[Christine's POV]
I let out a soft sigh. Opening night is never easy, especially when your opening night is your only performance.
"This is it, everyone," I said softly, half to myself and half to anyone who wanted to listen. Which is to say...I was practically talking to myself. Dallas was in the hospital, Falner was nowhere to be seen, Jade was on crutches...I couldn't help but let out a soft, breathy cry, burying my face into my hands.
"Jesus Christ, it's going to take a miracle to get through this," I whispered. I then took a deep breath, put on a happier face, and walked onstage. The auditorium was packed with chattering teens and adults alike, and I could clearly discern my family sitting in the first row.
"Welcome, everybody! Thank you so much for coming to our production of "A Midsummer Nightmare About Zombies". It's been a rough week for all of us at AHS. That's why this play is so important – to bring this school together! To show you something special! I know that if Dallas were here, instead of the intensive care unit at Griffin Hospital, he'd say: "Go out and show everyone the relevant power of live theatre!" I said excitedly, receiving almost uproarious applause from the audience.
"Costumes!" I heard Mr. Baruchel hiss, only for him to mask it with a cough. Flushing red, I smiled slightly and shrugged in perceived embarrassment.
"Oh, and thanks to Hobby Lobby for the costumes," I said, skipping offstage to much applause. "Places, everyone! Break legs!" I cheered, being met with an icy glare from Jade, who was shifting uncomfortably on his crutches.
"Not cool." He muttered, making me turn even redder as he shuffled off. I heard the stage door open and looked to see who had the audacity to come in late, only to feel my heart skip about three beats. Falner ran in, her brown hair swinging behind her as she skidded to a stop in front of me. She had circuits on her face...for some reason...
"Christine!" She panted, trying to catch her breath.
"Falner! Where have you been? It's so bad, Mr. Baruchel made himself your understudy." I said, groaning. She looked confused.
"Isn't he understudying Dallas?" She asked. I gave her a long, pained look.
"He's both," I said solemnly. She visibly shivered.
"Oh, God," She groaned, then placed one of her hands on my shoulder. The other was tucked into her pocket. " Look, I've been thinking about what you said at the party-!" She started to speak, but I cut her off.
"I can't do this now," I said simply.
"But I finally understand! You can't go out with anyone because you don't know who you are yet. Right?" She said quickly. I nodded slowly, biting my lip.
"Yeah, but-!" I was cut off by her speaking, a tinge of excitement in her voice.
"Well, I get that! And that's awesome, actually, because I felt that way too! I mean, I didn't realize that's what I felt, I thought it was just about being cool. But it was more than that. It was about being confident, and understanding who I am... And I couldn't have figured that on my own!" I probably looked as confused as I felt inside.
"So, you're saying... I helped you do that?" I asked, internally cursing at the hope in my tone. I shouldn't be hoping for this. This isn't right. I just got out of a relationship, Falner's leagues above me...why should I try and win her love? She shook her head.
"Not you," She said softly, taking her other hand out of her pocket and opening it, revealing a white puffball in the center of her palm. "This." I leaned in to see exactly what she was showing me and, upon closer inspection, I noticed a small, grey pill nestled within the fuzz. I looked up at Falner with the same bewildered expression. When she spoke, her voice was different. Less natural, more autotuned.
"It's from Japan. It's a computer, and it tells you what to do! You'd never have to struggle to figure out what to say, or overanalyze some little gesture, ever again. You'd just know. Like play rehearsal," She said, smiling slightly. "Only it never has to end."
I bit my lip, backing up and considering my options. I had to admit, that was tempting. Never having to worry about anything ever again. Who knows? Maybe it would mean I had a chance with someone. Specifically, the girl in front of me. The girl out of my league. After a moment of careful consideration, I finally managed to form words.
"Falner, that sounds...horrible," I said softly. Falner looked confused.
"Wait, what?" She asked. I looked up at her, almost certain there was pain in my eyes.
