New beginnings

My head hurts.

My body feels warm, while a chilly breeze caresses my face. I hear the grass rustle as it is blown by the wind, and the dirt at the back of my palm slightly wet.

Slowly I open my eyes while lifting myself up, to see a field full of flowers and a few trees scattered around the wide space. The sky was a light shade of blue that contrasted with the dark green of the grass. It was peaceful and quiet for a moment, until I begin to come back into my senses.

"Where...Am I?"

I manage to mutter with a palm hovered over my head, avoiding the sun's blinding light.

The smell of grass was slightly different than usual, as if it rained the day before.

The atmosphere was entirely different as well. It seemed more...Bright. I felt a wave of relief when I first woke up, I felt safe here.

Slowly, I gain a bit of memories of what happened before. It wasn't much, but it was enough for me to come to the conclusion that I wasn't from here.

Surely this place...

Is another world.

My last memory was filled with gray. I have a blurry memory of running. Perhaps I was running away or to something, but one thing that still remained in me after that moment was the intense wave of emotions I felt. Anger, stress, panic, loneliness... And grief.

Perhaps that's why I felt safe. Safe from something, or someone.

Then anything that happened after that memory was blurry. I had a feeling I could remember if I tried harder, but nothing came out...Other than the unshakeable feeling that I had lost something important to me. Not just that, but I had questions of how I got here in the first place. A field with nothing but trees, I surely couldn't have ran so far that I completely strayed away from the city.

A part of me thinks I was simply dreaming, but those were the only memories I held. Anything else before or after that was nothing. It's like I had just been born, with no past.

I let out a deep sigh and push myself up, noticing something strange within me.

It felt like metal scraping against each other everytime I moved. The deafening sound of it clanging onto each other, and the heaviness of my body was strange.

I look down to the palm of my hand.

. . .

What is that?

. . .

I move the fingers and curl it up into a fist.

. . .

What?

. . .

That's not my hand. Why would...

. . .

. . .

How strange.

The metal glistened in the sun. The wires were messy and dirty from the wet soil, and everything I tried to do was easily executed by the robotic hand that was held before me.

I continue to examine my body. A messy, torn uniform that you'd usually find in hospitals, covering the wires and the pieces of metal that held me up.

As I looked down, I could easily see the tangled strands of hair that dropped from my head. It was sickeningly a bright shade of yellow, my blonde hair reached the end of my torso.

I reached to touch my face, if it were any different from my body. It was different. It was... Soft. A bit rough around the sides, perhaps. But it wasn't as solid as the rest.

Everything was so new. I couldn't process everything at once, and I knew it would take forever trying to. So I decided to leave the place and find a place to stay, At least.

I look around to see if there's anything I could go to, but everywhere I went was just the same view of trees and grass. So I just started walking, to see where my feet would take me.

.

.

.

I find myself in a lively village.

It was oddly comforting being around people for once.

The loud bickering of children, the women gossiping, the salesmen laughing while talking to one another. It was warm. It felt familiar.

Some kids stared at me while whispering to one another. I suppose I do look out of place, here in a village of women wearing white dresses and brown aprons and men in long sleeved shirts and loose pants. The strange person that stood in the middle of the village was wearing an odd hospital gown, covered in metal and wires, and had bright blonde hair. Everything they couldn't possibly consider as normal.

Someone approaches me, an old lady with a bright smile. Her brown hair shimmered under the sun.

"Are you lost, dear?"

She spoke in a gentle voice.

Though I desperately wanted to answer, I couldnt find the right words, nor could I gain enough courage to open my mouth.

"Ah...Perhaps you-"

"Eh-.. Y-Yes." I managed to respond.

"Oh! well, feel free to join us for lunch. You must be a different species, but I hope you have no bad intentions?"

"Huh...W-what? Well, no..."

"Great! Follow me, my house is that way."

She replies to me with a smile leads me to a small house. Though it were small, it was better than most. The atmosphere around it was homely and sweet.

"Have a seat!" She pulled a chair and smiled at me.

"Thank...you."

"Well, I'm not very familiar with what you'd prefer to eat. Anything I can provide?"

"Wh- ah...I dont..."

She tilts her head as she waits for my answer.

"I dont know..."

