersonating her, began to turn into dust. The sun boiled my skin alive as it inched closer and closer. My farm that I had lived in for all my life began to dry and die. The ground beneath me cracked and started to split open.

Instinctively, I began to run. As fast as I could into the field. As soon as I approached any object in front of it, it turned to dust in an instance. The grass withered away as did the tractor and animals. Behind me, the cracks continuously chased me in hopes to engulf me into the earth.

Running as fast as I could, the sky above me started to collapse. Clouds fell down with a loud thud as the blue painted sky changed into a dark red. However, as I continued to run ahead, the ground in front of me began to crack as well. Stopping in my tracks, I turned left and right, trying to find a way out, but it covered me from all directions until it stooped right under my feet. I was standing on a desolate piece of land. Everything else was gone. Pure nothingness of space filled me with immense fear.

What the hell is going on. I thought to myself.

And then in the sky a pair of blood red eyes appeared. They stared at me into my soul with such intenseness that I felt as if my heart would be ripped out any second. My lips quivered as my eyes darted across my head. My body began to shake profusely as I couldn't even breathe. And then the ground beneath me started to crack slowly. It felt like eternity. The feeling when you know there is nothing you can do but wait for the impending doom ahead. It is something that truly scares u for the rest of your life.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

I closed my eyes as I braced for my fall.

One. Two. Three.

And then I dropped into the abyss down below.

"AAAAAA!" I screamed as I sprung up off the floor.

Holding my head, my breath was ragged as sweat trickled down my face. I clutched my chest, trying to regulate my breathing back to normal.

I'm alive. I thought to myself. It felt so real. That fear, what the hell was that thing?

After a while, I started to regain myself back to my senses. Sluggishly, I stood up, stumbling a few times, gaining my footing firmly. Looking around, I tried to find out where I was. The room was made of glass. Everywhere all I could see was glass, even the floor was made of glass. It was reflective enough to emit a solid figure of myself but distorted enough that I wouldn't be able to recognise the figure as a human being.

I walked around my arms stretched out in case I hit my head on any of the glass. The room felt quite spacious, with more than enough room to walk around that would be covered in an hour or two. It was hard to get my sense of direction in place as the glass made it seem I was anywhere and everywhere. After a while of roaming, I decided to sit down and regain my thoughts. I started to remember everything.

Meeting Annabeth and Harold, coming over here, the mysterious letters about our personal things and me fainting. That was all I remembered.

I hope the others are okay.

My clothes had been taken off and replaced with white clothes that covered my body. It was as if I was a patient at a psychiatric ward. My feet felt cold against the glass as corners of it poked my toes. The room itself was freezing. Cuddling myself, I tried my best to stay warm.

I'm trapped. I hope that Annabeth and Harold at least made it out.

After a while of sitting down, I noticed that in the corner of the room was a small speaker. It was hard to notice at first, but thanks to the reflections of the glass, I could see it well. Getting up, I made my way towards it. It was the only thing different in this room. However, it was too high for me to reach. Then I heard a static sound coming from the speaker. Getting close to it, I listened in, hoping to find out something.

"Welcome." A voice said. It seemed to be a man.

"I am The Scientist. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. I hope that my waiters have not caused you a lot of stress. Well, that is a bit ironic noticing the state you are in at the moment. We will be conducting an experiment on you for the next few months. You will find out and understand what will happen in the coming days. All you need to do is obey, and we will treat you very carefully. Of course, after the experiment has been conducted, you will be allowed to leave... if your mind still works. But worry not, as I am excellent at my own job. From now on, this is your home. Get comfortable as you will not be going anywhere anytime soon."

"You think people won't get suspicious?" I spoke. "If I am gone for too long without a word, my family will send out a notice. People will come for you."

"Ah, hope. Such a crucial part of life. That's good. Keep holding onto that hope that someone will come save you. Don't let go of it, for if you do, then not even you can save yourself."

"What is this for you? Is this all just a game. Kidnapping people and forcing them to do this?" I retorted, furious at his mannerism.

"I didn't force you for anything. You came here willingly. All I kept was the point of the experiment. But worry, not everything will be explained shortly. Oh, and don't worry about the other two."

"What the hell did you do to them!" I screamed.

"Nothing, they are also here. Right beside you, in fact. So, get comfortable. There is no escape. Accept your destiny in the name of science!"

"Goodbye."

And then he was gone. Leaving me all alone in this solitary confinement. My reflection was the only thing that accompanied me for this torturous hell I had been placed in. If only I knew how bad it would become later on.

God have mercy on my soul.