Midori was petrified, didn’t know how to react. One of the people she most wanted to see after getting out of that hell, and she wasn’t in their world anymore. Her heart broke in millions of pieces. It was such a painful information for her to digest, she wasn’t able to react. Aoi and Atlas just stayed there, waiting for her. — It can’t be… right…? She… she wouldn’t do that… she wouldn’t leave me alone… right…? She said while laughing hysterically, trying to evade the reality of it. She was slowly falling to the floor, until she was on her knees. Tears started to run down her cheeks, unstoppable, and Midori started to sob. It was the only thing that could be heard in the room. Aoi approached her and sat down by her side, hugging her tightly. Aoi couldn’t help but cry along with her. Atlas bit his lip and looked away, feeling how his eyes too were starting to water. Midori cried until she didn’t have any more tears left. Her throat felt dry. And like that, a few days went by. It was a cloudy day, but the rain had yet to fall. Midori went to her mother’s gravestone; her full name was written on it along with the date she passed away. She kneeled in front of it, passing her hand slowly over the letters engraved on it. A knot formed on her throat, but she couldn’t cry anymore, she felt dry. She remembered the last time she talked to her, the day they kidnapped her. They had a big fight in the morning. Midori clicked her tongue and punched the gravestone, making her knuckles bleed and a few drops to fall on the stone. — We never fixed our differences… You went away without saying goodbye… Aoi approached her and placed her hand on her shoulder, smiling lightly. Midori stood up and placed a bucket of flowers she had bought. They were her mother’s favorite. Midori had already been discharged from the hospital. She could see clearly and no longer had eye pain. It felt good to have her sight back. Since Atlas promised Midori that they will have a date, he did everything he could to be allowed to go out for a day. It was a perfect day for they date, the sun was dazzling, the breeze was calming. Both of them were below a big tree, sitting on a red blanket. — Even the blanket is the same color? —she said while laughing—. — Of course, we have to keep the traditions, right? —he said laughing as well— … By the way, here. Atlas gave Midori a newspaper. Midori took it a bit confused, wondering why would Atlas give him a newspaper. When she took it, she noticed the main title on the first page: “HOSPITAL THAT CARRIED HUMAN EXPERIMENTS HAS BEEN CLOSED DOWN. EVERYONE INVOLVED WILL BE BROUGHT TO COURT.” Midori raised her head and looked at Atlas. A slow smile forming on her face. — We did it, Atlas! —she leaned towards him and hugged him—. — Yes, Midori. We did it. — A toast? Midori took a small cup filled with tea. Since they were still underage, they weren’t allowed to drink alcohol, unlike in the virtual world where they were alone. — A toast. For our freedom. They clinked their cups and took a sip of their tea, then started to talk about everything and anything. They were having a good time. “Hello, mi name is Midori. I don’t know how to write these things… but I need to keep my story alive. One day after I got out of school, I was kidnapped by very suspicious people. They took me to a “hospital” and blinded me. There, they were doing human experimentations for a project which goal was to make people eternally happy. But that was a load of crap. We only suffered. There… there, I met Atlas. One of the most important people in my life, and my first love. It was a horrible place. We saw a lot of people in incubators, without being able to move. They were playing with our minds to make “out idea world”. But, an error in their system provoked that Atlas and I shared a world. That’s where we noticed that something was wrong. He too was kidnapped, but he suffered from cancer. Since he wasn’t given any treatment and were just playing with our bodies and minds, he passed away a few weeks after escaping that place. I will never forgive them for that. My mother took her own life, leaving me alone. This story should never die. We need to open our eyes and look all around us. A simple place ended up being hell for many.” Midori closed her laptop, not before saving the document so she wouldn’t lose it. She could graduate school, with many difficulties, but she was able to catch up with school work. She worked really hard. Aoi took her into her house, since Midori was completely alone. After graduating, she started a part time job and moved out by herself. THE END.

A few weeks have passed since Midori and Atlas escaped that place. And finally, the day Midori had been waiting for finally arrived. After a 5 hour surgery, it was time to get Midori’s bandages off. — Are you ready, Midori? Midori nodded. She didn't know how she was going to feel, it's been a long time since she was able to see the real world for herself. — You can open your eyes now. Midori hesitated at first, but with a deep breathe she slowly opened her eyes. In front of her was a mirror, in which she was able to see herself. She covered her mouth with her hands, she was feeling overwhelmed and, finally, tears were able to run down her face. She was extremely happy. She could see again. The nurse behind her was smiling just as happily. She didn't think it twice before going to her bedside table. In there was a bucket of flowers, she took one of them and looked at it with a big smile. She then excitedly walked to the hallway, appreciating everything that was in there. The feeling of finally being able to see after weeks of being deprived of it was incredible. She ran all around the hallway, doing little jumps here and there, the happiness she was feeling was one she hasn't felt in a very long time. She arrived at the place she was looking for, knocked the door and with a deep voice said: — Room service. On the other side of the door she could hear a cackle followed by a "come in". She opened the door slowly. The sun was shining brightly, just like in the oasis. When she entered the room, the sunlight made the figure on the bed look even more dazzling. — Congratulations, Midori. Midori ran to Atlas and hugged him tightly. — Ow, you're hurting me. — Oh, sorry. She quickly stepped back and then both of them exploded in a laughing fit. — Right, take this. Midori extended her arm and gave Atlas the flower she took from her room. — Oh, for me? You flatter me. Midori stared at Atlas. She could finally see him. And it wasn't a surprise that he looked exactly like in their dreams, but this time it was different. She was seeing him in the real world, in front of her. — I knew it, your eyes are beautiful, Midori. Midori turned away, starting to blush. Atlas just laughed and took her face between his hands. He turned her back to face him and look into her eyes. Midori gradually grew redder as a tomato. Atlas leaned into her and pressed their lips in a chaste kiss. He then drew back, enough to rest their foreheads together. — Would you have a date with me, Midori? — Yes, Atlas. Right then, the door opened. Midori turned to look who it was; it was a police officer. He approached Midori and gave her her phone, Midori’s eyes opened up in surprise. She already figured they had it hidden from her, even though back then she wouldn't be able to do much with it. Behind the officer, a familiar figure was looking at her. — A-Aoi! Midori exclaimed. Aoi stepped away from behind the officer and ran to Midori, engulfing her in a tight hug. Midori was speechless at being reunited with Aoi, but after a while she hugged her back. — Midori! I was so worried about you! Aoi leaned back. — I saw the news... What happened to you two was truly horrible... — Yeah... Atlas, this is Aoi. My best friend. — A pleasure, Atlas! —she approached him and shook his hand— Thank you for saving my friend, I don't know how I can ever repay you... Atlas just chuckled. — It's not necessary. It's a pleasure to finally meet you too —he smiled brightly—. — Ah! Aoi, by the way... Is mom okay? Was she worried about me? The expression on Aoi's face turned nostalgic. She let go of Atlas’ hand and turned to her, slowly approaching her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. — W-what's wrong, Aoi? —she said, starting to feel nervous—. — Your mother, Midori... —she gulped down— I don't know how to tell you this... but... — Just tell me! You're making me nervous... —she let out a nervous laugh—. — Midori —Aoi looked at her directly in the eyes— Your mother committed suicide a few days ago. The mood in the room completely changed in a second. — ... What? TO BE CONTINUED.

Midori stayed glued to the gun as if it were a teddy bear she was hugging. She was starting to have difficulty breathing. Even though the woods were completely dark, her hearing was her best weapon. She was nervously gulping down to the point where the insides of her mouth were starting to dry. Minutes went by and eventually she stopped hearing the voices and the footsteps near her, so she put the gun down and approached Atlas, shaking him by the shoulders once again, this time a little softer. — Atlas, wake up... Atlas... Please... Midori’s voice was starting to break. She placed her hand over Atlas’ wrist and after a second, she let out a relived sigh. — At least you're not dead… Midori leaned Atlas’ head on her lap, while she leaned hers on the rocky wall behind her, resting for a while, however she started to hear the footsteps approaching once again. They were screaming at each other. — WHERE ARE THEY? — YOU STILL HAVEN'T FOUND THEM? YOU'RE ALL USELESS! THEY HAVE ALL THE PAPERS OF THE PROJECT! — WE'RE DOING WHAT WE CAN, SIR. The fear towards that man could be clearly felt through the nurses voices. — Maybe he has them as his slaves... —muttered a familiar voice–. Midori gasped. She heard how Atlas started to slowly talk, barely audible. — Atlas! Are you okay!? — Y-yes... just... —he brought his hand to his head— My head hurts a lot... and I'm a bit... dizzy... — We have to go... It's only a matter of time before they find us here... — I know... Atlas coughed. Some blood spilled from his lips. — We have to get you to a hospital, urgently. — N-no...! First... the police... we have to hand over... those papers.... Midori bit her lip. Her heart breaking every time Atlas talked. Every time he sounded more and more like he was about to fall unconscious again. — Come here, I'll help you get up. Atlas sat on the ground, with his hand still holding his head. Midori carefully stood up and cleaned her gown. They were dirty from head to toe but it didn't matter. Midori extended her hand and Atlas took it, pushing himself up. When he stood up, Midori hugged him by the waist with one arm, the other going around his neck. — Let me know which way to go... While they were walking, Atlas guided Midori through the woods. In the distance, they could notice an absence of trees; assuming they were near a road or something similar, they kept walking until they got there and confirmed that it was indeed a road. They stood there for a few minutes, waiting to see if a car passed by. Hours and hours went by, Midori turned her head to Atlas, who was unconscious once again. Midori was starting to lose hope, but then she heard the horn of a truck. She raised one of her arms, waving it to draw the driver's attention. — Atlas! Someone came! — ... Y-yeah... The driver stopped next to them. He had a peculiar expression on his face; in front of him was a girl with bandages over her eyes along with a guy who was covered in blood and unconscious. Midori just asked of him to get them to the nearest police station. The driver agreed to it, understanding they needed help. He helped them in getting on the truck. The way to the police station was long, it seemed they were in a distant part of the city. — We're here. — Thank you so much, really. Come on, Atlas. They got off the truck and walked to the station. There were two police officers at the door, drinking coffee. One of them saw them and chocked on his, quickly approaching them. — Are you okay!? — Don't worry about us... Atlas... Atlas weakly nodded and handed over the papers he had in his arms. Atlas mustered all his strength to not let go of them all this time. The officer took them with a curious expression and started to read them. After a while he took the radio that was resting on his hip and made an announcement. — All units please respond, I repeat. All units please respond, we have a situation. You, the guy over there, take these kids to the nearest hospital. — Yes, sir. Another officer walked Midori and Atlas to his car. Both sat down in the back seats. — I told you... that I would get you out of there... Midori... —he whispered—. Midori let out a weak laugh. She leaned her head on his shoulder, and finally, fell asleep. TO BE CONTINUED.

