"Hell-o, d'you recognise me? It's Jules, your local traffic chick --- aaand I have some exciting news for you. Has the mess on Mitchell Freeway been cleared? Is the traffic light on Bo through to Blackbourne? Has the entire week been accident free? Well - I wouldn't be able to tell you any of that. Why? Hm, that must be because I'm right here at Japan's very own Watauchi City!"A camera raised above the heads in a crowd, shaking about in crazed celebration. Above the buzzing chatter, the shrill "whoooo-ing" of a woman could be heard. The camera suddenly ducked back down from view.
"That's right, I've been sent on a very special mission to report not the traffic of this fantastical place, but the progress of the experiment. Will humans and monsters peacefully coexist? Well, you and I are going to find out. You, from the safety of your own home, and me - from, aha, right here at the front lines.""Can we have everyone's attention, please?""Looks like the experiment of the century's about to get started! Wish me luck!".
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Juliet Little re-watched the footage for the eighth time, sitting cross-legged on her bed. Every few seconds, she would pause the video, her heart would drop, and she'd play it again. Photos were ugly, but not as evil as film. A film was hundreds, no, thousands of pictures all jammed together to make one, big, moving photo. So many unflattering moments were immortalized and all you had to do was pause for one to be revealed.
She fell back on her bed, raising the camera above her head. After preparing a big, attractive grin, she pressed record.
"Well, this is me!" she chirped painfully, turning the camera left to right to see the bare room in its entirety,
"Small, grey and boring. I only just moved in, so..." she faltered and seized up for a moment. After some time she swallowed, then breathed in before grinning and beginning again with forced enthusiasm,
"Well, this is me! Small, grey and full of potential! Things are pretty hectic right now." Her eyes glanced to the clock in the room.
"I'll explore tomorrow. Need to find a job, too. It's a new beginning, alright. Well, this is really exciting, and I'm so happy to be apart of this. This is Jules signing off from the first day at Watauchi City - g'night, Australia!"As soon as the camera stopped recording she sat up, peeled from her bed and knelt down beside her laptop in the corner of the room. She plugged the camera in and began syncing the footage to the computer before standing and glancing back to the clock. She wrote on a sticky note and left it on her lava lamp beside her bed. After a moment of dawdling without reason, she took her pyjamas and toiletry bag from her unsorted luggage and brought her phone with her into the bathroom. A notification went off in her pocket and she ignored it. While showering, another notification startled her.
She walked into the kitchen, her damp hair creating a wet patch on the back of her pyjama shirt. She opened the pantry to see what was already stocked; canned food, porridge, sugar, rice and pasta. She took out the containers of rice and pasta and weighed them up in her hands as she made a decision. When she went to put the rice back, it lightly tapped against the shelf. This tap was just enough for the container to slip from her trembling hand and hit the ground. The hit was just enough for the lid to pop out and the contents of the container to go spraying all over the kitchen floor. That was just enough to make Juliet curse. Repeatedly.
A notification - a text message.
She snatched her phone from her pocket and looked at the screen. She paused, her lips pursing as she saw what messages she had missed. She checked the time then unlocked the screen and dialed a number.
["Good, it's you. Wait, we'll put you on hold."]Juliet walked over to the table, placing the container of pasta on its surface. Her long fingernail tapped the side of the plastic impatiently in time with the second hand of the clock upstairs, a complete coincidence. Her breath was too loud.
In a snap, music and laughter sounded over the phone. Her drooping eyelids opened and her head perked, her slouched shoulders rolling outwards.
["Jules!!!"]Two voices chimed, followed by a chorus of cheering children.
"Heyyyyy!!" Juliet responded, her character dramatically changing from the agitated woman she was just before.
["Jules, are you there?"] A cheerful male voice asked.
"Yes, I'm here."["How's our favourite traffic gal doing?"]"Good, good thanks. I'm good."["Soooo, I heard you have something very exciting to tell us."] A woman's voice. Provocative. A much more mature tone than Juliet. Speaking of, Juliet had no idea what she just said.
