Julie logged on to her NAVI.
*Who is the user?* the NAVI asked, in a robotic voice.
Quickly, she typed in her name. "J-U-L-I-E."
*Voice recognition* the NAVI hummed.
Julie cleared her throat. "Julie," she stated, calmly and firmly.
*Welcome, user Julie.* The NAVI booted up. *User Julie has 1 message. Would you like to open it?*
This was strange, because Julie never usually got any mail. "Okay, read it to me."
*Hello, Julie. Do you remember me? It's me, Cheesa! You were always there for me, Julie. You always helped me through my life, and I helped you through yours. But I did this on my own. I want you to follow me, Julie. I want you to come. Do you understand? I just abandoned this world's body. You can, too, Julie. I can help you.*
Tears started to roll down Julie's cheeks. She knew whom the E-mail was from. Cheesa, the girl who had committed suicide. Cheesa, Julie's best friend. She jumped into bed. She pulled up the covers and cried. And the voice kept ringing in her ears, all the time growing louder. The voice from the E-mail. "I want you to come... I just abandoned this world's body... You can, too... I can help you..." "Stop it, stop it! STOP IT!" She moaned. She wailed. She cried her heart out so she wouldn't hear the voices. "I want you to come, Julie..."
She was still crying the next day at school. "Ah, come on, Julie. It was just a prank." Her friends coaxed. But Julie knew better. She bawled for about an hour, and when she finally stopped, the voices came back. "You can, too! I can help you..." She put her hands against her ears. She tried humming. But nothing worked. The voices kept coming. Reminding her of Cheesa. The suicide. And the E-mail. That dreaded E-mail. She couldn't concentrate in school.
"I can help you..."
She ran home, tears threatening to well up again. She went up to her house, got the key out of her sock, and let herself in. "Mom, I'm home!" She called. "Okay, dear!" Her mom called back from upstairs. She ran up the stairs. She walked into her room, and realized that she had left her NAVI on all night. In fact, it was still on, with a glowing blue stare, like it was watching her. "NAVI, are there any new messages?"
*There is 1 message for Julie.* The NAVI said. Julie sat down and double-clicked on the message. She was right; it was from Cheesa.
*Julie, why won't you let me help you? I thought we were friends. Why won't you come? Julie, remember when you stopped me. Remember when I tried to connect before. It was in the subway, Julie. You pulled me off the tracks. You stopped me. You stopped me because you loved me. Remember Julie? You promised that day that we would be friends forever. Remember? We still can be. Come join me. We can be friends forever...*
Julie was seriously freaked out. She knew now this was no prank. She had not told anyone about the subway incident. She really was talking to Cheesa. But Cheesa was dead... "That's it! That's it!" Julie exclaimed. "She can't be dead, she must be alive, trying to contact me! I'm coming, Cheesa!" Julie grabbed her coat and rushed out the door. The voices followed her. "We can be friends forever..."
As she neared Cheesa's house, she slowed to a walk. There was no car in the driveway; Cheesa's parents weren't home. She burst through the door anyway. "Cheesa?" she called. But of course, Cheesa wasn't there. Cheesa was dead. "You came to visit me, Julie..." the voices in Julie's head mocked her. "We can be friends forever. Follow me, Julie. I just abandoned this world's body. You can too. Do you understand?" Julie's mind throbbed. "...Stop it... stop it..." she muttered. She rushed into the kitchen and opened drawer after drawer until she found the one holding the utensils. She picked up a fork, and jammed it into her arm. Over and over, she thrust the teeth into her skin. Over and over, until the blood spewed. Over and over, until the voices stopped.
Julie walked into school the next day, an empty expression on her face. Bandages Were slapped over many parts of her body, but she didn't limp. She sat down. Everyone stared at her. She didn't care. She was left alone the entire day. Her facial expression never changed, if there WAS a facial expression there...
Julie walked home, in the same trance she had been in all day. But she finally broke a smile when she saw the sign. When she got the idea. When she heard the voices... She changed course. She was no longer heading for home. She was heading for the subway. And her smile grew wider. "You promised that day that we would be friends forever. Remember..."
She stood on the tracks. The voices grew louder. Everyone was watching her. She didn't care. Her smile grew wider. "Why won't you come?" The sound of the train aproaching. The subway shook. "We can be friends forever..." Julie smiled, closed her eyes, and waited.
