Hey guys. I just wanted to tell ya'll that yes, Chell's Second Playthrough is still alive. Don't worry. It's just that I lacked a little bit of inspiration to continue. I had tried to keep up with it but it just didn't work out so I decided to take a little pause. I know it's been a while but I've definitely not been not active. I've been busy with writing this small story in the mean time. It's an old one I wrote a pretty long time ago, and back then my writing was not that great. But the ideas and storyline and all for this one was actually pretty okay, I noticed when I just went to read a few of my old stories. So I decided to rewrite this one in the meantime as it wouldn't take too long for me to make and you guys have at least something to read while I'm finishing up my other story.

This story is completely finished now and I'm working on the other one at the moment. Once this one is fully uploaded Chell's Second Playthrough will be uploaded again.

Thank you for your guys' patience.

Chell looked up at the building in front of her. The black letters of the school's name were printed on its side, the sun light reflecting off the shimmering logo. The building looked brand new, the white and black design didn't have a little spot on it. It was a new school after all, not much older than a year or two. Aperture High School was the newest product of some vague company no one had ever heard about, with the most advanced teaching systems and technologies for its students. But to the newest member of the school who was now standing on the first step of the short, concrete stairs that led to the heavy front door, it was nothing more than a prison society had chosen to lock her up in.

Chell let a small sigh escape from her lips. It was the end of summer but the sun's heat was still hot enough to burn on her back that was protected by a too large, black backpack which was stuffed with schoolbooks, pens she would lose within a week and notebooks that didn't even have one little messy pencil sketch in them yet. It might not have been such a good idea to show up in black trousers and a summer-shirt that absorbed more heat than it should, but Chell wanted to keep her appearance simple. It wasn't a nice day to get all nicely dressed up for either.

She didn't want to go inside, but she started to feel sweat dripping down her back and she only had five minutes left before classes started. Figuring showing up late on the first day of school wouldn't be a good first impression and would most definitely draw some attention, what Chell rather avoided, she walked up the steps and pulled open the heavy door. As soon as she'd set foot inside she got swallowed in the bustle of people. Most of them were around her age, all of them talking loudly, slamming lockers or running to some destination they were clearly not going to get to in time. It was a situation Chell didn't feel comfortable with, but at least everyone was too busy with themselves that they didn't notice the new student.

The school bell had probably already announced that it was time since the hallways slowly started to drain from people. So Chell tried to follow the somewhat vague directions the little signs where pointing her to, trying to find the classroom she needed to be.

When she finally made it there she was happy to find out that she wasn't the only one who was running late as the teacher was nowhere in sight. Chell carefully walked in, hoping no one would recognize her as the new one. All her new classmates had already found themselves a seat, so she had to do it with the leftovers. She was lightly disturbed that the only place left was next to a boy in the back. She rather sat alone, but at least she wasn't up on front. Chell made her way towards the tables. The boy didn't seem to notice her..

''Is this seat available?'' She asked, her voice sounded a little hoarse and out of tone. It was so quiet she doubted the boy had even heard her, but that thought was quickly abandoned when he looked up at her with two bright blue eyes shining behind a pair of glasses.

''Sure.'' The boy said cheerfully.

Chell sat down, quietly dropping her bag to the ground and shoving it under the table with her foot. She had some problems with looking up from the floor with him staring at her like that, but she managed it when curiosity got the better of her as she noticed the piece of paper on the table of the blonde boy. It was a drawing, the starting of a pencil sketch. She couldn't really tell what it was supposed to be.

When Chell made no attempt to find eye contact, the boy decided that he should be the one to start up a conversation. ''I've never seen you here before. Are you new?''

Chell nodded, avoiding any means of speaking up again. That sentence from before was already more than she normally spoke to a stranger. The boy, however, didn't seem to have problems with talking at all. ''It's nice to meet you. I'm Wheatley.''

He hold out his hand for her to shake it. When it was met with nothing but a stare he used his hand to wave around in his messy hair and laugh a little nervously. ''I-It's okay, I can understand if you're a little shy. I mean, big school and all, new people. It's understandable. But maybe just a name? Hm? A name is not too much to ask. I'll have to call you something. So how 'bout that? Just your name, don't need anything more from you.''

His smile fitted perfectly with his cheerful British accent. Chell tried to find her voice again, it was hard enough for her already. ''C-Chell.'' She managed to choke out.

''Chell? Is that your name? I like it, fits you well. It's nice to meet you Chell.''

She gave him a small smile. He was quite the talker, that much she was sure of. But at least he wasn't one of those people who asked her all sorts of questions she'd rather not even think about answering. He had kept his word and held it just with asking her name.

Chell stared at the clock on the other side of the room. The teacher was five minutes late. Wheatley seemed to understand what she was thinking about. ''Yeah, he's always late. No one blames him though, he's a nice bloke. A little stern with the grades, but he's alright. Better than that teacher from math. Seriously, don't talk while he's giving instructions. I'd to learn it the hard way.''

