The Gate
When mavis had gotten dressed, she noticed the clothes were a neutral tan color, the sleeves were long and had some shapes lining the edges. The pants were loose but comfortable and the flats she was given fit well to her foot size. All in all, it wasn't too bad. Taking a deep breath, she stepped to the doors and pushed them open. She expected a blinding light to shine into her face, but there wasn't. Instead, it just opened up onto a large street, people of all shapes and colors walked, going from point A to point B. She looked down at the map in her hands of the massive city. It only showed a quarter of where she was, like a piece of pie because they couldn't fit all the directions onto one if they had the whole layout of the city. There was a red line marking down the path she had to follow to get to what they had called, "Housing Management". Whatever that was. Sighing again, she started walking, hopeful it wasn't going to take days like it did just to get there. While on her walk, she got to observe people around her, some seemed to be enjoying their life there, kids laughing and playing ball, shopkeepers showing their rather worn looking wears to new arriving souls just like her. Sadly she had no way to pay for anything just yet. Maybe someone would help her find a job.
After what felt like forever, she came upon a small plaza, with a dried up water fountain crusted with dead moss and algae. A building sat behind it, stone stairs crack and ruined from constant foot traffic. The once red bricks were dull, just like a lot of the buildings around. Yet, it had a newer appearance, more modern than the first ring of the city. People were walking in and out of the building, some looking just like her, just beginning, and others looking more, vibrant and wearing nicer clothes. Stealing her mind from her surroundings, she walked towards the building, its marble pillars rising up, keeping its roof still and firm above it despite its worn look.
Mavis reached the open doors and looked inside. A small booth with a chubby woman had fluorescent pink hair and severely long eyelashes sat behind the counter, flipping through a book of sorts absentmindedly. She only looked when Mavis got right up on the counter.
"Can I help you?" She asked, her voice was high pitched but not unbearable to hear.
"I um..I came for help, to find a place to live?" Mavis asked, unsure of what to say but that.
"Of course you did. This is the Housing Management building for this quadrant." She put down the book before reaching under the counter for something. She pulled out a massive book with a red leather cover on it. She opened it up and flipped through the pages. "Name please?"
"Mavis." She answered, resting her fingers on top of the counter.
"No last name you can remember?" She asked as she kept flipping through the book.
"Ah, no. I can't remember having one.." She muttered
The woman sighed before looking at her. "That's fine. When you do remember it, I can write it down and place you into better accommodations." she paused as she sat up straight. "As you grow and live your life here, you will change. And as you changed so does where you live."
"What? So we all just start out the same then?"
"Exactly. Depending on how you want to live this new life, you will go further up, passing each ring of the city until you reach a point where you want to stay. There are five rings in total. The first is where you start off, and a majority of people are satisfied with being here. Mild living situation, not a lot of crime. The first ring is for those who just want to have the family they never had before. This where you are, right now." She paused for a moment. "Where do you want to live? Live in this ring and have a peaceful life and a day job? Or climb the latter?"
Mavis didn't know. But, she did know she wanted to move up. Living comfortably is nice and all. But it didn't feel right to her. Maybe because her past life was full of explosions, well from what she remembered anyway. "I think climbing a little higher isn't so bad."
The woman smiled, her golden eyes shimmering. "That's good. It's good to strive for something greater, even if it's your second life." She suddenly had a pen in her hand and she quickly scribbled something down in the book before closing it. "Now, I'm going to give you a piece of paper with another map, it will take you to the neighbourhood where your new place is. Also go here, to get your rations to start off with. Be there before they close or you won't eat tonight." She pointed to a spot on the map that was on her route.
Mavis turned away with the new map in hand, looking at it she noticed it wasn't as straightforward as she had hoped. Sighing she walked out the building, eyeing the map and paying no heed to where she was going. She ran right into someone, sending her to the cold ground. Hissing in mild discomfort she looked up
"I'm so sorry! I didn't see where.." she trailed off
The person she ran into was a massive being of a man. He had a bull ring under his nose and his arms looked like tree trunks. He glared down at her as two more equally large people stepped up beside him. "Watch where you walk! Or I won't be so nice next time shrimpy." he retorted as she stepped over her, making her flinch and cover her head. The other two snickered and eyed her up like she was a freshly cooked steak.
Mavis stood up again and watched them walk into the Housing Management building. She shook her head and pierced her lips together. There were always bullies, no matter what world you lived in. She turned away and kept walking, making sure to keep her eyes up and watch out where she walked. She rubbed her arm a little, looking behind her for a split second. Somehow she felt like she was going to end up running into them again.
It felt she was participating in a walking simulator with how much she walked. She found the little shop where you got your rations, a happy go-lucky old man ran it. He smiled at everyone passing. His eyes were squinted closed all the time and he had a very whiskery mustache. He was far more pleasant then the woman before. He happily gave her the days rations, and even pointed her to a local job board close by to her house on her map. She thanked him happily and took her little package and kept going. The sky had grown dark again by the time she reached the street her new place was on. She was exhausted but still excited to see where she was going to be staying for the time being. Eyeing the number written on the edge of the map, she picked out the place. It was small, but big enough for her. It had a thin steep staircase that led up to the door with a big curved window seat on the front of it with dark curtains pulled closed.
She hurried up the steps and opened the door. A small wave of dust wafted into her face but she didn't mind. She stepped inside and noticed it was already furnished. White sheets covered the furniture keeping the dust away. It honestly looked like a modern apartment, with light fixtures hanging from the ceiling. A switch rested on the wall next to the door, which Mavis quickly flicked on. In seconds, the room was flooded with light, revealing a two seater couch and a small coffee table in the little living room. A counter with two stools divided the kitchen and the living room. A plain long rectangular box sat next to another doorway and some cabinets. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed a handle on the rectangle and opened it. A cold breeze hit her from inside the white space. A thought hit her when she realized what this was. It was a refrigerator! She closed it and set down her package before wandering into the other two rooms. One was a bedroom, a small single bed covered with a sheet like the furniture in the living room and a dresser. The other was a small bathroom with a shower, a sink, and a toilet. She went back to the bedroom and removed the sheet, sending dust everywhere. Going to the single window she opened it up, letting in fresh air and the dull light of the sky The bed was already made, two pillows laid flat on the bed. Mavis took the pillow and puffed them up before throwing herself on the bed. It wasn't the most comfortable but, it was sure better than the rocky ground outside. She fell asleep in just moments, a small smile forming on her mouth as she drifted off.