What the hell I'm going to wear? I thought to myself when I saw Mark and Laura all dressed up in regular clothes for our trip to the city. I didn't have anything like that. I crossed with what I had on and that outfit, if you could even call it that (Spoiler: No), had been thrown away, thanks God.

Luckily, Laura caught my worried gaze as she tightened her boots on her bunk bed.

"Hey, check my closet and pick whatever you want. You can't go to the city in your Narval uniform if you're off duty." She said.

"Oh... thanks."

"Not a problem."

It felt so strange to actually have a choice. I had no idea what to pick. On the Other Side, that wasn't even something we could dream of. Some days, we used to do what we called a "clothes treasure hunt." It was a silly name our parents came up with for those days when we went scavenging for free clothes, usually from abandoned malls or collapsed buildings. Our mother was always adamant about taking whatever was already there for us.

After going through Laura's clothes, which didn't offer much variety, I settled on a yellow hoodie and short black jeans. Nothing fancy, but then again... what did I know about being fancy anyway?

We gathered at the entrance of Narval House, where Kate was checking us off the list. Everyone looked happy, but also strangely normal. There was this odd feeling of vulnerability in the air now that we were dressed like regular people. We felt almost embarrassed.

Well, at least some of us did. Mark, in her bright orange sweater and green pants, was bouncing around, commenting on everyone's outfits like he was judging a fashion show.

"Who's gonna tell him nobody asked for his opinion?" Laura whispered to me as we watched Mark messing with Lea about her clothes.

"I'm not looking for trouble." I replied.

Mark caught us staring and came right over. "OMG, Grace, who even are you? The 'riding yellow hood'?" he teased. "You two are coming with me. We're buying clothes. Real clothes." He emphasized the word, giving me a once-over like I desperately needed a makeover.

When Kate finished with the list, she paused and looked at all of us. "Oh my god, you guys look so young now. How old are you, ten?" She laughed at her own joke, but we all just stared at her in silence.

Then she checked her Reg Bracelet and continued. "Alright, notes for the newcomers. We'll use the transit capsules and stop at Foundation Square. Please, don't get lost."

"Transit capsules?" I asked aloud, having never heard of that before. The term "capsules" gave me claustrophobic vibes, and I wasn't very fond of small spaces.

"Yes. It's how we get around here; they connect the whole Reg Society."

Mark wrapped his arm around my neck and leaned in closer. "Yeah, they're fine, I guess... a bit too fast, but don't worry, Grace. New people only throw up once or twice."

"What?!" I said, alarmed.

"Mark, can you stop being a jerk for one minute?" Laura said, nudging his arm. "Don't worry, Grace. You'll be fine."

Mark chuckled. "Sure, but just don't sit next to me. I can't stand the smell." He winked at me and followed the others through the door.

"Come on, noobs, time to go!" Kate called out.

As we followed her, another group of officers crossed paths with us, heading in the opposite direction. They looked exhausted, which could only mean they'd just finished the night shift (a total pain in the ass if you ask me). I'd done it once when a colleague was sick and needed backup, and it was almost unbearable. They usually stuck you in really high lookout posts where it was freezing cold, with gusts of wind blasting in from the north. If you were a bit luckier, they'd put you underground in the tunnels that connected Reg Society with The Other Side, but the noise from the repeaters and air purifiers was insanely loud. After hours of that, it felt like your brain had been mashed into potatoes.

"Let's show some respect to our zombie colleagues and let them pass," Kate said, stepping to the side to clear the entrance. The group of officers chuckled at her comment.

"Zombies? How dare you call us that?" A familiar voice called from amidst the group.

Kate smiled as my eyes darted to her. There, among the other tired officers, was Heather. Her Narval officer uniform had a couple of dust stains around the knees, probably from crawling around the tunnels, fixing something again. The night-shift cloak was draped over her backpack, which by the way, was the softest thing ever and very useful as well. It could do just about anything: block heat, rain, wind, whatever you threw at it. The only thing I didn't like was the Reg Triangle patch slapped on the back.

Heather looked a little tired, but nothing like the rest of her half-dead colleagues. Kate shot her a teasing smile, pretending to size her up.

"I mean... those dark circles, the pale skin, that sad little walk, you've got the full package."

"Oh, really? Then maybe we should eat your brain. Isn't that what zombies do? Let's see if that's so funny." Heather said with a smirk.

"That'd be inconvenient," Kate said, pretending to think it over. "I'm heading to the city, but we can arrange something later. I've got some new recruits with very... expendable brains." She glanced over at Mark, who wasn't paying attention.

Mark blinked, suddenly aware. "What?"

The group laughed. Heather grinned. "I see what you mean."

"No joke, though. Will I see you later, Lead?" Kate asked, now taking the conversation seriously.