Which didn't surprise her. He talked a lot. Even when the teacher had finally arrived seven minutes late and class had started. Though she couldn't find it in herself to tell him to shut up. He was nice, and his little blunder stories were a lot more interesting than the history of corn, or whatever subject it was they talked about.

Lunch was a little awkward. Chell had lost sight of Wheatley after he had rushed off into the crowd, leaving her all alone. He probably didn't do it on purpose, he didn't seem like the kind of person to do that, but she felt a little bit uncomfortable between so many people she didn't know. The auditorium was too much for her, as everybody seemed to spent their lunch time there, so she decided to stay close to the lockers. There were still a lot of people there but at least she could hear herself think. Chell dropped her bag on the floor, pulled her flatten lunch packet from somewhere between her books and started to eat quietly in the corner. She had a nice view though. It was almost hypnotizing to see all people walk around and talk with each other.

Chell's thoughts got interrupted when two girls suddenly jumped into her vision. ''Hello!''

She started back at them, caught between a heart attack and being baffled at their appearance. The one girl who just talked to her was a little bit shorter than Chell, with slightly curled, brown hair and caramel, brown eyes. The other girl was taller, with black hair that hang over her shoulders and swung in a wave-like manner when she turned. But what stole most attention were her eyes, a shining, deep purple color. It was almost impossible to tell the difference between the pupil and iris except for the little light reflections in it. It almost looked like they gave light of their own. Now that she looked at it, the other girl's eyes had the same effect.

''You are the new one, right? I haven't see you before. What's your name? Where are you from? Do you have any friends yet?'' The girl who had first spoken asked without taking a breath between her sentences.

The girl with the purple eyes stopped her with putting her hand in front of her mouth before giving Chell a calming smile. She must have noticed her distress. ''Hey there. We noticed you in class before. You are new here, right?'' Her voice was calming and she sounded like a very patient person.

Chell slowly nodded, still not completely over the sudden suspire of these two students. ''Well, it's really nice to meet you. I'm Morality and this is Curiosity. What's your name?''

Morality? Curiosity? Those were…. Interesting names. Chell nearly choked on the piece of bread in her mouth that she had forgotten to swallow when she tried to talk. It got a little giggle out of Curiosity. ''Are you okay? Are you dying? You nearly choked! What were you trying to eat?''

Chell didn't have time to listen to her as she coughed the crumpets out of her windpipe. Great first impression Chell, she thought to herself. The two girls still seemed to wait for an answer so she made sure to sound at least a little bit decent when she spoke. ''Chell. My name is Chell.'' It was one of the few sentences she didn't have so much trouble with.

''Well, it's really nice to meet you Chell.'' Morality said truthfully. ''We're having the same classes for the rest of the day. Do you want to sit with us?''

The question nearly made her choke again, only this time on her own salvia. No one had ever asked her something like that. But she nodded in agreement. The few hours that followed had been nice. Her new friends were funny and didn't really seem to mind her lack of speech. They had even gotten a warning from the teacher when they had a little giggle with each other. Though Chell hadn't seen Wheatley anywhere. Maybe he had different classes, she reasoned.

At the end of the day she stood next to the lockers, waiting for Morality to put away the books she didn't need. ''Some friends and I are going to the mall.'' She said without looking up from what she was doing. ''Do you want to come too?''

''I think I'll pass for now.'' Chell answered, not liking the little stutter in her voice. Morality didn't seem to notice, or at least hadn't made a comment about it, and just nodded.

''That's okay.'' She slammed the locker into its lock and looked up at Chell with a kind smile. ''Maybe next time then?''

Chell smiled a little while she waved her goodbye. It was nice to have some friends. Eventually she left the building as well, walking in a pace most people had trouble keeping up with. She stopped when she passed the small public square that belonged to the school where most people spent their breaks when it was warm enough. It was empty now, except for a small group of boys, a little older than herself. They were laughing and she caught up on a small part of their conversation.

''Come on, talk to us. You were sooo talkative before, in class remember? Why won't you say anything now?''

''He's probably just scared.''

''Hahaha, yeah. Just like last time with PE. Screaming like a little girl.''

Laughter again. Chell frowned. Bullies. She could tell by the way they spoke, their body movements. Poor person who was the victim of their harassment. But even though she felt pity for them, she didn't have the time to come and do something about it. They should just come up for themselves, not waiting for someone to come save them. So Chell ignored it and continued walking like she hadn't seen anything.

''Say hello, moron. Come on, you can do it.''

An all too familiar voice spoke up.''… H-Hello.''

Chell turned around. Wheatley. She huffed, she couldn't let her new friend be treated like that. Especially not with her around. So she walked up to the group, her eyes firmly locked onto the form of Wheatley who stood in the middle of them. ''Idiot!'' One of the older guys laughed and pushed him.

She was just in time to see him sitting on the floor, his glasses on his nose in a weird angle and tears at the edges of his eyes. Chell pushed through the group. They gave her a slightly confused stare, and she stared back. It had some of them quickly breaking eye contact. She grabbed Wheatley's wrist, pulled him out of the circle and walked back the way she'd come. The group stood dumbfounded as they watched them leave.

