Author's Note: Now let's commence with the New Reality holiday special!
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David gets out his pod all groggy and starts getting ready for school. He's eating toast once again when Cindy comes down all excited.
“Daaaaaviiiiiid! David! David! David! Guess what day it is almost time for!”
David has a confused look. He doesn't celebrate holidays so he has no idea. David looks at Cindy with a dumb look.
“I don't care. Leave me alone.” David says eating his toast not bothering to look at Cindy.
“Come on David! You know this one! The spirit of giving! The day everyone goes out with their friends!”
“....Christmas?”
“No dumbass! Why would we go to school if it was nearing Christmas? It's almost Halloween! The spirit of giving me candy! Going out with my friends to get candy!”
“Oh.”
David hasn't celebrated Halloween ever since he had trick or treated with Keimi and her friends in 4th grade. David had went as a ghost in order to hide his fat. It didn't work. Everyone thought David went trick or treating as an emergency tent.
“David, let's go trick or treating!” She says excitedly.
David doesn't even bothering answering her. He leaves to go to school.
“But Daaaaviiiiiid... If you trick or treat with me, then give me your candy, I will have double the candy!” She tells David cutely.
David decides enough is enough. He gets into a fighting position. He knows that at this rate, he'll be drawn into her pace, so he decides to end this now.
“Heheheh. Someone's eager.” She says with a smile that turns slightly crazed. Her hair starts moving as if a battle aura started surrounding her.
“This will be a lot easier method than the usual extortions. If you lose, you're going trick-or-treating with me.” Cindy tells David.
She also gets in a fighting position. She raises her hand and signals for David to make the first move. David squints and starts running towards Cindy. David's defense is air tight. No way Cindy will easily get through it. David tests the waters by throwing out a simple punch.
Cindy times it perfectly and jumps on David's hand. She then jumps off his hand and tries to land a frontal kick on David's face. As if David saw it coming, he leans back with Cindy's kick just centimeters from his face. Cindy was in midair in the middle of a somersault. David tries to land a punch on her while she is in midair, but Cindy grabs David's fist, and uses her arm as a fulcrum to land an ax kick on David's head.
David doesn't have that many options in this position. He doesn't have enough time to push her off, he can't block it because Cindy has one of her hands free. He decides to move to the side so that the blow strikes his shoulder, David then uses this opportunity to punch her in the stomach. Cindy moves so that the blow also strikes her shoulder. They then separate. All of this happened in a second.
This is another reason why David's self confidence is so low. Throughout all their time together, David has seldomly beat his little sister. It's only recently that he could fight her to a stand still. Her reflexes are just too high.
“Sheesh. Here I thought I could finally break the deadlock between us. Fine David. You won't have to go trick-or-treating with me. I'll have you make this up to me some other way.” She walks away hurriedly whistling innocently.
David then hears some rapid footsteps.
“Who broke all the things in the kitchen!?” David's father yells out at him very angrily.
David sighs. 'Oh. That's what she meant. Crafty bitch.'
**********
David is in homeroom. He is currently playing on his AR glasses. He has decided for the first time to look on the internet for information about New Reality. He's trying to find a good way to go about finding out who is responsible for making the robots. When he goes on the New Reality forums and types in “Gnosia”, nothing comes up.
'Gnosia isn't known by any other players it seems. Well, that makes sense. If it was known to players, then enemy nations to Gnosia would also know. Guess I will have to figure this out on my own.'
David decides to give his mind a break from New Reality and starts looking up some electrical engineering things. David knows the physics behind electromagnetism, but not anything about designs dealing with electromagnetism. He decides to dabble in it because the technology in Gnosia had peeked his interest.
While David is reading, he hears other students talk about what they're going to do for the upcoming Halloween.
“Are you going to the school Halloween party?”
“Yea I'm going! After that, I'm going trick-or-treating.”
“Wearing a costume?”
“Yep! I got the perfect costume! I've even been practicing.”
“What are you going as?”
“A bank robber! Here. Let me show you. I think I have the act down perfectly.”
The guy puts on a mask and pulls out a very realistic gun. “PUT THE CANDY IN THE FUCKING BAG OR I WILL BLOW YOUR FUCKING BRAINS OUT!”
“Aaaah?” The other guy starts crying.
The guy pistol whips him. “I DIDN'T SAY CRY, I SAID TO FILL UP THE FUCKING BAG! DO YOU THINK THIS IS A GAME!? DO YOU WANT TO FUCKING DIE!?”
“N-N-”
“I SAID DO YOU WANT TO FUCKING DIE!?”
“Nooooooooo! Waaaah!” The other guy starts crying.
The guy pulls off his mask and puts his realistic toy gun away.
