Had she been sleeping? She must have been, judging by how relaxed she was feeling. This general sense of peace and calm only came after a good night's rest, at least in her experience. In fact, she wasn't sure she'd ever slept so well; at least not within recent memory. Nightmares and sleeplessness had been more common for her lately. Why was that?

She had the vaguest recollection of some traumatic event, but somehow that didn't bother her as much as it should. It was the sort of minor worry you would get from an old wrong only half remembered, where you weren't sure if it had ever happened or if you had just dreamed it. Maybe it was just a dream, and she'd forget the whole thing once she woke up. At any rate, her immediate situation was more concerning. Specifically, the bright red text hovering at the very bottom of her field of view.

"SIMULATION"

What was that supposed to mean? She'd heard of the idea that reality was somehow simulated, but it wasn't supposed to come right out and say it. She rubbed her eyes, but the offending text remained. Can this really be a simulation? Her surroundings certainly didn't suggest anything unusual. As far as she could tell, it was just a generic, if a bit overly-tidy, bedroom. Soft morning light filtered in through the sheer curtains, playing on the clean white walls. The feel of the sheets, the scent of fresh linen… It all felt real. Almost too real. But still, that word persisted.

"SIMULATION"

If that was true, she thought, there had to be some tell. Flaws hiding barely out of sight: pixelation, low-quality textures hidden places nobody would look, or some other minor glitch which would reveal the world's true nature. She just had to find it. That felt right to her, like she'd done it before. She rose to her feet, an action that felt somehow unnatural, as if she wasn't used to moving in three dimensions. Strange. She had only just started to examine her room, when there came a soft knock at the door.

"I presume you're already up. May I come in?" The voice outside was gentle, but still somehow firm; she got the impression that whoever it was would gladly accept "no" as an answer, but would somehow find that concerning.

"Yeah..." She didn't know what else to say. Besides, whoever was out there might know something about that whole "simulation" thing.

The person who entered wasn't quite what she had expected. His voice led her to believe he'd be older — wiser, maybe — but the man standing in front of her couldn't be much older than she was. Her thoughts were racing; who was this guy? What did he have to do with all of this? She had barely begun to formulate her first question before he spoke. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Zarane, but that isn't important right now. You must have so many questions... " He gestured to a pair of chairs in the corner. "Perhaps it's for the best if we were seated?" She nodded.

They took their seats and exchanged pleasantries: Yes, she was feeling well. No, she didn't need anything. The small talk was a distraction, of course. After his introduction, she knew that Zarane was letting her take her time and build up to the bigger stuff. Under other circumstances she supposed dancing around the issue would have been somewhat off-putting but here, with an 'issue' so big… she felt somewhat thankful for it. After a few minutes of silence, she supposed she was as ready as she'd ever be. "Soo… None of this is real, is it?"

"Ah," he seemed a bit surprised, "Well, that's somewhat of a matter for philosophy, isn't it? What's real and all? But, no, this" he gestured around "is most certainly not real, at least in the way you mean it." He paused. "As, I'm sure, you've noticed by my little disclaimer." He pointed towards the text. So he could see it? "Normally that wouldn't be necessary, but under the circumstances… I can at least disable it, if you'd like."

She nodded. "I'd like that." The text faded out, leaving nothing to break the illusion of reality. "Um… If you don't mind… Could you tell me where I am? I remember the school, or the clubroom, but then everything just goes fuzzy. Like white noise."

"That," he began, "is rather harder to explain…" Not a very good sign. "But you don't seem to be the sort of girl to appreciate getting a runaround, so I'll cut right to the chase. You're currently aboard the General Contact Unit Don't Mind Me, I'm Just Stopping By. I'm an auxiliary avatar of the ship's Mind; think of me as an interface, or go between…"

"Wait, did you say ship?" She felt a bit bad about interrupting, but that was a bit too out of left field.

"Yes. Well, I suppose you'd probably call me a spaceship. I'm technically here on official business, but you popped up during a routine scan and looked like you could use some help. So, here you are!"

