"Was it my fault?" the woman asked, seated before me. Despite my best efforts, I struggled to recognize her. "Did you love me?" she asked, her expression tinged with sadness. There was a familiar quality about her. And then she uttered the words that brought clarity, "Don't you remember? It's me, Sonia."

I remember now. I remember everything.

But I found myself unable to utter a single word.

"Well, I suppose I should be on my way then," she declared, standing up and turning away. "I knew this moment would arrive, but I never expected you to be the one to bring it all to an end." She paused, her voice heavy with emotion. "I would never have broken up with you. The only way that could have happened was if you ended it first." She fell silent momentarily, her gaze fixed on the dark emptiness surrounding us. "It seems you've grown weary of me, haven't you? I should have been prepared for something like this, right?" With those words, she began to walk away into the void, her figure slowly fading from view. "My love for you was genuine, Eli. I only wish yours had been the same."

I woke up.

The sun came beading in, assaulting my closed eyes. I attempted to block the sun with my hand, but to no avail; I was already far from falling back asleep. Something was odd; I felt like I was in a bed far from my own. I could tell the difference due to my bed being uncomfortable and creaky. My assumption was confirmed as I looked around to view an entirely different room from my own. It was a simple-style bedroom with somewhat of an Asian design. The window from which the sun entered gave me a view of the outside. It was not the sun, but just fog. I could only see a few meters outside. I saw houses almost identical to each other near mine. They had a resemblance to Asian homes.

How did I arrive here? The last thing I can remember is that I was in my room, sitting in front of my computer. I was finishing some visual novel game; however, I can not recall its name. After finishing it, I was left with sorrow, as if I had lost someone close to me. Then I fell asleep on my bed, not here. I started scratching my wrist; it was instinctive to do when I was nervous or trying to think.

Still gazing out the window, I saw someone walking in my direction. The girl was wearing a school uniform that was tanned brown with a blue skirt. As they got closer, I could see more of their characteristics: it was a girl with light orange hair that didn't go past her shoulders. She had a red bow in her hair. My memory suddenly returned to me. That was my supposed closest friend from childhood, Sayori. My mind went racing—how was I here? What is going on? I looked at the unknown closet; it had the same uniform as Sayori's. However, it was a male uniform. I suddenly felt weird, as if my stomach felt sick.

What was going on? Why was Sayori here, and where the hell was here? I saw myself through a mirror placed on the closet door. I saw myself just as I had fallen asleep, wearing sweatpants and a shirt with some rock band on it. My short, brown, straight hair was messy, as it always was. My skinny appearance made it look like I was on the brink of starvation, but I overeat a lot. I looked at specific parts of my body that I knew had scars. However, all my spots were gone, as if this wasn't a replica of my body but a completely new one. I grabbed my school clothes and quickly put them on as I heard the doorbell ring. As I descended the stairs, I recognized the house's layout. However, it was not my house, as I didn't live in a home; I resided in an apartment. I went to the front door, still buttoning up my blazer; I opened the door and came face to face with Sayori. Her features were more prominent and recognizable. She had her school bag in hand.

I remained silent as I recalled the last time I saw her. Her corpse, still hanging from the ceiling, had blood at her fingertips. The urge to throw up hit me. She was the one to initiate a conversation before I could. "Eli? Is something on my face?" Her words fell upon my ears; however, I was deaf then. I was still stunned. She knew my name; would it be logical to play along?

After an eternity, I said, "No, sorry, it's nothing." I swallowed and cleared my throat because, for some unknown reason, my voice sounded more husky than usual.

"Are you ready for our senior year?" She asked me. Senior year? I thought Japanese schools didn't measure their students like that. "Sure, let's go then," I said in response, hoping my voice would return to normal and she would guide me to this supposed school. I grabbed a bag off of a coat rack and found keys inside the bag. I locked the door with them, and we walked toward the school.

It was difficult to tell where we were going. The fog was heavy, and only a few lights were visible. The mist didn't seem normal whatsoever. There was something off about it. Like it was not made of water but something chemically man-made.