“Pretty neat huh?”
“.....”
The rest of the class is speechless.
“Well anyway...” A guy named Jacob tries to break the awkward silence. “I'm gonna do it! I will ask her out to the dance!”
“Who?” Another guy asks curious.
“I'm going to ask Luciana out to the dance!”
“*sigh* This again?” His friend says to him. “You always say you're gonna ask Luciana out to this and that, but you always chicken out at the last minute!”
“Well can you blame him? Luciana is absurdly beautiful.”
“I have an idea!” The guy who is going out as a robber for Halloween speaks. “Check out her likes and dislikes. See her model profile. Maybe you're her type. Maybe you're not. Even if you're not her type, become her type. Looky here.”
He sets his AR glasses to public and pulls up Luciana's model profile.
It reads...
Name: Luciana Leavitt
Hobby: Basketball, New Reality, Fire
Favorite object: Fire
Favorite color: Fire
What you look for in a man: Fire
Favorite thing to do in the middle of a forest: Camping
Every guy there has already checked her model profile many times, but they're all pretending they are seeing this for the first time.
“...So is fire like a metaphor for something or...?”
“She probably means we got to put a little pep in our step. Have a burning passion for something. I guess?”
“Hey Rick, you're being awfully quiet.”
Rick squints at who said that to him. “You said you were going to help out with that raid in New Reality! You never showed up and we got destroyed!”
The guy chuckles. “Sorry man, Jessica said she wanted to hang out. Priorities.”
Most of the guys there turn to him in anger.
“Dude! Bros before hos! You just violated the bro code!”
Rick blows a whistle. A lot of guys show up in the class in two orderly lines. Five men then show up.
“It's them!”
“The leaders of the Council of Bros!”
The leader of the council of bros speaks. "According to Rick, you have just violated Section E Paragraph 13 of the bro code. You have been suspected of putting a ho before a bro. How do you plead?"
"Your honors, the council of bros, I plead that Jessica is hot as fuck, so it was justifiable for me to put her before my bro."
The council deliberates. "Ever since our founder The Chad founded the council of bros, he have enforced the rules unconditionally."
Another council leader speaks. "We, the bros of best, find you, guilty. We revoke your bro license and sentence you to 1000 friend zones."
"NOOOOOO!" He screams.
'This is stupid.' David thinks. 'I fail to see how a bro-ocracy can be an efficient form of governance.'
********
While David was in homeroom trying to get in some reading, Cecile was talking to the student council president.
“So you see Cecile, the student council needs your help. We don't know of a more dependable person. Will you be able to lend a hand?”
“Sure! I don't mind. How can I abandon a friend who needs help?” She smiles. “Besides, we will be having visitors from other schools. We can't have them talking bad about us right?”
A lot of people think that the student council president and the Honor's society president are secretly dating because they hand out a lot and get along so well. They have similar temperaments and are both wanted greatly by the opposite sex. However while Cecile thinks of him as a great friend, she holds no romantic feelings for him at all. While the President finds Cecile really cute and wouldn't mind going out with her, he currently has a girlfriend.
“So all you have to do is pick up the decorations and candy. Here's the key to the council room. We have five days before the Halloween party. Could you leave the decorations and candy in this room when you arrive to school?”
“Okay. We really don't have that much to put up the decorations do we?” Cecile says.
“Clubs still have to use the gymnasium. That we get five days is still good in itself.” The president says with a cool, suave smile.
They say there goodbyes and head to their respective destinations.
*******
It's now 2nd period AP Calculus. David is sitting down reading when he sees Cecile running towards him.
“Hi David!”
“Hey Cecile.” David responds, then returns back to his book.
She smiles. She's glad that David has returned to normal, well more normal from that whole psychotic episode that he had a while back.
“David, would you be interesting in going to the Halloween party we are preparing?”
David sighs. “Cecile, you're a smart person, so why do you always ask questions you already know the answer to?”
“Maybe the answer will be different this time. No matter how long, I will always wait for my friend.”
The way Cecile said that made David get goosebumps.
People in the class notice.
“Wow. Cecile still wants to be friends with that psycho.” A girl says.
“I don't like how chummy they're being.” A jealous guy says.
*********
Cecile goes to Walmart and buys the decorations and candy. Because of lack of funds, she decides that some of the candies like chocolate and the like would be better made by her, so when she gets home, she makes some extra candies.
The next day, Cecile heads to school while politely and easily rejecting the boys that ask her out to the dance. It's not that she has high standards. She is just so focused on school and New Reality that she feels she has no time for relationships. She has had boyfriends before. Ever since David had beaten her scholastically, she started focusing solely on her studies.