Heather checked her Reg Bracelet and sighed. "Maybe. But in the meantime... don't get into trouble and more importantly, don't get THEM into trouble."

"You know that's part of the training. I'll take care of them, but just in case, say your goodbyes now."

Heather laughed. "Thank God I don't even know them yet. Bye, guys, don't let Kate order all the drinks. Trust me on that."

She raised her hand, waving goodbye, and turned to leave.

"Alright, rookies. Follow me!" Kate said.

The group moved forward, following her, while I stood still, watching Heather leave in the opposite direction when I noticed her cloak fall from the hook of her backpack.

"Wait!" I called out, reaching for the cloak on the floor.

Heather turned just as I handed it to her. "Oh," she said, taking it from my hands. "Thanks."

"All good. You might want to fix the hook; it's stretched out." I pointed out.

Heather glanced briefly at the hook before looking back at me. Her eyes widened as she took in my appearance, and her knowing look made me feel oddly self-conscious.

"I didn't recognize you in those clothes, Grace."

Oh. Right. The clothes. Her eyes scanned me, and I felt embarrassed. I wasn't even sure if what I was wearing made any sense.

"These aren't mine," I blurted out. "I don't have my own clothes yet. I'm hoping to buy some today in the city."

"Then you need to get a yellow hoodie; it suits you." She said it so confidently that I felt my cheeks flush. I wasn't used to hearing comments about my clothing, one million times less about them actually suiting me.

"Um... I will, probably. Do you want to come with us?"

What a stupid question. She was clearly tired. Why did I even say that? But it was too late; the words had already slipped out.

"Come with you?" She raised an eyebrow. "Have you seen me?"

I took a moment to really look at her. Her braid was perfectly made, with a few rebellious strands popping out, giving her a sense of casualness that made her look cute. Her eyes were a little red like she hadn't slept well, but that only made the bright turquoise of her pupils stand out more. So I couldn't lie; I just said what I really thought.

"I think you look nice."

Heather blinked like she wasn't sure she heard me right. Then she smirked. "You're just saying that...Still, this face isn't surviving a Kate party. Trust me."

She tried to hang the cloak again on her overstretched hook but without success.

"Alright, then. Do you need anything from the city? I could bring you something... maybe a new backpack hook?"

She suddenly stopped and looked at me, her expression tense with a bit of discomfort crossing her features.

"We... we don't do that."

I frowned, confused. "Do what?"

"We don't... bring things for each other here. It's... hard to explain. I know you guys do it a lot on The Other Side. Like... you share a lot of stuff, right?"

I paused for a moment to think. How could something as simple and necessary as sharing or doing a favor for each other be seen as something "you don't do"?

"Well... sharing is practical. Helping each other out is too..." I felt totally stupid explaining that.

"I see. Thanks, but I can fix this anyway."

Suddenly, Kate's voice rang out. "Grace! If you don't come now, I'll add four warm-up sets of push-ups to your next combat class!"

"Comin'!" I shouted, turning to Kate. "I think I have to leave."

"Yeah, it looks like you do," Heather replied. "Good luck out there and have fun."

"Good luck with the cloak situation." I said as she half-smiled and turned to leave.

Mark was definitely a jerk. The transit capsules were so much fun, not claustrophobic at all. It was true the movement was extremely fast but the mechanism made it seem pretty smooth. I was amazed by the technology behind it. Magnets lifted the capsule slightly above a single rail, sometimes hovering above it and sometimes dipping below, while large wave emitters, as big as tunnels, propelled it wherever it needed to go.

Never in a million years could I have guessed the emotions the city stirred in me. It was nothing like I expected. I imagined trying to explain it to Michael, but I had no idea what words to use. "Impressive" felt like an understatement, and "intimidating" seemed a bit too much. Still, there was one thing I couldn't deny, no matter how hard it was to swallow: it was beautiful. Nothing like the shadowy mess I'd seen from Narval House. The streets were alive with energy, which was quite something for someone who had only ever seen dead streets, not even haunted by ghosts..

You could hear all sorts of different languages, and there was a lot of noise, though it was the kind of noise that felt good. At least, it felt good to me. People walked around, full of energy, either in groups or alone. They wore clothes I had never seen before, in all kinds of colors and patterns, some had a sharp geometric hat, that seemed quite popular. But others wore a different type more rounded and conventional.

Neon lights were everywhere, and holograms danced through the air like wild animals, only to vanish the second you tried to touch them.

I started to understand things I hadn't before because, on The Other Side, those places made no sense without people actually using them. For example, I finally grasped why some stores had big windows facing the street without an entrance; it turned out they were selling take-out food, which, by the way, smelled delicious. I also finally understood what a decorative fountain was. My parents had told me about them, sure, but in a place where clean water was always scarce, it was hard to imagine just having a pool of it sitting there... just for decoration.

