The sky is gray. It should be blue. I am lying on ashes. I should be on grass or a couch or something somewhat normal. Just not ashes. I sit up and see many other people, all sitting up and looking around like I am. All of the people, sitting in ashes like I am, are people I’ve seen get incased by the silver light.
“Hello my little… people. I am Dominic and I will be controlling how you live for, well possibly the entire length of humanity!” In the center of the circle was a tall man, no scratch that, a little-bit-older-than-teenager-still-considered-boy stood. He was all dressed up in a tuxedo and had short, spiked brown hair and dark eyes that twinkled with excitement.
“You will live in my little world and compete in tests. Physical, mental, and some you won’t even know about. You have been picked randomly to do these tests and the passing people at the end of whenever I say so will get to go back to their homes and will have this completely erased from their minds. Those with many fail marks will not only stay here until the end if humanity but will also remember every single moment of their life for as long as they are here, which is forever possibly! You will live here like it is your home back on earth. You won’t remember your life but you will remember your name exactly… Now!” Sami. My name is Sami.
Many people looked shocked by all the news Dominic has given us. I am no exception. I can go back home if I just pass some tests! I will not even remember this and will be a normal person! I felt myself smiling. Then I looked at myself. I have kind of pale skin and long black hair. I am wearing a black dress that goes to my knees. A mirror lies at my side. I pick it up to reveal I have dark green eyes, a small nose, rosy cheeks, and straight teeth.
“Okay! So you will each have a room to yourself and live here normally here until I decide that you are going to take a test spontaneously! I won’t always be here but just say my name and I will cater to any of your reasonable needs! Please keep it all appropriate and try to refrain from cussing. Any questions?” He snapped and a top hat appeared out of nowhere. He put it on his head and actually looked cute, well except for the ripping us from our lives and possibly not giving us back.
“What about eating and clothes and bathing?” One lady, probably in her forties, asked.
“In your room you will be provided with any clothes you like and can choose to re-wear them if you want to. I’ll let all of you grow stuff like vegetables and fruit because I want all you to stay healthy,” his voice got all sincere and kind of sad, “I care about you all. For bathing and or showering, you will have large bathrooms in your rooms. Your rooms can be decorated anyway you want just ask me when you have a theme in mind. Your rooms will be divided into two buildings. There are twenty-five boys and twenty-five girls here, all ranging from sixteen to fifty. The girls will have their rooms in one building and the boys will have theirs in a separate building across the plaza. Each room will have your first name on it. Have fun in The Oblivion!” He ended the last part in a mock cheeriness that infuriated me. He disappeared in a flash of silver light and we were all alone.
“He called this place The Oblivion, is that like some mythical place ran by some mythical wizard teenager named Dominic?” A girl with bright purple hair and tattoos covering her left arm, probably in her twenties or thirties stood up. I stood up too and held the mirror. It was beautiful. It was one of those old-fashioned handheld ones with a silver handle engraved with many swirls. On the back parts of the mirror it had Sami etched in with a swirling heart over the ‘I’.
Everyone had just noticed their mirrors and was admiring how they looked when I spoke up.
“So, now what?”

The blankness overwhelmed me. My room consisted of a bare bed, empty bookshelf, a clean desk, a large closet that (surprise!) Was completely empty, and a nice, spacious bathroom so white I might have had snow covering my eyes.
“Dominic, I have a theme picked.” I whispered. He materialized at my side and touched my shoulder. Without me saying a word, the room I wanted appeared. It was all black and white. Black walls with white splatters. White desk with Sami written in a pretty cursive in black on the top. Closet filled with beautiful black dresses, white shirts, black pants, white bed frame with black comforter that could be flipped to white and a purple bathroom.
“I also have some questions I was hoping you could answer for me?” I asked. He still had the top hat but his hair was that cute kind of longish but not really like long long and was still wearing the tuxedo. I looked at him carefully. He was probably eighteen or so and was actually really cute. I almost felt bad for him. Why was he taking us to this made up place? He looked at me intently with dark brown eyes.
“Whatever you want to know Sami.” He winked and I could feel myself blushing.
“One, thanks for knowing my name,” If he picked us randomly, he might not have known our names.
“Of course I would know your name. You’re very special Sami.” He said, not a hint of sarcasm or anything rude in his voice. I bit my tongue. He was trying to trick me into failing and staying here forever.
“Oh. Okay then, well, also, sorry, I’m not trying to sound greedy or rude or something” I felt bad saying that. He took us away from our lives to be his amusement and I was trying not to sound rude!
"But can we get like a library or something to get books for our bookshelves?” I gestured to the white bookshelf, still empty.
“Of course. I will announce it later so you all don’t get bored.” He smiled and I felt myself smile back.
“Okay, that’s all. Thanks Dominic!” I surprised myself and Dominic by hugging him. At first he was kind of surprised but then hugged me back.
“I think I will let all of you get used to your new home before I start the tests.” He said. Right before he poofed out of my room he gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and then left in a flash of silver light.
I couldn’t tell if I was mad about him doing that or not. I knew I didn’t like that I might have liked him kissing me on the cheek.