She puts the bag on the sink and uses the bathroom. When she exits the stall, she notices that her bag is missing.
'Huh? Where did it go?'
She looks around to make sure it didn't fall somewhere. When she finishes searching every nook and cranny of the bathroom, she comes to a conclusion.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
“Somebody stole the stuff!” She yells out.
*********
“This isn't good.” The president sighs.
“We only have four days until the party Cecile. What are we going to do?” The secretary asks Cecile.
“We barely have enough money in the budget for you to buy anymore decorations.” The treasurer says.
“I'll make this right! I will only buy the decorations! I can make the candy!”
The president becomes worried for Cecile. “You sure you can do all that? That would be too much of a burden-”
“Leave it to me!” Cecile says.
“Leave it to you to feel solely responsible for what happened.” The president smirks.
“It is my fault for leaving the bags unguarded.” Cecile says downtrodden.
**********
The next day, Cecile looks exhausted, but satisfied. She actually made all the candy that's in the bags. Cecile gathered the supplies and headed straight into the student council room. As you need a key to enter, Cecile is fairly certain that nothing will happen.
During Cecile's first period class, the president sends her a message that he has not received the promised goods.
“What!?Bu-But I put it in the student council room!”
Cecile places her head on her desk.
'Why is this person doing this?'
She starts crying.
********
By second period, Cecile is slouching and has bags under her eyes. She ignores everyone and sits down with her head on her desk. David notices her downtrodden expression, but chooses not to do anything and returns to reading his book.
“Cecile, what's wrong?”
Cecile's friends are concerned. They rarely ever see her this depressed.
“*sniff* *sniff* The student council depended on me to deliver the decorations and candy, but someone keeps stealing it from me! I-I don't know why!”
“Aww Cecile. It's gonna be okay.”
Cecile's friends try to comfort her, but she doesn't seem to be getting any better.
David hears this and contemplates something.
'Should I help her? I only help people occasionally in order to not lose what little sanity I have left. Well, she has fed me multiple times. This is an opportunity for me to repay back my debt to her. Sure. Why not?' David thinks.
*********
David bought with his own money some tacky decorations and cheap candy. The next day early in the morning, he places the multiple bags outside the student council room's door and leaves.
It didn't take long before the people who are bullying Cecile show up snickering.
“She still hasn't given up yet?” A girl says annoyed.
“She must really have the hots for the president to be willing to go through all this trouble.”
“Will that stupid bitch ever learn? Looks like we need to teach her a harsher lesson in order for her to learn to stay away from my man!”
One of the girls goes to take the bag.
“I should've known it would be this type of bullshit. Humanities' depravities over frivolous things never ceases to amaze me.”
David opens the door to the room he was hiding in.
The three girls look at who it is.
“Who... Is that?” One of the girls asked.
“He looks sort of familiar.” Another girl says.
“That's the guy who had went psycho a while back!” Another girl says whispering loudly to her friends. “We probably shouldn't provoke him!”
The girl who had said David looks familiar says, “Oh! Now I remember. I see him around Cecile sometimes.”
The leader of the three girls says to David, “Oh. Let me guess. You're one of Cecile's friends and you want to tell us to stop. Are you gonna beat us up? You'll make an enemy of every guy in this school.”
“Like I care about that.” David says. “The whole world is already my enemy. Oh, and I am not Cecile's friend.”
“Huh?” The leader says confused. “If you're not her friend, why are you here? Don't tell me you're into that hero of justice bull.”
*********
Cecile was on her way to the student council room to apologize when she heard voices. It was there that she saw David along with the three girls looking like they were about to come to blows. She chose to hide and hear what was going on.
'One of those girls is the secretary. Why are her group and David being so antagonistic?' Cecile thinks confused.
“Also wrong. I, for one cannot stand Cecile.” David says.
“You're not making any sense. Why are you helping her then?”
“To repay a debt. That's all.”
“A debt huh?”
The leader of the girls brings her friends into a huddle and start discussing something. They then start snickering and break the huddle.
“Maybe you can help us out with something.”
“Come again?”
“You said you hate Cecile right?”
David nods. “With every fiber of my being.”
“Here's what gonna happen. Turn a blind I stealing these bags and we'll give you 20 dollars. If you take the decorations we stole and smash them in front of her, we'll throw in an extra 50 dollars. What do you say?”
'So it was her.' Cecile thinks angrily. 'It now makes since how the decorations were stolen from the student council room. You need a key to enter!'
“Hmmm... A very tempting offer. First, tell me why you're doing what you're doing to Cecile and I may consider it.”
The secretary grits her teeth. “That bitch is being a little too friendly with my boyfriend! I seen how he looks at her! He has never looked at me the same way! She always does whatever the president asks! People are starting to think that they are going out! I just want to humiliate that bitch in front of the president so that he never wants to depend on her again!”
