Chapter 2: friendship (gore warning)

Joyi looks at star, seeing if she knows where to go. Star looks down. No platform again. Joyi sees this, and grips onto star, jumping down. They have had to do this multiple times now, but Joyi made one mistake, she didn't see any other platforms but still jumped down.

Star looks around. "w-wait a second…where's the platforms?" she asks as the fall into a very dark hole. "p-please don't d-drop me…" star says, quaking in fear. She closes her eye fearing the worst. Joyi lands on her feet, glass crunching beneath her.

She puts a hand on star, indicating that they're safe. Star opens her eye, looking around. She sighs, full of relief. "please check next time before you do that…" she says, still shaking a little. "we do feel pain you know. Even if it is simulated." Star says looking at the ground.

Star looks up. "where are we?" Joyi looks around. "can you um… turn me around?" Joyi nods, turning her around so she can see. Star looks around. "well I don't know where we are, but we are very far away from glados. That's all I can say. Sorry I'm not much help." Star looks down.

Joyi puts her hand on star again getting her attention. Star looks at her. "what…" she says, her voice filled with bitter hopelessness. Joyi hugs her companion. star embraces the hug, closing her eye in response.

Joyi stops hugging her, star looking up at Joyi, her eye shining a little. "don't give up. We can do this." Joyi says, looking at star. As soon as star hears her speak, her eye smallens. "YOU CAN SPEAK!?" she asks filled with surprise. Joyi nods.

"that's great! Now we can talk…wait a moment. Did you not talk because you didn't fully trust that I wasn't going to kill you? That would be…a good reason." Joyi nods. Star looks down, then back at Joyi. "w-well I didn't mean to, I was scared. I haven't really been around robots for years now. It's not because of you." Star nods, understanding. "you want to take a break?" Joyi asks her friend. Star nods, she was done looking around for now.

Star wonders if Joyi is tired too. Joyi sits down, star getting used to being in joyi's arms. Joyi stares at the wall, her vison getting blurry as she closes her eyes, falling asleep. Star looks around one last time. It's very dark here, but she can see some white walls.

On the walls are drawings. Like a story. There's a girl, the same size as the human. Then there's a blue sphere that looks like her. then the two are going along.

Star wonders what this means. Is there another human? I thought all the humans died! Well except for my friend here, do really need to get her name. I'll ask when she wakes up. Star looks up at Joyi. Wonder how old she is.

Maybe eight? Not sure. Star looks back down. I should get some rest while I still can, I'm not sure how long humans sleep for. Star closes her eye, all the light that was coming from it disappearing. That making it almost pitch black.

Joyi looks at her mom, there's fire everywhere. "m-mom!" she screams, her mother gets engulfed by the flames. Her dad is holding her and throws her into another relaxation vault. "DAD! DON'T DO THIS! YOU CAN SAVE YOURSELF!" she screams, her face wet from tears. Her father waves goodbye as he tries to find her mother, but he falls, dyeing slowly in the fire.

'DAD! MOM!" she screams again, her arm reaching for something, for them. She wants them back. "mom…dad…not you…" she clings onto her only plush, a penguin that is blue and white, she cry's into it, making the penguin wet. There dead…I'm alone…no one to help me or guide me. She looks over at the flaming vault, the vault crumbles, and then the hole thing falls into the abyss.

Joyi wakes up, tears in her eyes. Not that dream again…I never want that to happen ever again. She wipes the tears and looks around. The light that stars eye was making was gone. It was dark.

Very, very dark. She hears a noise. She flinches. She looks down, it's hard to see, but Joyi can still see star. Joyi puts a hand on stars cold shell.

Nothing happens for a moment, then stars eye flicks open. Her eye making a ray of brown and golden light. "w-what? Are we in danger?" star asks. Joyi picks up star, turning her towards the noise she heard. There's a dead bird on the ground, underneath the bird was a puddle of blood.

Next to the bird was another bird, eating it. The bird comes towards her and Joyi screams. The bird goes over her head, startled by the light. Joyi flung herself when she screamed, sending star and her flying across the room. Joyi lands on the ground with a hard thump, star still in joyi's arms looked around.

Joyi was on her side, and there was blood forming somewhere. "are you okay?! That was one fling!" star says worriedly. Joyi gets up. Star looks around and she finds the portal gun smashed on the floor. "so much for that…" Joyi puts star down aiming her beam of light towards her arm.

She looks down, it's bleeding, the blood going down her arm and onto the floor. "oh, my stars! Your arms bleeding! H-hold on I think I have some bandages somewhere… ah! Here we go. Can you bring me closer to you?" Joyi picks star up, star taking out a robotic arm, raping around some bandages on her arm to stop the bleeding. She finishes off the bandages, clipping the ends together. "there all done. You must be careful with that arm for now though, it has to heal." Joyi nods. "maybe you should um…sit down and… not move your arm?" Joyi sits down, placing Joyi in her lap.

"thank you." Joyi says, looking up at the celling. Star looks at her friend with worry. "your welcome, but um…just tell me if you don't feel good okay?" Joyi nods, closing her eyes. Star looks at joyi's arm, her eye shining with sadness. "I should have never come to help you. None of this wouldn't have happened if I just left you alone…" Joyi hears this.

She opens her eyes then looks at star. She's crying, she thinks it's her fault. She puts a hand on star and smiles at her. "It's not your fault. We can get out of here." Star stares at her, then looks down. "I can't leave here." Joyi stares in surprise.

"I'm trapped here until my battery runs out. I must go back to teaching the humans space. It's my job." She says, her voice cracking with sadness and worry. Joyi hugs her friend. "it's fine…I'll come back one day and save you." Star looks down. "really? You would do that for me?" she asks. Joyi nods.

Star closes her eye. "you're a good friend, you know that right?" Joyi smiles. "you rest, I'll try to find a way to get out of this hole." Joyi nods, going to sleep. Star looks around for anything useful. She sees an elevator a little ways away. Perfect.