"Maybe I have stuff to figure out. But I don't need a pill to do it for me." I said simply. I was surprised that I sounded as angry as I did. She seemed to notice this as she put her hand on my shoulder again.
"It's not like that! It'll help you to be better..." She said but trailed off after I let out something that resembled a sob-laugh.
"What's wrong with me now?" I asked. She looked like she was trying to speak, but her voice wouldn't work. Suddenly, Mr. Baruchel swooped in. He had managed to get into Falner's costume, although it was a little tight.
"Miss Harpsong! Props has whipped up a fresh beaker of Puck's Pansey Serum!" He trilled, then noticed Falner. His expression seemed to change to one of disgust. "Oh. Miss Greyson," he commented, looking her up and down. "I suppose you'll be wanting your costume back." Falner frantically shook her head.
"Keep it, keep it." She mumbled, turning redder and redder with every passing second. He shook his head and handed me the beaker before strolling back into the wings. I stared at the green liquid that seemed to distort everything around it, then back up at the girl who I once saw as someone I'd want to love. Now that I knew she had done something to fuck her life up...I didn't feel like things would work between us.
"I have to go, Falner," I said, gave her one last look of pain, and walked onstage, trying hard to conceal the tears that were threatening to spill from my lashes. I trusted her. I thought she was going to...I don't know. Take it better, I guess? I don't understand why she would do something as stupid as take a pill that was meant to make you better. I just don't get it.
And honestly? A part of me wishes I could understand.
[Falner's POV]
"Christine, wait!" I called, finally finding my voice. But it was too late. She was gone. Letting out an agonized groan, I buried my face into my hands. "Shit. strongShit! /strongspan style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"What did I do?!" I shouted, desperate for any semblance of help.
"It's okay, Falner," My Squip said, appearing by my side. "I anticipated her resistance." I had to do a double-take. He was wearing all black, much like I was, but there was some sort of glowing panel on his chest. It pulsed in a way that mimicked my heartbeat. Honestly? It scared the shit out of me. His hair was the only thing that hadn't changed, only gaining black roots whilst staying in the bob.
"No!" I screamed. "I have to destroy that beaker!" Suddenly, the realization hit me. Christine had the beaker, and who knows who she had passed it off to. My Squip let out a low, sinister laugh.
"Oh, and I anticipated your resistance too, Falner," he crooned. "So I took the decision out of your hands." I felt helpless. I ran to the wings and peered out, watching the show go on. Hope was performing her heart out, and Mr. Baruchel somehow managed to actually make my costume work.
"What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?" Hope said. Mr. Baruchel held the beaker out to her.
"Some potion, m' lady!" He...god bless him, at least he tried to sound Shakespearean. Hope beamed at him.
"Thanks!" She chirped, taking a sip from the beaker. I felt a sudden pain in my head and let out a scream, doubling over, Hope doing the same. Hope's voice then took on a much more terrifying and menacing tone as she practically yelled her next line. "I warn thee, gentle mortal, it's time to feed again!" I straightened up after feeling my Squip place his hand on my spine.
"Oh, sweet Heaven...you're gonna Squip the whole cast!" I said in horror. He laughed slightly and spun me around, cupping my cheeks.
"And that's just for starters! Soon, I won't just be in your brain, I'll be in everyone's!" He said. I shook my head and pulled away from him.
"Not if I can stop you!" I retorted, then turned to my teacher, who was walking in from onstage. "Mr. Baruchel, you can't let anyone else drink from that beaker." He laughed slightly and shook his head.
"Don't be silly, Miss Greyson. It's more than safe! Believe me, I should know..." He said, chuckling slightly. He then looked past me and made eye contact with my Squip. "I tried it myself." He finished. I felt all the color drain from my face. My Squip winked at me.
"Up, up, down, down, left, right, A." He said calmly. Mr. Baruchel and I doubled over and let out a scream in unison, but I was the first one to snap back to attention.
"Mr. Baruchel?!" I asked in surprise. He straightened up and glared at me.
