“That’s what friends are for right?”
Julia had her back on the sky-blue couch while closing her eyes to immerse herself in the somber waves of her playlist. With her right hand buried beneath her head, she hummed and weaved her head to each song’s rhythm.
When a song came to a close, she opened her eyes and quickly unlocked her phone. She swiped left once and found an application with a gaming controller icon.
Launching the app, she saw the top server with a terrapin logo on it. Looking closer, the last message she sent was in the #general channel, dating back to September 15th, 2022.
The artist curled her lips upward.
Jewels: @everyone hey guys! Sorry that I haven’t talked much but I’m ok now. I also want to introduce a friend here soon. Hope you guys are cool with it
1 minute later
Several people are typing…
Village Protector: 👀
Dos Pantalones: :PeepoCrazy:
sonny sideup :) : who’s the new friend?
Jewels: she’s actually my roommate lol
Dos Pantalones: wait I thought you didn’t like her
Dos Pantalones: what changed?
Warframer: good with me
Jewels is typing…
Jewels: I guess I found that she and I have more in common than I realized. It made me realize there’s more to her than I thought. I figured she should join this group. How about it?
sonny sideup :) : She should join here! I don’t mind
Dos Pantalones: :bcaApprovingNod:
Dos Pantalones: i’m down to meet her
Warframer: Sure thing!
Village Protector: looks like the majority says yes ⚖️
Village Protector: when should we meet her?
Jewels: she’s not here atm
Jewels: She left to go home for the weekend
Jewels: ill let you know
Village Protector: :TerpApprove:
dunes n danes: @Jewels I’m at your apartment btw
dunes n danes: oh and yeah I’m fine with meeting your roommate 😀
Jewels: wtf Jansen lmao
Jewels: you already know who she is man 🥴
Jewels: I know you were gonna be here anyways
Village Protector: hold up Jansen already met your roommate?
Warframer: Were you ever going to tell us?
dunes n danes: Look man
dunes n danes: I didnt know when was gonna be a good time
dunes n danes: now seems like a good idea
dunes n danes: Besides she’s cool to hang around with. Julia, I’m still waiting btw
Jewels: mfer you have the keys
dunes n danes: save me it’s bright outside
The artist jumped from the bed and Jansen used Allyson’s apartment keys to allow himself in.
“Sup, Julia.” He raised and waved his right hand once, creeping up the right side of his lips.
“You’re such a troll…” She closed her eyes and cracked a grin.
“Huuuh, what you mean?” He cocked his head to the left. “It really was bright outside. You can see the sunlight over there.”
“You motherfucker…” the artist planted her left hand on the top edge of the couch and pressed against it. Her slightly pink face from the laughter eased Jansen’s mind.
He cherished the moment before they locked eyes again.
“So about Allyson,” Julia rubbed the back of her neck with her left hand and turned her face to the kitchen table.
“What about her?”
“Do you know why she really saved me?”
He paused for a split millisecond and pointed his pupils at the upper left side of his eyes.
“Well, she genuinely tried to find you when you went missing.” He then widened his eyes afterward. “She used the campus map and directed me to go check every single building on campus. I’m pretty sure she didn’t sleep a lot this past week. She skipped class just to find you.”
Julia winked a shadow of a grin and looked away for a bit.
“But is that really why she saved me?”
“Uhhhh, huh?” He scratched the back of his head with his left hand.
“I don’t why but I don’t feel that’s the real reason why she saved me.” Her face turned dark and her vision blurred a little bit.
“I haven’t asked her about that. Did she tell you why?”
Julia explained to Jansen what Allyson said to her. They first sat across from each other on the living room couches.
“...it’s because you’re not that different from me.”
“Do you know what she meant by that, Jansen?”
“I’m not sure. It could be that there’s more to her than she appears, kinda like you? You know, Allyson might understand what you’re feeling inside so it would be easier for her to connect with you like that.”
"It could be." Julia shrugged her shoulders and exhaled strongly. "It's just that, is she that forgiving of me?"
"I don't follow."
"Why would she still help me despite all the trouble I caused her."
"Is this the first time you ever felt that?"
The artist darted her eyes at him while her lips curled partially down. She recalled the images in her mind while roaming in her Artificial Gallery. The images of her group turning their backs on her.
"I… think so? I'm used to people never wanting to talk to me."
Jansen clenched his fists, his forearms tightened and blew air through his nose.
"Normally, I get why people cut ties with me."
He loosened his grip.
"I guess with Allyson," he paused for a brief stint. "She must've seen something there that I didn't notice and wanted to answer your call for help."