Sayori seemed not disturbed by this fog, as if it were regular in this place. None of the moments within the visual novel I had any moments of fog. While I had many queries regarding this weather, I didn't want to ask Sayori because I was still thinking about her suicide.

"So, are you thinking of joining any clubs this year?" Sayori asked. I knew what she wanted; it was only apparent at this point.

"No, I haven't considered it," I told her while scratching my wrist. She looked happy.

"Well, I have one club you can join: the literature club!" She said it with a smile. Was I supposed to join? I know you don't participate till later in the game, such as after school, but I hope this doesn't affect anything too seriously.

"The literature club? That's your club. I've been thinking I should, at the very least, visit and see if it's a good fit for me." I said. She looked even happier than before. She pulled me into a hug, or at least her impression of how it would feel to be crushed in a car compactor.

"That's so great! Thank you, Eli!" She yelled. I was in pain, but I said nothing. She let go, and we continued walking. "I can't wait for after school," she said with the same smile. It still struck me odd how she's so happy right now, but deep down, I know she's suffering. During the game, there was nothing I could do to help her. All I could do was watch as she got even worse. I hope now I can make an impact. The way there was odd. There was a shortage of people walking to this supposed school. There would be occasional car passing, but I only observed two passing during our entire walk.

We made it to school only a few seconds after our conversation ended. Oddly, I only lived a few blocks away from the school. I looked at the sign and saw its name, "Midwich High School," an odd name for a Japanese school.

"So Eli, I'll meet you after school, okay?" I nodded, and she walked off into the school. Other students were also present, but not as many as there appeared to be. Oddly enough, there are too few students to attend this school, but I wouldn't know how Japanese schools work. All the students I had seen, besides Sayori, did not have bright-colored hair, and none of them looked familiar. I walked into the school. It was a regular Japanese school with some hints that it contained American features. Classroom designs, doors, room numbers, and colors, for example.

I looked inside my bag and saw a folded piece of paper, pencils, notebooks, and a phone. While none of these struck me as odd, the phone was the exception. It was a pink flip phone. I looked at it to see that it was empty, except for one contact, Sayori. I closed the phone and took out the folded paper. It was a note that had my class's locations for the day. Not only that, but there was also something written on the back: "I'm waiting for you." It struck me as somewhat cryptic; however, I know who it is from. I made it to my class, and it was normal. Nothing but the basics of biology—I never thought I'd have to sit through another class. I had already graduated high school and never planned on going to college. I just got a job that paid well and ranked up to get paid more.

The following two classes proceeded as usual, and lunch had finally arrived. I made my way to the lunchroom; the hallways looked empty, as if there wasn't anyone in the school. The lunch room was filled with students, but there seemed to be only forty. I grabbed a plate of food, a Salisbury steak with mashed potatoes and corn, and sat at a corner table. Looking at my food, I suddenly became aware that what was served was American food. I began to question the reality of this school, but I decided there were more pressing matters than that. I looked around for anyone who looked familiar, but there were none. The people sitting a few spaces away from me were discussing their everyday lives.

The last two classes proceeded as usual, and as quickly as the day had started, it ended. I felt this day was rushed, like it was sped up without my knowledge, as if time moved faster. I exited my classroom and was not expecting to see Sayori standing so close to the door. As a result, it caused me almost to stumble backward. "Eli, are you ready to go?" She asked.

"You scared me, Sayori," I said, watching her become nervous.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. I just wanted to come and get you for the club."

"It's all right; let's just go, okay?" She nodded, and we began walking to the supposed clubroom.

"One of our group members, Natsuki, made cupcakes, and she was going to bring them today."

"Sayori, I already said I'd join; a bribe is unnecessary." She looked shocked, as if I had offended her.

"I am not trying to bribe you; I just wanted you to know."

I chuckled, "Well, I know you'll enjoy them."

