31: COME TO LIFE
//
12:45 P.M. // 11 - 1 - 2023 // Arc - Mall
Starring Kali Lapuz
Featuring Regan Yglesias
//
“K-Kali,” Regan abruptly stopped and stammered my name.
“Yuh, what?”
“Oh-my-f***ing-God-this-is-way-too-sudden—uhhh, oh-oh-oh f***, Kali-I-can’t-believe-this, wait a second, uhh…” She said it so fast I swiped off the watch hologram just to stare at her. Weird thought bubbles were floating into my head: Regan wasn’t one to stutter. She wasn’t one to curse. And she also wasn’t very easily flustered.
What happened to her?
“Look at this!” She screeched, half-scaring me. “Look!!”
Naturally I responded in part. “Uhh, okay, I guess?”
Then she flashed the screen in my face, full brightness and all which blinded me, and big enough for other people passing by to sneak a peek. I knew that because someone behind me caught their breath, and from the periphery of my adjusting vision I spotted two girls pointing at Regan’s hologram, then talking excitedly.
The hell was going on?
And then I read the headline:
[Rumors of internationally-renowned anonymous online singer Visionaire’s upcoming appearance at Arc]
I blinked hard, then read further. The hologram was still even as Regan’s hand was positively quivering with excitement.
…
I opened my mouth as I finished reading, then closed it like a guppy. Then I started to say, “Umm, isn’t—”
She interrupted, “You’re done reading?”
Confused at her aggressiveness, I fought against her tone with ennui. “Yeah. It’s just a rumor, like, Arc could have just made a mistake or something, or someone could be trolling and just adding names to the list of performers for halftime. So why—”
“You better believe and put it on your calendar, there’s no way they would just use that name by mistake without knowing all of the traction it would get!” I was taken aback as she grabbed my shoulders, and probably when the rush of the moment faded she realized that—
—Pcckh
“Owwwwwww…” Regan moaned, grabbing her foot and hopping around stupidly.
“You know what you did.” I rolled my eyes, and there was an equally stupid grin on my face. Man, this girl was Visionare's biggest fangirl. “I win. I guess,” and seeing all of the eyes on us I took Regan by the hand and hurried us forward.
Almost like she had already recovered, Regan matched my cadence. “What was that foooooor? Just ‘cuz I’m Awakened doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt, meanie-head.”
I scoffed, “I know.”
“Huh?”
Was she a kid or something?
“Yeah, whatever, eat dirt. I’ll treat you to pretzels or something later—”
With an obnoxiously loud voice she interjected, “What did you say?”
“I said, I’ll get you pretzels, you know, from that one Danish place—”
“Hmmmmmm?”
I let go of her hand and cracked my knuckles, one after another “Motherf—”
She laughed, “Aaaanyways, you did say you read it, right?”
“Yeah,” I sarcastically drawled, “it’s gonna be during the holidays celebration called Winter Break where all students go home and spend time with their friends and family.”
Regan grunted, “And it’s also when the Arcs around the world host the annual Arc Winter Games, and this year it’s America’s turn—”
“Seats that cost an arm and a leg to get tickets for,” I replied, and she frowned with an amused look on her face, “yeah right.”
She shot back, “Seats that are heavily discounted with the use of points—”
“Discounted seats are probably already filled up!” I countered.
“Dude, we have tickets!” Regan finally ticked her last tock. “Kali, don’t you know who our club seniors are?!”
“Wait, huh? ” I let out a flabbergasted noise. “What?”
“They’re Red & Blue, idiot! Why do you think there are only boys in the hiking group, but like, the majority of them don’t even attend the hiking trip? It’s ‘cuz they’re smelly weebs who haven’t showered in years! Also, you didn’t know they’re making an appearance at halftime this year?!” She huffed with a breath to spare.
My voice was a pitch higher. “Huh? Penelope and Rubia?”
Regan went on as more eyes glanced off my shoulders, “Bro, their boingos are huge if you haven’t noticed, and they’re pretty, and they’re smart, and they’re a talented duo in general, and their eyes are literally red and blue. Noticed yet?”
“Yeah…?”
She groaned, “Goooosh, when were you ever this dense? That's so unlike you."
I cleared my throat dispassionately, "Okay, and? It's unlike you not to be dense."
"Whatever. Poser."