Julia's pupils dilated to the size of the moon and her heart skipped several beats. Jansen furrowed his eyes and furtively swallowed.
"That last part you said, Allyson said that to me before she left."
Julia scoffed and beamed a warm smile.
"I'm glad to hear that again."
Jansen reciprocated with his smile and rocked his forward a few times.
"Hey, uh so don't tell her this, but when she comes back tomorrow, can we meet at that Pho d'lite place?"
"Yeah, uh, sure. I can let her know that. Why though?"
"There's something I want to say and I need you and her to be there."
Her face was relaxed while making a stern stare at Jansen.
“Alright, I won’t say a word. So what should this surprise plan be?”
Outside of their apartment window, a campus police vehicle was parked on 48th street. One officer, by himself, was staring at a window on the sixth floor just two windows to the right of the entrance doorway. He caught a glimpse of the two students engaging in a conversation.
“I knew it.” the officer wrinkled his eyebrows and hardened his teeth.
He took his phone out on the cup holder and positioned it horizontally. Zooming the camera closer to the targeted window, he captured a clear image of Jansen and Julia speaking.
“I’ll finally get this arrest on that bitch.”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2:36pm
No students were present on the first floor of the Art-Sociology building. No sounds were nearby, only the silent air.
The glass doors were opened by a man in tan khakis and a dark red polo shirt. Each step echoed through the building.
Click.
Click.
Click.
On his left hand, he firmly gripped his phone and swiped the screen to the left twice. The spherical ember icon appeared.
The color displayed was not purple or yellow. It was glowing green.
One single tap on the application, the icon flourished first before dissolving from the phone. The screen was pitch black for a brief moment.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
A message was being produced on its own: Generating logs at Artificial Gallery…
He read through the information given to him. His stern expression remained immovable. Slid his right index finger vertically downward, the information on the app was wiped from the application.
“There is another who can access that other world.” The redshirt gentleman pocketed his phone before walking out of the building.
“I must find out who that is before it’s too late.”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
September 24th - 5:24pm
Julia was scrolling through her phone. Jansen was placing his laptop inside the pocket of his backpack. As he was preparing to head to the station, he turned to his friend.
“About to head to work, let me know if you need anything.”
“...”
“Julia?”
He noticed her pale face and blinking eyes. Jansen raised his eyebrows and approached closer.
“You okay?”
Not a word was spoken. Only her eyes were directed at her phone.
“Why is she texting me like this?”
“Who’s she?”
Julia showed the message thread.
Cree: Now that you’ve returned home, your debt is still due. Since you were gone for some time, I will give you a chance to pay your debt back in weekly increments. Your weekly debt starts next Friday.
Julia: It’s still going to take some for me to pay that back. I don’t have a job right now.
Cree: There are plenty of jobs available on campus. Instead of complaining to me, you should look at the job market. None of this would have happened if you didn’t use a website to steal art, tainting our image.
Julia: And if I don’t pay the first deadline?
Cree: There will be consequences and you will be in trouble for breaking your contract.
Julia: I thought my contract was terminated…
Cree: If you read the contract, then you should’ve known that a violation like this is grounds for taking action against you. Do not act like you’re safe. Since I feel bad for you, here is a link for potential low-skill jobs you can take to pay back your debt.
Julia: I understand.
“Are you fucking serious?” Jansen squeezed his right fist and his eyes flared up.
“I don’t know what to do.” She dropped her phone, curled her body, and hid her face in her legs.
“There’s no way that you have to pay her back. Not after what happened to you,” He looked away and took a deep breath. “How fucked up do you have to be to make someone pay debt and not give a single ounce of sympathy?”
“I hate this so much. If only I didn’t use…”
“No, it’s not your fault.”
She unburied her head and gazed at Jansen.
“The people who hurt you and put you in a shitty spot are the ones at fault.”
“I still used a computer to create art for me. How can it not be my fault?”
The young man remained speechless.
“I can’t do much now to even try to call off this debt thing.”
“Yeah,” Jansen’s tone was exasperated. “They’ll just hire the best lawyers in case you ever sue. For now, you’ll just have to find a place to work, just find something that you can tolerate.”
“I’ll try and make sure I can get out of this shithole.”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Somewhere inside the Van Munching building.
“She didn’t even look shaken up despite being ‘kidnapped’.” Cree calmly shook her head. “If she thinks she can fool me, then she has another thing coming.”
“I’m telling you,” an officer tucked his vest while maintaining his frown. “It was all suspicious from the start. On top of that, that loser is part of it.”