*Who is the user?* the NAVI asked, in a robotic voice.
Quickly, she typed in her name. "J-U-L-I-E."
*Voice recognition* the NAVI hummed.
Julie cleared her throat. "Julie," she stated, calmly and firmly.
*Welcome, user Julie.* The NAVI booted up. *User Julie has 1 message. Would you like to open it?*
This was strange, because Julie never usually got any mail. "Okay, read it to me."
*Hello, Julie. Do you remember me? It's me, Cheesa! You were always there for me, Julie. You always helped me through my life, and I helped you through yours. But I did this on my own. I want you to follow me, Julie. I want you to come. Do you understand? I just abandoned this world's body. You can, too, Julie. I can help you.*
Tears started to roll down Julie's cheeks. She knew whom the E-mail was from. Cheesa, the girl who had committed suicide. Cheesa, Julie's best friend. She jumped into bed. She pulled up the covers and cried. And the voice kept ringing in her ears, all the time growing louder. The voice from the E-mail. "I want you to come... I just abandoned this world's body... You can, too... I can help you..." "Stop it, stop it! STOP IT!" She moaned. She wailed. She cried her heart out so she wouldn't hear the voices. "I want you to come, Julie..."
She was still crying the next day at school. "Ah, come on, Julie. It was just a prank." Her friends coaxed. But Julie knew better. She bawled for about an hour, and when she finally stopped, the voices came back. "You can, too! I can help you..." She put her hands against her ears. She tried humming. But nothing worked. The voices kept coming. Reminding her of Cheesa. The suicide. And the E-mail. That dreaded E-mail. She couldn't concentrate in school.
"I can help you..."
She ran home, tears threatening to well up again. She went up to her house, got the key out of her sock, and let herself in. "Mom, I'm home!" She called. "Okay, dear!" Her mom called back from upstairs. She ran up the stairs. She walked into her room, and realized that she had left her NAVI on all night. In fact, it was still on, with a glowing blue stare, like it was watching her. "NAVI, are there any new messages?"
*There is 1 message for Julie.* The NAVI said. Julie sat down and double-clicked on the message. She was right; it was from Cheesa.
*Julie, why won't you let me help you? I thought we were friends. Why won't you come? Julie, remember when you stopped me. Remember when I tried to connect before. It was in the subway, Julie. You pulled me off the tracks. You stopped me. You stopped me because you loved me. Remember Julie? You promised that day that we would be friends forever. Remember? We still can be. Come join me. We can be friends forever...*
Julie was seriously freaked out. She knew now this was no prank. She had not told anyone about the subway incident. She really was talking to Cheesa. But Cheesa was dead... "That's it! That's it!" Julie exclaimed. "She can't be dead, she must be alive, trying to contact me! I'm coming, Cheesa!" Julie grabbed her coat and rushed out the door. The voices followed her. "We can be friends forever..."
As she neared Cheesa's house, she slowed to a walk. There was no car in the driveway; Cheesa's parents weren't home. She burst through the door anyway. "Cheesa?" she called. But of course, Cheesa wasn't there. Cheesa was dead. "You came to visit me, Julie..." the voices in Julie's head mocked her. "We can be friends forever. Follow me, Julie. I just abandoned this world's body. You can too. Do you understand?" Julie's mind throbbed. "...Stop it... stop it..." she muttered. She rushed into the kitchen and opened drawer after drawer until she found the one holding the utensils. She picked up a fork, and jammed it into her arm. Over and over, she thrust the teeth into her skin. Over and over, until the blood spewed. Over and over, until the voices stopped.
Julie walked into school the next day, an empty expression on her face. Bandages Were slapped over many parts of her body, but she didn't limp. She sat down. Everyone stared at her. She didn't care. She was left alone the entire day. Her facial expression never changed, if there WAS a facial expression there...
Julie walked home, in the same trance she had been in all day. But she finally broke a smile when she saw the sign. When she got the idea. When she heard the voices... She changed course. She was no longer heading for home. She was heading for the subway. And her smile grew wider. "You promised that day that we would be friends forever. Remember..."
She stood on the tracks. The voices grew louder. Everyone was watching her. She didn't care. Her smile grew wider. "Why won't you come?" The sound of the train aproaching. The subway shook. "We can be friends forever..." Julie smiled, closed her eyes, and waited.