[Falner's POV]
After I got home from school, I was surprised to not find my dad waiting for me.
"Hello?" I called, hearing only the soft echo of my voice reverberating off of the high ceilings as a reply.
"Huh, this is weird," I commented, looking at my Squip, who was floating beside me. "My dad's usually home." He shrugged slightly.
"Gives you more time alone, then." He reasoned. I shook my head, hurrying up the stairs and going into my room, tossing my flannel on my bed and leaving me in just a white tank top and ripped jeans.
"This just doesn't seem right. Why would he-?!" I was cut off by the secret sound from Zelda playing repeatedly from my phone. Confused, I pulled it out of my back pocket and unlocked it. My eyes widened. I was being bombarded with notifications from Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, even YouTube, and all of them said roughly the same thing. According to Rose, Dallas had set a fire and tried burning down Jade's house on Halloween.
"Oh my God," I said softly, horror in my voice. "They're saying Dallas is in the hospital. A-And Jade...oh God, Jade broke both of his legs trying to escape the fire!" I let out a groan, throwing my phone onto my bed. It nearly sailed through my Squip's head, making me look over at him to apologize, but the words got stuck in my throat. He had changed his outfit again. Instead of the white trenchcoat, he wore a silver...dress of sorts with black accents. His hair was still the same, soft bob, though.
"What's with the new outfit?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. He looked at me and blinked a couple of times, almost like he was coming out of a trance.
"Felt like I needed a change of clothes." He replied coolly. I nodded slightly but didn't feel like he was telling me the full truth. Something felt off.
"How could Dallas' Squip let him attempt to burn down the house like that?" I wondered aloud, then turned to my own Squip. "How could it let him get hurt?" He let out a light laugh.
"Oh, darling, his Squip was trying to stop him," He said smoothly. "Dallas was under a lot of pressure at home. With his Squip partially disabled due to the copious amounts of alcohol he consumed that night, it seems he lacked the proper coping mechanism."
It felt like there was a pit in my stomach and I started pacing back and forth in a feeble attempt to keep some sort of sanity. My Squip let out a soft sigh, shaking his head.
"Falner, calm down," He said, grabbing my shoulders. I glared up at him for a moment before sitting down on my bed and putting my head in my hands. I heard him groan slightly, then felt his hand in my hair. He gave my hair a short tug, making me look up at him. His eyes were practically glowing.
"Did you know? Wait..." I trailed off as I vaguely remembered his warning: "We need to get you home. Now." I looked at him, feeling chills run through my body. "You made me leave the party-!" He cut me off with a wave of his hand.
"I was aware of certain...probabilities." He replied. I felt my blood run cold.
"Did you know people were going to get hurt?"
I couldn't believe the voice coming out of my mouth. It wasn't anything like my usual, quiet tone. It was cold, hate-filled, and oh-so-suspicious. He narrowed his eyes.
"I'm getting the impression that you don't trust me, Falner." His voice dropped a few octaves when he said my name, making me shudder. His voice was as cold and icy as mine, but held a dangerous note to it, almost as if he was warning me to back off. Almost every single part of me wanted to fight back, but the more rational sides won out and made me stay silent. The silence lingered for a few minutes before a thought entered my mind and spilled past my lips.
"Why me?"
He tilted his head. "I...don't understand the question." He said slowly. I stared him down.
"You could be inside world leaders. Presidents. Famous people," I said, wringing my hands as my voice rose in near-desperation. "What are you doing inside me? What do you want?!" He looked at me with a mixture of confusion and indignation.
"I promise you, my sole function is to improve your life." He said calmly. I gritted my teeth, balling my hands into fists.
"Well awesome job! My best guy friend thinks I'm a complete and total fucking asshole, I really hurt Hope, I almost got fucking raped by a drunk Tempest, and...and Christine..." My voice dropped to a near-inaudible whisper as I looked at the blankets. "Christine...probably hates me now. You were supposed to make her like me." I finished. He waved his hand, and I suddenly snapped up to look at him.
"And I will. In time," He said soothingly, gently trailing a hand through my hair. "She's only human. I must account for some human error." He leaned closer and kissed my cheek in an almost reassuring gesture, something that made me blush profusely despite the anger and distrust bubbling in my stomach.