— Run, Midori! Atlas tightened his hold on Midori’s hand. They started to run all around the laboratory, Midori could hear how there were dozens of people behind them. Atlas threw some of the machines to the floor to gain some time. Midori tripped over some cables, making Atlas turn around and try to help her before the nurses could caught them. They arrived to the big metal door, Atlas swiped the card and it opened. He looked everywhere before going. — There are more coming from the stairs! —exclaimed Midori—. Atlas clicked his tongue. They were running out of options. He turned around and saw the boxes where they hid the last time they were there. — I hope this works. Both went toward the boxes and hid behind them again. They covered their mouths with their hands and tried to contain their breathing. It was a crucial moment; they couldn’t risk getting caught. They heard how a few nurses went inside the laboratory. — Let’s go, we can’t waste any more time. They held each other hands once more and started to run up the stairs. It seemed like all the nurses were looking for them. When they arrived to the first floor, Atlas placed his hands on his knees, trying to regain his breathing. — Are you okay? — Y-yes… I just needed to take a few breaths… let’s go. Midori nodded. She didn’t hear anyone on that floor, so they walked all the way to the door. After hearing the crystal door opening, Midori instantly felt the sun’s warmth against her skin. There was a light breeze making her hair flow and part of her gown to flow along. Still, they couldn’t say that they had won this battle. They were still in the hospital territory. — What happened, Atlas? Midori turned to him. Since they took their first step out, Atlas hadn’t moved or said anything. — Atlas? — Midori… — What-what’s wrong…? Midori heard the footsteps of someone else in front of them. She immediately looked to the front even though she couldn’t see the person. — It’s a shame, kids… but I can’t let you go out with those papers. It was a masculine voice, a very deep one. It seemed familiar, but she couldn’t point out where did she hear it before. — Who are you? —she asked with a shake in her voice—. — I’m the person who is most interested in those papers, so give them back. — We won’t do it. Atlas voice sounded different. It was as if for the first time, Midori was hearing Atlas being scared. His hands were shaking. — What’s wrong, Atlas? Why don’t we just run…? In that moment, she heard a loud noise in the sky. — I don’t think so, miss. — He’s armed. Midori swallowed down. She couldn’t think of anything. She couldn’t even see him. “Is this the end?” she thought. She heard how the footsteps were getting more and more closer to them, but she was stuck on her spot. Knowing they had a weapon pointing at them scared her to no end. With every step the masculine figure made towards them, Midori’s heart continued to beat quicker and quicker. In a moment, the steps stopped in front of them, Midori was starting to hyperventilate. — Hand me the documents, boy. — I don’t think so, sir. Right then, Atlas kicked the man, making him fall to the floor. In a quick moment, he took his gun and shot him on the foot. Midori gasped; she couldn’t see it but she could imagine what happened. The man’s screams were bloodcurdling. — YOU WON’T ESCAPE! Atlas took Midori’s hand and started to run. The hospital was completely surrounded by trees, it was as if they were in the middle of nowhere. They entered the woods, running and running without knowing where they were going. All that mattered was that they were escaping. In the distance, Midori could hear how nurses and another type of personnel were also in the woods, looking for them. It was completely dark; Atlas didn’t know where he was stepping. They could only hear the tree branches crunching under their feet. All the adrenaline they were feeling made them forget they were barefoot. Without noticing, Atlas stepped on air, making them lose balance and fall off a cliff. Atlas hugged Midori tightly against him, making sure nothing happens to her. When they touched the ground, they started to roll down through dirt and leaves. Midori tightened her grip on Atlas. After a few seconds, Atlas crashed into a big tree, leaving him unconscious. — A-Atlas…? Atlas… wake up, please… —her voice was starting to break— Atlas… don’t leave me alone… please… Midori started to shake him by the shoulders. Placed her hand over his neck and felt a line of blood flowing down. Right then, Midori heard how a few meters over them, there were nurses and other people talking between themselves. Midori took the gun that Atlas took from that man and hold onto it, hoping she didn’t have to use it. TO BE CONTINUED.

Midori was feeling a little disoriented, however Atlas’ voice was enough to bring her back to earth. — A-Atlas? — I’m here, Midori. Midori started to feel the coldness of the room. It was similar to that of the laboratory they went in. Midori touched the surface of where she was sitting, she assumed they introduced her in one of the incubators. Clicking her tongue, Atlas approached her and she immediately could feel his warm. Midori tightly hugged him and felt a knot forming of her throat. Atlas leaned back a bit. — Atlas, I’m not blind. — What? — They… they kidnapped me and sew my eyes in cold blood. — I remember too. They kidnapped me form the hospital I was in before. Midori noticed how there was a strange smell in the room. Her hands where on Atlas’ chest; she drew back one of them and tried to decipher the strange substance that was on Atlas’ chest. She smelt it and in seconds she knew what it was. — Atlas… is this- — This is not the time for explanations, we had to get out of here. Midori swallowed down but decided to trust him. Whatever Atlas had done, she knew he did it so they could escape. Midori carefully got off the incubator. She didn’t know how much time she had spent there, but her legs were numb. — Can you walk? — Yes… don’t worry. A few steps away, Atlas tripped and fell to the ground. Midori quickly approached him and helped him get up. — Are you okay? — Y-yeah… it must be a secondary effect from whatever they injected us. They spent a few seconds in silence, waiting for Atlas to regain his balance. When he did, they started to slowly walk to the office, trying not to stumbled against anything and making as little noise as possible to not have their location known. Midori could only follow Atlas by gripping his hospital gown. In a few minutes, they arrived to the office. Midori heard how a card was swiped through the reader. She wondered how Atlas could have gotten it again without his nurse knowing, since she already knew he took it before. However, there was no time to think about things like that, so they just went inside the office. — Midori, help me. Midori followed the sound of his voice, there was a bookshelf besides the door. Atlas was at one of its ends and Midori went to the other side. — In the count of three, one… two… three! Push! Midori pushed with all her strength, while Atlas pulled it towards the door. — Done… that way they won’t be able to enter as easily. Without wasting any more time, Atlas ran to where he knew the safe he found before was. Midori followed by listening to his footsteps. Since she has a better hearing, she was the better candidate to open the safe. She slowly got closer to it, leaning her ear on it. The cold metal took her by surprise, making her hesitate for a second, but she shook her head and leaned down again, moving the dial and after a few tries she heard the lock. Slowly, making sure she was doing it right, she turned it until she heard a soft “click” that told her it was open. Midori raised her head with a big smile and high fived Atlas. Atlas then got closer to the safe and started to inspect what was inside. It was full of folders and papers; Atlas clicked his tongue, he wasn’t sure which ones were important. — Take them all! —exclaimed Midori—. Atlas took out everything that was in the safe and then stood up to put everything on the table. Atlas started to look for something relevant about what was happening to them. “PROJECT N. 2 LIFE IS BETTER IN DREAMS Today, we could start our most recent project: “Life is better in dreams”. Just like how it sounds, have you ever wanted to live in your dreams? Where everything is better? Where there is nothing to worry about? We’re still in a very early stage of the experiment, but soon we will be able to make humanity happy forever. For now, we have accomplished to make a world per person, but soon we will be able to extend these worlds.” — So… we were living the life we wanted to live? —questioned Midori—. — But here it says it was only a world per person… that means our circumstances shouldn’t have happened. — Maybe they noticed and that’s why they separated us… how horrible… experimenting like that with humans… — Let’s go, we’ll have more time to analyze this later. Atlas approached the door and started to push the bookshelf. Midori helped him. — Ready? — Ready. Atlas took Midori’s hand and they exited the office together. — THEY’RE IN THE OFFICE, DON’T LET THEM ESCAPE! TO BE CONTINUED.