"Welp, let's go," She chirped as I watched the door to the classroom open. Within this room lies pain, suffering, regret, abuse, loss, and depression. I don't know if I could even help negate those emotions. I started to scratch my wrist even more now. I could see the red marks left on it. Can I save everyone? Would I even be able to save her? Not Sayori. It was someone else. She was more real to me than the others. I figured she would recognize who I am, but all I can do now is hope for the best. I walked into the classroom.

"Welcome, our newest member, Eli!" Sayori proclaimed it as if it were the new word of God. There they were, all together, huddled in a group. A tall girl, around five feet and five inches, was wearing the same outfit as everyone else in the school. She had long purple hair and was holding on tightly to a book. This girl was Yuri, the supposed Maiden of Mystery. I had taken some interest in her, mainly because of her self-harm in the second act. On her left side was a more diminutive girl, around four feet tall. She was donning the uniform with pink hair fastened into petite pigtails held with a clip. This girl was Natsuki, who was cute on the inside, as the game described her. Of course, I knew everything about her bratty and obnoxious side.

Finally, at the far left of the two was a girl wearing the uniform, with black nylon socks and pink shoes instead of the usual white socks and white shoes. She was around five feet tall, and her hair was some light brown color tied back into a long ponytail. I could see her emerald-green eyes piercing into my soul. It was as if I had met a long-lost friend. A friend who was dear to me and who I was to her. The club's president, the mastermind behind the second act of this horrifying game, and someone very close to me. There stood Monika.

There was nothing but silence for a few seconds. The only sound was the wind coming in through a slightly ajar window. I stared at Monika, wondering if she knew my presence here was unnatural.

Suddenly, Monika spoke, "Eli, we need to talk." She had said it so severely that the other girls were surprised at her sudden change in demeanor.

Sayori looked concerned and asked, "Is everything okay?" I looked at her and saw her blue eyes staring back at me. Monika wasn't the type to be demanding, except during the second act. However, even before the horror of this game was revealed, she was sweet and caring. I hope she still is.

"Don't worry," I said to Sayori, "we just need to talk about some schoolwork." She looked calmer, even relieved. Monika walked outside of the classroom, and I followed her. I could feel the eyes of the girls staring at us. I started clawing at my wrist, now even more brutal than usual. I continued as my anxiety grew; what was Monika planning to say?

She closed the door behind us and faced me with a severe expression, the same one I had. Even though we were only a foot apart, I could hear her soft, quiet, and gentle breath. Her emerald eyes met mine. Without any warning, Monika pulled me into a hug. Her head lay on my chest, and her arms wrapped around me. She stayed in that position for a few moments before moving away.

"I'm sorry, I just needed to do that," she said sadly." It's okay; I think I needed that as well," I reassured her. "You know this place never had any fog, right?" I questioned. She nodded and looked concerned." I don't know why it's like this now. I didn't do anything; I can't either way." She couldn't do anything? "What are you talking about? You can manipulate the world; why can't you do it anymore?" She looked down at the floor and said, "My access was restricted when I brought you here." That sentence brought up another subject I hadn't thought about: why was I brought here into this world?

"Wait," I interrupted, "why am I here? How did you even get me here?" I asked. She was still looking downward, seemingly unable to look at me. It was as if she was about to confess that she had murdered someone. "I wanted to bring you here because I love you, Eli, and I couldn't bear to never be with you, so I brought you here." I never said I wanted to be here. I was doing alright in my life.

I had a small apartment in a small town in Texas. They would say everything is bigger in Texas, but that only applies to high interest rates and houses. My apartment was simple. It was one bedroom, and that's it. I was living alone; sure, it was what I wanted, considering how annoying my family was, but I was still pretty lonely. I had a girlfriend; her name was Sonia. She was the most beautiful woman I've ever met, and she had everything I could ask for. She was sweet, kind, understanding, funny, and humble. However, I broke up with her because of me. While happy with her, I suffered mental problems like depression and self-harm. With those slowly becoming worse, she took notice. She was stressed out because of me. I didn't want to see her like that. I began slowly pushing her away, hanging out with her less, and talking less. I started to lose feelings for her. I thought it was a good thing. It'll make the breakup easy for me, at least.