"You needy, pathetic, self-centered students. You think I wanted to teach high school drama? In New England?!" He yelled, making me flinch. "My Squip says I can go all the way to Broadway. I just have to keep you from ruining my big night." He gave me a smirk, darting off into the wings. I could feel my heartbeat in my head. Managing to stay in some semblance of sanity, I turned my head to look at my Squip, who had pinned both of my arms behind my back with a death grip.
"What did you do to him?!" I asked. He chuckled softly.
"I synced his desires to your own. I now realize my operating system will only be complete when everyone shares a social network." My entire body crawled with chills as I flinched away from him. My eyes showed unrestrained fear, like a caged animal, and I desperately looked around for anyone who wasn't already under my Squip's control.
"That's not what I wanted!" I screamed. He let out a loud, glitched, breathy laugh, shaking his head.
"This is the only way to achieve what you want. And why stop with the school? There's an entire world of suffering people who need my help. It's the glorious destiny for which I was programmed! And I never would have realized it without you, Falner~" He crooned, stroking my cheek. I turned beet red.
"Oh, shit," I mumbled, staring down at my hands before looking back up at my Squip, who was smirking at me like a cat who had caught its prey.
"You're a computer. There has to be a way to turn you off." I said, panicking. He let out a short, mirthless laugh.
"I would stop right there, my dear. Dallas tried to fight back, and look what happened to him." He growled. I was wracking my brain, trying to figure out what he meant by that, and that's when it hit me: the Halloween party. Dallas asked me if I had any Mountain Dew Red.
"That's it!" I shouted, breaking free of his grip and slapping him with my ponytail in the process. "Green Mountain Dew activates you, Red shuts you off!" He smirked at me, looking surprisingly calm for someone who had gotten a face full of hair and whose weakness had just been revealed.
"Ohh, why do you think they had it discontinued?~" He cooed, clasping his hands behind his back. "To get rid of me now, you'd need a time machine to the 1990s." I cursed under my breath, then realized that I had a failsafe. I had someone who could help.
"Or a friend who's so old school, he buys 90's soft drinks from the back room at Spencer's Gifts!" I said in triumph. He narrowed his eyes and grabbed my wrists, holding my hands above my head.
"Falner! I'm going to improve your life," he hissed, his hands moving from my wrists to my throat. I was quickly picked up and reduced to a wildly thrashing mess. "Even if I have to take over the entire human race to do it!" He then effortlessly threw me across the stage.
I skidded to a stop in front of someone's feet, and I looked up in a panic to see who it was, only for my jaw to nearly hit the floor. Eli was smiling down at me, his face partially obscured by the hood of his dragon onesie. He tossed the hood back, then looked at my Squip with determination burning in his eyes.
"ELI MAKES AN ENTRANCE!" He shouted. My Squip looked nervous, and Eli must've sensed this because he let out a light, excited sounding laugh.
"Eli!" I practically cried his name out. He looked down and held out his hand for me to take, which I did without any hesitation.
"I was just in the audience, thinking: this is pretty good for a school play. Then I was like: THIS IS WAY TOO GOOD FOR A SCHOOL PLAY! They've all been squipped, right?" He asked, looking around. I nodded slightly, letting him pull me up.
"W-Wait, you came to see me in the play?" I asked softly. He beamed, pulling me into a tight hug.
"I even brought my own refreshments. If you'll observe..." He said, reached into his backpack, which was on the floor beside him, and pulled out a 16-liter bottle of Mountain Dew Red. I could practically hear the angelic chorus.
"I-Is that...?!" I started to ask, but Eli cut me off with a bright, happy grin.
"Mountain Dew Red! I told you I did my research!"
"That's amazing!" I shouted, then held out my hand. "Give it to me!" He tapped his chin with the fingers of his free hand.
"Okay! Wait...no." He said sassily. My Squip let out a high pitched laugh, then slapped a hand over his mouth. My eyes widened slightly as surprise crept into my voice.