The days just kept passing by in that place. Midori didn’t have any notion of time; she spent her days burrowed between the bedsheets. She hasn’t eaten in days but she didn’t feel hunger anymore. As much as she tried, she couldn’t awake in the real world. It didn’t matter how many times she fell asleep, she kept waking up alone in that bed. She was starting to think she was going to lose her sight there too, since all the curtains were closed and she never came out from between the sheets. Every so often she felt dizzy, but she wasn’t able to distinguish if they were because of the hunger, thirst or for the same unknown reasons Atlas’ had them too. Everything was irrelevant. Since she was left alone, it started to rain sometimes, something that had never happened. She had already forgotten what the rain sounded like as it fell. That day there was a thunderstorm, the sound of the thunder was deafening. Midori tried to cover her ears; she has always had a fear of thunders. — Don’t worry, Midori, I’ll always be here. The thunders won’t do anything to you. — Promise? — Promise Right then, a thunder was heard very near. Midori burrowed herself even more into the bedsheets, letting out a scared scream. — There, there… —the person took the bedsheets off of her and started to stroke her hair—. Midori eventually calmed down, slowly closing her eyes. Her father leaned down and placed a warm kiss on her forehead, then he carefully stood up so as not to wake her up and exited the room. Those memories invaded Midori’s mind. She could only remember those nights where her parents had to sleep with her because she was too scared. In a quick movement, Midori came out from under the sheets; the room was completely dark except for the lighting that sometimes illuminated it. Midori sat up at the edge of the bed and sighed deeply. She stood up and slowly made her way to the curtains. In that moment a lightning fell, completely scaring her and making her take a few steps back. She covered her head with her arms, and when the rain drops could be hear again, Midori once again took a few steps forward. She stood in front of the curtains and took them in her hands. Gulping down, she opened them up quickly, revealing the clouded sky and the rain falling down. It was something simple, but it has been some time since Midori last saw a rainy day. Those days had a certain charm. She could stay on her bed reading a book while drinking hot chocolate. Sadly, that wasn’t the situation she was in. She was completely alone, in an unknown world, without the only person she wanted to be with. Lost in her thoughts, another lightning stroke down, the bright light of it left Midori speechless, and then her head started to hurt. She squeezed it between her hands. The pain was so immense she couldn’t stay standing, making her fall to her knees. After she finished eating her favorite lemon cake, she paid the bill and got out of the café. Having seen that family made her full of envy. Her blood was boiling in rage. Why couldn’t she be like that? Why couldn’t she live happily with her parents? All those questions burdened her almost every day after their separation. Without noticing, she ended up in a dark alley. — … Where am I? As she turned to make her way back, she noticed how a black car stopped at the end of the alley in front of her. From it, 4 people exited and made their way to Midori. They all had lanterns pointing at Midori, she covered her face with her hands, the brightness was too much for her to look forward. She just heard how the footsteps were getting closer and closer to her, she was petrified, couldn’t move a single limb on her body. “What’s happening?” she started to question. They took Midori between the 4 of them, she started to scream but they covered her mouth and nose with a napkin. Even though her screams were muffled, she still tried with all her might, tears started to run down her face and wet the napkin. They threw her into the black car from before, and suddenly she lost consciousness. Midori was in a hospital bed. The bright light above her overwhelmed her. She opened her eyes anyways and tried to get up but it was useless. Her arms and legs were tied to the bed, but even if it was in vain, she still tried to move her body, trying to free herself but it didn’t work. 4 people entered the room and Midori started to scream, hoping that someone could hear her and rescue her, but no one did. The nurses took needles and threads, Midori looked at them scared. She looked everywhere tying to look for an answer but all she could see were medical utensils and hospital beds. She heard the sound of latex gloves slapping again the nurses’ skin, they all had masks on their faces. One of them approached Midori and forcefully shut her eye. Midori was screaming at the top of her lungs to the point where her vocal cords were for sure going to have some damage. She saw how the nurse slowly got the needle closer to her eye, introducing it along with the thread, starting to sew it. In that moment all she could see was torture and a man in black in the distance. Midori’s body had run out of tears and they still weren’t finished with the first eye. After a moment more the nurse finished, leaned back and walked to the other side, getting closer to her other eye. His hands were covered in blood and the thread was painted red. Another lighting brought Midori back to the present. She was looking forward with a blank stare. Slowly, she hugged herself, trembling, and softly touched her eyes. Images of Aoi and her mother flashed through her head. — W-… Why…? W-why did this happen to me…? She muttered to herself, she was starting to lose her voice. In that moment, she abruptly woke up, painting in a hospital bed. She had trouble breathing, but there was something she was sure of, and that was that she wasn’t able to see. — We’ll get out of here, Midori. TO BE CONTINUED.

— We have taken care of them, sir. They’re separated. — Excellent. Thanks for you work. Midori was still there sitting on the blanked. Tears stared to stream down her face, she couldn’t control it. She knew perfectly well that in that moment Atlas didn’t disappear because he wanted. “They did something to him…” Midori thought over and over again. She stood up quickly and screamed as loud as she could. Feeling how her vocal cords were about to give out after a while, but she kept screaming until she wasn’t able to make a single sound anymore. In that moment, she felt how her head was starting to spin; she closed her eyes tightly and brought her hand to her head, trying to regain balance. The dizziness stopped almost immediately. — What… what was that? She questioned to herself. But then she remembered how Atlas was suffering from dizzy spells too. — But this one wasn’t as strong as his. Anxiety started to take over her again. She was too worried about Atlas, and as much as she tried, she wasn’t able to wake up in the real world. She took the blanket in one hand and the basket in the other, cleaned the space they were using. After a long sigh she went back to the mansion. She left everything in the kitchen table and supported her hands on it. She was trying to think on something to do, she couldn’t stay with her arms crossed. — What should I do…? Hours went by and Midori was still stuck. She clicked her tongue and stood up from where she was. — Atlas should be somewhere already… right? She laughed nervously, trying to fool herself. She exited the mansion, with the objective to see if Atlas was already in there, although she didn’t have much hope. While she was walking through the woods, she could only listen to the birds chirping and the breeze against the trees. With every step, Midori could hear how leaves and branches were breaking below her. The distant noise of the waterfall was slowly getting closer. After a few more minutes, she arrived at the oasis, and she confirmed in seconds that Atlas wasn’t there. She sighed and went to the rocks, sitting down in one of them. She supported her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands, looking at the oasis with nostalgia. — I’m really sorry, did I scare you? —he tilted his head to the side—. Those were the first words she heard from Atlas. She goofily smiled at the memory. It truly seemed like they had known each other for months now. — My name is Atlas. —he said looking up, observing the place— I’ve never seen you around here. —he looked down to her—. — I-I am… ah… —she sighed— M-Midori. —she looked at him— My name is Midori. — Pleasure to meet you, Midori. Remembering their first conversation, she couldn’t help but let some more tears escape. She missed him so much it was painful to just think about it. She was sobbing uncontrollably, contrasting against the nice and bright weather of that day. She wiped her tears with her arms and took a deep breath. She tried to center on the sounds of the waterfall, the calm breeze of the oasis, until she could finally calm down. She quickly stood up from the rock, feeling more confident in herself. Clenching her fists, she promised herself she wouldn’t cry anymore. Since in the real world she couldn’t do a lot because of her visual incapacity, there should be something she could do in that world where she could at least see clearly. She decided to go to the places Atlas frequented. The first stop was the amusement park, which seemed more somber than the last time they went. All the rides were off, the lights were turned off too. The music was total silence. Feeling a little scared, she searched in all the attractions, ending with the Ferris Wheel. — He’s not here… There were only two places left. She first went to the aquarium that was near the theater. When she went inside, she could notice how there weren’t any fishes on the tanks. Midori started to feel depressed, every place was empty, devoid of life, as if they had been abandoned. She went back to the woods until she arrived to the treehouse, it was her last hope. She carelessly climbed up the stairs, she didn’t give a damn at this point. She confirmed what she didn’t want to accept: Atlas was nowhere to be found. She punched the wall, making her knuckles turn red with the impact. — I have only one thing left to do… She ran to the mansion and made her way to the master bedroom. She lay on the bed and closed her eyes tightly. — Please, please… After a few seconds, she falls asleep. Then, she opens her eyes quickly. The fact that she could see was enough to know that she was still trapped, and, besides her, the bed was still intact. TO BE CONTINUED.

Midori stood up, carefully leaving Atlas resting on the sofa. She started to walk around the mansion, biting her thumbnail. She was trying to think about something, anything, but her mind was blank. She could only think about Atlas. She was completely lost in her thoughts. In that moment a voice in the distance started to call for her. However, she was still too focused on her thoughts. The voice was starting to get louder, that’s when she broke out of her thoughts. She knew perfectly well who was calling her. She didn’t even notice she had ended up at the patio, so she ran all the way back to the living room and there was Atlas, sitting on the sofa. She quickly sat next to him. — Are you okay, Atlas? How are you feeling? Atlas placed his hand on his head, giving it a light squeeze. — I’m alright… just… needed to sleep for a bit. — That’s a relief… —Midori let out a breath she didn’t know was holding— I was very worried… — Thanks, but… why did I wake up here and not in the hospital? — I don’t know… I’ve been stuck here for hours too and can’t get out. I think they did something to us. — … I’m going to figure out what it is —he said, getting up from the sofa—. — Wait! —Midori got up as well— What do you intend to do? — I’m going to force myself to wake up. — … What? How do you plan to do that? — I don’t know, but… I will wake up and get you out of whatever place they put us. Midori chuckled at that. — I would like to help you…. — Trust me. I’ll go for you and we’ll get out of here together. — Okay, but… can we have a real date before you do that? Atlas smiled brightly. — Of course, what do you want to do? Midori took his hand and exited the mansion. Atlas just laughed behind her and let himself be guided by Midori. The day was perfect to go out, the sun was as dazzling as always and the breeze was perfect too. After a while, they arrived at the amusement park. — This place brings back memories. — Right? That’s why I wanted to come back. Let’s go! Midori dragged him to the amusement park and to their first ride of the day, the rollercoaster. They sat down in the cart and put on the security belt. — Ready? —asked Midori, turning to look at him—. — Ready —affirmed Atlas—. And then, the cart started to slowly move. Midori gripped Atlas’ hand tightly. The cart arrived to the top and stopped there for a few seconds; Midori gulped down and then the cart went down at full speed. Midori and Atlas screamed in excitement. It was the perfect way to forget about their problems. When they finished, they got out and Midori noticed how her legs were shaking. — That was awesome —said Atlas next to her—. They stayed the whole day at the park, getting into all the rides, until night arrived, that’s when they decided to go to the Ferris Wheel. When they were at the very top, it stopped. The sight from above was impressive, just like last time. The lights looked surreal, but this time, the difference was that they knew it was real. The moon and the stars were shining like always. — Do you… do you remember when we first met? —asked Midori—. Atlas nodded. — A few days after that we came to this same cabin, at this same time, and saw the park in the same way. — Yes... at that time I thought this was all a dream —he let out a chuckle—. — We both did. The cabin started to move again; this time descending. When they arrived to the group, Midori turned to Atlas. — There’s something more I’d like to do. They went back to the mansion and once there, Midori immediately made her way to the kitchen, Atlas following behind her. Midori took out a picnic basket and showed it to him. Understanding what Midori wanted, they started to make some light food and tea. Once done, they went outside to the patio, Atlas walked to the big tree and placed the blanket right beside it. — Sorry, I didn’t have time to prepare the paper lanterns. Midori couldn’t help but laugh. Both sat down on the blanket and started to ear, admiring how beautiful the moon was that night. Midori sighed; even after having a good day she couldn’t help but feel restless. She felt very uncomfortable. She knew something bad was going to happen the moment Atlas goes back to the real world. She stared intently at the sandwich she had in hand, getting lost in her thoughts again. — Midori. Everything’s going to be alright. Midori looked at Atlas, got closer to him and gave him a tight hug. — Atlas, I really like you… don’t forget that, okay? Atlas just laughed. — I know Midori. I really like you too. He drew away from the hug to look at Midori. — We’ll get out of here. Atlas took Midori’s face between both of his hands and started to slowly draw closer, but, right then, Atlas disappeared right in front of her eyes. TO BE CONTINUED.

