Jaym's sat up, looking around his room; his own space; his home: essentially, it was his world.
Everything was organised. Each of his items was arranged strategically. It was modest; he had no choice but to keep his purchases in check, considering the space wasn't large enough for him to horde belongings.
The first day he moved in, his bags took up nearly the entire room, and once a week a knock would come to the door. A collector; people who worked in the complex who would take any unwanted items away, free of charge.
They were also tasked with maintaining the room. Everything from decorating to general maintenance, and they would even provide medical assistance if necessary. Jaym's hadn't yet needed them for that, and he hadn't inquired about any of their other services. He did take advantage of their removal services.
He had such an attachment to all of his belongings, soon though, he learned to sever those ties to the physical world. Suffocating beneath the weight of his possessions was helpful in that matter. Once the pile shrank, it became far easier to get rid of the rest.
Jaym's remembered one thing though. A necklace. It wasn't that big, and he doesn't know why he got rid of that. It was the final thing he got rid of. By the time they knocked that last time the necklace was more symbolic than anything else. It symbolised his fear of letting go; his inability to leave the past behind.
The necklace was a family heirloom, and it was valuable.
"If you ever need anything, sell this, and you'll have it," his father told him. It was one of the last sentences he spoke. Jaym's missed him. He also missed the old world.
"The old world is gone now, dad." Jaym's said aloud as he continued to stare at everything he owned.
His kitchen area was in the corner near the door. Marble countertops glistened in the light from the window. The other corner was the toilet, and sink, side by side, hidden behind a small half wall.
There was a large window that stretched the entire length of the room. In the distance were the picturesque views of the sea, beyond the white sands, high in the sky was the sun, and there were no clouds to block its warm rays.
Jaym's was situated on his seating/ sleeping area. His bed was comfortable, and in his waking hours, it was automatically converted to a seating area.
Who needs more than this? He thought to himself as he leaned back, holding the back of his head with his fingers locked.
Red flashing lights filled his eyes, as loud bleeps rhythmically blared with each pulse. Soon, it stopped and all of the pictures disappeared; all the decorations in his room went away. He remained on his bed, however now he opened his eyes to the reality of his home. It was nothing, but plain walls and bare wooden worktops. The paradise outside his windows faded, and he was met with a cold gray wall.
Jaym's raised a hand to remove his wear-tech headset and he let out a sigh while placing them on the plate beside his seat. They blinked green affirming that they were charging.
Times like this, he was forced to realise that his life was a lie. All that he loved was just a filter that provided a fantasy of what he wished his life was.
He stood up and walked over to his kitchen area, and pressed a button on the one appliance on the wall; the nutri-paste dispenser, which provided every meal and snack that one could ever want, and was also fitted with an inhibitor to discourage harmful eating habits. Many different flavours would keep consumers from getting bored. His favourite was yellow; he'd forgotten what the colours were supposed to represent, but it didn't matter much anymore.
After choosing the colour he had another choice. Cup, plate, or bowl. He chose cup and the machine sprang to life, churning before dispensing a paper cup, and then a thick liquid was spat out. Without the wear-tech headset, it seemed miserable, whereas using the device it could look much more appealing. Jaym's programmed it to to choose from a random collection of food types; most of them were meals from his childhood. Funny how to illusion of seeing something else would turn the nutri-paste into something more than what it was.
The machine dropped out another, much smaller cup, and then dispensed something else which rattled as it landed.
"Desert." He said.
"Citizen, please take this medication or depression may occur." A jingle plays as the pre-recorded message finishes. "Always remember, Home Stead always has the best interest of their investors in mind. This message is endorsed by The B.R.A.N.C.H."
Jaym's gradded the cute little pill, and tossed it into his mouth, as he walked over to the place his window used to be.
Drinking his dinner, he wondered what day it was, and figured that his turn to go on an outing must be coming up.