"Hm?"["You OK?"]"Oh - yes!" Juliet eased herself into talking naturally,
"I'm great, just -whew- flat out at the moment. I just arrived in Watauchi City, and I got my house, and rice is everywhere -"["Is that a joke?"] The woman laughed before asking.
"No, really. Rice is everywhere." Juliet lowered the phone and ran her toes through the grains.
"[("Di-")]I doubt you can hear it, but just know [("Uh-")] that things are working out [("Did -")] exactly the way I expected them to."["Did I hear Watauchi City?"] The man at last managed to cut in with rehearsed interest.
["You mean, the city created for the Zeritau project?"]The formalities are over. Onto the story.
"You heard right, Reg!" Juliet squeaked,
"I'm here with 900 000 other humans AND monsters at what may be the biggest turning point in human - and monster - history! Or at least, the most incredible."["That. Is. Amazing! Wooow, can you believe it?"] The woman.
["Can you tell us about the process? We're all yearning to hear what is happening."]"Well, we've each been assigned a house. We have our own currency, too - Rells. Everyone starts off with 100 000 - everyone, regardless of what social standing they had outside of this city." She paused to think.
"Tomorrow, I think I'll be looking out for a job... along with everyone else in the city. Haha."The man laughed.
["But you have a job, you're with us!"]The woman joined in laughing.
["You're OUR Jules!"]Juliet mimicked them.
"That won't help me here!"The laughter faded out and the man's tone softened, but Juliet could sense another change in his voice. A subtle, hurried one. He was drawing the interview to a close.
["Well, we just want to let you know how brave we think you are, Jules. It's incredible what you're doing. Is there anything you want to say about it? What do you think about the entire situation? You're there, do you think that humans and monsters really will get along?"]"Well, I..." A notification.
"... I haven't seen any issue so far."["Uh-huh. None?"]"None. I..." Juliet looked at her rice covered feet, her toes curling.
"... I think if monsters and humans can live together happily, then... people should, too."["Aww. Ain't that right."] Any sentiment that could have been was immediately washed out with electronic music and exaggerated empathy.
["Well, that's all we have time for. If you want to see Jules' fantastic adventure, go to the website http://www.93.8/JulesZeritau.com.au. She'll be updating her Vlog - daily, is it, Jules?"]"Spontaneously."Harsh laughter sounded through the phone and Juliet coiled away.
["Sounds about right! Check it out!"]["Well, thanks for your time Jules."] The man.
["We'll see you... when will we see you?"]"In two years."["Whoa! Don't go forgetting us!"]I don't know you.["Right, see you not-so-soon!"]"Bye!"["Byeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!"]...
Juliet was greeted by her notifications.
Mum (12), Liam (4), Ruben (1)She rubbed her throat and opened the messages.
Liam:
Hey, Julie, I've been thinking. The long distance relationship? It doesn't work with me. I know you waited for me while I was in Canada, I know, but this is something completely different. I just want to have the freedom to see others while you're gone without feeling guilty. Heck, this is two f**king years, for christs sake. You've got to give me a break!
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Hey Julie, I'm sorry. I didn't want to do this over text but you were too excited when you got on the ship. I didn't have the heart to do it then. But this is good for you too, right? Now you don't have to stay lonely while you're there. I mean, it isn't every day that you get the possibility of screwing around with a monster, right? Go find one of those cat boys you like so much, you freakazoid haha.
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OK, fine, I was being rude. I just want to say that you're amazing, really, and I am going to miss you. But the thing is, the longer you're gone, the less I'm going to miss you. I don't want to miss out for someone who may not be the one, you know? You know it too. If when you come back and we're both lonely, maybe we can try again. I just don't want us both to be waiting for nothing.
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I can hear you on the radio. It's good to hear that you're having fun. I'll miss your voice telling me to turn right or left at Blackbourne. :).
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The smile blurred.