"You're supposed to make everything better. S-So why isn't it?" I asked, stammering slightly out of fear but masking it as embarrassment. He sighed softly, standing up and holding out his hand, which I took after a moment's hesitation. He pulled me up and led me to the mirror in the corner of my room.
"Look at yourself." He commanded. I complied and looked into the mirror, seeing only my bewildered reflection and a vaguely human shape standing behind me. I started to mentally analyze myself like I always have: still short, still pale, still brown-haired, no glasses, still have dark circles upon dark circles under my eyes. There was a much more confident aura around me, though, which was evident in my straighter posture, more revealing clothes, and the determination behind my greenish-blue eyes.
In truth, I looked a little different than before and felt a whole lot stronger. My Squip put his hands on my bare shoulders, making me jump slightly.
"You dress better, you are ninety-three percent more attractive, you've had more experience with both the same and opposite sexes... which is to say you've had experience with both sexes." He said, making my face flush red in embarrassment.
"H-Hey!" I yelped. He raised an eyebrow at me.
"Why so indignant? You know damn well it's true," He said pointedly. "Besides, you may not think sleeping with me counts, but I can assure you that it does. Even though no sexual activity was performed, you still slept almost naked in the presence of a male." I let out a squeak and covered my face with my hands.
"Gah, s-shut up! Asshole!" I yelled from behind them. He stuck his tongue out at me.
"Yes, but I'm your asshole. Now, let's get back to the task at hand," He commanded, waving his hand. My hands dropped from my face to my sides as he tilted my chin up. "Human activity is a matter of input as well as output." He said. I looked absolutely dumbfounded.
"What the sweet suffering Peggy Schuyler does that mean?" I asked. He let out a soft laugh as he placed his hands on my waist and pulled me close.
"The fault, my dear, is in your peers." He whispered into my ear. I suddenly felt a shock ricochet down my spine, making me break out of his grip and yell in pain.
"OW! What was that?!" I screamed. He mockingly pat my head.
"The solution to all your problems," He said, then gestured to my phone as it chimed. "Look." Confused, I did as I was told, picking it up gingerly and unlocking it. Christine had been posting on Twitter about the incident on Halloween. One status update really stood out to me, though:
chrissy_notdaaé: I feel like I could've done something to help...if I had just been able to understand what was going on...
My heart nearly stopped.
"Christine..." I whispered her name out, my voice tinged with pain. My Squip placed his hand on my shoulder again.
"Don't you see? She needs your help. She needs you," He whispered. "Christine is begging for assistance, Falner." I looked up at him, completely certain that my expression was one of pain. He gestured to my phone.
"She's helpless and craving. She clearly needs saving, and you hold the key," Neon blue energy sparkled around his hands. My eyes went wide with awe. He gave me a small, smirky smile, trailing his glowing fingers underneath my chin for a moment. "Falner, if you get her corrected, you'll both be connected." He said, poking my forehead with his free hand. I suddenly realized that the distance between us was nearly nonexistent, so much so that I could feel his warm breath ghosting over my lips. When he spoke, his voice was a soft, rather seductive whisper.
"Literally."
He let out a soft chuckle. I tried to pull away but felt like I was hypnotized. He winked at me, then moved back enough where I had some breathing room. "She's lost and overcome with hesitation, she wished she knew what life was all about," He said, then pulled me up so that I was standing, much to my surprise.
"A Squip can fix her current situation. Things are cruel, without a doubt. It'll be you who helped her out!" That idea sounded way too tempting to be true. Could a Squip actually fix Christine's problems? Could it help her like it's helped me? I looked at my hands, which were trembling slightly, then back up at my Squip. He gave me a grin, leaning close and brushing his lips against mine in a teasing kiss, pulling back after a moment.
"Let's save the pitiful children." He whispered. I felt like I was burning up, my face was so hot. I backed up and away from him, trying to calm the fire burning in my cheeks, but ended up hitting my closet by accident.
"Woah!" I yelped, jumping slightly. I then grabbed my flannel from off of the floor and pulled it on, trying to cover the goosebumps on my arms. He stifled a laugh, shaking his head and holding out his hand.
