Special thanks to special reviewers:
Browserboy129, IzzyRoxUrSox14, Tybee10, Hateisjustaword, kopycat101, Lookingpastmysadness, UnofficiallyClove, WolfRida, and mrslukecastellan. Without you all, this probably wouldn't be as far as it is now. To everyone else who stuck with me, thank you.
IMPORTANT: This creative idea was fully mine. I did not steal others thoughts. All Review, Author, Character, Fictobia, and Monitor concepts were mine. I'm glad you liked it, but do NOT recreate it in another fanfiction. I have a feeling it will eventually, but don't be the one to start it. If you do, I will hunt you down, buy a rabid kitten launcher off of Ebay, and aim it at your face. Have a nice day, and thank you for your time.
"Who!"
Caf beams me an open-mouthed grin. "The best Victor to ever live. You'll see." With grace, she stands up, with me following her lead. She glances down at the Review box at her toes. "Oh, Hateisjustaword and Kopycat101 had a baby review! Her name is Seven, and she is a shimmery purple!"
"What do Reviews even look like?" I ask.
"They're little fluff balls that tend to meander around. Ever so fragile. My favorite one," Caf points to a place in the box, "is that spaz. It's clementine orange! So pretty. Anyways," she continues, shaking her head. Caf puts her palm facing me by her side. "Cato, once you touch my hand, get it off the next second." She stares right at me with sophistication.
I chortle. "Why do you care!"
She darts me the stupid glare and whispers, "Fictobia!"
"It's just a legend!" I pop back at her. She acts surprised as her eyebrows raise.
"And how would you know?"
In an instant, my arms wrap around Caf in a hug. I feel her squirm in rebellion, but I don't let her go. A few seconds later, she stops firing her "Cato! Stop!"'s, and falls limp in my hands. I let her go. Caf looks up at me, very unsure about what just happened. She shuffles her feet awkwardly for a moment, then skims my hand to teleport us away without another word.
When I open my eyes, we seem to be in some sort of sewer system. No lights hang the circular walls, but flashlights from a military-outfitted clumsily-rushing group ahead of us lead the way. Caf is fixed on something ahead of us, in her own dream ecstasy state of mind."Caf!" I wave my hand in front of her her eyes, causing her to give a twitch of the head and snap back to our mission. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, yea, fine!" she sings, more enthusiastic than I planned.
"Well, it kinda looked like you-" but I drop what I was about to say, knowing it would only embarass her. I imagine her blushing a rosy pink.
"Cato. You have to promise me something."
"Yes?" Her tone sounds more serious than ever before. What is so important?
"You can't let him die. You hear me? I've already sobbed while reading it three times, I don't want to see this in person. Understand?" Still locking in on my eyes, she slowly slips a diminutive white envelope from her pocket and into her hands.
"Ye-" But something cuts me off from finishing.
Behind Caf, three dark figures arise. The lighting from the pack in front of us continues to travel away, leaving an ominous presence. She gives a questioning tilt of the head, pondering why I didn't fully respond. Caf must feel something behind her, because when she turns around, her scream vibrates through the air for a split second, and then it is taken away as her and the statues cloaked in darkness disappear.
Something in me aches. I can't figure out what though, because my mind won't focus on it for more than two seconds. Who were they? Where are they? What's happening? Is Caf safe?
I want to curl up in a ball on the floor concrete below me and cry, but another thing locates my thoughts. Cato? Are you there?
What was that? My mind playing tricks on me, I presume. I'm going crazy. I am, and there's nothing I can do but let the tears run down my neck.
Cato? Answer me! Please! Are you okay?
Is it Caf? No, it can't be, she is nowhere around. But it sounds like her voice. I have to believe in myself. Just believe.
Caf?
Cato! Thank god! You picked up on the telepathic skill quickly. Do they have you?
They?
Monitors! Do they have you?
Um, no.
Teleport to me. Believe you can do it, I know you can.
I can. Another room flashes before my eyes. In front, facing away from me, are three people, all in loose fitting comfy clothing. The back of one girl looks to be in her mid-twenty's, her dark brown hair tied into a pony tail complementing her tanner skin. Next to her is another boy, about the same age, with scruffy, unkempt blonde hair and a pale skin tone. A woman, about 5 years older, stands with perfect posture and wavy brown hair flowing down her back. In front of them I can see an outline of Caf, her knee's violently shaking together. The three people don't seem to notice my entrance into the small, dark room with a couple of light bulbs swinging on a single cord. Behind me, a row of computers and a collection of tangled wires sits on a suspended table attached to the wall.
"Do you know what this means, Pen Name CinnaAndFinnickLiveInMyHeart, Userid 2785586? You have broken all rules the Author has to accept upon committing to FanFiction." It appears to be coming from the older girl.
Dear god, Cato! They're going to take my account! I can practically hear Caf balling with pure terror.
I frantically look around me for anything useful. Proped up against the off-white wall, an aluminum metal bar calls my name. Without any thoughts, my hands dart over to it and bring it down with much force on a large gray box, rivers of colored cables coming from it.
The three Monitors all slash their heads back to me in sync, horror arched on their facial features. The lead woman, dressed in a baggy sweatshirt with a university emblem on it, spins back on Caf, yelling. "Do you see what you did, 2785586! You make contact with a Character like this, and you shut down the anime sector temporarily!" Her emerald green eyes are like daggers piercing Caf, each attack taking her energy. The woman's hand sweeps across Caf to the right, and even though she doesn't touch her, Caf is swept onto the floor like a useless marionette on strings, being released when her hand is dropped to her side. She gives me one last death stare, and strides with her colleagues out the door into another corridor.
When the door slams shut, Caf makes a grunt and tries to get up, but I rush to her aid. "Are you okay?"
She just looks at me. "Do you think I'm okay?" Caf must be fine enough to still have her sarcastic humor. "She took my account. My account. The final blow, that did it." She shakes her head mournfully. "It wasn't your fault, Cato. It was mine. It usually takes the servers hours for updates to make changes, but for something this big, I'll be surprised if I get a few more minutes.
"We could have done so much more than we accomplished. We know the Review species will thrive, the way they're headed, but Finnick... That's inexcusable. We could have even gone to the Battle of Hogwarts! But no, now Teddy will have never known his parents. But good job crashing the anime server, those people are freaks."
I give a fake chuckle and a real smile, like I understand. "Yeah." Whatever anime is. "You're not going to die, are you?" I ask.
Caf gives a full-hearted laugh. "Of course not! It's like a finale to a T.V. show. The Characters might not be visible, but they still live, right?"
"Right. So, Fictobia was just Monitors, I'm guessing?"
"Pretty sure. People always need something to blame on for their sanity, and when one goes missing, why not a disease?" Caf's face tenses up suddenly, like she feels something I don't. "I'm going to miss you, Cato."
A lone tear trickles down my cheek. "Me too."
I put my arms out to hug her, but when I am sure they would be around her, Caf is gone.
Believe in myself. She can come back if I just believe, right? Just like she told me?
But after minutes of struggling, nothing happens. Caf is gone.
I have to try one more thing. Just believe.
With trembling fingers, I reach into my pocket and feel for the edges of a note I have long since missed. And there it is.
How to Remember Me
And as my eyes read down the page, a smile creeping up on my lips, I truly begin to believe the importance of believing.