Chapter 1: What Was Behind the TV Screen
The afternoon started out pretty normal. It was a lovely autumn Saturday, with the trees changing from green to crimson outside in the crisp air. The sky had a few wispy clouds in its atmosphere, but other than that the sun shone on.
I sat on my black leather couch, silently munching on a cookie I had snagged from the kitchen. It was just a few more minutes before my friends arrived, so I restrained myself from grabbing my keyboard and starting without them. My computer was hooked up to my television, so we had a wireless mouse and keyboard that had almost become an extension of myself. Not to mention, with all the hours spent finding the perfect seed on Minecraft, I was a bit antsy to start.
Finally, the clear ring of our doorbell sounded, and I bolted towards the door. When the creaky door decided to open, I saw the smiling face of my best friend. Her blonde hair was pulled into its usual pony tail, and her teal glasses shone in the fall sun. Her smiley face earrings and peace necklace were handcrafted from clay, which was quite impressive.
"Hey Emmy!" I greeted as she stepped inside my house.
"Samus, how are you doing?"
I smiled warmly as I replied. "Good. Can't wait to beat Tanner up with my wolves."
She let out a laugh as she set down her laptop that she had brought with her on the couch. I can barely remember when it started, but Tanner and I had a strong desire to murder each other on Minecraft. First, it started with me losing diamonds to lava, and then punching the nearest thing to me when I respawned. It wasn't my fault that he happened to be the nearest thing to me, but his pack of wolves apparently thought so. We've been at it ever since.
"So", Emmy started, "Are we going to build that butter palace you've been wanting to build?"
I couldn't help it as a wide grin stretched across my face. "Of course. Just as long as you don't put any squids in there."
She put her hands up in the air. "No promises."
A knock on the door alerted us to Tanner's arrival. We opened the door to see him in a pair of khaki shorts and a black t-shirt with the triforce on it. His glasses were grey, and his short hair was a sandy brown, almost matching his eyes.
"TANNER!" We shouted before pulling him inside to our 'lair'. He laughed and set his laptop down on the couch next to Emmy's.
"You will never capture the great and powerful TANNER SMITH!" He shouted as he ran to the other side of my living room. I rolled my eyes. Tanner could be quite dramatic when he wanted to be.
"So", Tanner started, "are you guys ready to play some Minecraft?"
Emmy and I smiled.
"Yep." I said, popping the p a bit. "Just let me start up my computer."
We took our seats on the couch as I powered up my computer. The tv screen flashed on, and my wallpaper glowed across it. As my friend's eyes glanced at the screen, they laughed. My cheeks glowed red as I stammered. "W-What?"
Emmy rolled her eyes, a grin still etched on her face. "Keep calm and love budder?"
Tanner laughed again. "That's your wallpaper?"
I sat up straighter. I felt indignant as I replied, "Yeah. What's the problem with loving budder and detesting squids? I'm a member of the Sky Army after all."
Emmy let out a snort as Tanner raised his fist in the air and shouted "BUDDER!"
I shook my head. "You are so random. C'mon, let's set up the LAN world."
In a few minutes, I had managed to type in the correct seed and set up the world. It was a very beautiful seed. It was set in a plains biome that was full of dandelions and pigs. A nice forest lay in the distance, providing a bountiful wood source. If you roamed far enough, you would come across an extreme hills biome, which was crucial for finding emeralds. Chickens and sheep wandered near the hills, giving us plenty of wool and eggs to make cakes.
"Wow," Emmy breathed. "This is an amazing seed."
Tanner nodded in agreement, and let out a 'YEAH' as he found pumpkins.
"We should probably get enough wood to build a shelter and some tools for the night. I want to go mob hunting so we can get some string and ender pearls."
Emmy and Tanner nodded in agreement, and I started towards the forest. We became engrossed in the art of punching trees, and nothing seemed to distract us. However, that's when I noticed the first strange sign that something was wrong.
When I had finished chopping the last log on a tree, my screen flickered once. Shrugging, I dismissed it. My tv was very prone to flickering, and it did not matter what we were watching or doing on it. However, as my screen flickered once more, I noticed something odd. Normally, my screen flashed black when it flickered. This time, it flickered a deep purple. My eyebrows scrunched in concentration as I stopped chopping wood and looked intently at the screen. Pretty soon, my friends noticed my lack of activity, and glanced at me.
"Everything all right Sam?" Tanner asked.
Without taking my eyes off the tv, I responded. "I'm not sure. My screen keeps flickering."
Emmy shrugged and turned her eyes back to her laptop. "Doesn't it do that all the time?"
I shook my head, my eyes still glued. "Yeah, but it never flickers purple."
"Purple?" Emmy's eyes immediately turned towards the screen. "That's not normal."