— THEY’RE HERE! Midori’s nurse shouted. Midori was still laying on the floor, not being able to move. A sensation akin to terror started to creep up her body, she was petrified. Atlas quickly approached her and took her by the arm, getting as far away as possible from the nurse. Atlas was panting lightly, trying to think of a way to get out of that situation. He looked everywhere, but the only place they could use as an escape was the door in which the nurse is at. — Midori, don’t let go of me… —he whispered—. Midori only nodded, and then, Atlas sprinted forward, taking Midori by the hand. He pushed the nurse and got out of the room. He desperately tried to locate the big metal door while looking for the card in his pocket. The nurse clocked her tongue and with her elbow broke the crystal case that covered a red button on the wall. Without thinking it twice, she pressed it. — I won’t let you escape so easily. After pressing the button, alarms started blared all over the hospital in just a matter of seconds. Atlas and Midori were surrounded by at least 10 nurses. Atlas started to back up but they stumbled into one of the incubators. Atlas hugged Midori even more tightly to himself, refusing to let her go. Midori couldn’t see anything, but she could hear the voices of the nurses and how all of them were getting near them quickly. They started to try and pry Midori out of Atlas’ arms but Atlas was putting on a fight, he won’t let them get her away from him. Midori was holding on tightly onto Atlas as well. Atlas let out a painful scream and, in an instant, she felt how the body she was holding started to slowly fall to the ground. — N-no…! Atlas…! A few seconds after that, Midori felt a pinch on her arm, making her lose consciousness. — N-no… Midori bolted upright on the mansion’s bed, bringing a hand to her chest. It was difficult to breath, she felt as if she wasn’t inside her body, as if her soul had been ripped. She sat at the edge of the bed and closed her eyes. Trying to calm down. After a few minutes she could stand up. She walked around the room but Atlas wasn’t there. She decided to go to the oasis then. She ran out of the room and as she was passing by the kitchen, she noticed there was a silhouette in there, making her stop dead in her tracks and turn back. It was Atlas. Atlas turned around and noticed Midori. They ran to each other and hugged. — I’m sorry Midori. This is all my fault. Midori steps back a little and takes Atlas’ face between her hands, giving him a warm smile. — I know that we will be fine. Atlas smiled at that, caressing Midori’s hand with his own. In that moment, Atlas closed his eyes and started to lose his balance. — Are you okay!? — Y-yes… I t-think so… Midori took Atlas’ arm and put it around her neck, her free hand surrounding Atlas waist. — Come, let’s sit in the sofa. With some difficulty, they made it to the living room, once there, Atlas sat down on the sofa. Midori went back to the kitchen and looked for a glass, filling it with water and then went back to Atlas, extending her hand so he could take the glass. Atlas took it and drank a little, leaving the glass on the table in front of them. Midori just stayed by her side. — Do you feel better? — I-I think… I need… Atlas started to slip to the side, falling on Midori’s lap and immediately falling asleep. Midori looked at him and sighed. They were so close to escaping that place. The hours went by and Atlas stayed in the same place, sleeping. He hasn’t disappeared in a long while. Midori bit her lip, she was starting to think it was strange, that neither of them had disappeared by that time. Eventually, she started to nod off, her eyes slowly closing. She fell asleep. When she woke up, the fact that she could see let her know that they were still in the mansion. She blinked a few times to adjust her vision and then looked down. Atlas was still there; he hasn’t moved a centimeter. — This is not normal… Midori was starting to worry. They have been there for hours and still haven’t woken up in the real world. — Had… had they done something to us…? TO BE CONTINUED.

Before Midori could even notice, a whole day had already gone by and the moon was already high in the sky. Midori was laying on her bed, patiently waiting for Atlas. Outside the thunders could be heard in the distance, letting her know that it was about to rain. She had heard her nurse saying that that night there would be a storm. Every second that passed felt like an eternity. She was starting to fell desperate. Midori sat at the edge of the bed, considering if she should go out to look for him. But just as she was about to, the door opened slowly. A smile formed on her lips automatically. — You’re late… —she said softly—. — I’m sorry. My nurse didn’t want to leave the room. — Do you think she knows it was you who stole her card? — I think she’s starting to suspect. Atlas gets closer to her and takes both of her hands. — Today’s the day, Midori. Today we will discover what’s happening. I know that in that place we’ll find the truth. Midori nodded. She felt confident about it. She knows that today was going to be the day where all of this ends. Atlas engulfed Midori in a tight hug. Midori did the same, burrowing her face on his neck. A few seconds later, Midori raised her head. — What’s wrong? Midori stayed there a few seconds without saying anything. Trying to decipher if the footsteps she was hearing were coming to her room. As seconds passed, she noticed that her suspicion was correct. — Hide, I think my nurse is coming. Atlas didn’t hesitate for a second and quickly hid under the bed. Midori lay down and covered herself from head to toe, just as her door opened up. — Are you sleeping, miss Midori? Midori thought of stating silent, but the nurse was getting closer to where she was. — Yes, what’s wrong? Midori abruptly got up, making the nurse to stop on her tracks. — Ah, no. I was just checking how you were. — I feel wonderful. — All right, miss Midori. And with that, the nurse left the room. Once outside, she clicked her tongue and walked away. Midori breathed out a deep sigh, she couldn’t deny that that scared her a bit. — I think your nurse also suspects that you’re doing something. —said Atlas, getting out from under the bed—. — I think so too… — Do we go now? —Atlas extended his hand—. — Let’s go. Midori took Atlas’ hand and, like the previous times, they made the already familiar way to the basement. That night there were more nurses all over the place, as if they had increased the security. While going down, they had to hide many times on their way. When they arrived to the last floor, they went directly to hide behind the boxes. In that moment, Atlas’ nurse was exiting the place; she seemed to be agitated as she ran up the stairs. — Let’s do this quickly, I think she will notice I’m not there. —whispered Atlas—. Once it was safe to go out, they went back inside the laboratory. It was as cold as they remember. They passed by the incubators carefully, but, since she couldn’t see, Midori stumbled down with some cables, falling to the floor. That made some noise, as one of the machines also fell down. — Are you okay!? —said Atlas, kneeling by her side—. — Y-yeah… it was only a stumble… — Let’s go quickly, that machine did a lot of noise. Midori tried to quickly get back to her feet, Atlas guiding her by the hand until they were in front of the door they previously saw. When he found the card reader, he quickly swiped the card on it. Luckily for them it also worked on that door. They went inside carefully, it seemed to be an office. — Where are we? —asked Midori— It’s not cold anymore. — It’s like an office… Can you stay by the door while I look around? Midori nodded and stayed right next to the door. Atlas started to move around the room, searching in the drawers but they were all empty. He sat down in the desk that was right in the middle of the room, there wasn’t anything in there. Atlas hit the desk with a first, feeling frustrated. — Where could the information be stored…? In his state of frustration, he kicked under the table. Pain quickly shot through his foot, making him tilt his head in curiosity; what he just kicked didn’t feel like wood. He crouched down and right there, bellow the desk, he spotted a safe. — It’s here! However, just as he was celebrating, a strong push made Midori fall down the floor. Her nurse had just entered the room. TO BE CONTINUED.

Midori and Atlas went inside the unknown place. The first thing that greeted them was a cold breeze, which made Midori cover herself with her arms, starting to tremble. Atlas seemed to manage the cold better. A few steps in and Midori was already able to hear some machines making all kind of noises all over the place. — Wh-what am I hearing? —she said with some difficulty, the cold overwhelming her—. — It’s… a lot of machines… I don’t exactly understand. Midori took ahold of Atlas’ sleeve as to not get lost. Atlas noticed an incubator and slowly approached it, squinting his eyes. — What is this…? Getting closer, he noticed how there was a person inside of it. Atlas gasped, startled. — W-what!? —Midori automatically responded, scared of Atlas reaction—. Atlas gulped down and cleaned a bit of the humidity covering the crystal. Seeing it clearly, it was indeed a person, he could better see their face now. It seemed to be sleeping. Atlas crouched down and found out that the incubator was plugged in from somewhere, he followed the cable with his eyes. After a few seconds he localized the machine it was attached to. He stood up and walked to the machine. In said machine, the vital signs of the person could be seen, as well as their brain state. Atlas tilted his head to the side grimacing as he did so. He couldn’t understand why it was showing that information in specific. Midori was restless. Not being able to see but feeling the cold and the sound of the machines was a bit of a horrific experience for her. — What’s wrong, Atlas? Atlas shook his head, getting out of the trance he was in. He turned back to Midori. — There’s a person in an incubator. — What!? — That’s not all… it’s connected to a machine, in which their vital signs and brain state are showing… — Of their… brain? Why the brain? — That’s what I can’t understand. Atlas started to roam around the place, looked at the monitors in the other incubators. There were people whose brains were in perfect state, but others were suffering damage. Others were physically deteriorated, as if the aging up process was increased. In the last incubator, Altas noticed how there were some papers over it. He took them and cleared his throat to read them put loud. “Patience n. 52 Vital stats: Stable. Cerebral state: Minimal damage. Patience n. 52 is doing good so far. The dose was incremented since he was occasionally waking up. His screams could wake up the other patients if we didn’t take precaution. Regarding his world, it’s developing excellently. In the latest session he could be seen with a job and wife. There’s nothing else of relevance to report as of now.” Midori instinctively looked at Atlas. Even though she couldn’t see him, Atlas was doing the same. Neither of them could say anything. Atlas looked at the date on the report and it coincided with the present date. That could only mean that someone had been there and updated it recently. — What is that…? — Worlds…? That’s where we were inside all this time…? —questioned Atlas—. — But here it seems that he’s alone in his own world… Why were we in the same one? — I don’t know… In that moment, both of them heard something close to the door. — Someone’s coming! —exclaimed Midori—. Atlas and Midori went to the door and hid behind one of the machines that were there. Right when the door opened up. — Thanks for opening the door for me. — It’s nothing, what happened to your card? — I don’t know… it simply disappeared. — Could it have been your patience? —the nurse said in a chuckle—. — Nah, that’s impossible. Both nurses walked to another door and, similar to the first one, swiped a card and went inside. Midori and Atlas took that chance to get out of there. They pressed the button for the door to open and ran away. Without thinking it twice, they went to Midori’s room. — That was close… —said Midori, placing her hand over her heart, which was beating rapidly—. — Y-yeah… —said Atlas, almost inaudible—. — Are you alright? — I-I’m alright… —he said, coughing slightly—. Midori guided Atlas to her bed and sat down. — What could’ve been all that? Are they doing experiments on us? — I don’t know, Midori. But I know what’s the next place we need to go. — You mean the other door? — Correct. We’ll do it tomorrow. Atlas got up and stood in front of Midori. — It’s a date. Midori let out a big laugh. — It’s a date. —she said back—. TO BE CONTINUED.

