*sigh*And we still haven't reached the climax yet. Man, this is fun...

Games

Ch 23: Hallucination Thingies, Huh?

I'm sitting in the middle of the netherrack arena. The Team left a few minutes ago after shouting a few more insults and ushering Ty to the exit.

Did they not see Herobrine? Did they not see what I saw? Maybe I'm going crazy.

"Skybrine, I need you to leave now so I can prepare this room for Challenge Four."

I tiredly lift my head to look at the GameMaster where he sits on top of one of the three-block-tall netherrack structures. "Please don't call me Skybrine. My name is Sky. I am Sky."

The GameMaster shrugs, swinging his legs. "Sorry, but now I've got even more reason to call you Skybrine, so I won't stop any time soon. I must apologize, though, for screwing up your vision and causing the hallucinations."

"The halluci- what!?"

"Yes, that was me. I used one of my powers to change some of what you saw and heard. I couldn't change how Ty moved, what he did with his arms, hands, or legs, but I could make it seem like you were facing off with Herobrine. And I did, so..."

"You realize you just ruined all of my standing friendships?"

"It's okay, you still have all your sitting friendships!" the GameMaster jokes badly, making a 'bah-dum, tss!' sound.

I groan and bury my face in my hands. I'm such an idiot! Now the entire Team hates me, they think I'm just like my crappy psychopath of a dad.

You know, they're sort of right. I mean, that feeling I had right before I was about to kill who I thought was Herobrine...

I don't know.

I wish I'd never convinced the Team to sign up for the game show. I should have known the GameMaster would be too much for me- for us. It was a stupid idea. Ty was right, I have really stupid ideas sometimes. Okay, fine, all the time.

Hey, wait, I just realized something!

In the Game Room, right before the actual game show started, I told Ty that I could see the future and that everything would be alright (I was obviously wrong, but shut up and let me continue). Earlier today, I predicted that I'd lose all my friends and get kicked out of Team Crafted, and I was right!

I've become a psychic!

Shh, it's the one highlight of my day, let me cherish it.

"Skybrine? You gonna leave, or what?"

"Could I just stay for... for a few more minutes? I just need to- to think, and I won't be able to knowing all my friends are in the rooms next door."

"... Sure. I guess. I still hate you, though."

"Don't worry, I won't forget."

There's silence for a bit while the GameMaster flies around and does little poofy things that make the stands around the arena disappear and be replaced by beige flooring. Then he suddenly speaks up again. "Uh, this might not work, since they were pretty mad, and... Well, I don't exactly want your friends to forgive you, because when your life is hard, mine is fun, but... You could, um, you could try to explain to them what I did. You could tell them about the hallucinations."

I look up at him with a surprised expression. He's right, I could at least try to explain... "T-Thank you," I say quietly.

"Woah, woah, don't you dare say thank you. We are mortal enemies, got that? Okay, we're technically immortal enemies, but still."

I roll my eyes and stand up, heading towards the Challenge door. "Right. Well, bye."

"See ya later."

"I hope not."

"That's the spirit!"

I roll my eyes again as I fling open the door and walk under the budder arch. How am I going to explain this to my friends? 'Oh, sorry, guys, the GameMaster altered my vision so Ty looked like my demonic father.' Yeah, I'm sure they'll believe that.

Ironically, if the mini-challenge had never happened, if Ty and I hadn't been enemies before Challenge Three began, Ty would have believed me. Even though I'm the one who attacked him, he still would have stood up for me.

He won't do that now.

I can't even bring myself to be angry as I pass the spot where I dropped my budder and captured squids earlier and find it empty. Almost empty. All that is left are the ropes I used to tie the squids up.

Right now I'm just sad. I feel hopeless. I lost all of my friends, and let's face the reality, here: I probably will not get them back. I'm alone.

I silently open the door to the Living Quarters, praying that no one is in the front hallway. Thankfully, no one is, and I walk carefully inside. "H-Hello?" I call out timidly. "Guys?"

"We don't want to talk to you, Sky!" someone shouts.

I sigh. "Please let me try to explain!"

"Oh, yes, please! We would love to listen to you explain how you were going to chop Ty's head off. Or were you going to torture him a bit before you killed him, just for the fun of it? Herobrine would be proud."

I flinch away from their tone and words. Geez. "Guys, seriously! I have a legit explanation for why I did what I did!"

Seto flings open Ty's bedroom door. "Fine, come give it to us." I walk towards him. "But don't come anywhere near Ty, and don't try anything funny on us."

I huff and shut the door lightly behind me as I enter the room to be met by glares from everyone but Ty, who simply refuses to look at me. "It was the GameMaster," I blurt, temporarily unable to elaborate.

"Oh, really? And I assume the GameMaster just happened to have a SkyDoesMinecraft suit?" Mitch asks sourly, resting his chin in his hand as he sits on the edge of Ty's bed.

"I- no. The GameMaster gave me hallucination thingies, like- uh- he sort of changed my vision so Ty would look like my dad."

"Hallucination thingies, huh?"

I groan. "Guys, you have to believe me. For the majority of that fight, I was completely convinced I was fighting Herobrine. It was only near the end that I realized something wasn't right, and then the hallucinations wore off and I could see properly again."

"Of course," Jason says sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Because us yelling 'Stop!' at the top of our lungs wasn't enough to alert you that something was off."

I bite my lip. "I'm sorry! I thought- I thought that- okay, I don't know what I thought, but I certainly didn't think I was about to kill Ty!"

"Sure you didn't."

I blow out a breath, stepping toward Seto. "Come on, dude, you believe me, right? You're a sorcerer. The GameMaster would have enough power to alter my sight, wouldn't he?"

Seto steps back when I step forward, and I sigh. "Maybe. Possibly. But he wouldn't do that. When you were fighting out there, growling threats, that was all you."

Ian snorts. "You literally hissed Ty's name once." His voice switches to a sarcastic tone as he adds, "Yeah, you were obviously fighting Herobrine."

I furrow my eyebrows. I did, didn't I? It must have looked really bad to them- they couldn't hear what Herobrine was saying to me. "I-I- I wasn't- It isn't- I was responding to Herobrine!"

"Uh huh. And why'd it take you so long to think of that reply?" Jerome asks.

"I was surprised! Honestly, guys! You know I would never hurt any of you!"

"No. No, we don't," Quentin says, glaring at me.

I let out a frustrated breath as I reach out toward Ty, walking closer to his bed. "Ty-"

Ty squeezes his eyes shut and lets out a barely audible squeak, and Seto immediately starts to push me back towards the door. "No, you're not going to hurt him anymore, Skybrine!"

S-Skybrine?

I don't move, instead only staring at Seto in shock. Skybrine. He called me Skybrine.

I wonder if Ty still considers Sky and Skybrine two different people like he did in the second Challenge.

I don't think he does.

I let out a shaky breath and take a step back. "O-Okay. Okay, I'm, I'm not going to hurt him. I'm going now."

"You'd better," Jason growls. "We don't want to see you ever again."

"Tough luck," I reply, amazed at how firm my voice came out this time. "I live right next to Ty and across from the Ssunkipz."

Ian and Quentin glare at me again. "We'll move upstairs, share rooms with the others."

"S-Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"F-Fine, then."

"Goodbye."

I nod slowly, choking out a quiet "Goodbye," as I back out the door and move to my own bedroom.

Alone.

And feeling like Skybrine.