My insides squirmed, but I held it in. Every Memory I had studied would not go to waste.
"Say what you want, but my grades are better."
"You won't study with me," she whined.
I stuck my tongue out.
“So are you coming to see Visionaire with me, or not?”
"Quick to change topics, huh?"
"Quick to turn down your one and only bestie, hmm?"
I groaned. "I hate you."
"Are you gonna come?"
I stared her dead in the eyes, and she stared me down even harder.
With a sigh, I muttered, “Do I even have a choice?”
//
10:30 P.M. // 11 - 3 - 2023 // Gwen’s Room - Arc - Housing District
Starring Gwen Olynn
//
Sewing wasn’t helping. I needed to calm myself.
—hahhh, hahhh
It wasn’t me who felt this way. It couldn’t have been me.
—hhHUahhh, hahh, hahh
He was only going to be gone for two days. Gwen, my chest hurts. Please, go back to sleep.
—hhooohh, hhhoo, huu
In… and out. Breathe in… and out. Needle in… and out.
—ahhh… HHHAahh… hooooooo… HHuaahh
A sharp sting on my finger, and through the small dark blue cloth I could see a little bit of blood. My vision tunneled.
[[Th#&e stood the l0N#}y house in the midd1& #$ n0wh€r3. The d0#Rbe1! w@2 rang t^*cE ##;{£\ someone came to the door.]]
The gasps shook me.
[[No£l let &> #n$#de with a s%&#e.]]
Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop.
[[The itch was unbearable. In my back pocket was a %*?&.]]
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
God, no, stop. Please stop. Stop. Stop…
[[She made attempts at small conversation as she l3% #= t0 THe dining table. So ITCHY—]]
…
My hand shook as the vision came to an end, and I squeezed my eyes shut. It was shorter than last time, but it felt like the sight of blood was making them worse. I reached blindly to the nightstand where I always kept a small first aid kit in case anything like this ever happened. With one hand I inched the zipper up. Feeling around for a bit I finally felt the bandaids and pulled out one. It took me a second before I opened my eyes again, the soft gauze of the bandaid pressed against the tiny prick. Fully wrapping it around my finger, I crumpled the small purple cloth and got up.
Half an hour went down the toilet.
I looked up in the bathroom mirror. Gwen’s skin was surprisingly soft and pale as it was thin and easily bruised. I bit my lips, relishing in the feeling of a dry piece painfully being torn off, and then spit out the lip-skin into the sink. The lights finally made me hiss, and I opened the bathroom door and stepped back into the entrance. It was as small as ever, and my wallet of points told me it wasn’t going to get bigger any time soon.
Average in class, looks, skill, and still unawakened. Jobless, friendless, abnormal and nauseous at the slightest winds. Stressed, traumatized, and a victim of a kidnapping, all with no end in sight. And so, so many problems. What the hell had I done to deserve all of this?
Again, that thought from earlier passed through my head. It was oddly quiet, the same as it had been before… but now, though, there was a substance to the silence that I couldn’t understand.
“That little cocky brat actually left, huh?”
I was surprised at how calm my voice was. It was no longer painful to breathe, and I wasn’t incapacitated with that overwhelming and irrational sense of dread anymore. On second thought, and probably a first I had forgotten about, it was so stupid of Gwen to overreact like that. There’s no way Avil would get hurt. What could go wrong on a two day vacation?
…
I sighed. So stupid.
Now I had a headache.
A few random strings of thoughts came to mind of what Avil could possibly be doing. What if he was going to go… skiing? It was winter, and Maine probably had snow, right? Yeah, skiing. That would be nice. I… liked skiing, a lot.
I sat down onto my bed, and then tucked myself under the blanket. It was dark outside, and the gibbous moon was visible from my window. Memories of my friends and family replayed in my head as best as I could remember. We’d all be in one big group, splitting apart into smaller chunks of different skill levels. I’d go down the Blue slopes to warm up with my older sister, and then to the Black slopes with my friends and her friends. The rush of cold air against the ski mask, dots of sweat freezing into slushy in my boots, frozen fingers held tightly onto the poles as I swerved around other skiers and snowboarders at a rapid pace. It was a wonderful feeling. Then I’d wait for my sister and our friends at the bottom, and we’d do it all over again.
