Prologue
It wasn’t what I imagined it would be like. It’s cliché, but I guess you really should be careful what you wish for.
At some point in your life, I think everyone wishes they could be someone or something else. I was envious of what others could do, and I wished…I wished I could just have a fraction of their talent and energy. When you live most of your life in a hospital staring out a window, I’m told it’s pretty common to think about the ‘what ifs’ of life. What if I were healthy? What if I could run around? What if I could go to school? But I couldn’t. My life was just a countdown of being comfortable enough until I finally kicked it and died.
So what does any sane person do when they’re completely trapped in the cage we call a body? You lose yourself in the internet, duh. I mean, even normal people do that (or so I’m told). It’s an easy escape into a world of your own creation. So I played games, I read books, I talked to people…and I envied videos of people who were able to actually go out and do. As awesome as losing myself was…I still wished that just once…I could experience a normal life for myself.
Well, that brings us back to the start. You see, I’m pretty sure I died. I don’t actually remember kicking it, so I can’t be totally sure, but I think it happened. Why? Because when I woke up, it was to a pretty blue box covering my vision.
Chapter One – New
Day One
System Scan commencing.
Initializing Profile.
Traveler, welcome to Andara! You have been placed in the country of Caoi.
Good luck on your adventures!
Jade stared blankly at the floating blue box in front of her, trying to make sense of it. The room was eerily quiet, and she glanced around, startled. Gone was the constant hum of machines that were keeping her alive and measuring her vitals. In a panic, she swiped at the air to get rid of the boxes so that she could look around, only then noticing that she could wave her arms without obstruction.
Utterly flabbergasted, she paused, staring at the simple room that was revealed with the absence of the blue box hogging her vision. Gone was the sterilized white hospital room, and in its place was what resembled a dorm room…? It had a small bed with a nightstand, a bare desk, a small dresser, and two closed doors–one beside the bed and one across the room. That was it. No wires pumping anything into her arms or checking her pulse, no machines keeping her alive. Instead of the smell of disinfectant, the gentle hint of cedar and herbs filled her nose.
She stared in wonder at the pale arms she held in front of her. They were skinny, but they seemed completely healthy. Are these really my arms? She stared at her hands, turning them over and observing the play of light coming in from the window. With a thought, she pushed the blanket off of her legs and attempted to stand. She was uncoordinated at first, wobbling as she stood up and stumbled forward a few steps jubilantly.
Peering around again, she noticed a mirror that she’d missed before and stumbled over to it, mesmerized by the face staring back at her. Dark brown hair lightly curled over her shoulders and her jade green eyes appeared luminous. Her skin was pale and she was skinny, but stable. She studied her new body in awe. She might be small, but she was no longer just skin and bones or colored a sickly yellow tinge. Her eyes were even missing the customary red that she’d grown accustomed to seeing in the mirror.
She might not be strong…but she was healthy! Laughing out loud, she stumbled over to the window, still trying to get used to the fairly new sensation of walking entirely under her own power. With a giant grin on her face, she stared out at the new world.
From her window, she could see what seemed like a strange mix of the modern world and an ancient fantasy setting. The buildings and storefronts appeared like something she’d see in a small city on Earth, but the people… They were dressed in all sorts of vivid colors and armor, toting around weapons like what she’d imagined in the average fantasy setting. Laughing brightly, she stepped away and tried to spin, only to trip and fall flat on her face.
“Urgh…” She groaned and rubbed her nose, but then started snickering. What did it matter that her coordination wasn’t all that great right now? She was healthy! She could learn to run and jump and maybe swing one of those swords they were carrying out there! It was a whole new world to explore, and for the first time, she could truly go out and live!
Recalling the blue box she’d seen when she first woke up, she tried to remember what it’d said. Something about a scan and being welcomed to Andara. Was there more? Probably. Did she remember? Not at all. “Ugh, this is where one of those message log things would come in handy.” She muttered to herself, hoping the appropriate little blue box would pop up again.
No such luck.
“There’s gotta be something… System? Menu? Oiy, blue box! Appear! Map? Information? Status? Help?” She sat there, talking aloud and trying to get the blue box to appear again when she heard the doorknob turning on the far door, only for it to stop, proving it was locked. She could vaguely make out a voice from the other side.
“Locked? It was empty yesterday… Did someone else check in?”
“I don’t know, why don’t you try knocking?” She heard three sharp raps as someone called out more loudly, “Anyone in there?”
Scrambling to her feet, she called out, “I’m here, one sec!” She glanced down, registering what she was wearing for the first time. Bare feet, what looked like yoga pants and a t-shirt with no bra that clung to her skinny frame like a second skin… Oh well, it wasn’t like she had anything to hide. She smiled a little sourly, thinking that if she was going to be given a new life, the least whatever god put her here could have done was make her not as flat as a board again… She could hear whispers on the other side of the door, but they’d lowered their voices so she could no longer make out what they were saying.
She made it to the door, fumbling with the lock before she finally figured it out and swung it open, grinning joyfully as she chirped, “Hi!”
The two girls on the other side looked a little confused at her bright greeting, but they bobbed a small bow and greeted her in return. “Hello miss. Sorry for disturbing you, but we weren’t aware anyone had checked into this room yet. We were supposed to get it ready for the new students...” Her voice trailed off as she realized she might have said too much because Jade was just staring at her, thinking hard.
Well crap. What am I supposed to do? Is this supposed to be someone else’s room? But I need a place to stay. Do I tell them I’m from another world? Will they think I’m crazy and lock me up? Don’t transmigrators usually withhold the information that they’re from a different world? But they usually take over someone else’s life, and I didn’t, so I should be okay…right? What if they can help me, but not if I don’t tell them I need help? She’s staring at me like I’m crazy. Wait, did she ask me a question?
“I’m Jade. It’s nice to meet you.” Trying to mask her crazy inner dialogue, she stuck her hand out, hoping to diffuse the awkward silence that had descended. However, now the two girls were looking at her even more strangely, or, more pointedly, they were staring at her hand like it was a snake.