After changing into some black jeans and a white tank top I decided to go down to the plaza and try to learn everyone’s names. The plaza was circular and had a thin layer of ashes over the cobblestone.
A group of people were standing across the plaza. I started running across to the people. Maybe I was a social person. No. I am a social person. I still live, still have a beating heart, right?
“Ohmygosh!” I slipped on some ash and started falling. Strong hands caught my back and kept me from falling.
“Are you okay? I was walking over to talk to everyone and saw you slip.” I turned my head and gazed into the brightest blue eyes I have ever seen, even in the real world. After an eternity of staring into those eyes, I finally became aware of my senses enough to stand up.
“Hey, thanks. I’m Sami, or so I’ve been told.” He smiled and laughed a bit then introduced himself as Logan. I looked at him for a second and realized he was the boy who tried killing himself from jumping.
“So what do you think of the whole situation? No one knows if their lives were good or not so we don’t know if we want to pass all these tests that Dominic guy was talking about. Hey, can you tell me what I was doing when I was encased by that creepy silver light?” Logan looked into my eyes and I didn’t want to lie to him. His bright blue eyes told me that he would tell me whatever I wanted. Looking up at the gray sky, I avoided his eyes and spoke after a minute,
“You were… sitting at a p-picnic bench. Totally normal, reading a book.” I looked down at my shoes. When I brought my head up, he was still looking at me and smiling. He wore a blue t-shirt and jeans, the same thing I saw him in when he jumped.
“Thanks, I’m really sorry I can’t remember seeing you during all the scenes, there were a lot to remember and…” He trailed off and looked at his shoes, beat up and black, already covered in a fine layer of ash.
“It’s okay Logan. You want to go over and talk to the others?” I gestured to the crowd of people standing in the middle of the Plaza. He nodded and we walked over in silence.

“Hey, I’m Sami.” I said to the nearest person, a forty-something year old man. He nodded and said his name was Jackson. I smiled and moved closer to another person, a woman, maybe twenty, with black hair and a heart tattoo on the palms of her hands.
“Hi, I’m Sami,” It takes me a minute to remember her. She doesn’t even seem to know that the man she loves is just a few feet away from her. Certainly she must see some recognition in his eyes? I hope the guy I love doesn’t have to go through this.
“I’m Victoria.” I smiled, nodded, and turned to talk to the person next to me, “Hi I’m Sa- Dominic?” Stopping halfway through my name I looked at Dominic with large eyes. He had changed into blue jeans and a simple black t-shirt, blending in with the rest of the residents in the Oblivion.
“Yes, Sami? I had some announcements to share and accidentally landed in the middle of the crowd.” He smiled and turned around, walking to the center of the crowd of people where a box laid.
“Residents of the Oblivion!” He clapped a couple times, the sound ringing through the Plaza like thunder. “I would like to make some announcements, if I may have your complete attention!” Dominic waited for a moment while everyone became silent.
“So, to my left, there are the crops, your main food source. They will need to be watered every day and you will know when they are ready for harvest. Food will be rationed, meaning you will get a certain amount of food, no more, no less.” He paused, letting it soak into our memories, which don’t have much else in them.
“To my right, there is the Shop. You will get stuff like board games, and more food like crackers and such for no cost. The other food will be rationed too, you get a choice of you want it, or not.” Dominic looked all of us in the eye.
“For water, you can use the water from the tap. There will be a cup in your bathroom. At the store there are sodas, they are unlimited for all of you. Try to keep the romance at PG-13; we don’t need 51 people in the Oblivion.” Some people looked stricken at that statement, others tried not to giggle.
“You will each get an electronic reader that, when you take it to the shop, you can download books to read. Also, you can get a music player to put songs on, but you have to take it to the Shop. Just because I am so damn generous, you may have tablets to play games on. You may also watch movies and television shows on them, from the world you were living in when I took all of you to the Oblivion, but you have to get it all at the Shop.” The box he was standing on disappeared from underneath him, making him two feet shorter.
“Any questions?” No one said a word. Dominic smiled and disappeared. For a second most of us just stood there, then we went on our merry business.