Jioni hyperventilated; she hated the simulation. Nothing about the Trial felt real. It was a liminal space, feeling dreamlike, with all her senses ignited and overwhelmed simultaneously. When she tried to step forward, it felt off. She attempted to find Tracey but couldn’t see her.
“I believe in you,” Tracey said. “And I refuse to let you fail! You will have a good life.”
Jioni finally saw her, her manic, teary face. She held the Agent Trial remote from earlier. Carelessly spinning and pressing on it.
The jumbotron above pinged eerily every time the display changed. It cranked from level 1 to level 2, then level 3, and it continued to creep up in level.
Jioni started to sweat. Her body felt floaty yet firm on the ground. The feeling was comparable to falling. The roaring continued, and dust kicked up in the air.
