3042, start of summer, next is college I guess, but first I say goodbye to the wilds

Way closed her journal, and sat in trepidation. She felt the nauseous ache in her diaphragm that came with unsettled nerves, as if she were in a Maglift zooming down to ground level from the top of a spacescraper. She wasn't scared of college so much as it's implications for her. Going to college meant one step away from leaving the school system and joining the work force to live out her days in grey colored sameness.

Her parents didn't seem to grasp why she was so upset. Life was good in Woodwall. Food and other necessities were readily available for all, as were jobs with reasonable hours, and even entertainment. But Way wasn't satisfied with a VR simulation of some grand adventure in a far off land she could never touch herself. She'd seen real wildlife for herself, a secret she could never admit to anyone, and it's danger and beauty had brought her a joy no convenience of her grey world could. She craved the unknown, woke up in cold sweat with a grin on her face from dreams of running through it. She couldn't stay like this anymore, with her life all planned out for her.

She had to leave.

No. No, she couldn't, no matter how badly she wanted to, she couldn't just run away from her home. Leave her family behind? Abandon everything for some whim? Absolutely not! She'd go to college, get assigned a job, and get an apartment close to home. Just follow the plan.

Way got up, put on her favorite academic uniform, the one she'd secretly embroidered messy green leaves on the inside of, and grabbed her bag. She'd made sure to pack everything she'd need the night before. today she'd be going on a final class trip, one that only happened once in the life of each citizen of Woodwall. They would travel to the western Watch, the structure at the western most corner of the city walls, where guards patrolled all hours, day and night, and kept any particularly bold wild creature away.

Once there, her class would set up mock camp in the observatory room, surrounded by live projections from surveillance cameras set up along the wall. It was meant to reinforce an appreciation of all their government did for them, keeping them safe from the wild, but Way wasn't scared. She'd been waiting for this since the day she'd decided it was too dangerous too keep sneaking past the wall herself, for fear of being caught.

Snatching up her analog journal, Way pressed her finger to the print scanner at the door and stepped out.

--

A little over half an hour of hopping from Maglift, to random doorstep, to next roof over, to another Maglift later, Way arrived at the meeting spot for her class. It was a small, square, communal area, with a screen that currently read "graduating class of 3030, send of fieldtrip" in glowing white letters on matt black.

About two thirds of her classmates were there already. She recognized many, but she hadn't spotted her friends yet. Wading through the crowd she found a familiar face.

"Way!" Tetra shouted. Running up to her childhood friend, Way couldn't help smiling.

"Tetra! I thought I'd never find you in this crowd."

"Thank the stars you did, I'm soooo nervous. Do you think we'll see some terrible beast? what if something breaches the walls!? We'll be prime targets!" Her friend started rambling in a panicked voice. Tetra had never been a bold spirit, always very timid and obedient, so Way was brave for her. They'd navigated their childhood together, and They'd face their future together too. that was how life worked in Woodwall, you befriended your closest neighbors, and grew up together. You rarely met anyone new in Woodwall, with how minor a city it was, so you stuck with who you had.

When the instructors called everyone to start moving, Way walked with Tetra down the walkways and through the corridors to the wall and the Watch.

--

Entering the Watch facility, Way lead Tetra behind her down the chrome hallway, following the instructors and tuning out their droning speech about the greatness of the city government and how they could contribute to it.

At the end of several turns the hallway opened up into a large hexagonal room with matt white walls and white padded floors. it felt very sanitary, and the lack of windows left Way feeling a little claustrophobic. Pushing the feeling aside, she collected her assigned tent, and went to assemble it with Tetra.

"why do we even need to set up these tents?" Tetra whined. She'd tried and failed to figure out the device for several minutes now, and had ceded the task to Way. "It's not as if we're actually going to be exposed to the elements or whatever. This whole fake camping thing's dumb."

"Well, it's something to commemorate graduation at least" Way replied as she set the tent poles into the corresponding mechanical arms of the assembly device, pressed the on button, and let it get to work.

"I guess, but Why couldn't we-

Tetra was interrupted by the sound of a mic coming on. In the center of the room, a small platform rose up from the floor, on which stood a man in an official looking uniform, and some machinery. The man introduced himself as some official stationed with the guard, and started talking.

"We of the guard, who spend our lives dutifully protecting you from the dangers of the outside, would like to share with you the perils of our job. Most of you will never have to see the wall again, but some of you may get assigned this glorious duty one day. I expect each one of you to pay attention, as there is the possibility you will have to face these dangers yourselves one day." The man finished his short speech and pressed several buttons on the small device beside him. the lights switched off, and the walls lit up.

What before had been the stifling monotonous white of the observatory was now the vibrant palate of the woods outside the wall. Way's breath caught in her throat. it was beautiful.

At first her classmates were nervous, but soon got used to the screens displaying the outside, turning to their various information devices.

--

That night, laying in her shared tent, Way couldn't sleep. The sleeping bag was comfortable and the temperature was warm, but despite her physiological comfort, she was restless.

Getting up quietly so as not to wake Tetra, she snuck out of her tent. The walls were still displaying the scenery outside the wall, so the room could only get so dark. Making her way past other tents by the light of the observatory's walls, she arrived at an edge. In the display she could see the rustling foliage, and she imagined what it would feel like to have the wind rush past her skin and tug at her hair. To know that anything and everything could happen, and that her choices were truly her own.

Suddenly Way was pulled from her thoughts by a quick motion in her periphery. Turning, She saw a creature daintily stepping past some bushes. It was hard to tell it's color, but it resembled that creature she once saw, with eyes like the sky. Looking at it on the screen, it seemed to look back at her, as if it could see through the walls and straight into her mind, like it knew she wanted freedom. Then it glanced to the side, and dashed off into the woods followed by the glowing trace of the guards' ammo.

As Way watched the creature weave through the underbrush, and disappear, her heart sang the words 'I must leave'.