Brave New World Chapter 18: The Final One👽

[Some time in the Past]

"Care? You won't believe what just happened!" I exclaimed as I plopped down beside her at the lunch table at the college cafeteria.

Without waiting for her to ask, I excitedly explained, "Spoiled Stephanie just apologized to me! Like, a full-on apology! I was so shocked. I'm so glad you made me come to college despite yesterday's embarrassment. How did you do it?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Told you I'd take care of it and I did. You don't have to worry about her anymore, she won't be bothering you in or outside class." Caroline smiled not at all surprised at me and shrugged getting back to her lunch.

After a second, I gave her a side-hug with a tiny 'thankyou' and insisted, "Still! What did you say to her? I didn't think her huge ego would listen to anyone, parading around calling herself queen bee. Who does that even in college?"

"You were the one saying that there are more important things in life than politics, petty disputes, rivalries, and jealousies, so I took the responsibility of clearing your life of those. Simple. Now, eat."

I couldn't argue with that, so I quietly dug in my lunch.

#

[Present Time]

A handsome man sauntered into the kitchen and told everyone, "We have a supply reset."

Before I could ask what 'Ark' was, Xavier asked authoritatively, "In the middle of the day?"

"Hopefully it’s a sign." Mark sighed.

"Dad, you've been waiting for a sign since you came here." The new-comer went to pour himself a glass of something, I couldn't see due to the crowd around me.

"Grant, hope is all some of us have. Let us have it." Before Grant could respond, Mark told his son, "And don't you start about the reasoning and logics."

Just then, a loud bang was heard and then heavy footsteps echoed through the corridor leading to the kitchen. A tall, rough looking man, probably in early thirties, entered quite angrily, "What is with the supply reset at this hour? Who fucked up the system?" And then his eyes landed at me, narrowed and a sneer formed on his lips, "So we have a noob?"

He stalked menacingly towards me, "If you are the reason I am thrown back to my hellhole, I'll take pleasure in killing you." I gulped, as he leaned towards me with his huge frame. 'What had I done?' I thought.

"Christian." Mark warned but the guy in front of me didn't waver.

Xavier then stepped closer to us, "Mathew, back off, you're scaring her." Mathew Christian, looked up at Xavier, "She better be scared."

Nora then put a seductive hand on Mathew's shoulder and whispered loud enough for everyone in the vicinity to hear, "Matty, you know how much your Alpha voice turns me on. Come, let me show you." I nearly choked at her words, who even talked like that? I turned my focus towards my plate as Mathew's attention had already been diverted. Kiara had silently refilled my plate with a playful, 'Eat up.' Nora then pulled Mathew out of the kitchen and a second later a moan was heard from the corridor.

One of Nora's friends stayed behind and looked at me like the best entertainment of her life, "See you after dinner, newbie." And strutted out of the kitchen with her boyfriend.

People started dispersing as I looked confused at Caroline and Kiara. "Caroline, why don't you show your friend around while we check out the supply reset?" Mark asked with an authoritative tone and Caroline eagerly nodded. I stood up, I felt so leisurely full after so long. There were so many questions still brewing in my head.

We began walking accompanied by Kiara as they showed me the place. It felt like a hostel for all sorts of people. I found out everyone was as confused to our reason to be there, as I was. There was a small indoor pool and gym. The kitchen was open to a large living room, clearly made to accommodate nearly a hundred people. The bedrooms faced each other and now there were two people sharing rooms, instead of singles because of the increasing population.

Then we came to the wall from where I had entered, from where they all had entered. I was told, no matter from where the people tried to enter the mansion, they always woke up in this room. The wall was one-way mirror, so we could see the person inside but they would only see a shiny textured white wall. The wall only opened once the people inside tried to leave forcefully, no matter how long it took them to get to force method.

I finally asked curiously, "So, What's going to happen after dinner?"

Caroline shrugged, "Just a rite of passage of sorts. Y'know, to welcome the new comer and-"

"They're gon'na judge you! That’s what they do after dinner to every newbie on first night." Kiara interrupted Caroline.

"Kiki!" Caroline tried to reprimand her but she continued.