''And now you also need a girl to come safe you! Moron!'' Chell shot a look over her shoulder that promised pain and most likely death to the person who had said that, though it was hard to tell which one it had been. Ignoring the wobbly walk in Wheatley's step as she kept walking at her regular pace, she eventually let go of him as soon as the group was out of sight. And she walked, without another word, towards the bus-stop.

Wheatley was speechless for a few seconds before coming after her. ''Oi, wait for me!''

Chell stopped in her tracks and turned around to face him.

''Hey…. I wanted to- to thank you. For helping me back there.'' He said a little shyly, ashamed that she had to see that. She probably thought he was weak and a…. a moron. He sighed. ''It's just that, you know, those fellows aren't really nice to me…. I mean guys, those guys aren't really nice.''

Chell raised an eyebrow, a hand on her hip. ''Why are you trying to hide your accent?''

''W-What?''

''You shouldn't try to talk differently just because those idiots are bullying you with it.'' She stated. Even though it was hard for her to say everything smoothly and had to take small pauses between her words every now and then.

Wheatley glanced to the side. ''I know…. You're right. It's just that, I thought you might not like me because of it. I know it's stupid but… Well I don't have that many friends. Not any, actually. And when you came to sit next to me this morning I felt… happy, I guess. You didn't ignore me or, or told me to shut up. It was kind of nice.''

She gave him a smile. Not the half-hearted smile she usually wore, but an actual smile. It seemed to make him feel better, because his goofy grin formed back onto his lips. ''W-we can be friends. If you want to.''

''T-that would be n….. n-n….'' Chell fell silent. Her smile disappeared and her eyes dropped to the ground to stare at the little green tares that grew between the gaps in the concrete tiles.

''Do you mean nice? Or, or was it something else?''

She shook her head. Wheatley noticed her sudden sadness, not really knowing what to do, he just said the first ting to came to mind. ''Oi, that means we're friends now, right?'' But this didn't seem to lighten her mood, even though she gave a small nod. ''Hey, what's wrong? Is this because you have trouble speaking?''

How did he guess things so fast? She slowly nodded in response, ashamed of herself. Everyone thought she was weird because she didn't talk a lot, or didn't talk at all. They had called her a mute, made fun of her. And she had fought back. But then she had been the one to get kicked out of school. Chell sighed at the memory, it was something she'd rather forget.

But Wheatley wasn't one of those people. In fact, he didn't mind at all. ''That's alright. I can understand… Well actually I don't. No idea what causes you to, to not talk. But I don't need to know, of course. Might be something personal. You don't have to tell me. You know what, you don't have to talk to me at all. It's fine, completely fine with me. I mean, I talk too much so, I'll talk for the both of us. We'll just find another way of communication for you, like hand gestures, nodding, maybe writing. How does that sound?''

Chell finally looked up to him, a rare smile on her features. She gave a single nod in agreement and Wheatley clapped his hands together in success. ''See, didn't even have to say I word. Understood you perfectly there… I think. But we'll figure it out, Luv.''

A nod again with a small giggle. Did he just call her Love? ''You'll have to hurry up, otherwise you'll miss your bus.''

Chell turned around and noticed the vehicle stopping in front of the bus stop. She waved Wheatley goodbye and stepped inside, taking a seat next to the window. The ride home was calming as she looked outside, watching as houses and trees and beautiful landscapes passed by. It took up to twenty minutes before she got home. It was a long way to school from her house in the tiny village in the middle of nowhere. It was too far to go on bike, so she had to take the bus every morning. Not that she minded, the only thing she didn't like was having to get out of bed so early.

She stepped out and walked up the front porch of her house. She pushed the door open, immediately getting embraced in the warm and safety of her house. Chell put her heavy bag on the wooden table in the middle of the room. The living room was the biggest one in the house, but was still really small. It had a couch in front of an television that hadn't been used in ages as it didn't work properly, in the middle of the room stood the table, pressed with one side against the opposite wall. It had four matching chairs around it, but only two of them got used. A small bouquet of flowers stood on the table top, giving the place a little more life.

The clinking of high heels came from the kitchen. Chell looked up at her mother who entered the room. Caroline was rather tall with the high heels she always wore, dressed in a nice white dress, her dark brown hair falling over her shoulders. She looked a little older than she was, according to her it was from all the hard days of work she had been through in the past. But her eyes were soft, filled with warmth and love. It was Chell's favorite thing about her mother.

''It's good to have you home.'' She said, drawing her quiet daughter in for a hug. ''How did your first day of school go?''

''Fine… I guess.'' Chell answered dryly as she squirmed out of the embrace and picked her backpack up again. Caroline was more than used to the little hoarse and out of tone voice of her daughter, her mother was the only person she really dared to talk to, after all. But still her answers were minimum. Chell started to make her way to the staircase to go up to her room and do her homework when Caroline stopped her.

''You promise me this year will go without problems, right?''

Chell thought about it for a second. Not wanting to deal with any of it right now she simply just nodded. ''Promise.'' And went up stairs, but her stomach twisted a little. Now she had made a promise she wasn't sure she could keep.