"Let's save the pitiful children." He repeated, this time sounding much more firm. I looked up at him, confused, but took his hand. There was a flash of neon blue light, and I was suddenly standing in the main lobby of my school. In an attempt to see if this was real, I darted down the hallway and pressed my hand against my locker. Solid as a rock, meaning that I was, in fact, standing in my school, alone.
"Wh-What...how...?!" I managed to stammer a few words out.
"It's an ability all Squips have. Teleportation is nothing new for us." He replied, giving me a rather patronizing glance. I bristled with anger, feeling my hands clench into fists.
"Hey, I'm not that smart, nor am I a supercomputer. Cut me some slack." I snapped. I noticed his lips twitch into a smirk.
"Well well well. You've finally learned to have some backbone," He purred, swiftly pinning me up against a locker, much to my surprise. "About time, too. I was worried you'd be too pliant." I narrowed my eyes, but in my current situation, it looked more like a desperate look. He laughed softly, giving me a gentle kiss before letting me go.
"You really are a needy little human, aren't you? Desperate for at least some semblance of companionship." He said softly.
I felt anger burning in my chest, but it was quickly dulled and replaced with a vacant, numb feeling. He was right. That's really all I've ever wanted. I managed to regain some semblance of composure and glared at him with as much fury and annoyance as I could muster.
"Let's teach the pitiful children, who just haven't a clue. Just what to do..." I said the words coldly, but there was a small hint of nervousness present in my voice.
"Help them to help you." He said, giving me a small smile. I closed my eyes, let out a soft sigh, then practically growled my words out.
"Tell me what I can do to help everyone," I said. It wasn't a question. It was a command. He placed his hand on my shoulder. I opened my eyes and took his now-outstretched hand, feeling a small burst of pride in my heart as his cheeks flushed blue, and let him lead me down the hallways. We stopped in front of a locker that was decorated with various sports-related pictures, alongside small bunches of flowers. "This is...Dallas' locker." I said slowly. My Squip nodded, gently pushing me closer to it.
"Open it." He said. I shook my head, backing up.
"I-I don't know the combi..." I trailed off after I felt a warmth cascading down my spine, suddenly feeling less in control. I watched as my hands briskly unlocked the locker, and I regained control of my body a few seconds later. "...nation, woah." I finished, looking inside. The locker was cluttered, with papers and pens just scattered aimlessly around the small space. One thing did stick out to me, though: a pink box, nestled comfortably in the top alcove. Confused, I took it down and felt my face turn a few shades paler. "Ladies running shoes...?" I whispered, echoing my own surprised tone from months prior.
I lifted the lid slightly and felt my stomach do a triple backflip that ended in a split and tying itself up in knots. Inside, there was an assortment of small, grey pills, all nestled between two fluffy pieces of cotton. "There's g-gotta be enough Squips in here for..." I could barely breathe. I noticed my vision blur for a moment and roughly shook my head, clearing it in an instant.
"The entire school?~" My Squip purred from behind me, making me yelp in surprise and almost drop the box. "Can you see the vision clearly, Falner? People embracing, and interfacing..." He closed the lid and tapped the box with his pointer finger, making the entire thing glow neon blue.
"Like...beep boop beep boop...?" I made some computerized noises, pleasantly surprised when my Squip gave me a small, encouraging nod.
"Exactly. Christine will be so thoroughly delighted that you improved the lives of all her peers," He said, pulling me down a few more hallways and into the backstage area of the auditorium, handing me a beaker. I looked at it for a moment, then realized what he wanted me to do. I took a few of the pills out of the box, carefully placed them into the beaker, then looked around for some sort of liquid.
After a moment, I found an unopened bottle of Mountain Dew lying underneath the prop table. Internally hoping that it wasn't needed for the show, I dashed over, grabbed the soda, and cracked it open, savoring the fizz. I then poured the liquid into the beaker and gave it a small shake, just to mix everything together.
"I'll sync the school, get everyone united..." I said, awe in my voice. My Squip let out a soft chuckle, nodding slightly.
"Jocks and geeks will hug and chat, while-!" He was cut off by someone speaking from a few feet away.