"What? You can't tell me that’s not what they do! They're going to peel your layers and judge you like a specimen in a petri-dish." I swallowed saliva with difficulty, my eyes wide as I glanced at Caroline. Somehow humans were scaring me more than the several feet long snakes. Caroline shook her head and then stopped. She turned me to face her holding my both arms and said firmly, "Kiara is just messing with you."

I heard Kiara scoff behind me as Caroline softly told me, "All we're going to do is sit together. It's going to be a nice, cozy gathering where we get to know each other."

"By getting to know, she means they interview you and decide where you belong in the hierarchy, depending on if they like you or not!" Kiara added with an unveiled displeasure in her voice.

"What is she talking about?" I asked Caroline who glared at Kiara behind me and then smiled at me, which didn't comfort me as it was supposed to, "Kiara has a way of looking at the darker side of the picture-"

"Sure do." Kiara scoffed again and Caroline nearly lost it, "Will you stop scaring my friend? She just came from a dangerous ecosystem and hasn't had peace and comfort in so long."

"I'm not scaring her. Care, she needs to know the truth before she gets smacked by it and ends up humiliated like me." Then she turned me to face her and asked seriously, "Would you rather know the truth and be ready for the worst, or let yourself be coddled with cozy lies?"

Before I could say anything Caroline joined Kiara and told, "There is a difference between cozy lies and easing someone to the truth. I know Anara since childhood. She is not used to the ways we have going on here, because she has never had to face life as such."

"She, is standing right here!" I sarcastically said.

Caroline turned to me, "Ann, I'm sorry. It's just that I've been here longer than you, and I want to protect you like I always have. And I need you to like Nora and be in her good books." Kiara snorted but stayed silent otherwise. I sighed. It was my time to tell her the truth.

I held both her hands in mine and spoke softly, "Care, What do you think I was facing in a jungle for two months, alone?"

She was about to speak but I kept going, "Do you think I was camping? With my Wi-Fi, and pizza, and maybe some bodyguards to look out for me?"

I held her face in my hands and looked tenderly at her, "You are right. I used to be the girl whom you had to look out for and protect from the world because I was always so oblivious to that. But I was alone in that jungle. And I learned so many lessons for life that no book could ever teach me. I hunted and I slept in trees." I told her that because she knew, more than anyone about my height-phobia.

"You've always been my Care-bear, but you weren't there. Nobody was. When I heard predators tearing their prey limb to limb, which was still alive and wailing. I faced life, Caroline, because I had to."

Then I let her go and turned to Kiara, "Tell me, what is awaiting me tonight. But promise me to be unbiased."

Kiara nodded, "I can respect that."

"So, what is this reset?" I asked finally. After an hour of Kiara telling me everything to expect after dinner, Caroline joined in the conversation reluctantly. I began asking more questions that had been plaguing my mind.

"Since we came here, the food and other supplies get filled up in the storage room automatically, after regular intervals. That is, reset. We don't know who does it, or why they keep us here, but Mark tried staying in the room one day. There were no supplies that day." Caroline explained as we walked through the corridors.

Finally we reached the storage that had been reset. It was the last room after which the corridor was a dead-end with a huge engraving on wall saying in bold black, 'Welcome to The Ark', with a strange circular symbol similar to an atom with its electrons in orbit engraved underneath. For all we knew, it could be an experiment being conducted by NASA. 'That would explain the U.F.O that had kidnapped us.' I thought to myself.

We heard hushed argument coming from the storage and inched closer to see Mark, Xavier, Grant, and Mathew arguing about something. Seemed like the others were trying to keep Matt quiet but he was having none of it.

Xavier debated, "We don't even know what this means yet."

Mathew argued, "All the more reason to tell everyone and get more brains involved."

Grant mocked, "Says the guy with none of his own."

Mathew flexed his muscles, "You wanna see what else do I have?"

Mark finally intervened, "Boys!"

They quietened but didn't back down from the staring contest. Mark resumed as a leader, "It's better to keep this a secret before we figure out where this all is headed."

Mathew taunted, "Yeah? Like all the rest of the answers you've figured out?"

