Sent: 15 minutes ago
From: User LjkHIUYGN7134
To: Kitsune_Fighter99
Title: _____________
Subject: Do you miss him?
Tracy scanned the message over and over. How did they know about this? Who were they? What did they want? The questions all flashed through Tracy’s mind. Of all the things, Tracy couldn’t shake the sense of anxiety that filled her as she thought about it. Tracy clicked on their profile. There was no profile picture attached and no description. She clicked on INFO and noticed the account was made three months ago. So this person already had an account with this game, so they didn’t make it just to message her. However, this did mean they knew something. Tracy gasped. They had to know her brother somehow. Perhaps a friend that Tristan had met on the trip. Tracy sighed. That had to be the cause.
From: Kitsune_Fighter99
To: User LjkHIUYGN7134
Title: Who are you
Subject: Are you a friend of Tristan’s?
Tracy still had to play it safe. The last thing she wanted was to give any information to an internet stranger, no matter how off-hand it was. Still, it provided her with some relief. If it were a friend of Tristan’s, it would be nice to talk to someone to share grief with. Tracy navigated out of her message center and into the game's main menu. She was now ready for another gaming session. She could already see herself as a speedrunner, breaking world records like they were made of glass. But as she was about to click on the game, she saw another message come to her message center. Tracy smiled, surprised that the person was online. She’d never had a gaming buddy before. She could show them the ropes to the game and have a friend to play the game with. Excited, she clicked on her message center again.
Sent: 3 seconds ago
From: User LjkHeUYGN7134
To: Kitsune_Fighter99
Title: _____________
Tracy rolled her eyes. This person must be new to computers. Or they just couldn’t be bothered to title a message. Either way, Tracy clicked on the message.
Sent: 5 seconds ago
From: User LjkHeUYGN7134
To: Kitsune_Fighter99
Title: _____________
Subject: Would you like to see your brother again?
Tracy stared at the message and froze. The dread crept down her spine like a spider crawling down her back. Like, what the hell? Her brother was dead. There wasn’t any doubt in her mind that was the case. Tracy bit her lip. What did this person know that she didn’t? She stood up from her computer, her heart pounding. The questions swirled through her mind before arriving at a single thought. Her brother could be alive. Then, without hesitation and against every rule she knew on the internet, she typed on her keyboard.
From: Kitsune_Fighter99
To: User LjkHelYGN7134
Title: WHO ARE YOU
Subject: What do you know about my brother? He’s DEAD.
Tracy pressed enter. Her heart pounded, but beneath all the terror of a person knowing this much info about her, she felt hope. Is her brother alive? Could she see him again? The questions kept piling up.
As she expected, she heard a ding from her computer almost immediately after she sent her message. Her pulse roared in her ears as she listened to the noise. This was very risky. Did she want this answer? Tracy looked at the message, still with no title. Yes, she did.
Sent: 5 seconds ago
From: User LjkHelpGN7134
To: Kitsune_Fighter99
Title: _____________
Subject: But you know that isn’t the truth.
Before Tracy could think of a response, another message came.
From: User LjkHelpMN7134
To: Kitsune_Fighter99
Stolen novel; please report.
Title: _____________
Subject: He made a promise to you, and you know that he always keeps his promises. He loves you and wants more than anything to see you.
Tracy read the message and wanted to believe it but couldn’t. She had to be realistic; this was the real world. It wasn’t some magical adventure series. Her brother wasn’t traveling across the African continent. He was dead. Tracy heard another ding come from her computer. She rolled her eyes. What could this person possibly say to make her believe them?
From: User LjkHelpMe7134
To: Kitsune_Fighter99
Title: _____________
Subject: He is in a game world just like I am. And we need your help.
Tracy sat back in her chair at her gaming desk. This was too outlandish. What was this? Were they in some kind anime? It was too good to be true. Tracy sighed, so this was a scammer, one that knew way too much about her. She’d have to change all of the passwords to her accounts. But she looked over the message one more time. What if it was true? That she could see her brother. Maybe standing in a void, and she could hug him. She sighed, shaking the daydream from her head. She put her hands on the keyboard. One last message should get this person off her case.
From: Kitsune_Fighter99
To: User LjkHelpMe7134
Title: Leave Me Alone Scammer
Subject: That is something pretty outlandish. Do you have any proof to back that up?
Tracy hit send, her fingers trembling slightly. She was ready for the nail in the coffin. She rested her hands behind her head, prepared for the following message. Then she noticed something odd: her display was getting smudgy. She squinted as she saw her computer screen start to melt like it was the ocean's surface. Tracy tilted her head to one side. What the– Her screen began to bulge as she saw something pop through her screen. She felt like she had been plunged into an ice bath. Moving quickly, Tracy jumped from her chair, away from whatever was coming through her screen.