I wondered how she was doing now that I was gone. It wasn’t like I could remember her name, nor any one of my family’s or friends’ names. Did I disappear from the real world? Gwen and I probably didn’t swap lives; I could still hear her painfully loud and obnoxiously clear. Was there a manhunt for me? Would they even try to find me? Could I even go back?
Useless thoughts like these came to me at the most useless times.
I rolled over in bed. Did Avil have any friends in the Travel club? Maybe I was the only friend he had, given his chihuahua-like nature… nah. If Avil was talkative enough to land a victory for Maine, he could land himself a few buddies. No, no worries. He’d probably have really good seafood, not like I cared much for it being from the coast and all…
Another random thought.
God, I missed everyone…
The heck did Cedrance mean by, ‘You’ll be safe for now’? Why was something from last week even… oh, never mind. And why was Reyenal in that car?
I remembered it all so vividly. A freezing asylum, a random man… the agent, and Aythe Siena. So many questions, but most of all I hoped that I never had to see that ***hole’s face ever again. And then the man died, and then another man appeared. That man was definitely the pale and handsome guy from the hospital who I’d seen on multiple occasions, always with a mask on. That time, his mask was off, an extra confirmation of handsomeness. His lips had been tight, jaws sharp, and his cheekbones were high up giving him an authoritative and intimidating look. More important were the words he said… one, that someone was looking for me, and two… that the patients at Saint Hospital were incubating fallen angels.
The next thing I knew he was gone, and Cedrance cut through the door in a very protagonist-like way with all of the lights shining behind him to make him look imposing. Understandably I couldn’t really think straight then so I had let him princess-style lift me to the car, surprisingly without a single complaint of any reek or barf juices on me.
Then music started to play, and for a good while too. I didn’t know anyone nor anything from her playlist, but it was a vibe enough in the car. And that random and inexplicable argument that I felt made no sense whatsoever that happened between Reyenal and Cedrance while we were in the fields… did they have beef with each other?
And why was it so cold in the back?—
Geez, did I just have a bunch of spare time on hand all of a sudden? I needed to study for the upcoming quizzes. And tests. God, what the hell was Arc supposed to be, a boot camp with literature and math mixed in?
So, so stupid.
—bzzp
I glanced at my watch…
[This is Saint Hospital’s front desk. On behalf of Wards 104, 105, and 106, we would like to tell you: thank you. Your time with us was, according to some of our patients in Wards 104, 105, and 106, warm, caring, and a blessing for them. Therefore we cordially invite you to come back to the hospital at any time. We understand if you have circumstances where that wouldn’t be possible and wish you the best accordingly.
Sincerely,
Saint Hospital]
… and I bit my lip.
//
4:22 P.M. // 8 - 29 - 2022 // St. Arthur Catholic K-8 Private School
Featuring Nolan Faust
//
[User input:] ⇒ [Access//Guide]
[User input:] ⇒ [Memory]
[Accessing core memory of Nolan Faust] ⇒ [Randomizing keyword]
[Keyword chosen!]
TORMENT
=[Beginning core memory]=
“P—lea…se…”
The bully’s fist slammed into Nolan’s fat and swollen face again. He was almost completely naked save for his underwear, and his large and blubbery butt full of painful red marks was sweating all over the ground.
“St…op—NNNHH!” He screamed again as the bully stomped on his thigh. The girls in the back laughed as his fat jiggled.
“Overgrown pig!”
“Haha! He’s so gross.”
Nolan cried out as he was kicked in the shin by one of the girls. The bully slapped him really hard, and again, and again until his reaction was loud enough to make the girls giggle. “AGGHH—!”
“Look at him! Oh my god, if I were him I think I’d rather just kill myself.”
“You go, Chase! Pound that pig like mochi!”
“Like, Piglan’s probably so weak willed he’d be like, ‘woe is me! Welp, looks’s like suicide is the only option. I think I’m gonna go out by eating ice cream! Goodbye, world!’”
Torrents of insults bit him, and his crying only served as oil to the flame that was consuming him.
“Womp womp. What a loser.”
“Hahahah! Ooooh, Emily, you’re so funny!”
“And nobody would care, too. Aww, poor wittle baby, is your papa gonna die soon because he’s too poor? Oh well… heeheehee! Ahahahaha!”
“Aww, is he crying now? Bet it tastes like mashed potatoes.”
“Hahahaha!”