"Huh. I see! Then I'll offer you with what we usually have, if you dont like it then dont be afraid to tell me, okay?"

"Okay."

Two children run to the kitchen, they stood stunned when they see me.

"Cherrie, Vern, staring is rude. This young lady will be having lunch with us! Come sit."

"Oh, sorry...miss.."

The little girl spoke, avoiding eye contact.

"You're pretty weird miss. What're you wearing? And your skin is all silvery!"

Then the little boy followed, pointing at me.

"That is rude. Vern, apologize and take a seat." The old lady immediately cut in.

"I aplogize for his behavior, he's still learning, aren't you boy?"

"Sorry, miss..." The little boy spoke and sat down beside the old lady.

"This is miss...uh... Your name?"

She looks at me.

...

What a simple question.

One that I couldn't answer.

My name... What was it again?

It felt like it was at the tip of my tongue, yet I couldnt exactly tell what it was.

"Miss...? Are you okay?"

She pats my back, and it immediately brings me back to my senses.

"Sorry. I can't seem to..."

"Ah. I see. That's alright." As she finished speaking, she glanced at the pot and rushed over to it.

"It's done! Be careful, its hot."

She grabs it with a pair of mittens, quickly walking back to the table.

"Eat up!"

I grab a spoon and put it in front of me.

...

I dont like that feeling.

The soup accidentally pours onto the table before it reaches my bowl. I try to take a sip, only spit it back out.

"Oh, dear! I told you it's hot. Be careful"

That...That wasn't the case. I hated it. It reminded me of something that just wouldn't seem to unblur, but I could already tell it was a bad one. A bad memory. Something I despised.

"It's alright, calm down." She patted my head.

"Huh?"

"You're scared."

"What?"

"You were trembling, It's okay if you can't eat it. If you have an idea of what you can eat, just tell me, alright?"

"O...Okay. Thank you."

"No problem."

Perhaps it hadn't registered to me in the first place, but she was strangely kind. Too kind, for a stranger who she had just met. It was odd to me that someone would be so welcoming.

"I... What do I call you?" I asked her without looking.

"Oh right! Call me Elma. Mrs. Elma!"

"...Then... Mrs. Elma, how come you're so...nice?"

"What a silly question," She chuckled. "It's our motto. We welcome everyone with wide arms. 'Treat everyone with kindness.' "

A motto? What a foolish mindset. I could have been anyone, a thief or a killer. Would they also welcome a stranger like that into their homes? Is it really okay to introduce vulnerable children to such a stranger?

"But what if I weren't a good person? You can't just take anyone to your home."

"Of course not." She grabbed a spoon and scooped soup for the boy,

"wouldn't have taken you in if you had bad intentions, sweetie."

"Then how did you know I wouldn't do such a thing? I'm sure you know I'm not from here."

"That's exactly why. You were lost and in need of help, a bad person wouldn't want to stand out like that. Especially without armor or a weapon."

"I...Guess that makes sense." I looked down and waited for them to finish eating.

Finally, she took a piece of cloth and wiped her mouth before speaking.

"Right, now that I think about it, I can't seem to figure out what you are or where you're from. If you don't mind me asking... What are you?"

Surprised, I try to process the question before answering. I look down at my palm and examine my fingers, trying to find the right word.

"Perhaps...I..."

...

Well I'm... Certainly not human.

My breathing turns heavy. The sudden realization what I don't know anything about myself or what I am finally hits me like a truck.

Crash

The world starts spinning and my head starts to ache. Everything that just happened doesn't feel real at all.

Small voices called out to me but the noises inside of my head were too loud for me to able to process anything. I dropped to the floor trying to stop the pain, everything was overwhelming and every second that went by felt like eternity. My chest was heavy. Everything that touched me felt like sparks.

"Miss? MISS! CALM DOWN!"

"W-what's wrong with her, Umma?"

"Is she okay? Miss!"

Things started to clear up after I felt a warm embrace and a hand over my head. Mrs. Elma held me tightly while the kids patted my head as an attempt to calm me down.

"I'm... Sorry. I'm so sorry."

My eyes felt sore and my face crumpled into a painful expression. My tears soon started to fall as I accept her hug.

For a moment, I was reminded of a family. A family I used to have.