Tracy backed away as a hand came out of the computer screen. She wanted to scream, but her voice got caught in her throat as she watched the being push another hand out of the computer screen. Although, as Tracy looked closer at the hand, she realized it belonged to a child. Both hands pulled on the computer screen's edges, accompanied by a pre-adolescent girl’s voice. It sounded cute. Tracy watched dumbstruck as the being continued to pull at the screen until a small girl in a pink dress popped out of her display and landed in her office chair.
Tracy watched, confused and flabbergasted, as the small girl sat on the chair, flattening out her frilly dress. Tracy stood in a corner of her room, her jaw open, trying to process what she saw. The little girl examined her chair and looked in awe at Tracy’s gaming setup like she’d never seen anything like it before. As the girl did so, Tracy couldn’t help but notice the girl’s long, pointy ears. She wasn’t even human. Tracy gulped. The girl’s appearance didn’t seem dangerous, only confusing, but then again, when a person jumps through your computer screen, well… What logic could she follow if that were the case?
Tracy heard the creaking of her chair, breaking Tracy from her thoughts. The girl kicked off with the chair, spinning it. She grinned wide as she whirled around. “A chair that spins!” The girl said excitedly. Her high-pitched voice was filled with awe and innocence, far from any danger that Tracy could expect.
As the chair stopped, the girl was facing Tracy. She looked even more elegant, with jewels encrusted in her dress and tiara. The girl widened her eyes as she saw Tracy. Her irises were multi-colored and changed every second.
Tracy stared at the girl and into her beautiful irises. The girl looked regal and commanding, even despite her actions. Tracy had so many questions, but as Tracy opened her mouth, the girl jumped from the chair and into Tracy’s bed.
“Who–” Tracy started.
“So big!” The girl said as she swam through the sheets and comforters of Tracy’s bed.
Tracy’s question deflated as she saw the princess in her bed. However, as the princess continued in it, she looked over at the fox plush sitting on the bed.
“This is cute.” She said as she grabbed the fox plush. Tracy felt a shock as the girl touched the plush.
“PUT THAT DOWN!” Tracy yelled at the girl.
The girl tossed the fox in shock. Tracy quickly picked it up, dusted it off, held it, and stared at the girl. She must’ve looked intimidating as the girl looked at her in fear. Tracy facepalmed.
Tracy sighed as she rolled her eyes. “Sorry… Tha–That’s important to me, don’t touch, kay?” Tracy stammered. The girl looked relieved upon hearing that and nodded up and down. Taking the opportunity, Tracy opened her mouth. “But what–I mean, who are you?” Tracy asked the girl.
The girl reoriented herself on Tracy’s sheets, sitting up. She scratched the back of her head. “Sorry about that. I always get excited when I get to visit the human world. Especially when I get to visit the house of one of my best spies.” The girl said, speaking with more maturity than Tracy thought. She stood up and curtsied before Tracy. “I’m the princess. How are you doing, prospective player?” The girl said.
Tracy shook her head before looking at the girl. “Spies? Players? What are you talking about?” Tracy said incredulously.
“First off, you asked for some proof, didn’t you?” The girl said. Tracy stared at the princess. So she was the one that was messaging her. “Well,” The girl said, putting her hands up. “I’m your proof!” She said in a sing-song voice as she spun around in her chair.
A light bulb went off in Tracy’s mind. If this was the proof, then Tristan was in a game. But why would he be in a game? Unless.. The princess must’ve noticed this as she stopped the chair and smiled at her. Tracy looked at the princess in her glowing irises. The answer became clear to her. If Tristan wanted to be a hero, he’d help someone in need. Which means… Tracy looked at the princess.
“Why are you in a game?” Tracy asked.
The princess looked down at the ground. “Because I’m trapped in it.” She said, the volume of her voice decreasing as she said that. She looked up again, almost pleading. “That is why I need your help.”
Tracy stood there for a second, looking down at the ground. There were so many questions and so many uncertainties that floated around in her head. As if seeing this, the princess perked up. “You’ll be helping–”
“I’ll do it,” Tracy said, as if shocking the princess. “But only if you promise me that my brother is alive and in the game.”
The princess shook her head furiously. “I promise.” The princess said. But as she shook her head, she pixelated, like a character in a video game glitching out. She frowned as it happened. “We don’t have much time!” She said as she waved her hand again, creating a portal out of midair. “Enter this portal if you are willing to enter the game.” She said, waving to the portal. Tracy looked at it. Her answer was clear. Tracy looked into it, seeing the different pixelated parts of the portal. She took a deep breath. This was her chance. With a running start, Tracy jumped into the portal.
The princess followed. After she went through it, the portal collapsed into a thin wisp of energy that dissipated, leaving Tracy’s room empty.