Girl: “I ran away.”
Boy: “Ran away? Why?”
Girl: “I didn’t want to marry someone I’ve never met.”
Boy: “Was someone making you?”
Girl: “Yeah. My parents, the elders, almost everyone in the village was aware of the arrangement.”
Boy: “Why? That doesn’t sound fair!”
Girl: “It’s just how things are there, alright!?”
Boy: “... Well where are you from?”
Girl: “Gillua, why so many questions?”
Boy: “But you’re the one who climbed through my window at I don’t know, THREE am?!”
Suspicious Girl: “...”
Boy: “By the way, I remember seeing you down at the festival earlier today, where’d you go?”
Suspicious Girl: “Ooohhhh, so that’s what that was.”
Boy: “What did you think it was with all the lights, and people?”
Suspicious Girl: “Well it was pretty quiet for a festival, also speaking of which, why does no one talk here?”
Boy: “You mean with their voices?”
Suspicious Girl: “Yeah.”
Boy: “I guess that’s just how things are here.”
Suspicious Girl: “Now let ME do the asking, why?”
Boy: “At the birth of Terrado there followed a ‘curse’, or at least that’s how the story goes.”
Suspicious Girl: “And that curse was…”
Boy: “One day, people lost the ability to speak to each other. Have you heard of the Tower of Babel?”
Suspicious Girl: “Mhm, so God made it so you guys can’t talk?”
Boy: “Something like that. No one really knows why and how it happened, but there are differing beliefs on the topic.”
Suspicious Girl: “I see…”
Boy: “And since no one could understand each other, they couldn’t teach the language either.”
Suspicious Girl: “Then why are YOU able to talk? Also, does everyone just carry around a pad and pencil like you?”
Boy: “No, my transmitters are just broken right now.”
Suspicious Girl: “Transmitters?”
Boy: “Yeah, but my receivers work.”
Suspicious Girl: “Receiv- ok what are you talking about?”
Boy: “Oh right, you wouldn’t be able to see them huh?”
Suspicious Girl: “?”
Boy: “Instead of our voices, we use these devices around our necks to communicate.”
Suspicious Girl: “So like, how does it work?”
Boy: “Well when you wear it, it displays the texts you receive from others in front of you, and the communal texts that are sent out by other people around you.”
Suspicious Girl: “I'm guessing you can see them only if you’re wearing it huh?”
Boy: “Yup, it’s pretty quiet now because everyone is asleep, but wanna try it?”
Suspicious Girl: “Sure... and I just put it around my neck like this?”
Boy: “Yup, and now if you push the button on the back-”
Suspicious Girl: “Woah, I really CAN see texts in the air! This is so cool!”
Boy: “Right? And since it’s linked to your neurotransmitters you can navigate through the settings and conversations-”
Suspicious Girl: “Aha! And who is this Katie person?”
Startled Boy: “Hey! Don’t look around too much!”
Suspicious Girl: “Haha okay okay, but is that your girlfriend???”
Startled Boy: “Y-yeah, please don’t look through our conversations…”
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Suspicious Girl: “Why not?”
Startled Boy: “Do you guys have no privacy where you’re from?!? Also give it back!”
Suspicious Girl: “Hmph fine… Anyways, back to my question.”
Startled Boy: “Huh?”
Suspicious Girl: “Why can YOU use your voice?”
Startled Boy: “Oh um, my family moved here. I don't really know why or when, but it's definitely a secret from the others.”
Suspicious Girl: “Ah gotcha, so does the curse only affect the natives of Terrado?”
Startled Boy: “Guess so. It’s obviously a secret that I can speak.”
Suspicious Girl: “It must’ve been hard growing up then.”
Startled Boy: “For the most part, it just sounds gibberish. Since no one can understand what I say anyways. Although I did have a couple of close calls.”
Suspicious Girl: “What happens if a kid can’t control making noise?”
Startled Boy: “Well they have to, but some do get their vocal cords surgically altered.”
