Gaslight, Gatekeep, Godhood

by HumanWiki

The apocalypse began in a small town in Minnesota, when a young college student, looking for a distraction from her troubles, decided to pull a prank on her friend after he nearly failed Anthropology. Inventing fake gods? How fun! But in a world without Pokemon, there was a reason why their names weren't there, and now, it would never be the same.

4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Goodbye, Good Goodie Girl

The Kitchen - The Chat Kevin Can't See

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:37 AM: Y'all I did it.

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:37 AM: I did the thing.

wee (Caleb) - 1:37 AM: Leah it's one AM, go to sleep.

Hally-Oop - 1:38 AM: You don't even want to know what she did?

wee (Caleb) - 1:38 AM: You're up too?

wee (Caleb) - 1:38 AM: It's so early rn! Go to bed!

Hally-Oop - 1:38 AM: YOU'RE ALSO AWAKE!

wee (Caleb) - 1:39 AM: Obviously! I'm like two feet away from you two! I know what she did! I'm right there!

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:39 AM: …i don't.

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:39 AM: Why are we all texting each other about going to bed we are literally in the same room.

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:40 AM: Oh hey Arty.

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:40 AM: hello

wee (Caleb) - 1:40 AM: "Arty"?

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:40 AM: that is my name, yea

Hally-Oop - 1:40 AM: You two know each other? :o

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:40 AM: Surprisingly we do.

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:40 AM: my parents work at that planetarium out of town

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:41 AM: i'm the girl in the space hoodie who lurks there sometimes

Hally-Oop - 1:41 AM: THAT'S YOU?

Cherry Bomb - 1:41 AM: Yeah, it was p neat to learn that.

wee (Caleb) - 1:41 AM: Wait I remember that place.

wee (Caleb) - 1:41 AM: That's crazy.

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:42 AM: not rlly

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:42 AM: i mean, most of this group chat is a similar age range

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:42 AM: and you all live in the same tiny town, so i'd think you'd know each other

Hally-Oop - 1:42 AM: "You?" :o

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:43 AM: oh, i just go to school here. i don't live here.

wee (Caleb) - 1:43 AM: Oh, well that's… less crazy, I'd say.

Hally-Oop - 1:43 AM: A tad less magical when you put logic on it, lol.

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:43 AM: apologies

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:43 AM: leah what did you finish?

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:43 AM: The Pokemon thing.

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:43 AM: The Pokemon thing is done.

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:44 AM: wait like actually

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:44 AM: leah it's been like a week that's not possible

Hally-Oop - 1:44 AM: No, it's definitely possible.

wee (Caleb) - 1:44 AM: She's actually deranged so whatever she wants is possible.

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:44 AM: …can i see

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:45 AM: Read it and weep, girl.

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:45 AM:

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:45 AM: holy moly

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:45 AM: Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeah, innit great?

Hally-Oop - 1:45 AM: So great you went British?

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:45 AM: That great!

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:45 AM: woah these are rlly cool

wee (Caleb) - 1:46 AM: Wait, I don't recognize all of these.

Hally-Oop - 1:46 AM: YOU WENT AND MADE MORE?

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:47 AM: I mean, yea, ofc I did.

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:47 AM: Who do you think you're talking to?

wee (Caleb) - 1:47 AM: What is wrong with you.

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:47 AM: Yet to be decided.

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:47 AM: Now look at my handwork. Validate me.

wee (Caleb) - 1:48 AM: You terrify me…

Hally-Oop - 1:48 AM: That's her intention!

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:48 AM: :)

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:49 AM: oh, you made my family.

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:49 AM: those are so cute thank you leah

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:49 AM: Ofc!

Hally-Oop - 1:50 AM: All of them are so cute!

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:50 AM: I'm going to get so much validation right now that I make it through the summertime.

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:50 AM: Or, I would, but this chat is dead.

wee (Caleb) - 1:50 AM: That's because it's just about two in the morning.

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:51 AM: Oh.

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:51 AM: Well that ought to do it then.

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:52 AM: maybe he's right i do need to sleep i guess

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:52 AM: Aww, but my validation! D: /j

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:53 AM: But actually dw, I get it. I'll just wait for the general reaction in the morning 3

wee (Caleb) - 1:53 AM: Yeah that's probably a good thing. Time to get you to sleep.

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:53 AM: No.

wee (Caleb) - 1:53 AM: Hally has fallen asleep in the time it took for us to have this conversation, go to bed.

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:54 AM: OK, OK, fine, I will…

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:54 AM: i'll take a better look when i wake up i'm rlly sorry

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:54 AM: So will I, lol.

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:54 AM: that way i can be awake to see it and also get a reaction with march and vivi too

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:54 AM: Oh are you three like a trio?

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:55 AM: i mean we are friends

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:55 AM: i think

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:55 AM: Aw, you should've told me, I would've made your 'mons more related to each other if I knew :/

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:56 AM: i'm just grateful i have one at all tysm

wee (Caleb) - 1:56 AM: Artemis, you're very kind, but stop edging her on, she needs to go to bed.

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:57 AM: Well you're no fun, are you?

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:57 AM: it is basically 2 am

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:57 AM: D:

wee (Caleb) - 1:58 AM: Keep in mind, I can see you texting rn, Leah. I could just take your phone.

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:58 AM: Over my dead body.

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:58 AM: uh

wee (Caleb) - 1:58 AM: Arty, you probably ought to go to sleep as well. Let's all just go to sleep now, OK?

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:58 AM: you're also awake

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:59 AM: where did he go

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:59 AM: he fell asleep

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:59 AM: i suppose i need to do that too

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:59 AM: Gn

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:59 AM: gn leah

Danny 3 - PM:

*Star* (Artemis) - 2:01 AM: what

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 2:01 AM: Danny?

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 2:01 AM: Wait, you're never up early, what gives?

*Star* (Artemis) - 2:01 AM: hey leah what's wrong with his thingie it says pm

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 2:02 AM: Wait actually yeah hey Danny wtf is that.

*Star* (Artemis) - 2: 0 2 AM: do you think his account is hacked

Danny 3 - ePM: h

*Star* (Artemis) - 2:02 AM: leah you made this chat what's going on

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 2:03 AM: Idk but someone got into Danny's account I think.

*Star* (Artemis) - 2:03 AM: is that a different timezone he's in?

Danny 3 - 8:07000001 PPPPPPPM: ȟ̷̨͇̺̐̈ệ̶͍̠̀̾̃

*Star* (Artemis) - 2:04 AM: what

*Star* (Artemis) - 2:04 AM: uh danny what are you doing

*Star* (Artemis) - 2:05 AM: leah i think it's doing something to my phone is this a virus

*Star* (Artemis) - 2:05 AM: did it get you too?

Danny 3 ï̴͔͖̩̠̱̤̳̍́̔̒͐̋̐ ̶̡̲̪̤͕̭͔̀́͒̑̀̾͠Ð̷̢̡͓̝͍̪̆͒͌͗͑̓̌ͅð̸̡͇̮͉̱̘̣̃͌̿̈́̓͗̚ñ̴̲͈͈̩̥̖͉̆̉͋͒̒͠͝'̶̡̬̹̱̳͚̇̋̊̾̽̍͜͠†̶̧̪͈̲̫̟̥́̍̾̄̈̓̕ ̴̛̜̞͉̘̼͖͓̐͂͛̈́̐̆k̸̙̻͓̞͍͙̼̎̇͒̀̆̂̀ñ̷̡̛̪̻̹͎̯͙́̉͛͑̈́̕ð̴͚̮̻̹̱̪̓̒̾͊̔͐̀͜w̸̱͔͔̙̰̼̍̇͗̓̀͗͘͜ ̶͎̯͍̫̝͓̱̋̔͂̿̓̀͝w̶͖̻͔̠̲̣̉͋̔̋̉͝͝ͅh̵̖̘͕̭̻͖͕̎̌̌̈́̽̒ế̴͓̗͉͙̼̺̫͊́͛̑̆̇r̴̩̟̬̜̪̬̋̾́̈̈́̐̕ͅê̷̛̜̥̹̯̼͙͉̍͐̃̎̚͝ ̴̼͖̪̣̳͕̤̂̌͊̊̊͝͝ï̸̧̡̢̜̘̺̖͊͂̈́͂͋̀͘ ̸͇͚̼̣̤̰͓̍̈́̉̾̑̈́͠*̷̨̠̗̯̣̫̍̑͌̈̍̔͒͜*̷̡̩̫͉͇́̈̀̏̈́̈̄͜ͅ

*Star* (Artemis) - 2:05 AM: it's breaking my screen leah get rid of it pls!