Atlas clicked his tongue and looked around, desperately trying to look for a place to hide. Taking Midori by the hand they scurried away between a few boxes that were below the stairs. Midori lifted her finger to her lips; the steps were getting closer. Atlas tried to raise a little to better observe what was happening. Midori covered her mouth, fearing for any sound that could escape her. Atlas squinted his eyes. It was Atlas’ nurse. She swiped a small card on an automatic reader and the metal door slid to the side, slowly opening up. Once the nurse went inside, it closed. Atlas was about to exit their hideout but Midori took him by the skirt of the hospital gown. She waited a few seconds before releasing him, she couldn’t hear any more steps. They exited the hideout and Midori let out a deep breath. She reclined over her knees, breathing deeply. Atlas stayed looking intently at the door for a few seconds before moving to it, approaching the card reader and looked at it from different angles. He let out a sigh. — Let’s get out of here before my nurse notices I’m not in my room. —said Midori—. Atlas took her hand once again and carefully made their way back to Midori’s room. Atlas made sure to close it with the lock. He then guided Midori to her bed and both sat down at the edge of it. — And? What did you see? I’ve heard something like a card reader… — Exactly that. —he sighed— I tried to see if there was another way to go in but no, we need the card to enter. — And how are we going to get that…? — Well, we know my nurse has one. I just need to take it from her. Midori let out a small laugh. — And how do you pretend to do that, exactly? — … I don’t know. I have to think about it. After a few minutes in silence, Atlas stood up from the bed, exalted. Midori raised her head instinctively, a little surprised. — I have a plan. — And your plan is…? — Don’t worry. I’ll do it tomorrow. Atlas got closer to Midori and left a small kiss on her forehead. — I’ll see you, Midori. Tomorrow I’ll come back with the card. Midori felt a little insecure so she just nodded. After that, she heard how Atlas slowly exited her room. Midori lay down on her bed and deeply sighed. — Good luck, Atlas. After a few seconds, she fell asleep. Hours and hours went by. This time, the sound of the door wakes her up. She gets up a little agitated but after a moment she felt Atlas’ scent and relaxed. — I got it. Without losing any more time, they decided to go back to the basement. They exited Midori’s room with extra cautiousness. Midori made sure that the hallway was clear. While going down the stairs, they heard a few nurses walking in the hallway bellow. Both of them tried to stay as quiet as possible, they weren’t even breathing. When Midori confirmed that the nurses weren’t going up the stairs, they could breathe again. — I think there are more than yesterday… —said Midori—. — I don’t think they have noticed what we’re doing. They waited until everything was quiet again to resume their way down the basement. Once they arrived, they stood in front of the door. — Here we are. Atlas turned to look at Midori and held both of her hands in his. — Are you ready, Midori? We don’t know what could be behind those doors. Midori nervously gulped down but nodded anyway. — I’m ready, Atlas. Let’s go and find out what are they doing with us and all the other patients in here. Atlas turned back to face the door and took a deep breath. He slowly brought the card closer to the reader and, after a moment’s hesitation, swiped it. A beep let them know that it worked and the door started to open slowly. When it opened, a cold breezed greeted them. And, before the door could close again, both entered the mysterious place. TO BE CONTINUED.

The comfort the blankets provided made it difficult for Midori to want to get up. It was the comfiest bed she’s ever been. As she slowly blinked her eyes open, a feeling of happiness started to surround her, a smile started to form on her lips. She was in the only place in where she could see. She sat at the edge of the bed and yawned. She still felt a little sleepy but it was time to wake up. She got up and walked to where the curtains were, opening them up in a swift movement. The sunlight quickly illuminated the entire room, making Midori have to shadow her eyes with her hand. She walked to the bathroom and brushed her teeth, then went to the closet and tried to look for the cutest outfit that she could find. All of this she did with a smile on her face; just thinking about how in that place, she could see Atlas. She found a small summer dress with sunflower pattern on it and didn’t hesitate to put it on and twirl around in front of the mirror. She noticed how in one of the drawers a straw hat was perched on it. With that, her outfit was complete. She exited the room and directly walked down to the kitchen. She looked in all the drawers searching for something to eat. In the fridge she could find a few eggs and bread slices. Turning on the stove, she started to make an omelet and toasts. After a little while it was done, so she packed all the food inside the same basket they used in the last picnic they had. With the basket in hand, she exited the mansion. While walking, she couldn’t help but skip and twirl as she went on, the happiness she was feeling was immense. Knowing that Atlas existed in the real world made her feel less crazy, but at the same time it made her know that she fell in love for someone who truly will be there for her. When she arrived at the oasis, she approached the same rocks they usually sit in. She sat down in one of them, waiting for Atlas. Midori closed her eyes to appreciate the ambience that surrounded her. The breeze was calming, the birds’ chirping was like a sweet melody and the sound of the waterfall was relaxing, it was perfect. Without realizing it, Midori fell asleep. — Midori? Atlas slowly shook Midori by her shoulders, trying to wake her up. Midori squinted a little before opening her eyes, the view in front of her was everything she ever wanted to see. Atlas was in front of her looking directly to her eyes, with worry on his own eyes. It was only a matter of seconds before a smile appeared on her lips, Atlas smiled too. Atlas stepped back giving Midori enough space to get up. As soon as she did, she got closer to Atlas and hugged him tingly. Atlas hugged her back, softly caressing her back. — How I’d like to see you out there like this in the world outside… — You’re equally beautiful with and without the bandages. Midori blushed slightly. Atlas drew back, leaving a lingering kiss on her cheek. — You prepared this? —he said, pointing at the basket—. Midori nodded. Both of them sat down on the rocks and started to eat the breakfast Midori prepared. When they finished, they left the basket to the side and Atlas turned to her. — Tonight, we will escape the hospital. Are you ready? — Y-yes… —she answered a little unsure—. — Don’t worry, I’ll guide you through the place. I’ve already walked a few times around. I know where to go. Atlas took Midori’s hands and looked at her eyes. Both nodded to each other slowly. Midori started to feel calmer. Atlas’ gaze made her feel a million things. They made their way back to the mansion and lay next to each other in the room. — I’ll see you outside. —said Atlas before disappearing—. A moment later, Midori woke up in her hospital bed. She recognized Atlas scent for a second, which made her feel safe. “Let’s go” he whispered. Midori nodded and followed in his steps. Holding hands, they went to the door. — Wait. Midori brough her ear closer to the door, trying to decipher if it was safe to go out. Midori drew back and nodded, letting Atlas know it was completely safe to exit the room. They opened the door slowly, trying to not make any unnecessary noise. They closed the door just as slowly. The hallway was so quite not even a fly passing by could be hear. Midori swallowed down, starting to feel anxious. She squeezed Atlas hand. — Okay, we’ll go to the basement. I’ve seen my nurse go there many times. — Alright… have you seen where exactly does she go down there? — No… but we’ll discover it now. Carefully, they made their way to the stairs and started to slowly descent through hem. Unfortunately, as Midori was not able to see, she ended up slipping through the stairs, however, luckily for them, Atlas had good reflexes and took her in his arms. — Are you okay? —he whispered close to her face—. — Y-yea… I-I’m sorry… Atlas put Midori down and they started to go down again. Luckily, there wasn’t anyone who stopped them along the way. When they arrived, in front of them was a big metal door, with a label saying “DO NOT PASS”. — What’s wrong, Atlas? — There’s a metal door in front, it says “do not pass”. — It should be here then… Right then, Midori started to shake Atlas’ shoulder in a panicked way. — Someone’s coming! Someone’s coming! —she tried to say without raising her voice—. TO BE CONTINUED.

