Living in Today’s Tomorrow | Teen Ink

Living in Today’s Tomorrow

October 3, 2007
By Anonymous

“Goodnight Mom!” I yelled down the hall as I pulled the covers over my bare arms. I closed my eyes and quickly fell asleep.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


I yawned as I sat up, the soft morning light beating on my window. I looked around and somehow my room looked different.

“Huh,” I thought out loud, “That’s weird.”

The paint on the walls was peeling, my window was filthy, and the smell of rust and mold spread through the air. I climbed out of bed and opened the door…the creak was horrible.

“It didn’t do that last night,” I said to no one in particular.

I walked down the hallway, floorboards creaking under my feet. The window at the end of the hallway was busted out. I entered the bathroom and was horrified when I looked in the mirror. I looked like crap! My sleek, shoulder length hair was now long and shabby, my face broke out with acne. On top of that, I was so scrawny it scared me.

I re-entered the eerie hallway and descended the stairs. My house looked as though it hadn’t been inhabited for fifty years! It was like one of those crime scenes from CSI. Plastic covered the overturned furniture, windows were cracked and busted, and paint was peeling off of the walls.

I went back upstairs, and back into the decrepit bathroom. I jumped in the shower, the warm water on my shivering arms felt SO good.

I walked downstairs feeling completely refreshed. My now long hair was straightened, the acne covered up. But then I realized how hungry I was. I sauntered into the kitchen, looking for actual edible food. When I found the fridge empty, I must say, I was disappointed.

I searched for, found, and slid on my favorite jean jacket. I opened the creaky front door and silently exited the house.

“HOLY CRAP!” I exclaimed, staring in disbelief at the futuristic setting that surrounded me.

Some kind of shiny flying cars filled the air above me, and kids around my age flew around on some kind of board with some kind of fan thing on the bottom of it. Robot’s walked the sidewalks, and every human being present was wearing an ugly metallic jumpsuit.

I ran down the sidewalk, pushing through crowds of robots. Finally I came across a newspaper stand. I grabbed a newspaper and when I caught a glance at the date I was astounded.

It read, “October 1st, 2057……STURGIS JOURNAL.”

“Is this right? The date I mean,” I asked the robot who ran the stand.

“But of course,” The robot replied in an accent that sound both electronic and Russian at the same time.

“HOW?! Yesterday was September 30th, 2007!” I demanded, pounding my fist on the stand.

“That was fifty years plus one day ago,” He replied, with an almost human-like way about him.


I walked away from the stand, my deep brown eyes glazed over with confusion, shock and horror.

“Could I really have slept for fifty years?” I questioned myself.

I wandered around this new world for a bit, astonished by the sights and sounds. I entered a restaurant and was greeted by a decrepit, but pleasant old man.

“Can I help you?” He asked in a strangely familiar voice.

“Dad, is that you?” I asked in utter shock.

“Sweetie?” His eyes widened.

“Dad!” I cried; glad to see a familiar face. I was so happy that hot tears streamed down my face. I threw my arms around him, but stepped back when they went right through his neck.

“Don’t,” He said, wincing.

“What in the world?” I asked, confused.

“I’m just a simulator. When good workers die, the city makes simulators of them, and they do the jobs that need filled and don’t require a lot of…well touching anything.”

“What do you mean….you’re…?” My voice trailed off, the big question mark on my forehead appeared bolder and he gave me the answer I was dreading.

“Dead…yes. Sweetie I’m so sorry!”

I re-exited the building and ran down the street. I was so confused and utterly terrified.

“Don’t you have a hoverboard?” A girl, probably about fourteen asked me.

“A whaty-what?” I asked, dumbfounded.

“A hoverboard!” She said, pointing to the many teens flying around on the strange looking boards.

“No…I’m well I’m new here,” I said nervously.

“Well here, take my old one!” She offered, tossing me a cherry red hoverboard with a black stripe down the middle. It looked to be in mint condition.

“Thanks!” I exclaimed, jumping on the board and riding around the town. This world was A LOT better then I thought it would be.

“What’s with the clothes?” The girl said riding beside me, “Are you from 2007 or something?”

“Uh….well yea,” I said, somehow confident that I could trust this total stranger.

“Oh no…..your one of them!” She exclaimed frighteningly.

“One of what?” I asked, a little frightened after her recent outburst.

“Let me guess. You went to sleep what seemed like last night, then woke up and it was fifty years later?” She said.

“That’s EXACTLY what happened!” I exclaimed. “How did you know?”

“It happened to me a couple of years ago. I decided to stay, I really liked it here.”

“Wow….what’s your name?” I questioned the girl, staring into her emerald green eyes.

“I’m Evalynn, but you can call me Eva,” she said, a smirk on her face. “What’s yours?”

“I’m Alyssa,” I replied, the same smirk on my face. Eva was already growing on me like a sister.

“So far it’s pretty okay here….well except for my parents being dead,” I said, the smirk fading from my face.

“Yea…happened to me too. But, even though I missed them like crazy, I dealt.”

“Really? Are teenagers allowed to live on their own here?” I asked.

“Yea we are, Its pretty awesome. We don’t work until we’re sixteen though. Until then the city supplies us with food and clothes of choice, and anything else we need.” Eva said.

“What about school?” I asked curiously.

“Online classes,” Eva said.

Eva led me through two or three alleys and down a narrow, deserted road. We landed our hover boards on the grass in front of a three story yellow house.

“Well, this is home,” Eva said, gesturing towards the house.

We entered the house and I could tell it was my new home. It was at that point that I decided to stay in the future, with Eva. Everything was so new and beautiful.

Now today I still live with Eva, twenty-four years old. I’m still a little on the scrawny side, but hey, it’s better than before. Technology is becoming more and more advanced each year. Its changing rapidly, but one thing that will never change is Eva being like the sister I never had.


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