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 2:06 AM: That's not a virus.

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 2:06 AM: I don't know what that is but it's doing something I don't know wh̶̡̪̪̠̖̮̻̳̗͎̯͓̜̗̟̺̓̍́̐̇̂̏͗̀̄̒̃̌̑͠͝å̶̛͕͈̤̥̠̜̗̳̝̱͎̥̺̹̺̙̈̍̄̆̀̔̏͑͋̈́̒̽̏͘͝†̷̡̗͉͍̝̯̩̬̹͉͕̤̝̺͂̅̌̂͆̄̉̋̾̊̋̑͆͂͘͝

*Star* (Artemis) - 2:07 AM: oh holy r̸̡̛̖͙̲̱̝̭͙̮̬̹̳̰̹̞̆̄̀̓̓͑̏̽͒̽͛͂̈͜͠ê̶̡͙̱͙̩̤͕̣̙͕̖̪̹̝̣͙͒̎͐̄̍̈́̈́̒͋̂̍͑̚̕͝Ð̷̢̧̧̛̹͙̩͔̬͖̺̗̱͉͎̣͊̑͌̆̿̈̀̀̌̉̚̚͠å̷̢̢̬̟͙͇̳̳̥͕̦̗̀̽̊͛͛͊̈́̿̉͂̿̅̋͌̀͊͜ͅ¢̴̡̡̛̬̫̰̺̦̥̲͈̫̞͓̬̱̟͋̏̑͆̆̈͗̈́̑̏̂̉̓̅͗†̵̢̙͚̥͉̖̪͓͖̭̠̮̬̫̹̪̌͂̑̂́̍̔̉͑̈̋̚̚͝͝ê̷̡͓̱̞͉͖͔̣̱̪̲̖͍̮̫͔̇̃͑̑̂̏̃͆̈́̾̎́̈́̄̕͝Ð̶̢̢̡̢̛͎̗̻̺̠̩͙̻̝͚͙̈́͊̀̓͊̿̀́̊͋̍̓̈̚͝ leah are you ð̴̢̥͇̦̜̙̺̙͚̲͉̣̏͐́̋̃̎͂̃̒̈́̐̓͜͜͝͠ķ̷̡̡̨̝̝̜̥̺̹̤̪̺̖͆̓̆̓͐̑̍̆̃̈́͗̚̚͜͠

Danny 3 - 0:00 APM:

---

Danny didn't know where he was. He knew it was blue, that's it.

It was so quick, so terrifyingly fast. He had come home at about 8:07 or so last night, only to find a sight that even now, he couldn't wrap his head around. The sky had been torn to pieces, and Gina vanished in a plume of smoke. A mysterious being appeared on the lawn. Patty attacked it.

Now he was here. That's all he knew. He was floating, in a void of blue. Maybe he was falling, but there wasn't air here. He didn't feel anything. He couldn't feel his heart. His soul.

Such bland descriptions, he thought, but it was all he could muster. Bland descriptions, connoting nothing, meaning nothing, containing nothing, because he felt fear overwhelming him to the point where even his imagination had shut down in the process.

Was this death?

…

He reached for his phone.

Why did he do that? Well, he was in… not Heaven, because that wouldn't be… a blank blue void, he didn't think. Was this Hell? Had he gone to Hell? Limbo? Or was it Purgatory? Was he even dead? Was it… a dream?

So, he thought, could he contact his friends? Could they help him out of here?

It was literally the only thing he could think of. He was panicking. And, surprisingly, he could feel it in his jeans.

He grappled with it, grasping the device in his hands, but the phone seemed blank when he opened the chat app. Nothing there in the group chat. No one. Nothing. No conversation. Were they gone? Could he not reach them from here?

Still, he tried. Danny tried, because that's all he knew how to do.

Help.

There was no chat. Not one he could see.

He tried again, a bit more desperate. The screen flickered.

Help, I don't know where I am.

It kept flickering, white and black, but he pounded at the keyboard again, and over and over again, to no noticeable differences. He kept on tying the message, feeling himself get more and more and more panicked as time (didn't pass, not here, not without his permission) went by, and the walls—

the blue was closing in it was taking him he'd be gone pls help pls pls pls he's dying

Help Help Help Help Help Help Help

In one last flicker, however, much to his dismay, the phone went dark. No keyboard. No life. No chat. No spark.

He stared, breathing in. And out. And in…

…

…

…

BANG!

The phone had exploded in his hand.

Danny was certain he was falling now, now as he watched the shards of it float away from him, falling deeper into the… realm. Whatever it was.

All he could do was scream.

but oh how wrong it felt to do that

He could hardly see it as he fell further, but the scream, nay, the roar practically tore the realm in half, shattering it at his command. Because he told it to. He screamed at it in his fear. The all-consuming fear that strangled his ability to think.

But, despite all of that, he heard something, a small, faint thing that between the blood rushing through his ears, and the wind(?) whipping past, and the beating of his own heart threatening to explode in its chest, still managed to make itself heard over it all. A message for him. And only for him.

Time will follow you here, Dialga.

Dialga? Didn't Leah draw that for him a few days ago?

Miss Gigas has ordained it so, whether she knows that or not. Time, Dialga, is yours, here, everywhere, forever. Do with it as you wish.

And it was gone, as it started. No more.

… wait, that wasn't Daniel's name. Why would it call him that?

And that… that didn't make any sense. It just didn't. Time was something Leah gave him for fun. Nothing else. It wasn't literal. So what did it mean? His head, it…

In the corner of his eye, the shattered pieces of his smartphone; it was as if… they reversed. The phone put itself back together, and the screen blinked to life once more. At his command. At his will. At the roar.

oh no

---

wee (Caleb) - 1:58 AM: Keep in mind, I can see you texting rn, Leah. I could just take your phone.

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:58 AM: Over my dead body.

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:58 AM: uh

wee (Caleb) - 1:58 AM: Arty, you probably ought to go to sleep as well. Let's all just go to sleep now, OK?

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:58 AM: you're also awake

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:59 AM: where did he go

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:59 AM: he fell asleep

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:59 AM: i suppose i need to do that too

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 1:59 AM: Gn

*Star* (Artemis) - 1:59 AM: gn leah

(Danny 3 - PM:) message could not go through

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 2:07 AM: Arty are *you* OK—

*Star* (Artemis) - 2:07 AM: i thought we were pretending to be asleep rn

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 2:07 AM: Wait

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 2:08 AM: Wait where did all of those glitched messages go.

*Star* (Artemis) - 2:08 AM: what are you talking about

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 2:08 AM: Those messages from Danny.

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 2:08 AM: They were just here, did the convo get deleted from the virus or something?

*Star* (Artemis) - 2:09 AM: leah you're confusing me, danny hasn't been part of this convo

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 2:09 AM: …

*Star* (Artemis) - 2:09 AM: and i don't remember any glitched messages

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 2:10 AM: maybe I need to go to bed, I must have been dreaming.

*Star* (Artemis) - 2:10 AM: gn for real this time

*Star* (Artemis) - 2:10 AM: hope you get better

Cherry Bomb (Leah) - 2:10 AM: Me too…

---

525 Crown Road was very empty that morning.

Tuesday, late May 2024. It was— oh that was supposed to be the near future when I started writing this, wasn't it? I've spent so long writing out these events that now this is the past…. well, Happy Pride Month, I suppose. Yay?