She could smell the scent getting closer to her, along with footsteps that increased in speed. She felt a body engulfing her in a tight hug, the sensation of wanting to cry overwhelming her. A knot formed on her throat and it was difficult for her to speak. “You’re here” she muttered, hugging him back. The warmth Atlas was giving her was one she no longer was able to feel in real life. She was feeling so many things at the same time, it was impossible to describe. — I told you I’d come for you. They stayed like that for a few minutes. Midori didn’t want to let him go, but Atlas pulled back slowly. Midori touched his face all over, until she got to his hair, feeling how smooth it was. Atlas just chuckled at that. Midori recognized his facial features. Even though she wasn’t able to see, it felt like in her dreams. Atlas took Midori’s face between his hands and slowly got closer to her, leaving a small kiss on her forehead. Midori couldn’t stop the smile that formed on her face. — Let’s get out of here, I’ll protect you. Midori nodded, with a big smile still on her face. Atlas walked away to make sure that the door was properly closed, then he went back to Midori and sat down by her side. Midori felt how the bed dipped on her right side. It felt weird, no one had sat down there since she was admitted to the hospital. — This place is so strange. There are almost no patients and it seems like we’re in the middle of nowhere. — I noticed that too… since I’m not able to see anymore, my hearing got sharper and I’ve never heard other patients… —but then Midori remembered those moments where patients were screaming in the halls— Oh… yeah… She raised her face as if she had realized something, and looked at Atlas’ direction. — Yes! I do remember hearing patients screaming in two separate occasions… — Do you remember what they said? — They were saying things like this wasn’t a hospital, that they were torturing them… Atlas tilted his head to the side, trying to analyze what Midori just said. He clicked his tongue. — Something weird is happening… what we are having are not dreams at all. — Then, what are they? — I don’t know, Midori… but we need to find out. Atlas looked at Midori and took her hands between his own. — We need to find out what is happening here. They are doing something to us. —Atlas coughed a bit at the end of his sentence— Excuse me. — Are you okay? — Yes… don’t worry… let’s better worry about how to get out of here. —he cleared his throat a little before continuing to talk—. I’ll investigate around the hospital. If I find something, I’ll let you know. — I want to go with you! — Midori… — I know I have a disability… but! —she clasped his hands tightly between hers— Let me help you… And Atlas didn’t have any other choice but to accept. — Alright, are you ready? —he said as he stood up from the bed—. In that moment, Midori turned to where the door was. She heard footsteps approaching. — Hide under the bed! Atlas did so without thinking it twice, he dropped to the floor and crawled under the bed. Midori lay down and covered herself from head to toe, as if she were asleep. Seconds later, she heard how her door was being opened. The nurse saw her and assumed she was sleeping. She stepped into the room, Midori gulped down and mentally crossed her fingers hoping the nurse wouldn’t look under her bed. Atlas covered his mouth with his hands, trying to make as little noise as possible, he even held his breath. Every step the nurse made had Midori’s heartbeat quickening. The nurse sat down on the chair that was next to Midori’s bed and sighed profusely. Midori didn’t have any idea what she was doing, she’d never done that before. After a few seconds, the nurse stood up and exited the room as if nothing had happened. Midori waited until the footsteps were far enough before she let Atlas know it was safe. — You… you can go out now. —she said as she uncovered herself and went back to sitting on the edge of the bed—. Atlas took a deep breath and crawled out of the bed, taking his spot back at Midori’s side. — I’ve never held my breath for so long before. Midori could only chuckle. — I don’t think this is the best moment to go out and investigate. —said Atlas— My nurse probably noticed already that I’m not in my room. Maybe that’s why yours came here. — Maybe you’re right… Atlas got up but stayed in front of Midori. — I’ll come back tomorrow, okay? Tomorrow we will investigate this place. Midori nodded. She raised her hand towards Atlas’ face. — I’d like to see you… —she said sadly while caressing his cheek—. — You can see me in your dreams. —Midori chuckled at that— Take care, Midori. Atlas slowly walked away and carefully exited the room, trying not to be seen. Midori sighed deeply, wishing to be able to see him without having to go to sleep. TO BE CONTINUED.

Both of them were speechless. They both knew what the other was thinking. — Mid- — Atl- They started at the same time and stopped. Atlas pointed at the rocks that were next to the waterfall for them to sit. Midori just nodded and without saying anything else she sat down. When she did, they stayed in silence for a few more seconds. Midori’s head was a mess, she didn’t even know what to think. She was sure the voice she heard was Atlas’. And by the way he was acting, she knew Atlas was feeling awkward too. — And… How are y- Atlas raised his head and looked at Midori. — It was you, in the hospital, right? Midori’s eyes opened in surprise. — It was you who called me… — I knew it. —Atlas hit his leg with a fist— I knew that this wasn’t normal. — You mean these… “dreams”? — Yes. But… you had bandages over your eyes… — I had an accident, that’s why I’m there. I’m blind. And you… do you really have cancer? Atlas nodded. — Yes. That’s why I was admitted to the hospital. — So… what is this? —she asked nervously—. — I don’t know. I have an idea but I’m not sure. —Atlas turned back to her—. Don’t worry, Midori. I’ll look into it. He got closer to her, giving her a warm hug, and whispered “I’ll go to see you soon, wait for me”. Midori smiled. Behind that smile was hidden a certain sadness. She couldn’t see Atlas in the real world. She only had her dreams to see him. Atlas took Midori’s face delicately between his hands and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. She woke up once again in the hospital bed. She felt less anxious since she knew she wasn’t going crazy. Atlas was real. She placed her hand over her heart and smiled. But only a few seconds were enough to make that smile disappear. She touched the bandages over her eyes. Now more than ever she wanted to get rid of them. She wanted to see Atlas with her own eyes. Starting from that moment, it was only a matter of time before Atlas visited her room. Hours went by and she didn’t hear the door opening up. A few minutes more passed before it happened. She heard the door opening, it made her stomach fill with butterflies, but the scent in her room told her it wasn’t who she was hoping to see. It was the nurse who was bringing her lunch. Midori clicked her tongue and went back to lay down on her bed, turning on her back. The nurse just left the food and promptly exited the food without saying anything. Midori felt her stomach growl, so she sat up and started to eat. In truth, she just wanted to see Atlas, but she couldn’t do it on an empty stomach. After eating, she left the tray on the side and lay down, patiently waiting for him. More and more hours went by, and nobody else went to her room. She waited some more but nothing happened. She was starting to feel sad, lowering down her head she thought “What if everything was a dream after all?”. She was starting to question if Atlas truly existed. Without noticing, she fell asleep. Midori woke up in the same tree she woke up on the first time. She stood up quickly and ran to the waterfall, Atlas was there. She approached him. — I’m sorry, Midori. My nurse is being really cautious of me. Since that day that I called you out she knows that I’m trying to do something… But. —he got closer to her and rearranges a lock of hair behind her ear— I’ll find a way, I promise you. Midori placed her hand over his, resting her cheek on it. The days went by and Atlas still hasn’t visited her room. Likewise, it had been some time since the last time they saw each other at the oasis. Every time she went there, she looked everywhere but Atlas wasn’t there. Midori was starting feeling sad. She almost had no energy to wake up. She wanted to escape reality but not even in her oasis was the person she wanted to be with. The nurse entered her room. — Can… can I go out? —she asked with no energy left—. There wasn’t an answer, she just heard the door closing again, this time with a lock. She clenched her teeth and punched the bed. Fury was starting to consume her. The day passed and the night arrived. She was laying down, her front to the window. She heard once again how the door opened up, this time slowly. She didn’t have hopes anymore, but she smelt a different scent. A familiar scent, and it wasn’t the nurse. She turned around and immediately sat up, facing the door. TO BE CONTINUED.

Midori sits down on the bed. She was completely confused. “It didn’t work?” she asked herself. She started to breathe with some difficulty, a knot formed on her throat. Next to her, she hears how someone stands up, the perfume let her know who it was. — Miss Midori… Are you feeling alright? — What happened? — You were in coma for a week, thanks to an antibiotics overdose… Midori clicked her tongue. She didn’t accomplish what she wanted. Biting her lip, she clenched her hands into fists next to her. She was desperate. She missed her home with all her being. The nurse exited her room to give her some space. Midori was numb, she was devastated. Her last option didn’t work either, and after what she did, they will surely have her on observation. Hours went by and Midori hasn’t moved from her spot. She didn’t care anymore. She will only continue to live to see Atlas. Just to be with him. The nurse went back to her room and left a plate with food on the table hovering over her bed. Midori didn’t react to her presence. The nurse looked at her with concern in her face. — Do you need something, Miss Midori? Midori was completely silent. The nurse waited a few seconds for her to respond but to no avail. If she could look into her eyes, she would notice they were completely dead. The nurse gave up and exited the room once again. Midori smelt the food that was in front of her but she couldn’t move a single finger. She wanted to get up and go to the window but she couldn’t feel her legs. She was paralyzed. She started to scream. The force she was using to try and move made the food to end on the floor, causing the plates to break. The nurse heard the noise she was making and quickly ran back to her run, making her way straight to Midori. — Don’t worry, Miss Midori, it’s only a temporal paralysis caused by the overdose. It’s going to pass in a few days. Midori started to even out her breathing, after a few minutes she felt a little calmer. — Do you want me to walk you out? Get some fresh air? Midori nodded. Everything was better than being on that bed. She waited for the nurse, who looked for a wheelchair. She opened it and pulled it next to the bed. She helped Midori move until was seated. It felt strange to Midori, she never imaged she would be sitting in a wheelchair so young. The nurse started to walk. When they exited the room, the only thing that could be heard were the wheels on the floor. They arrived to an elevator; Midori didn’t even know there was one, however it’s not like she could see it. She heard how the nurse pressed one of the buttons and the elevator started to move. When they got to the first floor, they made their way to the patio of the hospital. Once there, they walked to a set of benches. The nurse sat down in one of them, leaving Midori in front of her. Midori felt the breeze hugging her. She took a deep breath, feeling better breathing the fresh air instead of the made up one from the air conditioner. They stayed there a long time, just enjoying the ambiance. It was sundown, Midori noticed, feeling the Sun’s warmth on her skin. It was different from the midday Sun. Another nurse was with her patient in the patio as well. Midori smelt a familiar scent, and it wasn’t the nurse’s. She tilted her head slightly. “It can’t be that” she thought. The other patient looked at Midori and their eyes widened in surprise. — Do we go now, Miss Midori? Midori nodded, much to her regret. In that moment, the other patient tried to get to Midori, but the nurse caught their arms and didn’t let them get far. Screaming was the only option left. — MIDORI. Midori definitely recognized that voice. She raised her head and turned to where the voice was. That voice along with the scent confirmed who was the other patient. Midori tried to get up from the chair but she forgot she was paralyzed. The nurses looked at each other and nodded. After that, she didn’t hear anything else from the other patient. — It can’t be… The nurse stood up and started to move Midori back to her room. She was still thinking about it, biting her nails, consumed by the nerves. She knew perfectly well who she had heard, but she couldn’t process it. It didn’t seem real. Once they arrived to Midori’s room, the nurse left her on her bed and exited the room without saying anything else. Midori opened the drawer next to her bed and looked for her MP3, which she had left there previously. She desperately plugged the earphones and put them on. She lay down and tried with all her might to fall asleep. She woke up suddenly on the bed. She was already used to the mansion by now. She quickly made her way down the stairs, stumbling on them and falling all the way to the first floor. Even though she was in her dreams, her legs were still weak. She mustered all her strength and stood back up. She went outside the mansion and started to run all the way to the oasis. The adrenaline she was feeling in that moment was the only thing she needed in order to move without problems. When she arrived, he was there. She was having trouble breathing, but even so, she approached him slowly, both looking directly at each other, it was as if they had seen a ghost. TO BE CONTINUED.