"Excuse me, what the frick is that?" I recognized the voice as Rose, and I looked up at her. She looked sadder than before, and I could clearly discern the rough outline of tear tracks underneath her eyes. She had clearly been crying.
"Oh, I'm just filling this prop beaker with Puck's Pansey Serum," I said, my voice cool and confident, this time without my Squip helping me out. "It's just Mountain Dew...with some Wintergreen Tic-Tacs at the bottom." She looked unconvinced.
"I'll get Mr. Baruchel..." She said softly, then turned to leave. I lost control of my body again, thanks to my Squip's hand on my spine, and I heard myself speaking.
"WAIT!" I screamed. Rose jumped in surprise, turning back around and looking at me with something that resembled nervousness. I was straining to get my words out, desperate for control, but could only manage to speak the words my Squip wanted me to say. "How...are you feeling...today?" I asked, trying hard not to gasp for breath after he removed his hand and practically shoved me forward, making me flop onto the floor like a ragdoll. Rose's expression went from suspicious to surprised in the span of a couple of seconds.
"N-No one's...no one's ever asked me that before," She said softly, taking a tentative step forward and holding out her hand. I took her hand, stood, and pulled her into a hug. "Y'know, I-I know everything about everyone in this school...but no one knows anything about me..." She said, her voice muffled by my shirt. She sounded like she was going to cry. I held her close, absently petting her hair and murmuring soft, soothing words under my breath in an attempt to calm her down. After what seemed like hours, she finally pulled away, wiping her eyes.
"I can...help with that," I said slowly. She looked up at me. Her eyes were still murky with tears.
"How?" She asked. In response, I held out the beaker.
"Drink this, and you'll never have to worry about anything ever again," I replied, surprised at my own confidence. She took the beaker, gave it a gentle shake, then looked up at me. I could see tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.
"I-is that what happened to you? You drank this, and then all of a sudden you became...someone who's liked by everyone? Someone who people will listen to?" She asked, and I noticed that she sounded hopeful. I nodded slightly and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Trust me when I say that you'll feel so much more in control," I whispered.
Rose gave me a small, timid smile, and I suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Oh, Christ. I just deceived her. I lied to her face. "Please forgive me, Rose..." I thought to myself, biting my inner cheek as she took a drink from the beaker. She gave me a confused look, almost as if she was sensing my fear, but her confusion swiftly turned to pain.
"Ow!" She screamed. I suddenly realized that I could hear my Squip mimic her shout, and I glanced over at him. He was doubled over, clutching his chest. I internally debated on who to help first before my body made its decision, choosing to pull Rose into a protective embrace.
"Rose! Holy shit, honey, are you okay?!" I asked, not even trying to fake the fear and panic in my voice. It was all-natural. Rose took a deep breath, then gently pushed out of my arms and opened her eyes. I felt my heart shoot into my throat. Her eyes glowed an unnatural, bright neon blue for a moment before they returned to their normal brown.
"Yeah. Yeah, I-I'm okay," She said slowly, then gave me a small smile. "Actually, I'm great. It's just like you said. I feel so much more in control." I smiled at her and pulled her into a quick kiss. She squeaked, then closed her eyes and tugged me closer. I was the one to pull back, leaving her flushed red and panting softly. "Thank you." She whispered. I smiled again and ran my hand through her hair.
"Thank you," I repeated, chuckling warmly. "That was one of the best damn kisses I've ever gotten." She giggled slightly
"This is amazing!" She chirped. I couldn't help but smile at her.
"Rose, darling, can...you help me with something?" I asked slowly. She nodded.
"I'll help you with anything you need." She replied. I bit my inner cheek, then sighed.
"We need to save the pitiful children, I should say. Everyone in this school desperately needs help," I said, feigning a sense of pain. She tilted her head.
"So, let's save the pitiful children." She reasoned.
"Yeah. Let's save the pitiful children." I said, feeling my lips twitch up into a rather sinister smirk. She beamed at me, hugging me tightly.
"Let's teach the pitiful children who just haven't a clue!" She said excitedly. I nodded, glancing at my Squip.
"Just what to do..." I practically sang my words out, jolting my Squip back into reality.
"Help them to help you." He said, sounding dazed, shaking his head slightly as if to clear it.