…Ah yes, it's me, the Narrator. Sorry, this story gets so existential that I feel the need to introduce myself every time I come back. Hello! Yes, I'm alive. Now, back to it, right?

Now, let's zoom in, through the backyard and through the window… further… further… ah yes, that's about right. You'll see a man, a very large man, a burly one in the most tacky green flannel I've ever seen, standing and overlooking the backyard from the master bedroom on the bottom floor, simply stroking his beard as the sun rose behind the house, streaming in through the window. The bags under his eyes were larger than usual, but not for anything wrong, per se. It had been a long project, just outside town with his crew, and he had only just gotten home last Saturday. Despite that, however, he was the only one there, in the bedroom of 525 Crown Road.

…no, his wife isn't cheating on him. Scroll back up to Chapter Two, she's just at a show! It's all good!

…that didn't mean the man didn't miss her, though.

Besides her, Alexandria Gigas hadn't come home yet from her night out with Gina, doing… whatever it is that they did when they did that (he couldn't figure it out, adult girlfriends who… slept in separate bedrooms when one came over? He had a strange daughter…), and his wife, Sharon, would be coming home in a few days still. Leaving it as just him.

…THUD!

Oh, right, and also his three other kids too.

From his musings, he found himself staring up at the ceiling, above which lay the hallway with the siblings' bedrooms. Ah. So then, the triplets were awake.

…

…oh SHOOT the triplets were awake—

Ah… right! Breakfast, breakfast breakfast breakfast. It was morning, wasn't it? And he always made breakfast, that's just what he did…

AND THEY HAD TO GO TO SCHOOL!

Oh, shoot, shoot! He wasn't hardly this forgetful all the time, but it was just… ugh, between getting home just two days ago, and his wife being out, and Alex also being out, his brain was positively fried that afternoon. Afternoon? No it was morning, morning… get it right, Regi!

He quickly walked his way to the kitchen (running? no, he wouldn't stress his poor knees, goodness knows they didn't need that…), pulling out his bread, his milk, his cinnamon and sugar, and all of the other whatnot. French toast! Such an easy meal, he could make that in seconds! Well, no, minutes, but he was still short on time, might as well make the most of it…

OK, soak the bread… and fry the bread… good, good, and then… syrup? Syrup! They loved syrup, his kids. They went through so much of it that he was half wondering if they were somehow Canadian. (Well, Minnesota was still close enough, anyways…)

(*squeak!*)

But he stopped, just as he was pulling it out of the fridge.

…

After closing the fridge, Reginald turned, setting the syrup onto the counter, and there, on the wooden stool on the other side, sat a dark-skinned girl with thick framed glasses, already dressed somehow in the yellow turtleneck she could be seen in every day. She blinked, hands folded politely, not uttering a word.

"...Uni?"

"I'm sorry."

"Uni…"

Unique Gigas, a name both him and Sharon regretted choosing (a fact both of them will take to the grave), the youngest (by two minutes) of the Gigas triplets, had at some point came up to that stool completely undetected, for the most part, as she tended to do a lot. It was actually a rarity for her, being seen as she came, that is. She wasn't one for attention. And, as she received it, at that moment, Uni gulped, glancing away from her father, an embarrassed blush on her face as she got off the stool.

"I…" she started, taking the glasses off her face and cleaning it on her sweater nervously, "I know you told me to stop apologizing. Uh. Sorry about that…"

She put the glasses back on, then paused, realizing what she just said.

And covered her face.

"Oh, shoot, I'm sorry about that…"

Reginald just gave her a look, and she completely buried her face in her palms.

"SORRY!"

She only heard a sigh at that, and the familiar sound of a plate being pushed over the countertop.

"Uh… thanks dad," she told him, and with that, she left for the couch, too flustered to continue talking. He didn't mind, as long as she took the food, which she did. Uni was a shy girl, she didn't need to be prodded at, he didn't think.

Besides, his other daughter spoke so much that she made up for it.

Speaking of which…

"So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye…"

From his spot by the stovetop, he glanced over and saw that yes, in fact, Mary Gigas was awake again! And resuming her… what was it, fifth time watching The Sound of Music? Goodness gracious, he knew the summer youth musical was coming up, but…

"Mary!" he called out, and he could see the seventeen-year-old, in that pink dress of hers, similarly awake to Uni, although much more of a mess in comparison; hair tangled and mangled, eye bags big enough to be seen from space… she looked like she didn't sleep at all.

Mary had flopped onto the couch, idly watching the movie again, although she didn't seem much awake as she turned to look at her dad. Uni merely watched, silently, holding her plate close to her chest as she… oh, she forgot utensils.

Darn.

Well, it's not like she could ask for anything, ever, so she'd just wait until he was out of the kitchen to actually grab a fork. Or syrup. Or… uh… How long until they had to leave? Classes began at seven twenty, exactly, no earlier no later, and it was… six forty-five? OK. So like, thirty then. It would take a while for him to leave the kitchen, so maybe she could just not eat that morning…

"Mary…" Reginald said, and the girl paused her movie, which had been paused from where she passed out cold the night before. She glanced at him, still face down on the couch, with absolutely no light in her eyes whatsoever. Or, maybe she was just being overdramatic about it, as she tended to do. It wasn't like Uni could tell.

Sighing again (he wasn't a man of many words), the man just slid another plate of French toast over the counter, which Mary, in turn, stumbled over to like a drunkard. Mary didn't say much herself, just pulling up a stool and silently eating. She didn't tend to talk much in the mornings; she hated mornings. But even for a self-proclaimed "theater kid," whatever that meant, Mary was still incredibly overdramatic about that, Uni thought, watching Mary's head hit the counter as she fell to sleep again. So extra about mornings… And going outside… And any given minor inconvenience… Oh, and the upcoming musical! Because while she would never tell her, if Uni had to hear Julie Andrews singing "The Sound of Music" ONE MORE TIME—

"Didja really have to watch the movie again instead of combing your hair, hon?"

Mary merely groaned in response to her father, not lifting her head from the counter.

"Well," he said, going back to the skillet, "at least eat your food. You three need to go soon, anyhows."

She lifted her head, eyes squinting, as if still adjusting to the light, "I wanna die…"

"No you don't, hon."

"No I don't…"

He turned around on her, flipping the bread he had on the pan as Mary poured a generous helping of syrup onto her… OK, that's good. That's. That's good, you're good on the syrup, Mary. Mary. Mary, that's enough syrup. Mary you don't need, MARY, MARY THAT'S TOO MUCH SYRUP!

And setting the bottle she had basically drained back down, Mary turned back over to Uni, seeing her just sitting there, not touching her plate. Lethargically, she set down her own fork, grabbing another one in front of her.

"Catch…"

Uni had barely heard Mary say it, as her voice was so quiet within the first hour of getting up, but she watched the fork go only halfway between them, clattering onto the coffee table. And they both stared at it. The noise caused their dad to turn around, groaning.

"Mary," he bemoaned, "what have I told you about throwing forks at your siblings?"

"Well it wasn't like she was gonna get one herself…"

"You could have just walked over and given it to her, Mary."

Mary didn't respond to that, however, just going back to eating her syrup with bread in it. Uni still did get the fork off the table, and they both heard a faint "thank you…", so… at least there was that.

…

…yeah, it was still too early for any coherent thoughts about his children to arise.

He sighed, for what felt like the millionth time that morning, taking the last piece of toast out of the pan, turning off the burner. With all of that done then, he slid a third plate onto the counter for…

…

…where did he go?

"Mary, Uni, where's your brother?"

Mary simply shrugged, wiping a bit of syrup off of her face. He looked to Uni, who took the first bite of toast, tentatively. As she chewed, she glanced her eyes away, nervously.

"Did you two not wake him up?"

Mary didn't register that he was speaking at all, in fact, she didn't seem to register much at all. Had she passed clean out… while eating? How did she even do that?

Snapping his fingers in front of her twice, she gasped, blinking back to life, then… just went back to her toast, completely spaced out.

