Realization
“Good Morning one and all, it's a beautiful morning here on the starship Avalon.”
It's like a radio, James thinks thoughtfully as he steps into the shower, he woke up 10 minutes ago and felt considerably better than the day before, no lingering traces of a headache. He can only feel the excitement coursing through his veins, I'm in space, actual space!, it's still hard for him to comprehend that he is no longer on earth.
“Whatever you do, don't get homesick, get homestead.” James let out a snort at the pun, pushing his wet hair away from his eyes as he reaches for the shampoo and starts scrubbing his hair with the eucalyptus smelling shampoo. He finishes his shower and gets out, drying his skin with his towel.
The man continues talking, sounding chipper and full of energy, “Let's start things off with one of my favorites back on earth.” The man says as David Bowie's Rebel Rebel starts playing quietly in the background, James takes a look in the mirror, just taking in his own appearance.
120 years….damn, it's weird to think about, back on earth I would already be dead but here I am, not looking a day over 30.
He takes a moment to just look at himself, a little blurry in the mirror as he doesn't have his glasses on, how his brown hair defies the laws of physics like always by standing up in all directions, even when damp. How his lashes frame his eyes, the small flecks of green are more noticeable in the light from the bathroom, in normal lighting they just look brown but now they look like something else.
– – – –
James stands before the full length merroir, trying to make the most difficult decision ever.
“No.”
He takes off the black leather jacket, I can't pull this off, right?, he thought a little hysterical. But it's so cool, okay maybe i can just carry it with me?.
He swings the jacket over his right shoulder and takes another look.
“That´s stupid” He puts it back on.
“Just own it. Own it, James. You got a cool jacket.”
– – – –
The door opens and James steps out of his room without his jacket, in a casual blue button up and black jeans. He starts walking around, trying to understand where he is supposed to go. The hologram lady said he was in learning group 38 so maybe he´ll start there?
As he takes a left he comes across a gigantic map of the ship, stating what all parts are, and there, pretty close to where he is are the classrooms. James stays for a little while, trying to memorize the way there so that he doesn't have to double back because ha couldnet remember the way.
He starts walking once again and looks around as he goes. He had the thought last night when he was walking up from the pod deck but he couldn't really focus on his surroundings at the time.
“It's really quiet…” He mumbled to himself, craning his neck to look down a corridor he passed to catch a glimpse of someone. The only person that he had seen was the hologram lady and that wasn't even a real person. Something feels wrong…it's way too quiet for a ship that contains over 5000 people. Maybe they are just still feeling bad? Yeah that's probably it. He pushes back the thought that it's impossible for all 5000 passengers to still feel ill when he feels perfectly fine.
He quickens his pace, trying to get to his classroom to see if anyone was there because the crew had to at least be there right??
When he walks into the classroom he gets a bad feeling in his stomach, no one is there, in the room that looks like it should contain over 30 people, James is its sole occupant. Another hologram pops up at the front of the classroom, it's a different woman than the one that was there when he woke up.
“Hello passengers, will you all please take a seat?” She says, looking around the empty room with a polite smile on her face. James looks around trying to understand what is happening, no one is here, why isn't anyone here. He walks up to one of the benches and takes a seat regardless, Maybe i'm just early?
“Welcome, learning group 38. Your introduction to colonial life. Earth is a prosperous planet, the cradle of civilization.” Images appear behind her, it looks like a city from a fairytale but James can't focus on it, his heart is starting to beat rapidly in his chest.
“But for many, it's also overpopulated, overpriced, overrated.” James cant take it anyone and raises his hand.
“I'm sorry, I think I may be in the wrong–”
“Hold all questions till the end, please.” The woman interrupts him.
“Oh, uh sorry.”
“The colonies offer an alternative, a better way of life.”
He cant take this he needs to know what the hell is going on, “Where are all the others…”
The woman doesn't appear to hear him and continues to talk, “And there's no colony more beautiful than Homestead II, the jewel of the occupied world.”
James lets out a strained chuckle, “I'm sorry, where is everybody?”
“We are all on the starship Avalon.”
“But I'm the only one here.” The panic that he has been trying to suppress rises up, choking him.
“There are 5000 passengers and 258 crew members.”
“So why am I alone?” The words are hard to get out, his heart feels like it's beating out of his chest.
“We're all in this together.” She says as she motions to the empty room around them.
No, no no no no
James shoots up from the bench and runs to the door, he starts running through the hallways, trying desperately to spot someone, anyone.
“Hello?!, is anybody here!” He screams, something is wrong, something is so wrong.
He doesn't get any answer, he continues to run, to scream, trying to find someone that can help him. The panic has bubbled over and is well into becoming hysteria if he doesn't find a living human person soon, not a damn hologram.
“HELLO?!”
He doesn't get an answer.