Grant rolled his eyes and challenged, "Alright go tell everyone. And when a hundred or so, people suddenly panic because not everyone has been in a healthy mindset since coming here. Why don’t you try and calm them down before someone finally loses it and suicides because you couldn't keep a secret!"

They were nose to nose now as Mathew retort maliciously, "I'd say, good riddance! I'll even help get rid of the corpse professionally. I've done it before."

Before any hitting could began, Caroline cleared her throat, "Um, guys? If you want to keep, whatever it is, secret, try less arguing and more discussing." Everyone looked at us shocked, not expecting more people to know their worrisome secret. Mathew was first to react. He huffed and looked at everybody one-by-one, and the left the room. As he crossed me, he gave the final warning, "Y'all got twenty-four hours."

Xavier was first to break the silence that followed, "How much did you girls hear?"

I answered for three of us, "Enough to want to know the whole problem."

Mark sighed and nodded as everyone looked at him for permission. I could sense he was like the elder, leader-like figure of them all, despite only being biological father of Grant. Xavier started, "The reset was unusual as we all know. So, we came to check. And found this."

His movement showed writing on the white wall of the storage room, like it was printed there. It said, 'She is final.' Under which there was a set of directions, 'Your time here is about to end. Be ready for what comes next. Good luck. You'll need it along with your learned skills.'

We all knew, she was me. And it was unnerving. What were we supposed to be waiting for? The way it was worded, it didn't sound like a good omen, or a hope for getting back to our families. Dread filled me. I was shocked by the words that left my mouth,

"Thankyou."

They all looked confused at me before I realized why I had said it and to whom, "Mark, I understand how all of these people are like your family. I've seen you all interact with each other. So, thank you for not just announcing to everyone that my arrival might be the harbinger of doom for all of you."

He looked at me tenderly and walked over, "Hey, don't say that. One thing I've realized from life is, that we don't judge folks by their relatives. Y'know what that means?"

I shook my head as he smiled and put a hand on my shoulder, like a gesture saying, 'Be strong.' And said, "It means, after everything we all have been through. Somebody had to be the last one. This prison-time had to end someday. It could've been anybody. It does not give us the right to be the judge, jury and executioners."

I hadn't had human contact in two months, so now hearing Mark say all this to a stranger that I was to him was overwhelming and all I wanted was to hug him. But I didn't, I only nodded at him with understanding and said, "Still. Knowing this would cause so much panic. I would definitely become the black cat. Everyone was already shocked to hear I came from the jungle."

"I'm still shocked about that part!" Kiara shrugged, "But if it's any solace, I don't think you are the harbinger of doom. I agree with Mark. All of this had to end. You shouldn't pay for the fact that it ended on you."

"But Mathew-" I got interrupted,

"Matt's an idiot, no need to worry your pretty head over it. He'll get over himself." Grant spoke, first to me, then to everybody, "Though the question still remains, What do we do about all this stuff?" I was about to ask, 'What stuff?' But I thought to myself, had Grant really just called me pretty? Instead, Caroline asked, "What stuff?"

Mark led us into and adjacent room as both girls looked shell-shocked at everything. There were nearly a hundred, huge cartons with names on them.

"Judging from the reaction, I'm guessing reset doesn't include all these every time?" I spoke to no one in particular. Xavier added, "Cartons aren't the shocking part."

"Then what-?" I asked curiously and confusedly.

"This room wasn't here until this afternoon. It has magically appeared." Grant answered.

Everybody stood silently for a moment before Grant declared, "That was the most anti-climactic reaction we could've expected."

I shrugged, "We were kidnapped by a UFO and are standing under a mansion at crossroads of four major ecosystems of the Earth. It's going to take a bit more than magical appearance of a room to get a reaction out of me now."

Everyone nodded and went back to thinking a solution to our current dilemma.

No one had any idea about what to do about the cartons. Giving them to their owners would mean telling the whole story about the reset and chancing a possible panic flood from more than a hundered of people. But not giving them to their owners would mean not being ready for whatever we had gotten warned for.

There was no time limit, so we had no idea when or what to expect.

**Author's note:

The next stage is happening soon. What do you think is the next stage? What are your first impressions of the characters from The Ark?**