I've been a Japanese woman lying on my back for as long as I can remember. My name is Riya and I'm 18 years old now. I live with my family in the city, near an urban streetlight that casts its dim glow over everything. It's not always bright or comfortable living here, but it's home.

Sometimes when I look up at the stars through the sky's haze of pollution, I imagine there are worlds out there beyond our own where things aren't so messy and complicated. People would walk down streets without streetlights, or with lights that shine brighter than ours. Maybe they'd have cleaner air to breathe too. It's a nice thought.

You're probably wondering how I ended up like this – lying on my back with exposed thighs and breasts? Well, it all started when Alyx came into my life. He's an 18-year-old guy who seemed nice at first but turned out to be just another piece of the puzzle in this crazy world we live in. Now he stands over me, looking down at me like I'm some sort of... thing. What do you think about that?