https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/7-20.mov Jioni’s head spun in an attempt to figure out what was happening. Level 15? Some people have died or become critically injured in this simulation. This was illegal—and though Tracey was only doing this to help, she felt less than prepared to fight. But she couldn’t let Tracey down, not again. Jioni looked down …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/7-19-1.mov Tracey cranked the dial one last time; it reached level 15. The grass disappeared, and thick brown fog permeated the area. Jioni could no longer see Tracey, but she did see the glowing eyes of simulated Tenebris. Too distracted by the scenery, Jioni hadn’t realized that her clothes had changed. She was wearing a …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/7-18.-1.mp4 The screen rose to level 9, and the simulation sucked the air out of Jioni’s lungs; she darted to see that the blue skies had turned a muted puke green; the grass turned yellow; the trees were black and had lost all their leaves. The screen read level 10. Jioni’s breath labored; she held …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/7-17-2.mov 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 …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/7-16-1.mov “Jioni!” Tracey screamed. “You will be an Agent, right?” Jioni couldn’t respond. In fact, she could barely hear Tracey. Though she wanted to say yes, the words couldn’t form on her lips. It would be a lie. It wasn’t possible to take the test. And the indignity of realizing that she’d fail Tracey again …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/7-15.mp4 Jioni stood up, carrying with her the embarrassment and shame of Tracey’s kind gesture. Though she wanted to feel relief that it was all solved, Jioni couldn’t ignore that she had found a new way to disappoint Tracey, making her job and life even more stressful. Jioni struggled to get any word out, but …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/7-14-1.mov “Have you been to City Four? Heck, have you seen City Three? You couldn’t tell the difference between a wasteland and one of those cities. Geogen gives us uniforms, weapons, food, and water. We need things. We have things. All you guys ever do is beg for things we don’t have,” Tracey announced. “And …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/7-13.mp4 “I can’t believe you failed one exam, and now you’re speaking like a delinquent,” Tracey said. “All I want is for you to be happy and live a good life, but you want to give up.” Jioni sat still. She tried her best to avoid Tracey’s concerned eyes, her wrinkles even more prominent. Every …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/7-12.mov Tracey’s smile had sincerity to it. But Jioni knew she deserved better. She then remembered why she came, what she was here for: to propose her plan to help herself, Derrin, and now Tracey as well. Though the thought of speaking unsettled her, she found solace in Tracey’s smile. “What if we secede from …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/7-11-2.mov Jioni’s body became stiff. If only Tracey knew that she was damaged and couldn’t take the test. That she had failed her unknowingly, and the guilt built up inside her. Like a hurricane, her mind spun with a sense of fraud. She sat in silence, using her fake smile as a shield, but Tracey …
