Glitch - Chapter 02.

He couldn't sleep. No matter how hard Felix tried, he wasn't able to fall asleep. Whenever he closed his eyes he felt a strong pressure from inside his skull, giving him a horrible headache. He groaned and rolled from one side to another in his bed until he had enough; in the middle of the night got up and stumbled into the bathroom to wash his face. His bare feet softly echoed in the empty flat.

The sudden light blinded him for a second, making him moan again. With his hands Felix tried to find the tap and splashed cold water onto his face, slightly trembling by the sudden, chilling touch. He let out a sneeze and quickly covered his face with a soft towel.

"Hm, now it's better..." Felix mumbled to himself and straightened, rubbing his cheek with the fabric. In the next moment he let out a surprised, high-pitched scream and fell backwards. This can't be. He must have seen the wrong thing. Slowly, with trembling arms, he stood up and stared into the mirror. His reflection glared back at him; his hair was a bit tousled, his usually colorful cheeks were pale, and his blue eyes reflected fear. He wore blue, sleeveless undershirt and blue boxer. Everything seemed somewhat normal.

Felix rested his arms on the washbasin and leaned closer to the mirror, opening his mouth. No fangs. Not even his eyes glowing red. What had he just seen in the mirror that scared him this much? He scratched his head confusion.

"Maybe it was just a hallucination..." Felix muttered to himself, followed by a soft chuckle. Perhaps his sore head was messing with him; it was the only explanation. "Jiminy-Jaminy, how silly I am."

Suddenly Felix noticed something different about himself in his reflection: a small, dark scar on his upper left arm. Felix raised a brow.

"I though I fixed it already..." he mumbled as he touched the scratch. He then walked back to the bedroom and picked up his magical hammer from the bedside. With a single touch the scar vanished. "Better." smiled the man as he yawned, stretching out his thin arms "Haaah let's get some rest." Felix murmured and laid along the bed trying to fall asleep in spite of his horrible headache.

The following day was just the same as always in the arcade. The place was full with kids of various ages, echoing their shouts along with the many beeps and sound effects the game machines. Everyone did their job as they were programmed. Ralph came and tried to wreck the Niceland Apartments and Felix fixed it. Nothing special. But there was something the gamers didn't see from the outside. Our nicest hero, who usually did his work full of energy and joy was now... strange. They didn't know why, but they felt there was something with the small hero.

At first Ralph thought it was because he was deeply in love. He saw Felix musing so many times since he was married, but a nice brick on the head always knocked him back to the reality. But this time a brick wasn't enough. Felix rubbed his head but didn't look or shout up to Ralph, "What was that for?" He just continued his work… and this concerned the big guy.

After the arcade closed and they got some free time, Ralph climbed up the building and found Felix sitting on the rooftop, with his daily medal and pie by his side.

"Hey pal. It was a nice game." Ralph greeted him and sat close.

"Yeah, thanks for the hard work." Fix-it sighed, resting his cheeks in his palms. Ralph raised a brow at his strange behavior, worrying about his friend. He then glanced down.

"You didn't eat your pie?" Ralph asked as he pointed at the 'prize'.

"I don't have an appetite. You can take it if you want." The offer was seductive, but this just increased Ralph's worry.

"Are you sure everything is alright? You're acting kinda strange today."

"I told you I'm fine. It's just... a little headache." Felix replied and scratched the back of his head.

"We don't get headaches- and what is with your arm?" asked the big guy as Felix grabbed his left arm with a startled yelp. Under his fingers was a visible white patch from a bandage.

"Nothing! Why do you have to ask so many questions?" His voice was full with a panic that Ralph didn't understand.

"Hey, hey, chill pal, I'm just worried about y..."

"I don't need you to worry Ralph!" Shouted Felix, jumping up to his feet; he was still smaller than the other. "I told you I'm fine, so please do me a favor and le-e-e-eave me alone!" His voice stuck a little and Ralph at first couldn't believe his eyes. His jaw dropped in shock.

"Felix... you're vibrating..."

"What? N-no-o-o I'm not!" a kind of vibration rushed through Fix-it's body, the same kind of glitch Vanellope had.

"What's going on with you, pal?" Ralph made a step toward him. Felix shook his head and without any answer rushed into the building, leaving the confused guy behind. "...Felix..."

He didn't stop until he arrived to his home, slammed the door behind him and rested his back against the wood. His heart raced and gasped heavier. He lost control over his trembling knees and he collapsed to the floor. Felix glared at his hands in fear then embraced himself.

"What's happening to me?" Felix whispered desperately as another, soft vibration appeared along his body.

Glitch.

End of Chapter 02.