Read Suspending Reality for Free Online

rules, and I’m certainly not some mindless zombie under their command.”
    “Yeah, we all know that!”
    “You said you wanted to look at the sky. Don’t you want to see more of it than this? Don’t you want to know if they’re lying about the sharks?”
    “And you want to test it by jumping in?”
    “I know they’re lying to us. I wouldn’t risk my life or yours if I wasn’t sure.”
    She bit her lip hard. “What makes you so sure though?”
    “We live under the sea. If there were as many sharks as they say, we would see them through the glass all the time.”
    “Yeah, but—”
    “You can stay here and wait for me if you want, but I’m gonna put my theory to the test.”
    “It’s official. You’re a lunatic.”
    “I thought you loved my adventurous personality.”
    “Not when it comes to being devoured by a bunch of man-eating fish.”
    I grinned. “It’s my birthday, and I want to swim in the ocean. Help me make this the most memorable birthday ever.”
    She smiled. “It very well could be.”
    “You’re smiling, which means you know I’m right. They’ve been exaggerating about the sharks. Why? My guess is that it’s to keep us in line, to keep us from leaving the glass city. They’re trying to control everything we do. They have been, ever since Dante Marcellus and his minions took over.”
    I had an uncanny ability to read people, to determine their motives by scrutinizing their body language, stance, and gestures. I often caught small, telling details that others missed, so I knew something was not right about our leader. I had to wonder what he was trying to hide. 
    “Be careful how you talk about our elected president,” Rachel said. “People who talk about him mysteriously disappear.”
    “He wants to be in complete control, and I don’t trust him. I wonder how he’s treating the others who’ve made it to the surface.”
    “Who knows? None of them have come back except the workers, and they don’t say anything.”
    “And why not? Why aren’t they allowed to come back?” I asked.
    “Uh…because he’s scared they’ll tell us how messed up everything is?” she said, more of a question than a statement.
    “Right. So…are you ready to defy Dante Marcellus? Are you ready to call his bluff?”
    “I think so.”
    “Are you sure?” I asked.
    “You’re giving me an out?” she said.
    “Yep.”
    She looked at me, then at the water. “Screw it! Let’s do this!”
    My body tingled with anticipation, and before she could say another word, I grabbed her hand. “On the count of three!” She gasped, and I started the count down. “One…two…three!” I pulled her to the edge of the dock, and we both jumped in with a big splash . “It’s amazing!” I shouted, pushing the wet hair out of my eyes. “But maybe Mother Nature poured in a little too much salt.”
    She laughed. “As long as my skin isn’t melting off and nothing’s eating my ankles, it’s fine with me. We’re alive,” she said, anxiously looking around.
    “What are you looking for? Jaws? There are no sharks. I mean, they do exist, but the ocean isn’t just a pit of teeth, like they tried to tell us.”
    “Why would they lie to us like that?”
    “Let’s not worry about them right now. They suck the joy out of everything. Let’s just enjoy the water.”
    And with that, I dived down about six feet and opened my eyes, taking in the beautiful bluish-green, glistening ripples around me. When I breached the surface again, we played around and splashed each other. We even did cannonballs for the very first time. When my fingers began to wrinkle like prunes, we laughed and got out. I sprawled out across the dock and let the sun dry me.
    “What if they come up?” Rachel asked.
    “At this point, I don’t care. The sun feels so good. Why can’t we do this all the time? What gives them the right to keep us from it? Last time I checked, the world doesn’t belong to them. It belongs to all of us, and it