But what shocked me the most—despite having mentally prepared myself about it—were the Techno-humans. They blended into the crowd so seamlessly that you had to really pay attention to spot them. Half-human, half... what could I even call it? Cyborg? Robot? I wasn't sure, and trust me, you definitely didn't want to get it wrong, or you might end up offending them. They considered themselves the "real humans" or the "new humans," which felt a bit pretentious if I'm honest. But even among Techno-humans, there was a lot of diversity. I saw one guy who only had prosthetic arms, for example. He was hauling around this insanely heavy cart full of industrial gears and shattered glass, and despite looking really heavy, it was obvious he wasn't struggling at all.

But then there was this group of teenage girls in the transit capsule with us. One of them had an implant covering the back of her head, her hair looked like a rainbow cascading down to her hips, constantly shifting colors. It was seriously cool.

Once we stepped out of the transit capsule, Kate leaped over a bench and waved us forward. "Alright, Narval cuties, let's get our supplies sorted! The mall is just a hop away in this building," she said, gesturing enthusiastically. "If you need anything restored or repaired, head in that direction," she pointed to the left. "And after shopping, we'll meet up for some well-deserved drinks at this cool bar." She grinned mischievously and then she jumped from the bench down. "I have some paperwork to handle, so feel free to wander wherever you want. We'll meet in three hours right here. Everybody clear on the plan?" Kate asked, her eyes scanning each of us.

"Yes!" We replied in unison.

"Great! Off you go then. Enjoy the city, and remember, don't get into trouble until I'm there to witness it!" Kate teased, giving us a wink before striding off in the opposite direction.

The mall made so much more sense when it was full of people than when it was abandoned. Obvious, yet surprising to me. However, my stomach churned, as it always did when something felt off. The truth was, as fascinated as I was by all the shops, each one more impressive than the last, it also left me feeling a bit annoyed. We didn't have anything like this on The Other Side, and a sense of unfairness crept over me. This place was full of everything you could imagine. There was no way a place like this, brimming with all your dreams, could exist without its opposite lurking somewhere. Only someone who had experienced both could truly understand that sad reality.

"This is my favorite shop of all time!" Mark exclaimed, gesturing toward an entrance surrounded by moving colors, almost like a disco and I mean that literally, inside, the music was insanely loud. Like, absurdly loud. I thought the thunder from acid rain was deafening, but this shop made it look like the soft chirp of a baby bird.

It took me a bunch of tries and Mark and Laura's constant support before clothes finally convinced me. I realized I wasn't comfortable in bright colors, no matter how much Mark pushed them on me. Not really my style, I guess. Style, what a wild concept. Even wilder that I was actually starting to have one.

As we were about to leave the shop, I spotted a yellow hoodie, and Heather's words echoed in my mind. I figured having just one cheerful pop of color in my closet wouldn't hurt, so I added it to the pile.

"Time for some juicy drinks, folks!" Mark said as we paid for the clothes.

"I can't wait to taste one of those cocktails we had last time." Laura added.

"I can't wait to see Kate drunk again; she's hilarious!" Mark continued.

"I can't wait to... sit... I'm so tired." Mark and Laura rolled their eyes in perfect sync like they'd choreographed it. But seriously, who knew buying clothes could be so exhausting?

Just before leaving the mall, a young woman wearing a dark blue uniform I'd never seen before—with a blue circle badge outlined in shiny silver—stopped us and handed me a flyer.

"Outsiders, am I right?" She asked.

"Why?" Laura replied showing a bit of distrust.

"I work for the new Recollector's Store over there." She pointed to a large white-and-blue store a few meters behind us. "We opened a few days ago. Maybe you'd like to take a look. This will get you a 10% discount on your first recollection." She motioned to the flyer in my hand that featured a happy family with a thought bubble above them, as if they were all remembering the same thing. Inside the bubble was a picture of them skydiving over the city.

"What the hell is this?" I asked, curious.

Mark didn't seem impressed. "A money trap for outsiders."

"Recollector's Store?" I read aloud from the flyer.

"You're new, huh?" the woman said as if this was some kind of valuable insight. "The best way to understand it is by seeing it with your own eyes." She gestured to the store, slightly tilting her head in its direction.

I glanced at Laura, then at Mark, waiting for their reactions. I was curious enough to go and check out what it was, but only if they were on the same page.

However, once Mark caught my "can we go?" look, he raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "I'll wait here. I've already had enough of those places."

"I'll come with you, Grace." Laura said, grabbing my arm.

The woman led us into the store with a wide, confident smile. She even tugged at the edges of her blue jacket, straightening it as if preparing to showcase something extraordinary.

