White.
Excruciatingly white.
There was white as far as the eye could see. The room containing the girl looked like a room suited for someone recovering from cancer would, if you removed everything in it. There were no beds, no shelves, not a television to pass the time, or the company of another person to brighten the mood.
All that surrounded the girl was the walls, and that blinding shade of white.
She could see the exit, yes, but there was no point to leaving this place. There comes a time in one's life where they would rather stick with what they know, than venture into the cold and cruel world of the unknown.
The girl spent her days doing nothing. She laid in the center of the room, on the floor, her face towards the ground. Her eyes were always open; it was as if she was an animal that had been kicked too many times, but had lost the energy to even shield her eyes from the torment by closing them.
Looking into those glassy spheres, one could only assume she was dead or dying.
She did not eat, or drink, and while she may have been beautiful once, the lack of nutrition she received was apparent on her face and all over her body. Her ribcage showed through her chest, and her arms and legs were sickeningly thin. Her cheekbones were the most prominent feature on her face, and one might assume she was old if they were a small distance away from her.
Her messy brown hair was so long, that it covered much of her disheveled body from the head to the waist. It had no symmetry, or shape, it simply cascaded wherever its growth pleased.
Days continued on, until a full month had passed. The girl did not even feel the pain of the hunger that would have consumed most people. She did not feel the thirst that any other human would have felt, clawing at her throat. Her body was simply so numb, it was as if she could not feel at all.
She almost did not hear the voice of the stranger that nicked the edge of her reverie.
"Is this your wish?"
The voice did not break her trance, but it did elicit a coherent thought from the back of her mind.
"A wish…?"
Her wish was gone. Lost forever; beyond the abilities of any normal human being. Even should she dedicate her life to the fulfillment of her wish, she could not achieve it. It simply was not possible.
Her wish was gone, and it was never coming back.
For a split second, she saw them dying again. Saw his laughing face. Laughter, at the sight of their corpses.
They were dead. And her wish was gone.
"Is lying here really what you wish for the remainder of your life?"
The girl considered it shortly, and decided yes, that's exactly what she wanted.
Reality is a cold, cruel thing; devoid of kindness and happiness. People clued themselves to their technology and their illegal substances because they wanted an escape. Humanity wanted pleasure, and reality wasn't pleasurable in the slightest. People thought of the characters of The Matrix as unlucky, but they were the ones who had it made. The characters of The Matrix were simply put in a situation that we humans are creating for ourselves by choice.
We're all simply using an external force to keep our minds outside of reality.
Despite herself, the girl laughed internally. A bitter laugh; the kind that one would make after they had put their dog down, and had hysterically lamented over how unfair life was.
The girl knew that if she wished, she could escape too. Get as high as the Empire State Building, get into some stupid video game or reality television show and waste away somewhat happy.
But she didn't want that. Deep down the girl still wanted something real.
She wasn't going to get it in this world; that's not how this life worked.
"But what if real happiness was attainable?"
It isn't.
"Oh, but it is. You've simply found yourself on the unlucky side of life, time and time again. There is much happiness to be had; much dopamine to restore to your suffering mind."
What is there to be happy about? How could anyone find joy in this miserable reality?
"Others do not suffer as much as you. Normal people do not see the things you've seen, hear the things you've heard. As an example, he who put you in this state is quite happy now, wouldn't you agree?"
Screams.
She could hear their screams again. His laughing face. The fire. He had shown no remorse that night. No pity. He actually smiled when they all died. Walked off. Left her there, for his new life.
He was happy, now that she was as good as gone and he had everything he wanted.
"If he has attained happiness, than why is it beyond your abilities? You are both humans, both insects compared to the universe. You are not so different from him; it is merely your mindset that sets you apart. Happiness is very possible; but it is you who much reach for it and grasp it in your palms."
So the answer was to step on another person, like he had to her? Would she find joy in murder, as he had?
"No, now you are simply being base, and desperate for the solution to the problem you've posed to yourself. There are many people who don't shut life out, and find joy in it in turn. Why don't you come with me? I might have the answer you seek. Or would you rather die here?"
The girl felt the strings of temptation pull at her heart. She had no reason to believe in the wonderful things that this stranger was talking about. Yet, she found herself wondering what would happen if she left the room with him. Could she really achieve the happiness that she had long thought impossible? Could a new wish be born from what was lost?
No.
She refused to let those thoughts cloud her mind. Hope often came back to bite her. Hope is lethal in large amounts.
"Your decision?"
She had nothing left to lose. She would not dare to hope, but she would play along.
The girl stood up, with much effort, and looked at the stranger for the first time. She could not see his face, or even his arms and legs. A black cloak obscured his skin from showing. He wore gloves, so his hands were out of sight as well.
"I see. What is your name?"
"My-my name i-is *****"
The girl had trouble speaking, having not made use of her vocal cords in so long, but she managed to at least convey her name to the cloaked stranger.
"Very well, *****, we'll count today as your new beginning. In honor of your new birth, select a new name for yourself."
The girl thought for a moment, and looked around at her dreary surroundings.
"White."
The two left the room together, and something new was born.