A/N: Hi! Welcome to the story! :D
Quick note! This is a Christmas gift story to my friends Anders, Emily, Jon, Lucy and Marcus. Naturally the names won't fit the fankid format. Sorry, that's just how it is! If you're really pissed off with the names then that's your problem. Thank you. Sorry about the tense! Second person isn't allowed on . Boo. Did what I could though. :B
Also you'll notice there are a few differences to the game, but this is because I've decided to make it like a 'first release' of the game rather than an alpha or beta. And in more modern times. The first player can't get in until the last player is in though, as they're the 'leader' (only in game terms) that makes sure the session has the right amount of players, basically. This'll be explained. This probably makes no sense, but I tried, dammit! D:
I tried to get to everyone getting in at once for Christmas but I was unable to get it all done despite months of preparation. I'm so sorry. This is an ongoing thing though so it's not forgotten! I'll have two points of view per chapter until everyone's in and then it'll be third person. Just so you can get introduced to everyone. So with that in mind please enjoy and comment!
Chapter 1 – The Sleepless
September 3rd, 2013, 7:55
I am now the-
Er, I mean Sam. Yes. I'm the girl with the glasses currently making her – my? - way to school. Today is the first day back from the summer holidays, and naturally, I'm not too happy about this… mostly because it detracts from my time on the internet, and ergo detracts from my overall quality of life. Because my friends are on there. They don't go to my school.
I make it all of the way to the bus stop before the anxiety starts, though. People are standing close – too close – and they're all talking about inane things. The weather, maybe, or about some boy going to pick them up. Boring. But it's not so simple. There's always the one, its different all of the time, who mutters something under her – or his - breath that I'm pretty sure is an insult. And it starts again. The tightness in my chest starts, and I can't – and don't want to – meet anyone's eyes. An urge to take to the skies in what a calmer person would have just called flying the fuck out of there. Adios, motherfucker.
But I can't do that. I have places to be… even if I don't want to go to them. I let the thought of talking to my friends metaphorically propel me through the school gates, and I join the converging throng of students, who, like me, aren't overly delighted to be returning to school. Or so I think. Maybe they're actually really into this garbage because they actually understand it. Who knows? I certainly don't.
I reach the front doors of the school and the automatic doors are already open today – someone's already punched the code into the number pad into the wall, what a shame – and without further fuss, I take my first step into the festering stink hole that is hopefully my last year of high school.
A familiar face passes by as I walk past and I manage a small wave before she disappears from sight. She's going the other way – not out of the doors – but nevertheless, that's a sure indicator that we won't be sharing form room. I don't realize that this'll be the last time I see her face, because I was completely unaware that some absolute fool had just finished downloading a game that was going to wreck my life.
Well, more so than school already has been at least.
== Become the Absolute Fool
September 3rd, 2013, 7:54
And suddenly, I'm the absolute fool. Well actually, my name is Jon. I'm not too sure why I just called myself a fool, but moving on…! I'd just this minute installing one of those games I'd heard about where you and your friends would be able to build something together. SBURB. Needless to say, I wanted to know all about it. It was supposed to be like the Sims, but better, or so I thought.
Rather unfortunately, though, the proper Wikipedia page for the game hadn't been created yet, and only a few gameplay guides existed… that hadn't been properly updated in years, which was back during the alpha and beta versions of the game. Faulty stuff, that. I doubted it really applied anymore, so I hadn't started reading any, but bookmarked one of the guides – the most recent in the beta, though, just in case.
Well, Sam knew all about the game. She'd be able to sum it up. She did seem rather hesitant about it though, but I shrugged that off as her nature – she was always a little paranoid about installing things – and persevered, nevertheless.
School hadn't started yet and I wouldn't have to leave for another fifteen minutes – plenty of time to send my other friends the file. The entire thing was in a simple file called SBURB on the desktop, so I set about creating zipped copies – which took about two minutes for all five, the fifth of which was an accident though I was unable to delete it, either – before sending them to my friends email boxes. I'd sent the extra copy to Sam, since she'd probably know what to do with that too.
Oddly enough, the game was free to play and the file wasn't that big at all. I was secretly hoping it wouldn't just be the launcher in there, something I'd dreaded from my days of playing World of Warcraft, though I decided that none of us would open the game until we were all on at once.
I closed the laptop and headed for the door, slinging my messenger bag on like it was no big deal, before stepping out into the sunlight.
Blissfully unaware of what I'd caused.