The scent that was starting to feel familiar made Midori smile before she opened her eyes. She already knew where she was. She slowly opened her eyes and yawned, stretching up her arms. Suddenly she felt a headache. Bringing her hand to her head, she held it between her hands. She felt dizzy and heavy, making her shut her eyes tightly, waiting a few moments to get used to the pain. She tried to stand up as much as the tree house’s roof allowed her. She was struggling to regain her balance. Tried with all her strength to stay up but ended up falling anyways on the cushion. She waited for the dizziness to pass. A few minutes later she started to feel better, so she tried to stand up again, this time succeeding. — Wait… it worked…? She tilted her head in confusion for a few seconds before a splitting smile formed on her lips. She assumed that what she did was successful after all. She couldn’t help but clap in joy. With a big smile still adorning her face, she made her way down the tree house and to the mansion. Near the place, she caught a delicious smell on her way. She closed her eyes to concentrate on it and try to decipher what it was, but couldn’t. With a shrug she went inside the house. The smell took her to the kitchen, in which was Atlas, cooking something. She gulped down, feeling a little nervous thanks to what happened before. She approached him and stayed by his side, trying to greet him, but Atlas was quicker. — Good morning, Midori. —he said warmly, while getting closer to her and leaving a soft kiss on her cheek—. Midori’s eyes widened in surprise, making Atlas chuckle. Atlas was still looking at her, and signaled her with his head to sit down and have breakfast. Midori just nodded and quickly made her way to the table. A few minutes later, Atlas sets a plate in front of her. It had scrambled eggs and toast. She waited until Atlas sat down as well to start to eat. They ate in silence, the nerves Midori was feeling made her completely self-aware of everything, she couldn’t muster up the courage to say anything. — Do you want to go on a date with me, Midori? Midori lets the fork fall down from her grasp along with the food on it. She looked at Atlas, blinking rapidly in surprise. — Y-yes. —she answered with some difficulty—. Atlas smiled brightly at that. — I saw somewhere in here an aquarium and a theater. Would you like to go there? — It’s fine wherever you chose. — Then it’s decided. After you finish your breakfast and rest for a bit. Atlas got up and washed the dishes. Midori finished eating a few moments later. She had a smile on her face that couldn’t be wiped off no matter what. She got up as well and left the plate in the same place Atlas left it. She made her way to the living room, flopped down on the couch, and stayed there. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, but doing so made the image of Atlas so close to her face to appear again. She opened her eyes quickly, brought her hand to her forehead and chuckled. An hour later, Atlas came down from the room and sat next to Midori. — Are we ready? — Yes, as ready as ever. Both laughed and stood up. Atlas extended his hand. — Would you allow me? Midori smiled and took his hand, making their way out. The sun was as dazzling as ever. Atlas was leading the way. Midori couldn’t believe that they were walking while holding hands. It was all new to her. The scenery they passed by was like a dream. They had to go through the waterfall in the oasis. Midori looked at it with nostalgia, as if months have gone by since the first time, she met Atlas. Lost in her thoughts, she bumped into him. — We’re here. In front of them was a big aquarium. Midori’s eyes widened, feeling how the excitement was consuming her. She has never been to one. Taking Atlas’ hand once more, she ran inside the place. Atlas just followed her, laughing along the way. Right in the entrance was a fish tank that reached all the way to the roof, it was filled with many different fishes. Midori stuck to the crystal to look at all of them closely. There was a light in her eyes that indicated how happy she was. Atlas carefully looked at all her expressions. — Come on, come on! There’s more there! In that moment Midori seemed like a small seven-year-old girl, running all around the place, from fish tank to fish tank, stopping to look at all the different fishes. They stayed in the aquarium for a few hours. When they finally exited the place, it was already sundown. — That was so fun! Can we go back? Atlas nodded. — Of course, whenever you want. Atlas took her hand again. The theater they were going to was close to the aquarium. A few minutes was enough for them to get there. A romance movie was just starting, it was perfect. Midori blushed thinking about watching a romance movie with the guy she was in love with. It wasn’t necessary to buy tickets to enter. They went inside and sat in the middle on the room, the movie started right after and both of them jolted in surprise when it did. But after that, the movie finished without problems. — It was a good movie. I’ve never heard of it before. —said Atlas—. Midori just shrugged. — I don’t know much about movies. It was nighttime already. In that place the sky was always clear. The stars shone as brightly as they always did, along with the moonlight. They decided to go back to the mansion to rest. Once there, they made their way directly to the bedroom and lay down on the bed. Atlas got closer to her and left a small kiss on her lips, banishing right after. Midori closed her eyes without worries, knowing she can just wait for Atlas to come back. But, to her surprise, she woke up in the hospital. TO BE CONTINUED.

— Sure. Atlas agreed with a bright smile on his face. It was the perfect time to do it, since it was already dawn. They had spent the entire day playing in the arcade. Both stand up from the floor; Midori stretches her arms before exiting the place and make their way to the mansion. While passing by the neighborhood they could see how the houses were illuminated, even though there was no one living there. They went inside the mansion and to the kitchen. Midori put on the apron again. — What would you like to eat? — Honestly, I don’t know. —he shrugged— What are people supposed to eat in a picnic? — Well, sandwiches, tea, something sweet… —she said while counting the dishes with her fingers— And stuff like that… — You can make that if you’d like, then. It’s fine by me. I’ll be in the garden arranging everything. — Alright. Atlas then exited the kitchen; Midori heard the sliding door leading to the garden being opened as he did. She sighed and started to open up the cabinets, hoping to find everything she needed. Luckily for her, exactly everything she needed was in the kitchen. She did a small fist pump into the air in victory and then took the bread out of its plastic, leaving the slices over the counter. She went to the refrigerator, looking for some cheese or marmalade to put on the slices of bread. When she finished them, she started to think of something sweet to make, taking a moment thinking about it as she tapped her lips with her index finger while thinking. In the middle of it, she could hear Atlas going in and out from the garden to the house and so on. She couldn’t help but chuckle, wondering what he could be planning. She opened the refrigerator once again as a last resource and noticed a few containers that seemed to have ice cream inside. Since the night wasn’t too cold, she decided that it was the perfect dessert. Half an hour later, Midori finished everything they needed for the picnic. She looked for a basket she had seen before and carefully put the dishes inside. Taking the apron off, she went outside to the garden, but right in that moment Atlas was going in and stopped her. — Wait! It’s still not ready, give me a few more seconds… Close your eyes. Midori did so and closed her eyes. Atlas continued to arrange his decorations and after a few minutes he was ready. — You can open them now. — I’m really curious to know what you did. — You’ll see. They made their way outside together, and when told to open up her eyes, Midori slowly opened them up and they kept growing in size as she admired her surroundings in surprise. There was a red blanket on the floor, just besides a big tree. From there, paper lamps were dangling, perfectly illuminating the place, along with the moon and stars. Two cushions were next to each other for the both of them to sit on. It was a beautiful scene. Midori felt a little overwhelmed. She walked to it and left the basket in the middle of the blanket, then she turned around to look at Atlas. — You outdid yourself… is this why you took so long? Atlas nodded. — These lamps were not easy to hang. —he said with a chuckle— Want to sit down? Atlas walked to where the cushions were and sat down in one of them, patting the one that was next to him so Midori could so the same. Atlas took one of the sandwiches and gave it a small bite, making him raise his eyebrows and give a thumbs up. Midori smiled and took one as well, they started to eat together, and tell stories of when they were kids. Between stories and laughs they finished all the food, included the ice cream. Midori took a small sip of the tea she had prepared and tilts her head to look at Atlas. He, too, was drinking the tea. Midori started to feel nervous. The view she had seemed like a dream. Atlas’ white hair shined along with the stars. Midori couldn’t hold it any longer. She took a deep breath. “This is a dream, what does it matter?” she thought. And as she said that, she did to do something she could’ve never dared to do in real life. — Atlas. Hearing his name, Atlas lowered the cup he was drinking from and looked at Midori with curiosity. Without thinking it twice, Midori got closer to Atlas and, slowly, pressed her lips to his in a small kiss. Atlas couldn’t close his eyes; he was caught off guard. Midori slowly moved away and looked down. Atlas couldn’t move, the nerves were consuming him. He was blushing from head to toe. Midori cleared her throat. — I-I’m sorry… —she said, still not able to meet his eyes— I-I think I’m in love with you. Atlas swallowed down. — I’m in love you too, Midori. —he firmly confessed—. Midori raised her head and looked at him in the eyes. Midori’s eyes had a light on them Atlas has never seen before. Atlas smiled and raised his hand, softly caressing Midori’ cheek. He got closer to her and kissed her again. But then, Midori woke up in the hospital. She bites her lip so hard she felt how blood was flowing from it. She gets up from the bed and approaches the bedside table next to it, throwing everything that was in there. She was screaming like never before, feeling how her vocal cords couldn’t take it anymore. She felt like she was going crazy, almost at her limit. She tried to desperately take off the bandages, but they seemed like they were part of her. She took out all the drawers from both tables. Between one of them, she heard how a small bottle fell to the floor. It seemed to contain something inside. Midori searched for it on the floor, touching everything and everywhere. When she finally found it, she took it and shook it a bit, then she opened it up and smelled what was inside. She threw a few of its contents on her hand, they were pills. Midori hesitated for a moment and thought about it, but ended up doing it. She took a handful of them and swallowed them down. She kept swallowing some more down until she couldn’t do it any longer. A few minutes were enough for them to take effect. And then, Midori fell unconscious to the floor. TO BE CONTINUED.