“Oh him? He never knows when to learn his place. It seems that he has not learned his lesson. I suppose we’ll have to take matters into our own hands again.”
“Let me know what I need to do and I’ll make sure it happens. Just give me what I want.”
“We’ll satisfy your demands as long as the result is upheld.”
“Good. Good.”
“Oh, it’s not just him who needs to be punished. There is another who needs to face her consequences. I believe you wanted to arrest her.”
“Now you’re speaking my language!” The officer crept a large grin and gripped the gun on his belt.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
September 25th - 3:23pm
Allyson returned to Parkside after spending time with her family. When parking her car, Jansen stood near the entrance. After rejoicing, they carried the grocery bags and her luggage in one trip.
Once she entered the apartment, she pushed her luggage with the plant of her left shoe and slammed her grocery bags on the kitchen top table.
“Going back to the apartment sucks sometimes, jesus fucking christ!” She locked her door before unloading all items from one paper bag.
“I thought you were just visiting home, not staying at a hotel.” Jansen assisted while keeping a deadpan expression.
“That hotel is my home.” Allyson beamed while chuckling at herself.
“Anyways, let’s hurry up and pack up here. Pho is calling us.”
“I’m craving for some of that honestly. After drinking last night, I need something to cure my soul.”
“This place will be d-liteful.”
“Kkkkmmm,” Allyson covered her mouth, hung low, and snickered.
After unloading and placing her groceries in the refrigerator and the pantry, Allyson and Jansen were en route to Pho D-Lite. At the intersection of 48th Avenue and Navahoe Street, they bypassed the townhomes. Right before the sidewalk of Route 1, there was a small plaza.
The center of the perimeter was the resting point for vehicles. Surrounding the lot were two long buildings divided into subsections with different restaurants and liquor stores. The building near the sidewalk of Route 1 had Pho D’Lite. The restaurant was in the middle section. The two students entered but it did not appear to be busy.
“Hi, how can I help you?” A student server walked and stood by the stand.
“A table for 3, please. Someone’s coming a little late.” Allyson raised her right eyebrow. Her pupils curled to the right corner to where her friend stood.
"Right this way."
The waiter escorted them to a four-person table near the windows. Jansen and Allyson sat across from each other and were given menus.
"Could I start you off with any drinks?"
"Waters good and give a few minutes for our 3rd person."
"Ok sounds good."
“So, uh, who’s coming?” Allyson inquired.
“Just a friend of mine. Sorry for not telling you sooner,” Jansen crossed his right leg over to his left thigh.
Several minutes later, a short blond-haired woman stepped into the restaurant and marched her way to the table.
“Julia? Wait, what are you doing here?” Allyson curved her brows before fainting a shadowy smile.
“Wanted some noodles for lunch so I stopped by here.” Julia grabbed a seat and sat next to her roommate.
Allyson pinned an icy stare at Jansen while keeping a smirk. “You fucking dipshit. You said ‘a friend’, I didn’t know you were inviting Julia!”
“Where did I lie?”Jansen pierced his lips, shrugged his shoulders upward, and showed the palms of his hands. “She’s a friend of mine unless she’s not?”
“Teh, you know that’s not what I’m trying to say.” Allyson husked a chuckle.
After ordering their noodles, the three conversed about Allyson’s weekend. She mostly spent her time hanging around the newly opened outlet mall with her mother. Nothing stood out for her to mindlessly purchase anything.
Julia was nearly finished with her bowl whereas Jansen and Allyson barely made a dent in theirs. The artist was convoluting a way to communicate the conversation about that strange world. Everything was cloudy in her mind. One thought she decided against because she was worried that it might be too harsh. Another contemplation was reconsidered because it might have been too increasingly verbose.
Once the silence broke in, Julia decided to take her chance.
“Hey, guys.”
Both students turned their faces. Allyson still had noodles hanging from her mouth.
“There’s something I want to do and I want you guys to be there for me.”
Jansen and Allyson’s eyes connected to each other for a split second. Neither moved a single inch and let the wave of information crash through them.
“Uh, yeah, of course, Julia,” Jansen reassured. “What exactly do you want to do?”
“I want to go back into that other world.”
“ACK! Ah! UAGH! ACK!” Allyson hacked out her noodles and slammed her left palm onto her chest numerous times. She quickly grabbed and gulped her cup of water.
“You good?” Jansen immediately ran to Allyson’s side and gently tapped her back a few times until her coughing subsided.
“Yeah, yeah I’m ok. Not the first time I’ve felt pain in my chest.” The front strands of her hair sparsely hung on her face. Sweat rolling down the side of her face, Allyson took the napkin and wiped her entire face.
