Cheap Ticket

Isabelle stepped into the aluminum bathtub that graced the corner of her apartment. She turned the tap on, flinching involuntarily as ice cold water rain downed on her head. She pressed lightly on the red tattoo at her neck and rocked back as darkness momentarily swamped her being.  When she opened her eyes, she was standing at the edge of a deserted pier. Choppy waves dashed against the rocky embankment to the east. Birds glided silently across the sky, dragging deep blue into the horizon. It was peaceful and beautiful, such a far cry from the drab interior of her physical abode. When the song, a sad and hollow sound filled her ears, Isabelle jumped into the blue. She’d need to go much deeper than this.

Diving was like falling into a raging torrent. Isabelle had once taken a category four whitewater vacation. This was wilder, a thousand times more dizzying. Seconds later, it was over. When her eyes opened, she was standing at a dark intersection, not unlike the one near the street outside her apartment. A dim street light glowed yellow and flickered. Mist curled up from the slick asphalt. A turn to the left and there it was. It was no gem, a squat building in the older part of town. Not very creative as far as virtual start-points went, but it was that was a part of the apartment’s appeal. Single efficiency. Musty elevator. Cheap rent, cheap ticket. No frills, real or otherwise a the start point.