Well, that checked out. Mary was really not a morning person.

His attention was grabbed when Uni slid her now empty plate (how she was done already? He knew she didn't like to waste time, but with breakfast too?) into the sink next to him, switching on the water as she scrubbed it down. She didn't acknowledge him.

Strange. She… usually did.

"Uni?"

The girl glanced from the corner of her eye at her dad, but elected to ignore him, nervously scrubbing the plate clean for more time than she had to. He crossed his arms, standing next to her and leaning down to eye-level. She, however, noticed this, averting her gaze further.

He shut off the sink.

"Hey, I was still—!" she turned to him, all of a sudden, but didn't seem to realize just what happened until she was looking directly at him.

He took the plate from her hands, placing it in the nearby drying rack. "Wasting water isn't a good habit, kiddo."

"…I, uh… suppose it is. Sorry."

Unique blinked, gulping to herself as she adjusted her glasses, a light red hue dusting her face. He was rearing up. He always was whenever no one answered him, but maybe if she was smart about this, she could just…

"Where's Zeke, Uni?"

Or not. Sure.

…this was embarrassing.

With a huff, she turned away from the older man, crossing her arms with a crooked frown. She didn't attempt to move, and she could still see the man waiting, gesturing for her to get on with it.

"We…" a gulp, "we forgot to wake him up…"

A beat.

…

…

"…is that it then? You just forgot about him?"

She fiddled with her sweater, wiping her wet hands up and down on it, fixing waist and everything she could think of. But she… oh, it was embarrassing! Why would she just not remember something like the sibling she was in the room next to?! Why—

"Well, it's his responsibility to get up, anyhows."

…oh. Oh thank goodness.

"I'll go get him," Reginald nodded, and he began to make his way out. Uni just nodded back as he spoke, "you just keep on getting ready now…"

And he left. She deflated with a sigh of relief, running her hands through her hair. What was she getting herself worked up for? She was gonna end up like Alex if she kept up like that…

Mary, on the other side of the counter, meanwhile, seemed to have finished her plate, or at least, that's all that Uni could see. So, as her father left and hollered to the upstairs, "ZEKE!" she just grabbed Mary's plate. She seemed vaguely aware of what her sister was doing, but elected not to stop it, just looking… sadly.

She reached out her arm lethargically, leaning over the counter and grasping what was basically just a plate of syrup with two fingers, "Uni no…"

But Uni took the plate away, holding it above her sister's head so she couldn't reach, "You're not only eating syrup."

"Why not…?"

"Because…" she put the plate in the sink, turning on the water, which caused Mary to gasp as if Uni just stabbed her, "…that's… that's gross, girl."

Only at this did Mary actually start becoming aware, pointing at her while sitting straight up, eyes wide. "I'm going to eat your kneecaps over this…!"

Uni placed the now clean plate in the drying rack, staring at the girl dryly. "You can certainly try…"

PING!

The sudden noise, only a text tone, which wasn't anything to jump about, caused Mary to jump, falling out of her stool, onto the hardwood below with a "THUMP!". Now, a regular person might help the girl up, but then you remember, of course, that these are siblings. So, as siblings do, Uni just ignored the girl as Mary rubbed her side in agitation, checking her phone instead.

"Hey!" Mary whined, using the stool to balance herself as she got up, Uni straight up ignoring her, "You take my syrup then don't even help me up? The Hell, Uni?!"

"Sucks."

She rubbed her eyes again, leaning up against the counter. "Who's even texting you before seven in the morning on a Tuesday, anyways?"

Uni spared her a glance. "It is seven."

She looked back at her phone, scrolling through her messages as Mary sat back down, her pre-morning daze wearing off on her slowly, with mere annoyance settling back in.

"Well… OK then, fine," Mary muttered, "Who's texting you at seven in the morning then?"

Uni leaned against the counter, opposite Mary, but didn't look up from her phone, "Technically, my notifications were just silenced until seven. I got this notification at… let's see… two in the morning."

Mary had had enough at that point, raising her arms in exasperation. "THAT JUST RAISES MORE QUESTIONS!"

"Geez, no need to yell…" Uni told her, glancing up from her phone, pushing her glasses up on her face again. Mary just kept the pose up, arms wide and all, however, and Uni released another sigh, rolling her eyes.

"It's just Alex's friend Leah," she told Mary, and she glanced down at her screen once more. Mary put her arms down at this, quirking her brow in what seemed like genuine curiosity.

"You have Leah's number?"

"Ya," Uni said, "she likes me the most out of the three of us, I guess."

"Hey!"

"Her words, not mine!" Uni said, raising her hands in defense, before glancing to the side, and adding a quiet, "I think…"

What Uni didn't realize, however, is that when she was raising her hands like that, she was still holding her phone in her hands, which was open to the messages Leah had sent over that night. Mary's eyes were drawn to this, and she saw, on the phone…

…

"…the Hell are those?"

Uni put her arms down, cocking her head in confusion, "What?"

"Those pixie things, on your phone!" Mary said, leaning over the counter and tapping Uni's device, causing Uni to recoil, holding the phone away, "Why is Leah sending you cartoon pixie thingies?"

Uni blinked, then checked again, taking her phone out.

"Uh…"

"You don't know?"

"Hold on, girl, I'm checking!"

Mary tried to lean over to see Leah's messages, but she just stepped backwards, away from the counter, to counter her. Mary deflated in annoyance, but Uni did not acknowledge this whatsoever.

"Oh, OK… neat." Uni said, and she pocketed the phone, looking towards an expectant Mary, who was splayed all over their kitchen island. Uni inhaled, as if to say something, only to squint confusedly at her sister.

"What are you doing?"

Mary slid back onto her stool at this, getting the memo, and tapped at the countertop in agitation. "Just get on with it!"

"OK, OK, fine…!" Uni huffed, cringing a little, "No one in this house has any patience… it's just some project she and Alex were doing where they made creature things for everyone they knew… those were ours, I guess."

…a beat.

…

…Mary blinked, processing this, before slumping backwards in her stool.

The two shared a look for a few seconds.

"…huh. Cool."

"Yeah, that's basically what I thought."

"A little weird, I guess, but neat."

"She made one for dad, too, do you wanna see it?"

"Oh, su—"

The two were interrupted at that point in their conversation when they heard the sounds of someone coming down the staircase. They both turned their heads to see— to see as the last Gigas triplet finally made his way to the main floor.

Mary chuckled, just a little, at this. "Oh, he's finally awake…"

She rested her chin in her palm, and for the first time that morning, cheekily smiled, if only to mock him (it was her greatest pleasure), as he came around the bend, rubbing his eyes with their dad behind him, escorting him down.

"Good morning, Link, Hyrule's fallen to ruin while you were gone~" she grinned, laughing dryly. The boy, dressed all in baby blue, as his norm was, didn't even bother to respond, giving her the middle finger— in a way that Reginald couldn't see, however. She just gave a thumbs up in response to his response.

Uni just waved hello. He grunted. "Hi, Uni."

"Hey, Zeke."

But before any more words could be exchanged, as Ezekeial Gigas, the last of the three Gigas triplets, sat at the counter, Reginald interrupted them, arms crossed.

"Zeke, I know you're tired from all of your games this weekend…" he started, Zeke glancing up at him, exhausted, "but you're gonna have to learn to deal with that. We can't be doing this every morning."

Uni pushed up her glasses upon hearing this, and, taking Mary by the wrist, quietly began stepping away; Mary didn't protest, letting Uni take her through the kitchen to avoid getting involved. As they did so, the boy bit his lip, sighing with dim recognition as he pulled the plate of French toast across the counter to him.

…

… …

"…sorry."

…Zeke was a boy of very few words.

Reginald was not, however.

…but fortunately, they were never mean words.

Mary and Uni stepped through the hallway, but looked as the man kneeled down to eye-level with their brother, no malice in his eyes.

"…'s fine," he said, causing his son to look at him again, "I'm not mad, Zeke."

He blinked, uncomprehendingly. …huh? "But why not?"