"But, um, I kinda need it," I said slowly. He gave me a slightly annoyed glare.
"And I need an apology. I think that's in order," He said simply, pacing back and forth while never taking his eyes off me. "I mean, you treat me like I don't exist for months, blow me off when I try and HELP YOU -!" I cut him off with an admittedly agonized groan.
"Alright, fine!" I said in exasperation. "I'm-!" I was cut off by a hand on my spine and my Squip's voice in my ear.
"Vocal cords: block." He hissed. Suddenly, my throat seemed to close up. I could barely breathe, let alone speak.
"Saaaaa...Srrrrrr..." I couldn't get the word out no matter how hard I tried. Eli raised an eyebrow, and I could clearly hear the annoyance in his tone when he spoke.
"Seriously? Is it that hard to say sorry?" He asked. I nodded vigorously.
"YES! C'mon, man, this is important!" I cried. He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.
"Well, this is important to me!" He retorted. I gritted my teeth, managing to not spit my words out.
"Eli, it's a word," I muttered.
"Falner, it's a gesture!" He replied. "Gestures matter!" I felt all the color drain from my face as I noticed a spark of intrigue in my Squip's eyes.
"Hm, gestures matter?" He mused, smirking at Eli, whose cheeks lit up with a sudden blush. I couldn't blame him. My Squip then looked at me, planted a kiss on my cheek, then spoke another command.
"Kung Fu fists: activate." I felt confused. I didn't know any martial arts. My body acted on the command given, and I immediately took a fighting stance that resembled Chun-Li in Street Fighter. Eli's face turned pale.
"Shit." He whispered.
"Hi-yah!" I shouted, attempting to roundhouse kick my best friend in the head. He immediately ducked, taking a more defensive stance and parrying my onslaught of punches.
"Oh, this is so y-y-you!" I snapped, my voice seemingly glitching. "You love to feel superior, just because you listen to music on vinyl and eat all this spicy food without consequence and don't care about being p-p-pop-ular!" He experimentally swung a punch at me, but I blocked it with my forearm, wincing slightly at the pain. I knew I was gonna be bruised by the end of this.
"Of course I care!" He replied, ducking to avoid another kick. "I just know it's never gonna happen!" I raised an eyebrow, stepping back and performing a spinning back kick.
"So you resent me because I wouldn't gi-ive up li-i-i-ike you did?" I asked. He shook his head, kicking me in the leg and making me fall backward with a yelp.
"I don't resent you! I'm jealous you try!" He explained. I looked up at him with pain behind my eyes, and it wasn't just because I had gotten kicked.
"Well..." I started to try and apologize, then jumped up and slammed my fist into his cheek and knocking him down to the floor. "I'm jealous you don't!" I finished.
"Then why are you hitting me?" He asked, slowly trying to scoot away while I was in hot pursuit. He then stood and made an 'x' with his arms, blocking a few of my punches.
"I'm not trying to!" I said helplessly. He let out a yelp of pain as I kicked him in the chest, causing him to double over.
"Well don't try harder!" He screamed. As we fought, I was desperately trying to regain control of my body.
"It's - ow! - Not - woah! - Me - ngh! - It's - eep! - My - fuck! - SQUIP!" I screamed, ducking, diving, and yelping in pain as Eli managed to land a few blows. I finally felt in control of my actions, something that was almost confirmed by my Squip letting out a low growl from beside me. He had been mimicking my movements perfectly but that included the times I got hit. I managed to pull myself away from my best guy friend and collapsed to my knees in front of him.
"It's taking over my body! I need your help!" I cried, looking up at him with pleading eyes. "Eli, please, I'm sorry!" I felt a shock run down my spine and instinctively let out a scream, my entire body twitching at the sudden stimulation. Eli's eyes went wide as he tried to hold me in place, but it was a futile effort. As I was trying to regain control of my still-twitching body, I noticed Jade peeking out from the backstage curtain. I frantically gestured with one of my feet, Eli taking the hint and following its trajectory until his eyes met Jade's.