'It was over some boy? You did all this because of some boy!?' Cecile thinks outraged.
'Once again, I'm reminded that my decision to stay in solitude wasn't the wrong choice. People are disgusting.' David thinks.
“Oh. I see.” David simply responds.
“So do you want in or not? We can use this money to forget about whatever debt Cecile has from you.” The secretary says.
Cecile is pretty worried what choice David will make. Sure, it's not like David to bully others, but Cecile had made David's school life an annoying hell before their chance meeting in New Reality. She knows she deserves it if David decides to turn on her.
“I will have to decline.” David says.
“You don't make any sense! Why?”
“I have no desire to become like the humanity I despise. Now, hand over the supplies.”
'Typical David.' Cecile says smiling.
The girls know they are no match for David, so they choose to run away. Cecile chooses not to reveal herself, not because she's afraid of the secretary, but because she knows that David will be embarrassed if he knows that she heard him say those cheesy lines.
'Too slow.' David thinks.
He grabs the bag from them and starts walking away. The secretary then yells out, “Help! Help! This man stole my bag! Please someone get it back?”
People in the hall hear this and start heading towards David.
“That guy really has turned into a psycho. Stealing a girl's stuff for no reason.”
“I heard that the guy's tough.”
“We have numbers. All we have to do is take the bags back.”
They walk towards David.
“Listen man. We don't want any trouble. Just slowly give the bags to us.”
“These bags are Cecile's. Not hers.” David says to the group of people.
“Wait, so he stole a girl's supplies to give as a gift to Cecile?”
“Cecile would never fall for a thief!”
“Come if you want to.” David says. One thing has changed since his stay in the village in New Reality. He will no longer let others provoke him if there are other people present.
The people all charge at once. David bobs and weaves through their grab attempts. Seeing as he was getting surrounded, he throws the bags in the air, and does open palm thrusts at all of them. He holds out his hand to catch the bag. He misses and the candy drops to the floor. Others start scrambling for the bag unintentionally messing up the bag more.
'Oh, poopy. Looks like my debt still hasn't been repaid. Oh well.' David thinks unconcerned going to homeroom.
Cecile was watching the whole time. She noticed that the bags that David was trying to protect weren't the bags that she had bought, so David must have bought that with his own money. She also noticed how hard David fought for it. Even though he failed, Cecile was really touched.
'David...'
It was then that she noticed. It was so confusing and murky before, but now it's clear to her. She places her hands on her chest.
'How long? Was it when I watched him trying to help me with the bags? Was it when we spent our time together in New Reality? No. It has been a lot longer than that. It's just that now it has become clear. Damn you David! Why do you always take from me!? You took my awards! You took my dignity! You took... My heart.' She blushes.
******
David is on his way to his homeroom when an incomparable chill the likes of which he has never felt before struck him. He does a barrel roll into some nearby bushes.
'Am-Am I about to die!?' David thinks terrified.
**********
Cecile is on her way back to the student council room when she sees the president.
“Listen, I would like to-”
“Thank you Cecile for holding up your end. We'll take it from here.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Cecile asks confused.
“Wait. Luciana says that she delivered these supplies because of you.”
“She did!?”
Luciana was also near the bathroom when the girls decided to steal Cecile's stuff. Luciana doesn't take kindly to bullying. When Luciana stuck out her hand, they handed it over obediently. They know that she is not one to be crossed. She held onto the supplies so that she could hand them over to the president directly.
'Looks like I will have to thank her.' Cecile thinks.
*******
Luciana is walking to homeroom. She had seen what David had did to help Cecile. She shakes her head and thinks, 'David Lewis. You are a peculiar fellow.'
*******
David is reading his book when he sees Cecile walking in talking happily with her friends.
'Hmm... Looks like she's back to her old, annoying, cheery self. Things are back to normal. Wonder what happened. Oh well. That's none of my business.'
When she's about to sit where she usually sits, which is next to David. She pauses and stares at him like a deer caught in the headlights. David feels the stare so he looks at her. Cecile's face turns red and she hurriedly moves to a different seat far away from David. She didn't even talk to him.
'There's that frightening chill again.' David thinks. 'What is that?'
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Author's Note: First, when I said that it was a holiday special, that didn't necessarily mean Christmas/Ramadan/Kwanzaa/Hanukkah/Winter Solstice/Festivus/Holiday/Any I forgot. Waka Waka!
Second, if you think Cindy is powerful now, just wait until she starts playing New Reality. Third, let the butthurt, whiny comments commence talking about how you don't like this and that and that you're going to drop this story because blah blah blah.