Suspicious Girl: “WHAT!? That’s kinda cruel…”
Startled Boy: “I know it’s a little extreme, but it’s not all that bad”
Suspicious Girl: “How long have you lived here?”
Startled Boy: “My whole life! 17 years to be exact.”
Suspicious Girl: “Oh so you didn’t come here with your family?”
Startled Boy: “Nope, born here.”
Suspicious Girl: “Gotcha.”
Startled Boy: "What about you?”
Suspicious Girl: “?”
Startled Boy: “How old are you?”
Suspicious Girl: “19.”
Started Boy: “Ah I see- wait a minute, you’re only 19 and you were supposed to get married???”
Suspicious Girl: “Like I said, different customs.”
Startled Boy: “So it’s just like that in, w-where are you from again? Kill-”
Suspicious Girl: “Gillua.”
Startled Boy: “What’s it like over there?”
Suspicious Girl: “Well, it’s pretty. First off, unlike your city there isn’t a steel dome covering it. Like there’s an actual sky, and because there is sun, we have a lot of plants and vegetation.”
Startled Boy: “My parents told me about that.”
Suspicious Girl: “What, about Gillua?”
Startled Boy: “No, the sun.”
Suspicious Girl: “My lord! You’ve never seen the sun!”
Startled Boy: “No, most of us haven’t. They’ve also told me about the moon, the stars-”
Suspicious Girl: “I’m gonna stop you right there. They’re up there right now!”
Startled Boy: “Right, I mean I know that!”
Suspicious Girl: “But you’re not sure are you? You’ve only been told that right?”
Startled Boy: “I-i guess so.”
Suspicious Girl: “Hm...”
Startled Boy: “...”
Suspicious Girl: “Let’s get out there!”
Startled Boy: “Out where?”
Suspicious Girl: “Outside the city you dummy! You’ve never seen the sky for crying out loud!”
Startled Boy: “What? NO! I can’t-”
Suspicious Girl: “Why not?”
Startled Boy: “I-i mean, I mean! How did you even get in???”
Suspicious Girl: “I was told that there was a secret tunnel to get in from the outside”
Startled Boy: “A secret tunnel???”
Suspicious Girl: “But I snuck through the main entrance.”
Startled Boy: “... and how did you manage that?”
Suspicious Girl: “That’s not important. Anyways, my name is Evangeline, but you can call me Eva.”
Startled Boy: “I’m Camren, my close friends call me Cammy though.”
Evangeline: “So Cammy, I-”
Camren: “I-i said my close friends!”
Evangeline: “Well I am now aren’t I?”
Camren: “But I’ve just met you…?”
Evangeline: “But you were looking for me earlier, meaning you were interested in me right?”
Camren: “How does that… Ha, fine.”
Evangeline: “Alrighty then Cammy, is it alright if I sleep here tonight?”
Camren: “What, in my room???”
Evangeline: “Where else would you like me to sleep then?”
Camren: “Outside of my house maybe…”
Evangeline: “Awe but like I said, I have nowhere else to go!”
Camren: “...”
Evangeline: “You’re really going to let a lost girl like me sleep outside in a foreign place like this?”
Camren: “I don’t like this manipulation…”
Evangeline: “Please??? I’ll pay you back in the future.”
Camren: “That’s not the issue here! Ugh fine, I guess I can sleep on the couch tonight then.”
Evangeline: “Wait, I didn't mean to kick you out!”
Camren: “Well we can’t be sleeping together in the same bed now can we?”
Evangeline: “Why not?”
Camren: “GOODNIGHT! I’ll just go for a walk until it's morning, I don’t feel tired anymore anyways.”
Evangeline: “Wait you’re going outside? Take me with you!”
Camren: “Weren’t you tired?”
Evangeline: “Well I just didn’t want to be alone, hehe…”
Camren: “I guess…I can give you a tour.”
Evangeline: “Really?!? Yay! You’re the best Cammy!”
Camren: “I’m not getting used to that anytime soon…”
Evangeline: “Night walk!”
Camren: “Okay, okay, just… hah… make sure not to wake up my family-”
Evangeline: “Night walk~!”