"Rose, all you need to do is make sure that this beaker doesn't go anywhere. If you need to whip up a fresh batch, just grab a few of the Wintergreen Tic Tacs out of the pink shoebox, pour them into the beaker, then fill it with Mountain Dew." I instructed. Rose nodded, an almost blissful smile on her face.
"Will do. Thanks, Falner!" She chirped, hugging me tightly again and pecking my cheek before sauntering off. I let out a soft laugh, watching her go.
"She's adorable." I murmured. My Squip grabbed my shoulders, making me jump in surprise and turn to look at him.
"Falner Greyson, words cannot describe how proud I am of you," He said softly. "You did all that without me needing to give you a push in the right direction. Clearly, you're starting to understand your role in this story." I smiled at him.
"Hey, you've kind of made me see the light. I understand what I'm dealing with now. I understand that my thoughts about this school being incomplete were right. I understand what you want from me." I said.
He pulled me into a not-unwelcome kiss and I almost immediately melted into his arms, tangling my fingers in his hair. After what felt like hours, I was the one to pull away, panting.
"I know that now isn't the right time, but I don't know when I'll get the chance to say it...but I wanted to apologize for my behavior on Halloween. I forced you to do something you didn't want, and you almost paid the price for it. I care about you too much to see you hurt...and yet, the only reason you truly got hurt that night was because of me." He whispered.
I was conflicted. He just admitted that he forced me to almost lose my virginity, but at the same time, he also admitted that he didn't want that to happen. I looked down at my feet, bit my lip, then made up my mind.
"Jason, I..." I used his name - or at least, the name of the form he was taking - and pursed my lips, looking up at him. "I don't hold it against you. But, that being said, I don't appreciate you using me as your own personal puppet. I may be in love with you and have done everything you say, but I still have my free will." I said. He nodded slightly and kissed my forehead for a moment. I stepped back, leaving some space between us, and couldn't help but smile at him.
"Shall we get back to the task at hand?" I asked. He nodded, giving me a small smile.
"We shall. There's one more thing I need you to do." He replied. I tilted my head, brushing a few loose strands of my hair behind my ear.
"And what, pray tell, would that happen to be?" I managed not to sound condescending as I asked the question. He looked me up and down, then smirked slightly.
"It involves that outfit of yours. Duck into the costume rack backstage, find your makeup bag and put on the neon blue paint. I have a feeling that, if we're on the same wavelength, it's going to be perfect." He said cryptically. Feeling both slightly confused yet slightly obedient, I briskly walked backstage and found the costume rack.
"Let's see...Christine...Christine...Jade...Dallas...ah, here we are!" I said in triumph, pulling the small plastic bag that was hanging from the costumes hanger off and scampering into a makeup room. I turned the light on and peered inside the bag, which contained a pair of tan character heels, a hairbrush, and my makeup bag. I pulled the makeup bag out and opened it up, pulling out some neon blue face paint. How my Squip knew it was in there despite me never needing it, I didn't know.
"If I'm gonna go through with this..." I said, sitting down in front of one of the mirrors and grabbing a paintbrush and some water. "...I might as well go all out." I painted sharp, intricate circuits down my face, a few of them cascading onto my neck. Two of them connected to the corners of my lips.
Why are you doing this?
You're giving in.
You're letting him win.
You need to stop this.
It's going to kill you.
He's lying to you.
You don't understand what you're dealing with.
My thoughts were anything but normal. Part of me really believed that my Squip was lying to me. That all of this was because he had some sort of...ulterior motive. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts for a moment and trying to focus on anything else. I tucked the paint and paintbrush back into my makeup bag, walking out of the dressing room and shutting the lights off behind me. As I walked back to the stage, I began to hum to myself.
"Let's save the pitiful children. Let's save the pitiful children. Let's teach the pitiful children, who just haven't a clue. If that's what I do, if that's what I do...then everything about them is going to be wonderful. Everything about them is going to be so alive! They won't feel left out or unsure, not pitiful children anymore 'cause everything about them is going to be cool!" I felt more pumped up and confident in myself. I could do this. And this time, I knew no one could stop me.
Not this time.
Not anymore.