For the next couple of minutes, we all stared at the tv, willing it to flicker once again. After about two minutes, we were about to give up hope that the strange purple flicker would show itself.
Tanner sighed. "This is ridiculous. It's probably just your tv being weird."
As soon as the words escaped Tanner's mouth, the purple flicker came across the screen. Our eyes widened, and we looked at each other. Fear and curiosity rose up inside of me. What was that? I swear, if I broke the computer, my parents were going to kill me…
A voice in my head said it wasn't a malfunction in the computer. But, if it wasn't that, then what was it? The purple seemed familiar, in an odd, haunting way. It was as if I should know what it was.
Emmy looked completely startled. "Did that purple look familiar, or was it just me?"
I nodded as Tanner let out a soft "Yes."
The purple, seeming to know it had our attention, responded with a more vicious attack on my screen. It once again flickered, but it stayed for about ten seconds. During that time Emmy and I got a good look at it. The purple seemed hazy, with lighter swirls dancing through it. Sparkles floated throughout, entrancing us into gazing for a long time. The sound it made barely registered in my mind until it vanished. It almost sounded like, but no, it couldn't be…
Emmy and I exchanged glances. She appeared to be thinking the same thing as me.
The purple haze sounded like a nether portal.
Our gazes locked on to Tanner, who had let out a frightened breath. His eyes were transfixed on his laptop screen. Slowly, his gaze turned to ours. "You guys might want to see this."
Emmy and I immediately stood and walked towards him. As we looked at his laptop screen, I couldn't believe my eyes. His text box flashed across the screen, and I read out loud, "Come adventurers." Curiosity overpowered my anxiousness. Who had sent the message? And by 'adventurers', had that person meant us? Was the nether portal a call to adventure?
Before any of us could voice our questions and concerns, the eerie whooshing of a nether portal sounded in our ears. My head snapped to the tv, or should I say nether portal. The screen didn't just have the texture of a nether portal. The image moved and distorted itself as the particles floated through the air. The light lavender swirls dance dangerously close to our faces, as if they were challenging us to enter the mysterious portal. My back straightened, and my feet took me near the portal. I could never resist a challenge.
Before I could reach a hand out to touch the portal, a hand roughly grabbed my shoulder and jerked me away. I angrily turned my head to the source of the hand, which happened to be the fearful looking Tanner.
"What were you thinking?!" He whispered roughly. "We don't know what that thing is!"
"And we never will if you don't let go of me." I shook my shoulder out from his grasp and turned to the tv.
"It appears to be a nether portal." Emmy supplied in a quiet voice. "But to where, I'm not sure."
Something inside of me was driving me towards the nether portal, calling me into it. A small smirk played at my lips as I turned to my friends. "Fancy a look?"
Emmy, despite being slightly fearful, smiled and stepped forward. Tanner, on the other hand, backed away, shaking his head.
"Have you two lost your minds?!" He shouted. "We don't even know where that, that thing, leads to! What if we get hurt?"
I was well aware that this portal could mean danger, but the urge to explore the unknown was too strong. I had to enter the portal. I had to discover what was behind it.
"Well," I started, "I'm going in. You can join me if you want. But I have to find out what's behind this strange portal. Aren't you the least bit curious as to what's behind it Tanner?"
He stared at me for a long time, looking me directly in the eyes. My blue eyes stayed locked onto his brown ones, refusing to back down. Emmy eventually came to stand next to me. In a determined voice, she said, "I'm going too. It's an adventure into the unknown. How thrilling is that?"
Tanner looked frantically at us, then he considered his options. Hope swelled up in my chest as he sighed and shook his head, a frown crossing his features. He looked up at us, and, in a dejected and anxious tone, replied, "Fine, but don't come whining to me when we die."
I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face as I took his arm and pulled him towards the purple portal. Emmy smiled as well, pleased that all of us were going to explore.
The three of us stood in front of the screen, hands intertwined. Fear was finally starting to make itself known, and I tried to swallow it down. No use in getting anxious now, when we were about to start what would be a long adventure.
"On the count of three." Emmy whispered. "One."
"Two." Tanner counted.
"Three." I grinned.
We all leaned in towards the portal, and felt it engulf us. I tried to keep my hand on Tanner's, but I lost it after a short while. I felt like I was in a vortex. I couldn't see anything except for the purple haze that didn't go away. Swirls surrounded me, and I thought wildly that I might be a swirl as well. I couldn't feel my body, and it was hard to form any thoughts. After what felt like an eternity, I could feel my body coming together, like it was being compressed. I got the strange sensation I was falling as well. Before my brain could fully form any thoughts, I felt pain shoot through my bones, and everything turned black.
A/N Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed. This is kind of a belated birthday present to one of my friends, plus I really wanted to post this. Please leave a comment, and follows and favorites are always loved. I don't really have much to say, so this is Music's Passion logging out!
