The Voices Outside Her Head

"So how does this place work?" I asked Noah while we walked over another hill.

"Well, there's a lot of people here that are all the same person. Each person has a fairly one-dimensional personality, a few are a little more well rounded. She," He jerked a thumb towards Ditz-Alice, who was skipping a few feet in front of us, "Is incredibly nice, and completely brainless."

"Everyone is as bad as her? But what about the stoner-Alice?" I asked seriously.

He bit his lip to keep from laughing at my description; I elbowed him in the side before he continued.

"Stoner-Alice... Well, she's actually cynical. I'm not entirely sure where she managed to get pot, because there aren't any real plants here, I think. When she's not stoned, she's even more of a bitch."

My voice was practically dripping sarcasm as I said, "Oh, joy."

"By the way, are you planning on telling me why you knew my name and I didn't?"

"Well, this place... I recognise a lot of it."

"But you know nothing about it..." He said skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"From my dreams." I clarified.

"What are dreams?"

"Dreams? They're what your subconcious shows you while you're asleep."

"Asleep?"

"Yeah, you know... sleep?"

Noah just looked at me, confused.

"You don't sleep?" I asked.

"I don't even know what that is."

"Oh... wow. That's odd."

"Really? Hm." Noah just said with a shrug, effectively ending the conversation.

Just then, we reached the top of the rise and I gasped. We were looking down into lush green forest, clouds of insects flowing through the branches, birds of breathtaking splendor swooping among the treetops, and one spotted orange cat, flowing lithely along a limb after a gangly-looking monkey.

"Shall we?" Noah extended an arm to both me and Ditz-Alice, hooking his through ours as we walked purposefully to the woods.

***