"I mean, you really need to make an alarm," Reginald continued, causing Zeke to glance to the side, "because, I know Alex is the one wakin' you up on time, but she's not gonna be here for long! She's going up to the University of Minnesota in the autumn; who's gonna wake you up then?"

"…"

(Zeke really did not like talking much. Everyone knew that. He was good at kicking things, not saying them. It was odd. Everyone thought that would be Uni's thing, as the family's bookworm, but it was actually the athlete.)

(He was so relieved he didn't have to say much at all.)

So he just nodded.

…Reginald patted him on the back, acknowledging that this conversation was over. As per his usual. Zeke glanced downwards, putting a piece of toast in his mouth as the man stood up, not looking him in the eyes.

"Well, you three know you need to leave soon."

He glanced at his daughters, who were awkwardly standing in the hallway, Uni still clutching her sister's wrist. She let go of her, at that, and the two shared a look. Y'know, now that she thought about it, that was a weird thing to do…

"Uh… yes," Uni said, nodding with pursed lips. Reginald didn't read much into it.

"OK then, swell. I'll be in the basement, if any of you need me, alright you three?"

After a chorus of "yes"es, a quiet one from Zeke, who smiled awkwardly, a sharp one from Uni, who answered immediately, and a nonchalant one from a nonchalant Mary, he nodded.

"Good. Now get to school."

…

… …

… … … …

Such an ordinary moment, as their father went down the staircase downstairs, to his model sets. As the triplets prepared for another day. As Zeke ate, or Mary looked for the purse she misplaced again, or Uni packed her bookbag…

So ordinary.

A movie on the television, paused. Toast sitting on the counter, the faint scene wafting through the halls. The basement door just recently shut.

Here is where it all stopped.

---

Do you all know of those blissful few moments when you first wake up? Those delightful and delicious moments where the past doesn't exist, and the future is a fuzzy nothing, with the wonderful hands of disorientation forming a wall which defends you from every dread, every worry, every haunting fear? Those few moments of true peace, grounded in the present?

It's the most wondrous experience that Alexandria had that morning.

The feeling's odd. She felt off, as if everything fell asleep, but her memories just hadn't come back yet. Alex didn't really have all that much lucidity yesterday, so it might take her a moment to process everything as she slightly stirred to life once more. Those are just the cons that come with turning into a magic white deer goddess from a mysterious crack in the face of reality. Y'know. Just your average Tuesday morning.

Yes, that actually happened— albeit, the last chappie was a bit sparing with the details. Don't worry! Absolutely nothing will be cleared up anytime soon!

She felt herself coming more conscious again, limbs twitching against the giant ghost dragon— yes, that also happened, that's her girlfriend Gina— eyelids slowly opening, revealing eyes she did not know were red to the whole of the Distortion World.

(Her ears were ringing, her head was pounding. Something was wrong, but she couldn't place it.)

(…it was really purple outside… uh… where… where was she, exactly?)

Such slow thoughts… don't worry, hon, you'll get there, just give it some welly…

(And her vision cleared, revealing the landscape of… what. What was… uh…)

There was a lazy blink on Alex's end, the weird looking deer-horse-llama thing squinting groggily at an isle, made up of other isles, floating high in the not-a-sky above her.

…

Neat.

(And her thoughts, they kept on chugging. Faster than they were, but not quite fast enough to realize that whatever she was looking at was physically impossible.)

(Or that there was literally a ghost dragon that was also her girlfriend spooning her.)

(Or that her whole body was a different body. The one she made a weird sketch of the other day. The one Leah drew. She also drew that one next to hers, wasn't that weird?)

(Or also that when she looked down, she saw she didn't have hands. Which kinda went with the above, but she had a dream last night where she was in Pillar Land and she still did have hands. And that she used them to turn her girlfriend into that dragon and send them both to the Shadow Realm by smashing some orbs of time and space or whatever. Weird dream.)

(She had that when she was awake, didn't she? That was odd, that was kinda funny, dreaming while awake wasn't a thing she did. Was she a sleepwalker now? Or maybe it was a dream inside a dream. Made sense, considering the whole "fall into the Void and turn into a deer" thing. The whole "use orbs she found in a dream to send her girlfriend and her siblings into pocket dimensions while turning them into dragons" thing.)

(Yeah, that was so crazy, like. She was just a deer now? And the Zehns were dragons? How did THAT work…)

(…)

(…)

(…hey wait a second)

And there is ALWAYS that sick, sick second of realization, after that beautiful cloud of haze disperses. Where the safety net of ignorance is gone, and the poor soul on the tightrope just lost their balance and fell to the dirt, and the ringmaster is laughing, and the audience is crying, and the ambulance is bursting through the big top, and— OK, that metaphor may have gotten out of hand…

For Alex, there was, what, the fourth time now, where she looked down at her hands, saw gold hooves, and froze up? Where her beady red eyes couldn't tear their gaze off her own legs, because those were NOT her legs?

At least this time, when her train of thought did an emergency stop, there was more to look at.

And more to remember.

Cracks. Convexes. Concaves. Do you remember now?

(She did. Oh. Oh, she did. Oh goodness gracious, oh sweet mother of all that was true, OH—)

It is good to have you back, Miss Gigas. Do you remember using your power now then, too?

(She did that. She… she DID that. She panicked back then, and Alex didn't know how, or how she knew, but she did… something. She sent Danny and Patty to who knows where, just to find Gina? Where did they… where did they go?!)

(And GINA! WHERE DID GINA GO WHERE DID SHE WHERE DID SHE—)

Look to your left.

…

Alex squinted at that looking up, something clicking in her panicking mind, and it was, probably, the first thing she actually managed to do in a state of mind with some semblance of sanity in it since this all started.

It was because of that voice.

That omnipresent voice, the convexes, the concaves… was that it? She had been hearing them since she got that concussion… who… what… why?!

(She was going to ask. She was going to make DEMANDS soon, but…)

(She did still find her gaze looking to the left.)

…

… …

…uh…? …ghost… dragon? Cuddling her? She was being cuddled? Spooned? By… some creature thing?

((well, she was also that, Alex supposed))

((that was a weird thing to suppose))

(…but who was that supposed to be, then?)

…GINA?!

It wasn't the sky of chaos islands and magic fireworks and black holes made of rainwater, it wasn't the umpteenth realization of her own lack of humanity, it wasn't even the fact that a mysterious kinda cute monster thingie was spooning her ((was she into that?)) ((WHY WAS THAT WHAT SHE WAS WORRIED ABOUT THERE WERE SO MANY MORE PRESSING MATTERS TO WORRY ABOUT)), no, no, out of all of the possible strange phenomenon that could have made her finally leap to action, to full consciousness and lucid panic, anything at all in the weird, wild world, it was the fact that Gina was the strange creature cuddling her that got her blood pumping in confusion and disarray.

Literally. Like

Out of everything, THAT is why she lept backwards, stumbling on all fours ((she really had to take another look at the weirdness of her legs later…)), with wide eyes and a pounding heart starring the dragon down. In what? Fear? Guilt? Agony? Affection? Concern?

Yes.

"I…" she managed to say, but her voice felt wrong, which she added to the growing list of WHAT THE HELL?! that she had dealt with three times already and had not resolved a single one of those times. She was just so efficient, wasn't she? She didn't even say that with her mouth. She didn't even HAVE a mouth. How was she talking?!

How? What? Why? Where? Who? She… uh… this was…! Ah! AHHHHHHHHHH!

You see, it was times like that, that all she could do was scream–!

"AAAAA—!"

And, well, what do you do when you hear your girlfriend screaming from across the Liminal Chaos Dimension Isle? That's right class, you wake up instantly!

Gina's eyes, still a blood red, and attached to a body she wasn't certain of, shot open, bloodshot despite already being that color. And, when on impulse, she didn't need to process that comforting, yet sometimes inconveniencing haze surrounding her. She could tune out, for just a few seconds, the fact that she just casually floated to turn behind her, or the chaos surrounding her, or the fact that her girlfriend was now the most literal version of a horse girl. All she needed to know, was—

"Alex, what's wro—?!" What was wrong with her voice? How many voices were crammed into her sentence?!