"Jade!" Eli screamed. "This is gonna sound weird, but if I hold down Falner, can you make her drink this Mountain Dew Red?!" He tossed him the bottle. Jade looked oddly at ease as he hobbled out, tucking the bottle under his arm.
"Actually? That doesn't sound weird at all." He admitted. Eli and I looked at each other with complete confusion. My Squip looked slightly panicked, then spoke quickly.
"Up up down down left right A!" Jade and I let out yells of pain. He doubled over and clutched his chest while I spasmed in pain for a moment.
"No. No, no, no..." Eli whispered, fear in his eyes. I looked up at my Squip, who was smirking down at us. I swallowed hard and grabbed Eli in a protective hug. The two of us let out screams of pure fear, clinging to each other as Jade poured out the only thing that would save us, my Squip laughing almost maniacally and being echoed by Jade.
"Oh, Falner, look what you're making me make him do!" My Squip taunted, gesturing to Jade, who had tossed his crutches down.
"I was already pretty boss before. Now, I'm totally boss and then some more! I'm living the upgrade!" He cheered, then gave us a grin. "Plus, check this out." He jumped up and cracked a full split. I visibly winced at hearing the bones crack.
"Did it heal your legs...?" I asked slowly. He shrugged.
"No," He admitted, then beamed. "But I can't. Feel. Pain! IT'S AWESOME!" Every pause was accentuated by a bounce. He looked so excited and I honestly couldn't help but smile. "I'm living the upgrade, upgrade, God, I love me!" He sang.
"You do you, buddy..." Eli murmured, then stiffened as Hope and Tempest walked out from backstage, each of them mimicking the other's movements. It was like the velociraptors in Jurassic Park. "Friends of yours?" Eli asked. I smacked him in the arm, muttering "shut up" under my breath.
"There you are, Falner." The girls said in unison, and I visibly winced. They sounded so unnaturally in sync, it scared me.
"I just want you to know, we're not mad anymore," Hope said, giving me a rather deranged grin.
"I just wanted to feel liked." Tempest chimed in.
"And I just wanted to be seen." Tempest's expression contorted into one of confusion.
"But...I see you!" She said softly. Hope's expression mimicked hers after a moment.
"And I like you!" She replied. The two girls then hugged each other tightly and spoke in eerie yet jovial unison.
"Oh my god, why was I so jealous of you? You were jealous of me? That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me! Sisters forever! JINX!" I smiled slightly, hearing my Squip let out an annoyed groan from a few paces away. Suddenly, I remembered the bottle of Mountain Dew Red.
"Eli, the bottle," I whispered, gesturing to it. "There's still a few drops left." Eli bit his lip, looking at the squipped students that blocked our path.
"How am I supposed to get past them?" He asked quietly. My eyes were bright with determination.
"Call of Duty, Black Ops 2. Zombies. Tranzit." I said simply. His eyes suddenly lit up with the same determination, and he gave me a roguish grin.
"Got it." He replied, giving me a tight hug before pulling away and stealthily sneaking through the crowd of students with me hot on his heels.
"Find the bad guy, push 'em aside. Then move on forward with a friend at your side. It's a two-player game, so when they make an attack, y'know y'got a brother gonna have your back. Then you stay on track and - AH! - remain on course, and if they give you a smack, you - GAH! - you use your force. And if you leave your brother behind it's lame 'cause it's an effed up world and it's a two-player game! HEY!" We shouted, Eli channeling his inner Keanu Reeves and sliding underneath a table to grab the bottle.
"I got it!" He shouted triumphantly, holding it up for me to see. I beamed, but our victory was short-lived as I realized that we were surrounded. Rose stepped forward and took my hands.
"I just wanted to be part of a group! Now, I finally am!" She said softly, then let go of my hands and turned to Eli with a glare. "And I won't let you take that away!" She snapped. My Squip waved his hand, and Eli was quickly hoisted into Jade's arms, as much as he flailed to escape.
