Lucia scratched her head, looking around. Eniola’s screams still rang in her mind. Lucia saw it all happen. Some rift in reality. And she was right there, but her body was frozen in simulation. She needed to save Eniola.

She felt like she recognized this place, but she didn’t know how or when she got here. Lucia stood up, inspecting around, and knew exactly where she was. She heard footsteps behind her, and when Lucia turned, her breath hitched.

“Mom?” she wondered, stepping forward, but her mom didn’t listen to her. She looked different. Her hair was still cut short before it grew back astronomically soon after. Her face was always warm and kind and held a smile. Suddenly, her mom walked forward and Lucia shouted for her, but then her mom walked through her like she was a phantom.

Lucia spun around in confusion, before spotting more people on the couch. Her dad was there too, and now she was really confused. He had gone through a beard period when he refused to shave. Then Macy was there. She began her goth phase, wearing nothing but black and edgy makeup and chains they all wore. The left side of her head was dyed green too. Lucia just wondered why she came out of the room. Then there was a smaller, awkward girl next to them. Her hair was still a tangled mess, and when she opened her mouth, Lucia saw the glowing metal.

This was her family. And they were still all together.

Then it hit Lucia where she was right at this moment. And what would soon follow.

“Who’s doing this to me?” she yelled up to the sky, trying to see how her memories were accessed. Lucia had buried this long ago, and whoever brought this memory had now put it onto the surface.

In the middle was a holographic board of them, along with some game figures. “What game are we playing mija?” her dad asked.

“It’s Envision the Slayer,” Lucia—herself—explained. “It’s a roleplaying game.”

Her dad adjusted his glasses. “There are all these different parts. Me and Eniola play it all the time.”

“Why was I called out here to play your little nerd game?” Macy huffed.

“Have a friendly attitude, mija. It’s family night,” her mom shushed. “How do you play?”

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“You have to go on a special quest that the Monarch decides,” Lucia explained. “There is a usually a noble knight, a thief, and mage, and a—”

Their doorbell goes off, then it’s followed by a huge knock. Who knocks?

“Must be those android marketers,” he mumbled before pressing the door open.

It seemed insignificant, but this would be when everything changed.

Lucia in the simulation peers at the door, when a flurry of androids huddle by the door. Despite her wishes at the time, Lucia wished they were here to sell them something. They’re security-droids.

“Hello,” her dad asked. “What’s the problem?”

“Is there a Hector and Sergia Vargas at this location?” one android asked monotonously.

“That’s me,” her dad answered. That’s when her mom got up and followed them to the door. Lucia and Macy exchanged worried glances.

“What’s wrong?” her mom asked. “What do you guys want?”

“You are under arrest for illegal immigration and tampering with legal files,” one android said. Macy instantly sprang up and stormed to the door, ready to fight.

“You can’t arrest them!” Macy shouted. “They have a right to be here! This has to be some misunderstanding!”

“There is no misunderstanding,” the android said. “You are under arrest.” Then, after that, came a flurry of information. Stolen identities. Hacking. Suddenly, they put their parents behind in cuffs linked by a thread of electricity. At this point, Lucia got up and simply watched, unable to move like she was frozen.

“They can’t do this,” Macy demanded. “They have it all wrong. Show them your files.”

Her parents froze and gave concerned looks. “Mijas. Just go. Things will be okay. Macy, help your sister.”

It’s at that moment Lucia started crying, tears coming down. Macy rushed over to her and put her arms around her, beginning to cry with her.

Lucia remembered how she wanted everything to be fake and a misunderstanding. But it wasn’t. Lucia knew the story. Her parents stole and hacked the identities of Hector and Sergia Vargas, who lived in America back in the 90s. They would get arrested, then deported back to Mexico and not be allowed to enter for 7 years. Then Macy would become Lucia’s official guardian at the tender age of 20.

She wanted to help. Do something. Try to make it as untrue as she could. She screamed and tried to move the body that just wouldn’t move. She felt pinned to the ground, just like her younger self had felt that day.

She didn’t even ask for their real names, because she wanted to keep herself in the charade. She was helpless.

Suddenly, her body transferred into the simulated body of herself on that day. She needed to do something. Lucia tore herself out of Macy’s grasp and lunged for the android, who had her parents in handcuffs. A knife appeared in her hands out of nowhere, and she stabbed the android in the eye.

Then the world suddenly glitched in a fuse of colours, then turned to pitch black. A single light blinked on, illuminating her and the androids. Only it wasn’t an android.

It was her 13-year-old self.

Lucia realized she was no longer that helpless girl anymore. She had control over her fate. Then she held up the knife and handed it to her younger self.