Becoming Perfect Before The End Novels & Stories

"You’ve been a wonderful 'Rebel.' The audience loved your 'Defiance.' But every story needs an ending." The console began to hum. A light—brighter than anything I had ever seen—began to grow from the center of the room. "When I turn this key," the Editor said, "The 'Real World' and the 'Simulation' will merge. There will be no more pods. No more hunger. Everyone will live in the 'Permanent Now.' A world where nothing ever changes, and no one ever wakes up." "That’s not a world!" I shouted. "That’s a prison!"

I stood behind Claire, aimed at her neck, and raised the knife. The comments went crazy. [Holy shit! What am I seeing?!] [This has to be edited, right?] [What is going on? Am I hallucinating?]

The tenth time my parents flew more than six thousand miles to meet their future son-in-law, Nathaniel Prescott refused to show up. He ignored my calls and never replied to any messages. After God knew how many cups of coffee, I received an update from my best friend, Isla Monroe. Eight photos of snowy scenery surrounded a picture of two intertwined hands. The caption read: “Check-in number ten. He's perfect in every way.” My fingers curled into tight fists. It took twenty-seven calls before Nathaniel finally answered. “Where are you?” Howling wind rushed through the phone, followed by his distracted voice. “Out. What’s up?” “What’s up? This is the tenth time! My parents flew all

Everyone went silent. The golden tree began glowing. The silver crescent around Selene's neck lifted. A tiny crack appeared in it. Then the pendant opened. Inside was a memory. Selene standing alone in the final universe. Everything was perfect. Everything was still. No one cried. No one died. No one fought. No one changed. No one chose. Selene looked around. Then she whispered, "I don't want this." The perfect universe trembled. She looked toward the darkness. "I want someone to choose me."

Arielle could not see its face. But she knew its voice. It was the voice that had spoken before the First Question. Before the first yes. Before the first no. Before permission. The voice whispered, You misunderstood. Future Elias backed away. I did not create the perfect world. The figure stepped through the doorway. I created the world where no one could regret choosing. Arielle stared. Then what is this? The figure turned toward her. The perfect world is not the danger. It smiled. The danger is the person who discovers that perfection was never the goal.

I try my best to compose my self, the last thing I want right now is for a scene to be created right here on the road. Annalia’s melodious hums of 'Grace' by Rachel Platten fills my ears, instantly drifting my focus away from what happened earlier and veering the ‘words’, down to the back of my mind. A group of noisy teenagers approaches us from behind, jumbling my thoughts and cutting off Annalia’s hums. “Why do they have to be so noisy”. I grunt and rub my forehead. “Excuse us”. Someone from behind announces quite rudely. I grab Annalia’s hand and drag her to the side with me.

I voice out with excitement lacing my last words. With our eyes closed in the middle of nowhere we end up staring at the unknown beauty instead of resting.

Time to end this one way or another. ***

(THE PERFECT ONE) “THE perfect one.” Nate could only clench his hands into a tight fists. While he couldn’t dare to say a word, nor argue anymore with Haruna. All after what she just said to him and the truth that they are all approaching the end. “We both may be the offspring of the prominent ones in our respective world and book, but only one of us is the perfect one.” Haruna suddenly whispers. Holding back her emotions to draw that certain regret and pain not towards Haru, but all to herself. A fact that Nate is never dumb to not read and recognize, yet he chooses to stay silent regardless of things.

"It's nowhere close to the truth and deep down, you know that too. You're probably just afraid to confront that truth." I shook my head. It's easier for people like Adam, people like Sophia who have the perfect smiles, the perfect statures, the perfect faces, the perfect charisma to think from our perspective, people like me. "You don't understand...." "Make me." He interrupted just as the bell went off, signaling the end of the free period and the beginning of the next period. "You guys are still here." Someone said and we both looked away from each other to see Sophia standing right behind the bench opposite us. Then she walked away without a word.