((and what was with the deja vu when she thought about that…?))

…look, the haze can't last forever, girl. Get there faster so I can see you freak out too, OK hon?

(Wait… where was… and was that… and…)

…yes?

(…oh n o .)

YOU DID IT! HOORAY!

Alex, meanwhile, was also crisising, shouting at the top of her lungs on shaky, shaky legs.

"GINA?!"

(But didn't she do that?! Wait, oh HELL, SHE did that?! She turned her girlfriend into that thing?! SHE did?! But… but how…?!)

Gina breathed, and while Alex panicked, the two stared, and suddenly—

They found themselves making eye-contact with each other.

…

And they looked… so…

(Alex's eyes. They were so red, and they were on a face she didn't recognize. But they couldn't deceive Gina. Even as Gina found herself remembering more and more, about the waterfall, and the being on the lawn, she saw it. How they wobbled, on the edge of tears.)

(It was the most "Alex" thing she'd seen since she laid eyes on the creature.)

(Gina's eyes. Alex had barely seen them, but despite the horror of the situation, about the fact that the woman now levitated in a mysterious realm in a mysterious body without arms… Gina still furrowed her… well, not "brow," but… whatever she had, in concern. Eyes still wide with worry.)

(Despite everything, despite the horrors she had committed, the ones she barely remembered committing, but knew she did, all the same, Gina still was worried… about her?!)

(Why? Why hadn't she cast her aside in anger yet…? Why… why…?!)

Alex felt her legs wobbling, and she stood there. Maybe, if she remembered how, she would be crying.

(Gina forgive her, please, please forgive her…)

But Gina just floated towards her.

(Alex, oh, oh what happened? Was she alright, was she? Gina herself was scared, but Alex? She appeared to be downright terrified— oh no no no…)

And she came closer, something which made Alex panic more because why? Why wouldn't she run? Why… why was she outstretching a tendril of shadows ((why did Leah give those to her?))? Why was she, she…?!

…

… …

(Alex, please. Be alright. Let her help you, don't be afraid, she could help, she had to…)

"Alex, it's—"

"I'm sorry!"

And at last, her legs gave out, and she fell ((so unnaturally, what was wrong with her body?)) to the ground.

"ALEX!"

Gina flew to the horse-thing's side ((ALEX PLEASE TELL HER ALEX WAS ALRIGHT)), not knowing how she could, but somehow, out her sheer will, her sheer panic, managing to come to Alex's side, staring her right in the eyes.

And she was muttering.

What was she saying?

(Go away go away go away go AWAY what if she hurt her what if she hurt her whatifshewhatifshe—)

"I'm sorry I'm so sorry Gina I'm sorry please forgive me I'm sorry this is all my fault…"

(No, Alex, no please… she knew Alex could get like this. She did it so much, when she was terrified. She kept on going, and going, and going, the words spilling out like a mess of madness, a cacophonous cascade.)

(But apologizing?)

(What need did she ever have to apologize?)

…she came down to eye level with her, and the woman was turning her head down, eyes shut tight. Gina took a tendril ((no, she was absolutely NOT over those, but somehow, confusedly, that wasn't important at the time)), and moved to cup it towards her face.

"…Alex, please, just…"

"Go away!"

…

… …

… … … …

(…what?)

(What?)

(That was the first time that had ever been said to her, in all of their years together. Never once, not one time had Alex ever rejected her. Ever turned her away.)

(And… she felt…)

She stumbled back, as if struck. Eyes wide.

"…Alex?"

Alex's breathing was heavy, shaky. In… out… and in… and… and… and… and… and…

She couldn't breathe she couldn't breathe ((but she didn't have to)) she couldn't she… What the Hell was she?!

"Please…" she said ((she couldn't look Gina in the eye, she wouldn't, she couldn't bear to see it)), "Please, you have to run…"

Gina floated there, staring at the woman on the ground. She breathed. In… out…

(Should she run?)

(Should she float away from her as asked? For…)

(…no.)

(Gina wouldn't ponder on that. She wouldn't consider that for a single instant.)

"Sweetie…" she started, and, a little bit, she came back towards Alex. The being was staring slightly up, and she could see, once again, into her eyes.

Gina gulped, and as her mind raced, she found herself… struggling with the words, the ever-confusing words. Because, what really could she say? It's not like she had a better understanding of what was going on, but… well, she had to try. It was Alex.

Alex was always worth it.

"I… I know a lot's going on, but…"

(She was almost there, she could make it, Alex was so scared, she had to make it, she had to, she had to…)

"I promised, Alex. I promised I'd never—"

(She put a tendril onto Alex's face, stroking it gently, and the woman froze up.)

(…)

(It wasn't the first time.)

(She and Gina had been together for as long as she could remember. Ever since they met, in the third grade, she had been smitten. Her second-oldest friend in the world… her everything. She had been touched by her, face gently caressed an uncountable amount of times.)

(Every time it was warm.)

(Every time it was sweet and real.)

(Every time…)

(But, but Gina's "hand…")

(So cold. So unnatural.)

(Just as she put her tendril to Alex's face, she felt how wrong it was. That wasn't Gina's hand. It wasn't, and yet… yet it was.)

(It was… her fault.)

( . . .)

(She did this.)

((she didn't know how it happened, but she caused this. she created it, she made it so))

((she only remembered falling, and a room of pillars, and light speaking to her, and yet she knew, she knew she caused this. she took away Gina's hands, she made her like that. the one she cared about most of all, and she…))

…Gina stopped talking midsentence, eyes wide. Alex didn't notice, she wouldn't, couldn't, but Gina glanced above her head now.

"…hey, sweetie?"

((what else was she going to do now? would she drive her insane? kill her by mistake? something so indescribable that Gina wouldn't be recognizable?))

The air, if it could even be called that, as Gina saw… it swirled above her head. The eddies of the waterfalls were altered, as slowly, some droplets were summoned Alex's way, spinning over her. Some stone, some Whatever That Was, some plant life and other whatnot, all in small quantities, began to gravitate in her direction.

And Alex was breathing so, so heavily…

((and what about her siblings? could she be trusted around anybody she loved again? her father, her—))

(( ))

(( … ))

(( wait ))

(( she ))

((something))

((something was…))

((off))

---

Convexes. Concaves. Coming into the house on Crown Road.

Uni was there, touching the doorknob, ready to leave, but hesitating, glancing back to her siblings, Zeke still eating his toast, and Mary just grabbing her purse.

But she let go of the knob, suddenly, pointing upwards.

And she screamed.

They all did, when they saw it. When they saw the light.

And Unique would not leave that house today. Neither would Mary, or Ezekial.

Reginald wouldn't even leave the basement…

---

((what did she just do?!))

"ALEX—?!"

She was thrown back, suddenly, and incredibly violently.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The ghost-dragon screamed with a thousand-thousand voices, all in utter terror, as she was smashed directly into an isle, an isle which was blipped into nonexistence by the sheer force of her impact. She tumbled, floating through the sky of the strange world, her thoughts a whir of color, a whir of noise, a whir of whirs and light and sound, and it spun, spinning past her so fast that the blur blurred into another blur… however that worked.

…when, after a seemingly eternal amount of time, she found herself coming to, her head pounded.

(What. What just happened?)

She turned to Alex.

(Oh.)

Alex was looking down. She didn't have a heart, she knew that much, but it still pounded in her chest. She was looking down at the ground as it was torn to tatters under not-her-feet, but she couldn't see it; her eyes were open, but she couldn't see.

((she hurt Gina and she hurt Patty and she hurt Danny and she was pretty sure she hurt Uni and Mary and Zeke and her dad and who else would she hurt?))

(WHO ELSE?)

((who else?))

(WHO ELSE WOULD THIS POWER DESTROY FOREVER?)