A spaceship… She's on a spaceship… Can that even be real? How can it be real? She was just at the club with… Wait… Who was she with? Who was he? What had she done? The world started spinning, just before it went black.

She awoke to find Zarane standing over her with a worried look on his face. "Careful, I almost lost you there for a second. Might be best to avoid certain subjects for a while; at least until you're ready."

Certain subjects? Like what? What could be crazier than a freaking spaceship? Her life before had been so ordinary, yet it still felt wrong. Like a horrible truth lurking just beneath the surface. Something she must remember, but dared not. What was it?

"I…" she paused momentarily, unsure of whether she should even ask. "I've done something awful, haven't I?"

Zarane just stared at her with that same concerned look. "To be blunt, yes. Nothing that can't be undone or made right, mind you, but it's still something I imagine you'll have to come to terms with. That can only happen in your own time; dwelling on it now would just be rubbing salt in a fresh wound."

That was a shock. Zarane was obviously some kind of counselor. Why else would he be here? "If it's too soon to talk about… that… then why are you here?"

Zarane looked almost surprised, as if the answer should be obvious. "Emotional support, mostly. Beyond that, I'm here to help you with the even harder part."

Harder part? She had just woken up on a spaceship, having committed some horrible act that nobody would tell her about. How could this get harder? A meek question was all she could muster. "What?"

"That's something you need to see, not hear." Zarane extended his hand, offering to help her up. "Let's go for a walk."

The world outside was like nothing she'd ever seen. What she'd assumed to be a room was actually a small cabin in what appeared to be a large park, but she couldn't believe there was another like it in the entire universe. The lush field of grass running to the horizon in all directions would have been impressive enough on its own, were it not overshadowed by the islands of rock and soil literally floating in the air. Many bore giant trees — their great, rope-like roots falling to the ground like anchor lines. Others drifted freely, carried on air currents like impossible balloons. As they drew nearer she began to make out haphazard buildings surrounded by bustling crowds. Some of the smaller, untethered islands even had canvas sails, stretched on timber masts like makeshift sailing ships. Small fliers, delicately constructed from wood and fabric, flitted hectically between the islands. It was all too much to take in.

"You look like you have something you want to ask." Zarane must have noticed her staring.

"Um... " she could barely formulate a sentence. "Wh-what is... Where are we?"

"We're still aboard the I'm Just Stopping By, of course. Currently, we're in virtuality, Mind subsection twelve-point-eight. A rather nice setting, don't you agree?"

She couldn't even begin to respond. There was just too much to process. Virtuality? Mind subsection? What did any of it mean? Where would you even begin? Her mind was racing, and couldn't settle down long enough to put together a coherent train of thought.

"I know this is a lot to take in," Zarane continued, "but there are some things I can't explain quite yet. I need you to meet somebody first."

"Who?"

"Somebody who's been through a similar situation. Sorry, I can't say any more until you meet… Well, gender is a bit of a difficult concept when it comes to this person, but I suppose 'he' would be the best word to use at the moment. Unless he's changed his mind again." Zarane suddenly stopped, then pointed to the sky with a hint of exuberance. "Ah! Here comes our ride!"

Her eyes followed Zarane's gesture upwards, coming to rest on one of the small aircraft she'd spotted earlier. The little machine waggled its wings in greeting and circled twice before making a bouncy — and disturbingly sudden — landing some distance away. Zarane casually sauntered up to the craft and exchanged a few unheard words with its pilot before turning back with a beckoning gesture. The pilot, finally noticing his additional passenger, jumped down from his exposed seat and met her halfway, exchanging rushed pleasantries before scrambling back to his craft for a pre-takeoff inspection. Up close, she realized the plane was larger than she initially though, yet this somehow made it seem even flimsier. Could they really ride in this thing? Perhaps, if the windowed compartment — large enough for a handful of passengers, she guessed — was to be believed. Zarane slid open the door and helped her in, taking the seat across from her just before the engine buzzed to life.