“Uh, cool? Well, you’re at least talking.” He tapped her left shoulder twice before heading back to his seat.
“Now…” Allyson closed her eyes and blew a deep exhale before her eyes burned flames. “Are you fucking crazy? That place is dangerous for any of us to go back to. You almost fucking died there! Why the hell do you want to go back?!”
“I need to go back there.”
“What?” She scowled.
“There’s this nagging feeling that I have to return back there.” Julia pulled out her phone and showed the yellow spherical ember. “I feel lost.”
“Lost?” Jansen repeated Julia’s last phrase. He tilted his head slightly to the right.
“When I see this ember, it looks incomplete… like a few pieces are missing in the puzzle. Those key pieces are hiding somewhere and I need to discover and put them back. I still don’t know why that is, but if I can go back to that gallery, I can finally get some answers.”
Allyson’s frown completely shifted to a sad smile. Jansen looked at the floor from the bottom left corner of his eyes. Julia’s temple began to heat up.
“Alright, let’s do it.” Allyson firmly nodded, causing her roommate and friend to widen their eyes.
“Wait really?” Julia’s eyes beamed with shining lights.
“I said I’ll reach my hand out for your call for help, and I damn sure will do that.”
The artist chuckled and wiped a tear from her left eye.
“Thanks for remembering, even though you said that yesterday.”
“It’s hard for me to forget things, so stuff just gets stuck in my head.”
“Hahaha!” Both roommates shared a laugh while Jansen shook his while grinning.
After they all paid for their meals, the three returned to the apartment. Julia and Allyson sat on the couch against the wall while Jansen sat on the shorter couch in the middle of the living room.
“We need to prepare ourselves if we do go back.” Allyson pulled out her phone and began typing notes. “Assuming that we’re going to face the same enemies, you guys need to defend yourselves with something.”
“I don’t have anything in my room that I can use as a weapon,” Julia scratched the top of her head with her left hand.
“I do have a hunting knife in my room that you can use.”
“Allyson, why do you have one? No, uh, why did you bring that here?” Jansen knitted his brows and expanded his pupils.
“Ok, look,” she raised her hands and tilted her head to the right. “A friend and I went hiking and camped out one night and she gave me that knife as a gift since she didn’t need it.”
“Jansen, I’m scared.” Julia loudly whispered, planting her right hand vertically on her left lip.
“In my defense, if someone were to break into our apartment at night, I would use this knife to defend, right? If they come at me, they can kiss themselves good knife.”
Julia cackled while Jansen covered his eyes with his right hand, hung his head very low, and pinched the bridge between his eyes.
“Ok, all jokes aside, Julia can borrow that for now. Jansen, what are you going to bring?”
“Well, definitely not a hunting knife, but I have a baseball bat at my house that I can use. I can bring that.”
“Anything else we should bring?” Julia inquired while crossing her legs.
“A medical kit and some water. We can't risk any injuries."
"Speaking of that, Allyson, is your leg okay?"
"Now that you brought it up, I checked on it when I came home. It was only a scratch. Wasn't bleeding or anything, but I was fine."
"I'm surprised that it recovered so quickly considering it was a nasty hit."
"I honestly can't explain why."
"Well, Jansen, we might not need the first aid kit."
"I'd still bring it just in case since that was only one time." He rebutted. "No one knows about that world well. Best to be cautious and prepared."
"Good point. Anything else we can bring?"
"Hmm, I think for now we should be ok. Bringing too much won't favor us going into that world."
“Are we not well prepared with the weapons we have?” Her mind was racing around her brain.
“Allyson does have that cool sword and electric powers if we go back there. We’ll be in good hands.” He left a shadow smirk.
“Oh, lord, please don’t gas me up like that.” Allyson rapidly rocked her head sideways. “That’s going to be too much pressure to handle.”
“You need to make sure you can use your powers and protect us in case we’re in danger, so no pressure really.” Jansen shrugged his shoulders while still smiling.
Allyson puffed up her chest before loosening her upper body.
“Alright, so when is a good time to do this?”
“How about this Thursday?” Julia suggested. “I have a test that morning but afterward I should be free.”
“I don't have anything planned that day so I can do Thursday.” Jansen agreed.
“I’m free on that day.”
“Let’s meet up this Thursday after our classes. I’ll send a group text for the details later."
Jansen and Allyson agreed, reassuring her roommate's resolve to return to the Artificial Gallery. The mist in Julia’s mind slowly was clearing up.
"Oh, and thanks guys for coming with me.”
“That’s what friends are for right?”