Another isle fell, obliterated by the growing storm, by golden gales encasing Alex, the bubble of wind and emotions that protected her completely, impenetrable and unpassable, and growing more and more and more and more—

It was so loud, so very, very loud. So incredibly and dangerously loud that no amount of yelling could reach the interior, as hard as Gina tried.

"ALEX!"

She was in there, Alex was in there. Alex was worth it. Alex was always worth it, and she was in trouble, and she needed help and she needed her, and—

The winds blew her astray, throwing her aside as easy as one would a bug. She rebounded, stopping the momentum of the violent shove, and tried to go in again.

She wasn't a damn quitter.

The dragon dived into the winds, not thinking, because actually, how could ANYBODY possibly think in a situation like this? She didn't have any thoughts, as the water and the matter and the dust and ashes raced past her, because there was only one thing that mattered. And it was there, in the center, the gold creature standing there in the eye.

"Please, listen to me!"

(…over the winds, a faint voice made itself heard.)

(One in a crowd of thousands of other voices, but the voice she heard, the one she remembered, rang out the most true.)

(She found her gaze glancing up to meet the voice, and in the yellowish storm, she could see it, albeit barely, and Alex felt her heartstrings pull taut.)

(Gina.)

(( … ))

((go away save yourself from her save yourself save yourself now!))

The winds, suddenly, strengthened by a millionfold, causing the whole of a stray isle caught up in the hurricane to be hurled directly in the dragon's path, sending her hurtling through the sky once more at a velocity that felt like it ought to kill her.

((go away!))

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

She flew away, being sent spiraling once more, out of Alex's sight. And she should've been happy. She should've been satisfied that Gina was sent away, away from her, to be safe, to be alright, to be… to…

(That scream, that scream!)

( wait NO—! )

(her voice held pain)

(Pain. Pain, in Gina's voice.)

(…no, no no. No! That… that wasn't how, how… no!)

The winds picked up, and then tore at her skin. She felt a pressure at the back of her eyelids, and her heart kept beating, and beating, and beating, and beating, staring at the location that Gina had once been in. That she slammed her out of just to keep her away.

((she wanted Alex so badly. she raced in the gales just to get to her; why? why wasn't she afraid, why wouldn't she just leave her?!))

((now she was hurt, and it was all because of…!))

((…because of…))

…in.

…out.

…i… in…

…

… …

… … … …

…the gales loosened, and as quickly as they came on, it was as if they were never there at all, somehow. The debris merely scattered to the wind now. But it wasn't like it made any difference. In the Distortion World, it was all the same.

And a tear fell from Alex's eye.

Another tear fell.

And more… and more kept coming, and coming, and they didn't stop, they wouldn't, they couldn't. They came down from her face like she had just remembered how to do it, which, given how new the face was, was correct.

(…)

(…it was so much.)

(It was all so much.)

(She felt like she had to have it all under control, but she didn't, she never would. She didn't understand. And she didn't think she ever would, but… she just…)

She whimpered meekly, sniffling without a nose, as if that's just what she expected to happen, and as such, it did. She wasn't stopping, and the world was silent, just her, and her tears to fill the space.

…

…

…and the touch of a tendril.

She flinched, staring upwards again with wide eyes, and there it was: her worst fear, her greatest hope, the one she hoped she'd never see again, yet the one she needed to see the most in all of the universe— she was floating there, cupping her face with gentle shadows.

And despite everything, everything she had done to her.

(She was still so tender.)

"Gina…"

The words, the words, they slipped through, she didn't know how to control them. She couldn't stop the concern from bleeding into what she said, the desperation, the want, all coming out despite the fact that she knew she shouldn't have let it.

(And it was all true. That's what made it the worst of all.)

But Gina seemed to understand, regardless. Because, she made a promise to her, and they both knew it. What she said, just about a week or so ago, what she had said a million times before that, and what she delivered on, even now, despite everything, what Alex couldn't have her do, yet would never be able to stop her from doing.

"I told you, sweetie," she said, and despite the different eyes, and the different face, and everything about her being so off, so wrong, it felt the same.

"I'm never gonna leave you."

And it was the most beautiful thing she had ever experienced.

Their faces didn't match well. It was an oversight on Leah's part, she could have made them fit together more. Alex didn't even have a mouth, technically. But despite that, the kiss still worked for her, and despite everything in Alex screaming at her not to, the concerns, the everything… it faded into dust in her mind.

Gina was there. (Her "heart" was calm again.)

Gina would help her. (She breathed easy once more.)

Gina would always be there. (And the uncertainties couldn't hurt her for as long as she was with her; as long as she was by her side, it would be OK.)

(And the tears finally stopped.)

…

… …

…fate has bad timing.

Couldn't it see the two of them were in the middle of something, in the strange, odd, timeless realm of chaos?

Oh well.

The sky opened up once more, in shades of blue and pink, raining down on them, causing both of them to stop, shooting their gazes up to where clouds probably ought to have been.

And two beings fell, one from each, screaming all the way.

---

517 Crown Road. A similar house, the exact same, as the local, infuriating Homeowners Association would mandate, to the one you're all used to seeing at this point. Boring gray and white paint overlooking a tiny lawn—which is to say, completely unremarkable, as there was nothing else of note to even talk about there. The woman walked past it, counting the addresses with wide eyes despite knowing the exact location of where she was going. Her footsteps were just slow enough to avoid running; it was as fast as a walk could take her. 518 Crown Road.

519 Crown Road.

520 Crown Road.

"Now he's thinkin' bout me, every night…'' They were the lyrics of a song she was playing through her earbuds, loud enough for any potential passerbys to hear its distorted melodies without even wearing them, hurting her ears with every note in every measure. It wasn't even a loud song, or, at least, she thought so. What was this one again? She didn't know, her Spotify was on shuffle. Something by Sabrina Carpenter?

Even as she fiddled with the pink cardigan on her shoulders, or mumbled alongside the melodies, it still couldn't keep the voices in her head quiet.

521 Crown Road.

"Move it up down, left right oh, switch it up like Rinkendo…" She sang louder now, her pace slowly quickening, tripping over herself without breaking into an outright run. And, as she clicked her fingers together in a nervous stim, she told herself; she shouldn't be worried, she knew that, she knew that. Everyone else was always worried, and as such, she tried not to worry much. Or show that she did, at least, but she still did; every day, all the time, Leah Schaffen was worried. She didn't mind that she was worried. Most of the time it was about things too far away for her to perceive. Like her next semester of college that September. Or the torture of life under late-stage capitalism that was her future.

And her mind thought of a lot of possibilities for how it was alright. But when Leah went to find these… she just kept going… and going… and going… and the answers weren't there. This was serious.

522 Crown Road.

"That's that me espresso…"

…

… …yea, OK.

… … … …OK yea, yea OK OK sure, yea.

There was a mirthless chuckle, one with no light behind her eyes as she grimaced to herself, rolling her wrist until she felt the need to squeeze her cardigan in a death grip to avoid screaming about it, or falling to her knees, ruining her new blue jeans.

And Leah kept walking. 523 Crown Road.

524 Crown Road.

"I'm working late…"

…sure, sure sure sure—

.

.

. 525 Crown Road.

.

It was the same, the same as 517, and 518, and 19 and 20 and all of the other numbers that came prior. Perhaps the only notable thing was the garden of flowers in the front yard, something Leah knew 'Lexi's mom had to fight tooth and nail to keep. So unremarkable, regardless.

But it was 'Lexi's house, 10 AM on a Tuesday. May 20th and everything.

Sure, the triplets would probably still be at school, but… no one? That wouldn't make sense. Someone was here. Someone had to be.

('Lexi was supposed to be at Gina's house.)

(Supposed to be.)

.

She pursed her lips, breathing in deeply, then exhaling much less evenly than she would've liked.

Yea, OK, sure. Fine.

She stood idly by the sidewalk to the front porch. And for a few moments, she just stared at it, at the door.

.

Someone was in there, right?

Yeah?