"This way," she said as we passed through the automatic doors and entered a clean, white hall filled with glass shelves of all sizes. It resembled a bookstore, but instead of books, the shelves displayed countless rectangular, animated photo slides. A sticker on each indicated its theme: adventure, action, sports, education...Everything you could imagine. A sharp yet pleasant scent of fresh ink, along with soft piano music playing in the background, invited you to slow down and relax. Whoever designed this place knew exactly what they were aiming for.

"I'm guessing you've never been in a Recollector's Store before, am I right?" the woman said as she moved behind the counter. She hadn't taken her eyes off us for a moment and had probably noticed our silly wide-eyed expressions.

I shook my head, and so did Laura.

"Great. In that case, let me introduce you to the concept." She took a breath as if preparing for an important speech—probably the one she'd rehearsed a thousand times.

"We sell recollections that people have sold or donated, which are essentially memories of experiences, feelings, smells... We're certified, so we only have 100% authentic recollections—nothing like those fake, low-quality reproductions you can find in other places. The process is simple: you take a look, and if you like any of them, we can merge them with your current memories. That way, you can experience things you couldn't otherwise, without moving from the place you are right now."

"Merge it with our current memories?" My mind had stopped at that point of the speech and coudn't unblock from there.

"Yes. Let me show you" She took a slide from below the counter. On it, a looped animation of a hand petting a lovely dog played. "Give me your hand."

I leaned my arm to her and she pulled back the sleeve of my yellow hoodie to reveal my Reg Bracelet on my wrist. She rolled it softly, then pressed it twice, and a soft light emerged from it. She then placed the crystal slide on the light as if scanning it. After a soft beep, the light went off.

"Done. Now wait." She said, looking at me like she had just performed magic and was waiting for the trick to reveal itself.

Laura looked at me, eyebrow frowning. "Do you feel something?" She asked.

"No, I don't—" Suddenly, an image darted into my mind, crystal clear, as if I had just unlocked a memory. A cute dog was walking toward me. I leaned down and stroked it as it wagged its tail happily and barked. It felt incredibly real— as real as Laura and the woman standing in front of me. The soft fur of the dog under my fingertips sent a strange tingling through my whole body, and the sound of its bark resonated in my ears as if I had just heard it.

"Okay..." I said, trying to puzzle out the situation. "Apparently, I met a dog."

"Really? Did it feel real?" Laura asked, amazed.

"It did. Very much so." I said.

"Cool! I want to try it too!" She said excitedly. "But do you have anything more thrilling? Maybe riding a hoverbike or...surfing?"

The woman smiled as she pulled out a huge folder filled with detailed prices for every recollection.

· · ·

"You fell for it hook, line, and sinker Laura, shame on you!" Mark said as Laura happily checked all the recollections she had bought.

"Shut up Mark. I am more than happy to have done horse riding and eaten purple caviar."

"But the thing is that you didn't do any of thoes things. They sell smoke to the people." Mark explained exasperated as we walked to the bar where we had to meet Kate and the rest.

Mark looked at me seeking support. "Grace, you're with me on this right?"

"I don't want to take a side."

Mark scanned my bag as if searching for any trace of betrayal. "But you didn't buy anything... Why?"

Laura didn't let me answer. "I tried to convince her to get a duo recollection with me, there was a cool one of two people sailing a boat on the sunset. But she didn't want to."

"Because it was way too expensive," I said.

Mark scoffed. "Exactly my point. They're exploiting people's dreams. They market this stuff as if it's better than reality."

"Hello?" Laura pointed to the Recollector's bag she carried. "This... is definitely better than reality. Do I have to remind you where we come from?"

Mark rolled his eyes. "And they target outsiders precisely because of that! They know we've suffered. They take advantage of our pain."

Laura crossed her arms. "Then for once, my pain is useful. Besides who cares if it's not real? It feels real, and that's all that matters." She tapped her Reg Bracelet and grinned. "I've lived a little today. Can you say the same?"

Mark turned to me again, frustrated. "Grace, seriously, you've got to see what I mean. Doesn't it feel... wrong?"

"Honestly," I said, "I don't know. It's a little weird, sure. But it's also kind of... amazing? That feeling of petting the dog—"

"See?" Laura interjected.

"—but," I continued, giving her a look, "I'm not sure I'd pay for it."

Mark sighed, already tired of the conversation, but seemed to settle on my conclusion. Laura kept smiling at her bag, and I glanced back at the store one last time. The glowing sign read Recollector's: Memories Worth Sharing.

I couldn't decide if it was brilliant or terrifying.

Maybe a little bit of both.

Author's Note: 

Hey!! Thanks for reading Chapter 5 (Part 1/2). As you've noticed, this chapter is split into two parts. Now it's time to read Part 2 of 2! I decided to split the longer chapters into two instead of adding entirely new ones. I hope it's not confusing.

Thank you so much for reading! Love ya! ❤️