ᯓ★ℭ𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔦𝔞𝔫 𝔉𝔢𝔯𝔯𝔲𝔪꩜ .

‎██████ couldn't help but think of what her life will be in Paradisio, will she be glad to make the move? Will she regret it? Or will she find herself in a more worse situation than the life she's leaving behind.

‎

‎After a long drive, ██████ finally saw it, Paradisio.

‎There was a sign nearby that read, "Welcome to Paradisio, a paradise on Earth! "

‎

‎"They never said anything about it being walled...", ██████ muttered as she drove closer.

‎

‎Paradisio felt imposing with its walls, making it impossible for people from the outside see what lies within, but you can make out the tops of high buildings and a massive tower-like structure.

‎Eventually ██████ was stopped by some guards who took her luggage and parked her car. But there was something that caught her eye, the parking area looked... Abandoned, cars collecting dust and some were covered in plants.

‎The guards immediately ushered ██████ inside, to which they were met by a woman in a black and red uniform.

‎

‎"Welcome to Paradisio! I am M.T-9016, allow me to tour you through our wonderful city", she greeted ██████ with a smile that seemed a tad too wide.

‎

Again with the weird names...

‎Her uniform resembled that of a flight attendant's.

‎She had on a fitted blouse that was a deep red with gold lining and buttons with a black scarf lined with gold as well, her pencil skirt went down to just above her knees and was charcoal black.

‎She wore black heels and her hair was done in a tight bun.

‎Her makeup was simple, a bit of eyeliner and red lipstick.

‎

‎There was something about this woman that gave ██████ the feeling that something was-off.

‎Perhaps it was her smile, perhaps it was the way she stood so still that someone could mistake her a statue or maybe it was the way she greeted ██████, her tone sounding too happy-like she practiced that greeting a thousand times.

‎

‎"Please, follow me", M.T-9016 said before turning around and walking forward, the guards and ██████ following behind.

‎

‎They walked down a long hallway, its walls covered in posters about the safety and quality living of Paradisio.

‎There were no windows, only lines and lines of posters and bright lights above.

‎One in particular caught ██████'s eye, it had the figure of a young woman dressed in a black and red military uniform in the centre, her features obscured by the hat on her head.

‎The hat bore the symbol of a blue eye with two golden wings on either side.

‎On the bottom, it read, "Trust the Highest".

‎

‎M.T-9016 suddenly spoke up again.

‎"Paradisio was built on the dream of a perfect city where its people can walk the streets at night without any fear-and it is because of our Highest One and those before her that ensured Paradisio's dream stays a reality."

‎

‎"And the city's symbol, the blue eye and golden wings-represents the sky and freedom, a freedom only achievable here, in Paradisio."

‎

‎Nothing about she said did any help to shake off the feeling of unease ██████ had.

‎Perhaps she can turn around and run, change her mind and go back-but... Her life up until this point has been nothing but miserable, to go back now would mean possibly missing the chance to finally get her life together.

‎That uneasy feeling must be because she's in a new environment, one that she's unfamiliar with.

‎

‎M.T-9016 suddenly came to a stop, there stood a simple wooden door-albeit a large one. It had the same eye and wing symbol carved into it and above it read, "Step through the gates of paradise."

‎And as the door creaked open, M.T-9016, the guards and ██████ walked through.

‎

‎Stepping into paradise through its gates.

██████ thought to herself as she put the pamphlet in her bag–maybe she'll give it some time or sleep on it.

Today was–below average, minor inconveniences here and there but she wouldn't call it a bad day-some people are having it worse anyways.

The sky was gloomy, it always seemed gloomy in ██████'s eyes-and so did the world around her. Life had thrown misfortune after misfortune at her and ██████ learned to live with it but this Paradisio place sounds like somewhat promising... If what the pamphlet was saying is true then that would mean turning a new leaf in ██████'s life... One where the world isn't so gloomy and lackluster.

It had just gone dark when ██████ reached her apartment.

She tossed her bag on the floor and the pamphlet flew out,catching her eye and ██████ once again picked it up and read the contents once more, eyes scanning for any fine print messages that might make her regret believing in this thing.

For some reason, it had no location listed, no additional details aside from the contact number.

██████ shook her head and placed the pamphlet on the table, she'll make her final decision once she's made dinner.

As she sat down and ate dinner, ██████ scrolled through her phone, seeing what her friends and family were up to made her feel... Bitter.

Her siblings were out on vacation, her friends were going on reunions and get-togethers and her? Nothing.

There was nothing going on in ██████'s life, nothing worthy enough to post online-that bitter feeling grew and grew inside her until she took a deep breath and set her phone down.

There's no point in being envious of something that's out of your control, let alone something that doesn't even belong to you.

"What am I doing with my life..."

██████ muttered to herself as she stared up at the ceiling. She stared for minutes until she finally made up her mind, reaching for her phone and dialed the number written on the pamphlet.

Ring ring... Ring ring...

Ring ring... Ring ring...

"Hello, Paradisio line, this is E.H-2618 speaking, how may I help you?"

A chirpy voice answered.

██████ paused for a moment before opening her mouth

"Hi, I was handed a pamphlet about your city and wanted to ask a few questions"

"Of course, ma'am, what is it that you would like to inquire about?"

██████ glanced at the pamphlet in her hand.

"So like what kind of opportunities does Paradisio have–"

"We can offer you job opportunities and a chance to make a new life for yourself"

██████ was taken aback by the immediate answer, she had just finished talking.

Although the answer she was given was-quite general.

"Anymore questions?"

"..."

"No"

A moment of silence passed before the person on the other line spoke again.

"So are you interested in moving to our little paradise? Just tell us when you're coming so that we can prepare for your arrival"

██████ glanced at the calendar on the wall.

The person on the other line sounds so sincere, it convinces ██████ that this could be the chance she's been wishing for, the chance to turn a new leaf and restart her life.

Six days of preparation should do.

"Is March 26 alright?"

"We can do just that"

"A few reminders, when you arrive in your new home, you will need to do a bit of registry so that we can decide what job suits you best"

Decide what job suits her best? Isn't it the other way around?

"Wait what do you mean decide what job–"

"We'll call you to let you know when your new home is ready, we look forward to your arrival, have a good night!"

The call ended, leaving ██████ with new unanswered questions.

She looked at the pamphlet again and read it again and again, searching-scanning for something, for answer-none.

She let out a frustrated sigh, the only choice she has now is to prepare for her eventual move to Paradisio.