Midori bit her lip harshly, punched the ground and then clenched her hand near her heart. She couldn’t breath. She was completely agitated. Her nerves were consuming her and to put the cherry on top, she looked like a tomato by how red her face was. Right then, she wakes up in the hospital. She touches her chest again, feeling how her heart was still beating a million per second. Her other hand was trembling. — Did… did I fall in love with someone who doesn’t exists…? She laughed at herself for having that thought. She knew that was not possible. It was impossible to fall in love with someone that only existed in dreams. It took her a few seconds to calm down and stabilize her breathing. After she calmed down, a smell invaded her room. When she paid close attention to it, she deduced it came from that day’s lunch, which laid on the table next to her. It was, once again, a rice bowl accompanied with noodle soup. She grimaced, she didn’t want to eat that, but she was hungry and it was the only thing available. So, she took the tray and put it on the table that hovered over her bed. Just before she could take a bite, the image of Atlas getting closer to her appeared again in her mind. She lowered the spoon she was holding. Shaking her head, she slapped her cheeks. “Stop thinking about it, Midori. It’s not real”, she repeated to herself over and over again. She tried to take back the spoon but it was impossible. Atlas’ face wouldn’t go away. After a few failed attempts, she gave up on eating. Her nerves wouldn’t let her as much as she wanted In that moment, she once again heard screaming in the hallway. It didn’t seem to come from the same person as before. — GET ME OUT OF HERE PLEASE!! THEY ARE TORTURING US!! — Inject him the dose right now! Quickly! After that, all that was heard was the noise of a body falling to the floor. The nurses were still whispering between them. After a few seconds, another person went out of their room and started to scream. — PLEASE! THEY ARE KILLING US!! Midori took her pillow and covered her head with it, trying to escape from the reality she was in. She didn’t want to hear them anymore. She tightly closed her eyes, trying to force herself to sleep. A few seconds later, she could fall asleep. A ray of light woke her up. She slowly y opened up her eyes, using her hand to cover the light. She blinked a few times to adjust her sight, noticing she was still in the same cushion as before. She caressed the cushion that was besides her, looking at it with sadness. She took a deep breath and stood up as much as she could thanks to the low roof the house had. She approached the door, that was on the floor, and opened it up. She looked down and got scared by the height of the place. Trying not to look down, Midori started to climb down the stairs, being even more careful than the first time, so as not to make another table break down. When she finally reached the bottom, she cleaned up her clothes a little. “Where should I go today?” she asked to herself. She felt there were places she still hasn’t gone to. Unknowingly, she started to make her way to the neighborhood. When she arrived there, she decided to take another path. After walking for a while, she noticed a small local in the distance with many lights surrounding it. The big sign on it said “ARCADE”. Midori opened up her eyes in surprise. She’s always wanted to go to an arcade, but was never able to. She started to walk a little faster towards it until she ended up fully running to the place. The closer she got, the wider was the smile on her face. She felt like a little girl once again. When she arrived, she stood right in front of the door. She was breathing heavily after running all the way there. Besides the door was a big window, she walked up to it and leaned her hands on it, getting closer to the crystal so she could see what was inside. There were many machines, all of them were on. From where she was, she could see a claw machine, air hockey, and some more. The excitement was too much, and without wasting one more second, she opened up the doors and went inside. A singular aroma greeted her, she closed her eyes and enjoyed it for a few seconds, trying to commit it to her memory. She then looked around; she didn’t know where to start. She ran to the claw machine, and pressed a small red button, the machine then started to work. She carefully moved the claw that was inside and tried to catch a stuffed animal she liked. She lowered down the claw and caught the animal, but unfortunately, it slipped from it and fell back down to the pile of stuffed animals. Midori threw a small tantrum; she really wanted that stuffed animal. She tried to get it a few more times until she finally got it. She crouched down to take it from the cabin it fell into. The moment she had it in her hands, she hugged it while jumping in a small circle in excitement. Right then, she heard how the arcade’s door opened. The expression on her face banished and quickly turned around to where the entrance was. It was him. Midori started to feel the nerves taking hold of her body again. She gulped down. Butterflies fluttering on her stomach. Atlas approached her. — I haven’t seen this place. —he said, looking around the arcade—. — I-I found it just a few hours ago… —she let out a nervous laugh— Do you want to play with me? — Of course. —he smiled and nodded—. Atlas and Midori spent hours playing. They didn’t stop until they tried all the machines that were in there. Midori was genuinely happy. Atlas was the same. It was the perfect way to simply enjoy a good time and forget about anything else. Both leaned against a wall and slowly slid down to the floor, exhausted. — Oof, that was a lot for one day, huh? —said Atlas, panting a little and cleaning the sweat that had accumulated on his forehead—. — It was, but it was really fun. —she said while giggling—. They stayed a few moments in silence. Midori turned around to look at Atlas. — Do you… Atlas looked back at her. — Do you want to have a picnic in the mansion’s garden? TO BE CONTINUED.

A thought crossed Midori’s mind, “What if he’s at the oasis again?” she didn’t think about it twice and ran all the way to the woods. She was already breathing with so difficulty but that wouldn’t stop her. Once again, she passed by that cabin, but it wasn’t the moment to feel scared. After running for a while, she started to feel exhausted. Midori had never been athletic. She leaned against a tree and slowly sat down on the ground, trying to calm down her breathing. She takes the water bottle she took along witu her before exiting the mansion. — Where are you, Atlas? She looked around, trying to see for a new path to head in, and in the distance, she could notice something she’s never seen before. She squinted her eyes, trying to better identify it, and it seemed to be a tree house. She tilted her head in confusion. She’s never seen that around in all the times she has walked through the woods. It was starting to get dark, and she was far away from the mansion. She didn’t have any other place to take refuge. So, she took her water bottle and stood up from the ground, cleaning her pants as she did so. She made her way to the tree house, and when she arrived, she noticed that it was taller than she thought. — Well, I have nothing to lose. Approaching the stairs, she started to carefully make her way up. The wood was making small quaking noises. Midori gulped down, “I hope this doesn’t break down…” she thought. But that thought was slowly morphing into a reality the more she climbed up. One of the steps broke down and fell to the ground when Midori stepped on it. Midori let out a scream so loud it resonated all over the woods, birds flew away scared. Still firmly standing in the stair; she looked down, seeing how the piece of wood was falling. Her breathing started to quicken. She looked up, noticing how she was almost there. She continued going up, very slowly and with a lot of patience until she reached the house. The entrance was a small wood plate, which with only a little push could be opened. Once she was inside, she closed the makeshift door. The space was a little small, she couldn’t completely straighten up. There was barely enough space for two people. The place was decorated with fairy lights. They made the house look completely illuminated, along with the stars in the sky. There was a small window just in front with two cushions to sit in. It was an unusual ambience for Midori. She sat down in one of the cushions and looked out the window, seeing the moon. It was a full moon that night. After a few seconds, she looked back inside the house. — I don’t know how I will sleep in here… While looking around, her eyes landed on a photo album. There were two. One green, the other white. She extended her hand to reach out to the green one, it was close enough she didn’t have to get up from where she was. There was nothing in the cover, just the plain color covering it. She swiped her hand over it, trying to dust it off a little bit. She felt how there seemed to be a small letter engraved on the material of it. Brushing the material some more, she deciphered that there was a M in the cover. She frowned at that. It was too much of a coincidence already. Without thinking about it too much, she opened up the album. Her face couldn’t hide the surprise she felt in that moment. In the first page, there were pictures of her from when she was little, with both of her parents. Midori covered her mouth and tears started to fall down. She took out the picture from the plastic that it was in and looked at it carefully. There was no mistake. Her mind wasn’t playing her a bad joke. It was her first birthday. She started to sob, taking the picture in both hands, bringing it closer to her chest. — I wish I could go back in time… She put the picture back to where it originally was and cleaned up her tears. She decided to keep looking at the album. It was full of pictures of her and her parents. Each time she looked at one she laughed a little, remembering the moment they took it. And just then, she found the last picture they took together, just before the accident. She closed her eyes, trying to avoid thinking about that fateful day. She continued to quickly turn the pages so she didn’t have to see it anymore. In many pictures there was Aoi. Midori softly bit her lip. She missed her best friend a lot, it was the only person who understood her in the real world. At the end of the album, she found a picture of her when show was little. She was next to a small boy. The picture was dirty and she couldn’t see the other person without clarity. She took it out of the plastic and tried to clean it with her wrist but the dirt persisted. She tried to think hard about who could it be, but she wasn’t able to come up with someone. She closed the album and left it at her side. She extended her arm once again, this time to take the white one. Cleaning up the dust it had in the cover, she slowly brushed her hand over the cover, looking for a small letter on it. As she thought, there was a small A, which made her raise her eyebrows. She imagined it was an album about Atlas. She was truly curious about Atlas’ childhood, but she also felt she would be invading his privacy. Just before she was able to open the album, the house door opens. It was Atlas. Midori looked up. Atlas recognized what Midori had in her arms and quickly sat down next to her, taking the album from her. Midori’s eyebrows raised in surprise, feeling guilty for taking the album. — I-I’m sorry… —she said in a low voice—. — N-no… —he cleared up his throat— Don’t worry. I’m sorry for taking it like that. — No, no, you don’t have to apologize, I took it without your consent. Both stayed in silence for a few seconds, but Atlas decided to break it first. — Do you want to see it? Midori looked at him and nodded. Atlas opened up the album and starts to tell her the stories behind the pictures. There were stories of all kinds. There were a few that were funny, as well some that were sad. Sometimes they laughed together. Midori felt happy, sharing stories under the night sky. It was a completely new experience for her, Atlas, too, seemed to be enjoying the moment. Midori looks up. The moon, the stars and the fairy lights made Atlas look unreal, almost like an angel. Atlas noticed that midori was looking at him and looked back at her, directly in the eyes. Midori couldn’t turn away from his eyes, they were shining like never before. She felt how she started to slowly blush, at the same time when a slight blush was starting to creep up to Atlas’ cheeks. Midori noticed that and started to feel more nervous. And then, Atlas started to lean slowly closer to her. Her heart was close to bursting. Midori closed her eyes as a reflex. Waited a few seconds, but nothing happened. She opened up her eyes slowly and, as if everything had been an illusion, Atlas wasn’t there anymore. TO BE CONTINUED.