I had just finished playing some games when Sonia knocked on my door. I opened it to see her worried expression.

"Eli? You called?" I felt a strange sensation in my heart. "I think we need to break up." Her eyes widened, and her mouth parted slightly. It must have felt like an unimaginable pain in her heart; that's how all breakups feel. Still, I needed her to hear this. "You aren't happy with me; I see your texts and how you act; you're stressed out over me. It would help if you weren't like that. If you're not happy, then I'm not either. I'm sorry, but we can no longer be together."

"Wait, Eli, please, I can change. I'm sorry; please don't do this." Sonia said she was pleading. I didn't want to do this, but I had to. As I closed the door, Sonia said again, "Give me one more chance, Eli, please. I'm sorry." I walked back to my room and sat down on the bed. I looked up at the computer. There was Monika's poem thanking me for everything. I began crying silently. After that, I fell asleep. When I woke, I was here in this new world.

Monika's voice retrieved me from my recollection: "Are you okay?" In truth, I wasn't. I was remembering all the times with Sonia.

My eyes got watery, but no tears fell from my eyes, "I'm okay," and I quickly rubbed my eyes. Monika's face had grown with worry. "It's Sonia, right?" she asked. I was confused—how did she know about Sonia? "How did you know?" I tried to smile.

She held onto my hands and said, "Because I saw almost everything, I watched her give you everything I wanted to give you—love, comfort, solitude, everything. But I couldn't; I was only able to watch. Seeing you cry after breaking up with Sonia hurt me as much as it did you. I wanted to give you solitude. I wanted to tell you that everything would be okay." I was taken aback. Did she love me this much? What the hell?

I looked at her, those emerald-green eyes staring into my soul, waiting for an answer. I didn't know what to say. "Monika, I don't know how I feel about this; just give me some time to process this, please." She didn't say anything; she just nodded. "Are you ready to head back inside?" Again, she said nothing and nodded. I felt as if I had done something. "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." I said. My words, those damn words, sorry, didn't mean to; it's my fault. I clawed at my forearm.

Sonia understood me, always knowing I didn't mean to do something. However, another event led me to repeat those words constantly within our relationship. I had another girlfriend before Sonia; her name was Victoria. She wasn't a good girl, getting into trouble doing drugs. Why did I date her? Because she was my first lover and a damn good lair. She manipulated me into stealing money, drugs, medications, etc. She would cheat on me, but she always convinced me otherwise. She always convinced people that I was the culprit and that she was just an innocent girl, a bystander. I would always apologize to her because the drugs would make her mad for some unknown reason.

One day, I was going to tell her I didn't want to date anymore, but I found out she was in the hospital for an overdose. She was at a party and overdosed; however, she was just passed around by the men at the party and used like a harlot, all without her knowing. She was in the hospital for weeks, and every time I visited, she wanted me to steal and would throw a tantrum if I refused. She was pregnant, and I didn't want any part of this. I left the town, which at the time was somewhere north of Tucson, Arizona, and went south to Texas. But that experience of dating her left me scared. I never told anyone, not even Sonia.

"What? No, no, it's okay," Monika reassured me. "I was just thinking about something." Her hand grabbed onto the door. "Are you ready? I nodded, trying to forget about remembering everything about my past. However, it would be difficult to live with the fact that I am alone again. While I do have Monika loving me every step of the way, I feel like it won't last. But I can't let that get to me right now. I must focus on the present because that's all I can do. I can't mourn the past; it's gone, and I'll never get another chance to fix it. So I'll fix what's happening now. I'll escape this world and maybe even help the others escape. I can't let the past hold me down anymore.

"Do I know you?" Asked a familiar voice. I turned to see who it was, and because this world was too ordinary, there had to be one fatal flaw with it. There she was, wearing the same uniform as me, Sonia.