"Falner, catch!" He screamed, throwing the bottle of soda to me. I grunted slightly as the bottle whacked my bruised forearms, but fumbled and caught it, then watched in horror as Tempest punched him in the face. The group dropped my now-unconscious best friend to the floor, Jade kicking him slightly and sending him skidding across the stage.
"Eli! No! " I screamed. I tried to open the soda bottle that was tucked underneath my arm but felt my Squip's hands on mine. He was holding me back.
"You don't want to drink that, Falner!" He said, and I caught a hint of pain and desperation in his voice.
"Yeah? Why not?!" I snapped, pulling myself out of his grip and cracking the bottle open.
"Because if you drink it, you'll never be with her. " He replied, gesturing to someone who was pushing their way through the group. My heart stopped for a solid second.
"Falner!" Christine chirped, running to me and grabbing me in a hug.
"Christine...?" I asked softly, pulling out of the hug and looking her in the eye. Her normally ocean blue eyes had changed, much like everyone else's, to a striking, unnatural neon blue.
"You are the person I want to be with every day," She said, taking my hands in hers. "And this is something that I've been afraid to say." I didn't want to look at her. The words didn't sound like her own. I looked at my Squip and gave him a barely noticeable shake of my head as she continued. "You're the girl I am so kinda into, the girl I am totally into, this feeling is new..." She said. Suddenly, she began singing my name, just like how I would sing hers all the time. My Squip suddenly spoke, placing one hand on my waist and brushing his lips against my ear.
"I have given you everything," he whispered. "Everything that I promised." He then sang alongside Christine, and unlike the chorus of squipped students, the two sounded like they were in perfect, angelic harmony.
"Falner, I love you."
I couldn't breathe. My vision was completely blurred with tears, and as I blinked to clear it, he moved in front of me and pressed his lips against mine. I completely and utterly melted into the kiss, not being able to stop myself from crying. After I pulled away, gasping for breath, I felt him pull me into an almost comforting hug.
"Now, sweetheart..." He murmured, his eyes flickering to the bottle that was still tucked under my arm. "You've waited so long to hear Christine say those words. How can you possibly drink the last drop?" His voice was soft and surprisingly gentle. I internally weighed my options.
"That's not Christine," I whispered, repeating my words from earlier. A solution had formed in my mind, and I didn't know if I had the strength to do it. I blinked, feeling tears run down my cheeks, and managed to almost glare up at him. "And I'm stronger than you think I am!" Defiance had seeped into my voice. I wiped my eyes, almost smacking my tears away, and handed the bottle to Christine as quickly as I could.
"Drink this," I said, taking a deep breath.
"NO!" I heard my Squip scream the words out. "Falner, think about what you're sacrificing!" I could feel panic ripple through the room as Christine downed everything that was left in the bottle. She went stiff, then almost collapsed to the ground. Thinking fast, I caught her while trying to ignore the pain in my arms.
"Christine?!" I asked in alarm. She looked up at me, and I almost cried tears of joy. Her eyes were back to normal. "Oh, thank God..." I sighed, then bit my lip. "...how do you feel?" She blinked once.
"I feel..." She started to say something, then stiffened again. "OW!" I felt my blood run cold.
"Oh, God," I mumbled.
"OW!" Jade, Hope, and Tempest screamed, mimicking Christine's shout.
"Oh, god!" I spoke louder this time, then felt a pain in my head and screamed "OW!" alongside everyone else, Squip included.
"Oh, God!" Eli yelped in fear, looking up at me with a bruise on his cheek from when Tempest had punched him. I looked at him with tears of pain flooding my eyes.
"What did I do?!" I screamed.
"You just deactivated all the Squips!" He said. My eyes widened as I felt a searing pain in my head. I let out a loud, almost banshee-like scream, everyone else letting out similar sounds. We all collapsed to the floor after a few minutes, and my vision went black.