The Other World (Chapter 1)

Chapter 1

BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

Mathew Green rolled over and turned off his alarm. He hated the sound of it.  Every morning, that terrible, grating noise startled Mathew out of a deep sleep. He sat up and tossed the covers off his body, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He shuffled across the room, silently cursing the inventor of alarm clocks, school, work, and anything else that could drag him out of his warm bed.

A vitamin and a glass of water sat on the dresser. In the ten seconds it took Mathew to wake up and reach his dresser, he had already had all those thoughts. But as he swallowed the vitamin, grimacing slightly at the water running down his throat first thing in the morning, his mood shifted. When Mathew was done putting on his uniform (black dress slacks, black socks, black shoes, and a powder blue button up shirt), he had forgotten why he had even woken up grumpy.  By the time Mathew had opened his door and stepped out of his bedroom, he had completely forgotten his mood.

He walked down the hall, not too fast but not too slowly, and into the kitchen. His parents had already left for work; he wouldn't see them until dinner time. That was fine, though. The recommendation was that parents with children thirteen and younger see them off to school, while teenagers between the ages of fourteen and seventeen were considered responsible and independent enough to get themselves to school. This allowed parents to leave for work earlier in the morning, but also for them to come home earlier in the evening, ensuring that children who were too old for sitters would have proper supervision after school.

Breakfast was perfectly balanced: a piece of whole wheat toast (no butter), an orange, an eight ounce glass of milk, and two sticks of celery with a serving of peanut butter split between both sticks. Mathew ate at just right pace, chewing thoroughly to allow his brain to process when he was full.  When he was finished, he rinsed his dishes and put them in the dishwasher. He went back down the hall to his bathroom to brush his teeth and run some water over his hair. At exactly 7:15 AM, Mathew was out the door and on his way to school.

Mathew arrived at school on the dot.  His friends smiled and nodded as he passed them, but no words were exchanged.  There was no talking allowed in the halls during school hours. Schools were for learning, the teachers said, not socializing. Mathew entered his classroom and sat down in his chair. It was comfortable and ergonomic.  He leaned back, pressing his head fully against the head rest as his visor went down and he was plugged into the system.

At noon, Mathew had read and memorized two classics, learned and memorized all there was to know about limits, and got a good dose of history, art, and science, all downloaded to his brain by a glorified USB plugged into the back of his head.