“Aaaahhahhaa!”
“Eeeeheheeheh!”
“Hey girls,” the bully Chase said, trying not to laugh hard, “wanna see the fat*** without his whitey-tighteys?”
“Hell, no. Can’t care about what you can’t see, catch my drift?”
“Have you even seen nerdy, ugly wimps like Piglan? Like, there’s nothing. Yeah, there’s a hole where the mole is supposed to be.”
“You’re so funny, Emily,” one of the bullies cooed as Nolan cried out again.
“I dunno, I’m seeing a stiffy from him right now.”
“Really? Uggh, that’s so… ewwwww!”
“This loser, by us?! Eww, no! Oh my god, you can’t be serious. You’re disgusting, Piglan.” One of the girls stomped on him. Nolan howled in pain.
“Yeah, no way this fatso’s… just thinking about it makes me wanna barf.”
“Look at this picture I just took. Haha, look at his face! I caught such a funny look!”
“C’mon, this if that’s really true, this b**** needs to be taught a lesson. Chase. You know what to do.”
The bully cracked his knuckles as he raised his arm for another punch. “Wanna go get something after this, Emily?”
All of her friends burst out laughing as Nolan was walloped again.
“I needa shower first. Hmm~!”
—KRRRKKK!
…
The doctor clicked through the computer, then took a moment to stare at Nolan judgmentally. Then she looked to his father and spoke forthrightly, “Sir, Mr. Faust, even the scan shows that your son has fractured ribs, torn ligaments, a broken jaw, and more. He is riddled with bruises from head to toe. I can safely assume that this wasn’t because of some accidental fall, and this is much more serious than you’re willing to believe.”
Nolan’s dad only glanced towards his son, and then sat down hard on the edge of the bed which Nolan took most of the space of with his obese physique. The man’s eyes buried down into the space between his feet, his balding head of wispy hair facing the doctor. He was only 43 years old yet he looked as if he had seen a whole disappointing world that he couldn’t accept. His nose bridge was high but slightly crooked, his cheeks similarly were defined with a sunken tone that reflected in the fading youth of his eyes. He was a man at war against the world for his world.
They stayed in silence for a minute. The doctor walked out of the room.
“Dad,” Nolan croaked. He grunted the mucus out. “She’s right.”
His dad muttered, “Is she?”
The boy’s face was a pondering circle of chub and cherub. “Dad, I… I—I want to lose weight. T-that’s why I’m being… targeted by b-bullies. I wanna get stronger as well, so I can protect myself. And mum, too.”
“That’s one big dream you’ve got, boy.”
The dad’s hand gently rested on Nolan’s stomach, noting the tears forming at the edges of his son’s eyes. The two sat together in the awkward quietness of the bright hospital room.
Finally the dad spoke again. “I’ve been thinking for a while now. I’ve been thinking…”
He paused, and for thirty seconds stayed that way, unable to speak. Nolan got curious. “Thinking about what?”
Silence.
“What?”
“I’ve been thinking,” his dad repeated slowly, “about sending you abroad to your uncle’s family in America. My older brother.”
“Uncle…? You never told me you had an older brother,” Nolan had no energy to exclaim.
“It’s because our relationship is not good,” the dad regretfully admitted, “we’ve always had different ideals. I wanted the family to live in peace. He wanted to continue the family’s legacy of…”
He cut himself off as if he had made a mistake.
“Legacy?” Wiping his eyes brutishly, Nolan began to sit up, but gave up halfway through lifting his neck. “And what about you and mum?”
The dad answered simply, “We’re going to stay here in Liverpool.”
Nolan already knew why, but he asked anyway just to hear his dad say it.
He sighed but nevertheless indulged his son, “Mum still needs to go to the hospital every once in a while to check up on her. You’re old enough to know that we can’t afford America’s bills, and with all of these crazy taxes we’re only just getting by.”
The feeling inside the room was no longer uncomfortable or awkward. It was just sad.
“So that means I’m gonna be alone,” Nolan concluded hopelessly. “Because you and mum aren’t coming.”
The machine beeped. Twice.
The sheets rustled as the dad stood up. He walked to the door, and before he left he turned his head around. An odd confidence filled his face, wrinkled from tiredness, age, and a smile. “Don’t worry, I’m sure your uncle won’t let you be alone.”