I am staying at my friend's place. All four of us are watching TV, laughing at a sitcom show. My Friends; Sayori, Natsuki, and Yuri are all part of a Club I run; and sometimes we all sleep over at Sayori's place, watch TV, and sometimes write poems and such. It was about 9pm, and I woke up early this morning to help set everything up for the evening. I bought treats like popcorn, cakes, crisps and things like that. Natsuki made some of her trademark cupcakes too.

We were truly the best bunch of friends; nothing would have separated us. Well, almost nothing. See; I have a confession to make. This world is really a lie. My friends are just data; no self-awareness at all. So I make these sleepovers to emulate a little bit of happiness in my life. But recently, things have been a little off. Maybe just my imagination.

Or maybe it's another 'Player'. The people who play this game; who always pick the other girls over me. So I get jealous and cause chaos, practically killing the only friends I've ever known by tampering with their data. It's the same story every time. But It's these moments that help to cheer me up. Maybe one day I'll meet a real guy, one in this world; not just following scripts of their own with illusion of human choice.

I was falling asleep; such thoughts making me a little tired and depressed. My eyes closed, and I was under. In my dream I was still at Sayori's house. The only difference was there were nails sticking out of the walls everywhere. This was odd; I'd never had such a strange, glitch dream before. Perhaps something new finally clicked.

in the corner of the room was someone I didn't recognise. Not a 'player', but a young man. His hair was a light brown, his clothes smart yet casual. A shirt, unbuttoned in a statement of rebelliousness. He told a joke that I couldn't hear, and everyone laughed.

I woke up to hear the sound of everyone laughing at something that happened on the TV. So the laughing was not part of the dream. It was the noise that woke me up. I wondered who that face was, and how they knew to tell a joke at that exact moment.

"Monika? Are you okay?" My friend Yuri asks nervously. I nod; and smile a bit. For once, I felt kind of happy. Things might finally be looking up for me.
"Yes Yuri, I'm fine." I respond, knowing she only asked out of her basic response coding.
We spent the rest of the evening eating and watching dumb shows on the set; sharing our hopes for the upcoming week. Their responses were always the same. I even made it a game to mouth what they were going to say as they did so.

The next morning; I got ready for school as I always did. Brush teeth, dress; and get breakfast. It was always cereal that my parents set up for me. Which was odd; since my parents don't have proper sprites, just silhouettes like everyone else that's unimportant. But breakfast today was different. They had actual sprites that looked like they would be my actual parents! My mom had a genuine smile.

"Good Morning Monika dear. How did you sleep?" She asks; buttering toast. I was taken aback. Someone out there was adding more to my world. Someone saw my pain. I muttered a thank you, before sitting down.
"Very well, thank you mom." I replied with a smile, a genuine one. My father was reading the morning paper. It seemed to have just sample text, but that was better than nothing. Mom quickly laid out a spread of traditional breakfast, toast, and orange juice and tea. We all began to eat. It was perfect.

"So Honey; what's your plans for the literature club today?" My father asks, turning the page of his paper. I thought about it for a moment. I had a plan written down, but the it's a bit early for the mind to be at full capacity.
"Well I guess we'll be sharing poems and preparing for the festival." I responded proudly. He laughed a little. A warm, comforting laugh.
"Bless you dear. I hope it all goes well for you." He took another bite of his toast, helping himself to some marmite. So many things that didn't exist before, that now feel as normal as breathing.

A few minutes later, Father announced that he was leaving for work. He blew me a kiss goodbye as he put his coat on, and I giggled a little. The first time I've laughed in a long time. He shut the door behind him. Mom finally sat down and ate her breakfast.
"He always leaves it until the last minute to go~." She scolded with a warm smile. "Anyway, how's the food? I thought it might be a bit much, but you'll need all the help you can get for this festival business."

I was grinning from ear to ear. This is what a normal life was like. Even if these were just scripts, it felt just a bit more normal for once.
"Excellent; thank you." I thanked her, eating with a calm grace. Soon it was time for me to go too, so I quickened my pace and finished breakfast as soon as I could. I picked up my bag by the door and fastened my bow.

The walk was as it always was. I walked alone; amongst the silhouettes of students. Still; there were a few with basic character models, but they didn't seem to have any A.I programming other than walking animations. The day was average too. I guess the only reason I'm top of the class is because I've been through all these lessons thousands of times before.

But I was looking forward to the literature club today. Maybe my friends had been given more data. I was early to class, noting that I was walking there, not just some transition. It was a minor thing, but so strangely fulfilling. I waited there; writing a quick poem from script. Yuri and Natsuki arrived; and sadly they didn't act any differently from normal. I guess whoever was adding things wasn't editing anything that already existed.

But then Sayori arrived. Late as usual, but with a friend that made my heart jump. It was the young man from my dream.
"Good afternoon, Monica!" She greets me with a surprise hug. Something that she never did before. "This is Jake Bishop! He's an old friend of mine." She announced with her usual vigour. I carefully eyed the guy; trying to work him out. And why was Sayori different? Was it because of him? I realise it would be best to play it cool.

"Ahem. Welcome Jake. It's nice to meet you. My name is Monika." I offered my hand to shake. He confidently took it, surprising me with the strength and confidence of his handshake.
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Monika!" He greeted with a smirk; his voice chirpy and distinct. Not a text bubble. In fact, I realised then that nothing was. Everyone had spoken with audio.
My world was so much more complete.

I would keep this one. This one was worth doing horrible things for.