[ Lampposts ]

Geoffrey was walking downhill while the sun set on the horizon. Colorful shades were thrown in the sky, the amount of clouds had increased since the afternoon.

It was a good thing, he thought. The blue sky was getting to him, if the weather could change then it was one nicer thing to look forward to.

He had walked for about fifteen minutes after leaving Jet at the dorms.

Old him would've felt the walk in his legs by now already, but he was doing more than fine. 

As he got further from the school and the dorms, the city started opening up to him. More buildings started appearing, and he started crossing paths with the citizens.

Some of them greeted him, taking him by surprise as he answered them with a brief nod.

He remembered where the convenience store was from the moment Death had shown him the view from above. 

While from above, most buildings looked alike, the convenience store had some things standing out, like its flashy sign that was near the road and the limited parking spaces.

It could've been something else, but as long as they sold soap, it would be fine.

Trev will help me with food for now, I just need to slowly acquire other necessities.

The lampposts suddenly turned on in an audible electric sound, their yellow lights brightening the road and sidewalk.

It's already night...

It was a bit early, but depending where they were and the season, it made sense. 

There was also the possibility that Death simply chose a fixed timeframe for day and night, which wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Now that things were darker, he could see the convenience store further away. It's bright green and yellow LEDs piercing through the other lights that had turned on.

The amount of pedestrians he crossed increased, but the amount of cars also did. More intersections, more lights he needed to turn green, and simply more life.

Some wanted to move closer to school, yet he'd rather move closer to the city.

The 'noise' life made was soothing. Nothing like rain or storms, but it would've been better than the silence he was treated to in his room. 

Everyone that walked or drove seemed to have a purpose, a life. They had concerns, hopes and dreams. They didn't look like artificial humans just used to create a semblance of life. They were real.

She did it again. When she said my generation had ruined her trials the last time, I was sure she wouldn't use real people again...

He was a true spectator, the last time he had gone through the trials, and it worked.

This one girl, however, had taken care of him the whole way. She knew he wasn't who he pretended to be, yet still helped him the best way she could.

Her faction was by far the nicest and the most hopeful. 

At the end, he let himself believe he was one of them.

By the last trial, however, most hadn't made it. 

Not only the students, but the civilians as well. They had hopes and dreams as well, and somehow, they had been reeled in the trials despite not being a part of them.

People like them, he thought, while watching families sitting inside restaurants, or singing songs in their cars.

Geoffrey crossed the road when the light turned green, finally reaching the convenience store.

The parking was empty, and he couldn't see anyone inside besides the store clerk.

Geoffrey was next to the door, waiting a moment before entering.

His eyes were scanning around, smoke was present everywhere his eyes landed. After a short sigh, he entered.

It was nicely lit, clean and neat. The worker greeted him, smiling, while he grabbed a nearby basket.

There were only a couple of rows, but they had a variety of things anyone would need. From food to baby products. 

As he walked through a few rows, he stopped at the last one.

There was someone.

He recognized her from his own class. She was cute, her pink hair was held in pigtails on both sides of her head. 

She looked up toward him, as if sensing his gaze.

"Ah, I recognize you..." she said, trailing off.

"Geoffrey. You're Ella?"

She smiled brightly, her pinkish cheeks puffing out.

"Yes! First time we talk to each-other, I should've remembered your name at least..."

"Don't worry about it," he said, approaching.

She was in front of the soaps, which widely ranged from format to scent. 

"Looking for soap too huh?" she said.

"Yeah, you too?"

"Yeah."

The prices weren't too bad, going from 3$ and up to 15$.

"Hmm," she voiced. "They all are fairly similar in sizes, the only difference is what they look like."

Geoffrey nodded.

"And if you look at the ingredients, it's not that different too. Buying the most expensive bottle is really just buying the design of the sticker on it," she added.

He grabbed two random bottles, comparing them. She was right; it was all fairly the same. It felt a lot like real life.

Well, I had planned to buy the cheapest one, anyway.

"With our allowance, the choices are quite limited anyway," said Geoffrey.

"Yeah... It's just that all of this is so new! I felt like looking at everything, been here for at least 20 minutes."

"Weren't you part of Peter's group? They're socializing in front of the dorms right now."

Ella placed the bottles she was holding back on the shelves carefully, making sure she wouldn't cause more work to the clerk.

"I was, at first. I was a bit anxious about this new world, and not knowing anyone. They're a nice bunch, just a bit too overwhelming for me."

"Overwhelming?" asked Geoffrey.

"Yeah, all these meetups, the discussions that don't end, and the pressure of being part of the group. It's a bit too much for me..."

She looked at Geoffrey, and paused a moment.

"I thought you would be a bit different, but you seem normal."

"Different how?"

"Well, you always hang out with Jet, so I thought maybe you were a bit more chaotic like him. Still can't believe he would've hit Emilia this morning..."

She then gently tapped his shoulder, smiling.

"But you stood between them! Very brave of you. Who knows what would've happened? You could've been badly injured, it was a bit reckless on your part..."

Reckless? Was I?