…

… …

… … … …

She checked her phone again. She had done that a lot in the past few min— oh, this song was by Sabrina Carpenter, OK— in the past few minutes, anxious for some sort of notification.

(Or a sign that she wasn't just going crazy, kinda.)

Not a single notification.

She blinked. Then, she pressed pause on the song, removing the earbuds from her ears as she glanced up at the porch. Empty.

The Kitchen, her group chat, not a real one, of course, didn't wake up for the most part until noon-ish. Or ten-ish, sometimes, she could never tell. She didn't even know half of them… But still, it made sense that there wouldn't be much action, even with her newly completed project recently uploaded. Well, it made sense for most of them that there wouldn't be much noise.

'Lexi? Gina? The other Zehns? It… Leah didn't like thinking about it much.

(Not a word. Not a single word from any of them. 'Lexi woke up early every morning, as did Gina, and while Danny and Patty didn't, she knew their phones were not muted, and she had been messaging them black and blue since she woke up, only to be met with radio silence. She knew the whole debacle with Danny and the deleted messages was… probably just her dreaming, given the white cracking in his messages extended into the "real" world, just all of those other visions of white cracks she saw when she slept, but… she still was worried about him, and his account.)

(But no one responded. They always responded.)

(Always.)

(She was just worried, she told herself. Nothing to get herself worked up about. She was the chill one. She was laid back, and unbothered, and whatever other adjectives to describe someone relaxed were. Just… fine. She didn't take anything seriously.)

(Now, it was serious. This was serious. And Leah hadn't been equipped to handle anything she couldn't joke about in a long while.)

(If it wasn't, then why wasn't anybody home at 77 Turnback Boulevard when she came to check?)

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

She gasped, pulling her hand away from the door. When did she walk up to the door? Had she been caught up so much in her head that she couldn't even perceive that she had gone over the whole lawn?

…

…whatever, that didn't matter.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"Hey, 'Lexi!" she called up, staring at the door, attempting to peek through the small windows on both sides. Unfortunately, blue curtains covered them up.

…

…

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

…

"...'Lexi…?"

…

Leah twirled the string attached to her cardigan around her fingers, breathing in through her nose while blankly staring ever forward.

In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. In…

She couldn't do meditation, she never could. That was just out of her wheelhouse, she thought, reflecting, distractingly, twirling the strings so hard she hands hurt, and yet, she tried, she tried so hard, because, because, because no one answered her, because no one was there, no one at the door, no one responded—

"'Lexi!" she shouted, gasping at her own volume, but soon proceeding as if nothing happened, "C'mon, it's me! It's your best friend!"

…hm, no, it still felt weird calling herself that.

Definitely not where her thoughts should've been wandering at that point in time, but it's where they went, it's where they had to go, before she tore the door off its hinges, no, no no, Leah, don't do that, don't do that…

She meant, 'Lexi had her girlfriend, and Leah had her… uh, whatever her thing with Hally and Caleb was. What was it; did they ever put a label on it? (OK, OK, good, different thought tangent, keep them away from the fact that no one is home anywhere.) They weren't sure. They weren't friends, but also, it wasn't a romance thing. Something in between? They said "girlfriend" and "boyfriend," but that was just for simplicity's sake…

But there was a difference between those types of relationships and being best friends, and Leah had been 'Lexi's self-proclaimed one for a while. Who else would she spend a whole weekend designing creatures on a whim for? And, well, sure, Gina was close to her. But the two of them met Gina in the third grade. Xavier and Casey came in fifth. Kevin in second, Deryl the year after that. Caleb and Hally weren't even until grade four.

She and 'Lexi met in kindergarten, when she decided to sit next to 'Lexi on the bus home on the first day.

…but still, she and 'Lexi hadn't spoken in a long while prior to the end of the semester, and Leah didn't like that, not one bit. Did they actually want to be friends anymore? Were they still? Leah wanted to be, but she was just… she was so busy at art school…

(Stressful times, stressful times. Projects on top of projects on top of projects of work, and if she slacked for just a second she would be done. For years the woman had struggled to reach that point, and in a field as competitive and exclusive as that, she'd have to keep on going, and going, and going, forever, and ever, and ever…)

(No break. If she wanted to avoid failure in this productivity hellscape, she'd have to earn it.)

((she wished she could burn it to the ground))

(But still, even then, she couldn't give 'Lexi a call in five months? Not once? She couldn't spare a few minutes each day to check the Kitchen?)

((was she so worried that she would fail that she couldn't even do that?))

(She missed her. Leah missed 'Lexi so much.)

And no one was at the door, even still.

…

…

…

In a SUDDEN motion, she went from standing still at the door, to tearing down at the welcome mat, throwing it to the side in a panicked state— In her shaking hand, she held a small, gray house key, and after one, two, three tries she managed to jam it into the DOOR

She threw it open, eyes wide, heart beating and beating and beatingandbeatingandbeating, yet standing still, hand in a death grip over her cardigan strings.

And the house

The house it

It was

(No one home.)

"Hello?"

(So quiet. So quiet, so quiet with no one home, and the only light being from the curtain-blocked windows, and no sound, nothing at all, and dust piling on the railing of the staircase, and an eerie nothingness to the air, and—)

"'LEXI!"

She came further into the house, shutting the door, leaving it mostly dark, with light becoming the shadows of darkness.

And still, no response.

(Respond. Please respond.)

And still, further in.

…

…

…what?

(Nothing here made her feel any easier.)

(What the hell happened here?)

The living room was to the left of the entrance, and the television was on. On, on and paused on a DVD of The Sound of Music, in the middle of So Long, Farewell. They were doing The Sound of Music as the teen musical at the community theatre this July, right? 'Lexi's sister Mary was probably watching that then; that girl loved those… She would be at school right now, right? Why didn't their dad turn it off?

Where was Reginald, anyways? He wasn't at a project right then, he should've been home that week. Especially because Sharon was still at her flower show down south for the week…

The triplets not being there made sense, they were at school. The mum was down south. But where was HE?

(Or 'Lexi?)

(Where was 'LEXI?)

And the kitchen, a real kitchen, not her group chat, lied to the left of the living room, separated by a lone countertop. She could still smell the faint sugar and cinnamon of French toast; Reginald's go-to for when he didn't feel like cooking, something she recognized well at this point. It didn't seem like too long ago that he would've made it.

…

(...it felt wrong, being there. She hadn't ever come in like this, she really had to go…)

(...but—)

Wandering over to the counter, ever slowly, each footstep on the hardwood making her more nervous than the one prior, she glanced over to the plate of unfinished food on the counter, and the pan that hadn't been washed still on the stovetop.

…?

(They always put any leftover food away, the Gigas family had been stingy on that for as long as she could remember. She went over for a sleepover in the first grade and 'Lexi was confused when her parents told her to go play instead of cleaning up.)

((what happened what happened?))

((WHERE DID THEY GO?))

((WHERE—))

"WHAT THE F—AAAAH!"

!

…

…OK, so, this is where some context is required, just a little bit. Because, Leah's not quite sure what happened, what she heard at that instant in time. For a long time afterwards, she couldn't comprehend it, she couldn't understand what was happening, ever. And in this freezeframe, as she falls to the brown and stained hardwood, is where I must clear a few things up. The house… it was like it was… creaking, groaning…

Screaming…

So loud, so sudden, and she didn't understand it, as it happened. A noise like an earthquake shaking her, shaking her so she clattered to the ground, onto the floor, dropping her phone and earbuds so that they slid over to the couch, slamming down with an

"OW!"

(Like something was waking up in the basement.)

(But that didn't make any sense. How would that work, something so large that a stir could shake the house so much her legs gave out? That was impossible, it would have to fill the whole basement.)

((it wasn't like she noticed the slight bulge in the floor))

(...was Reginald in the basement?)

(What was?)

…and unfreeze, my friends.

"Ah…" the woman groaned, lifting herself to a sitting position while clutching her throbbing head on the floor. Ow… OW her head hurt… Ouch…

Ow… ah… Ouch… (Yea, Leah, those were incredibly comprehensive thoughts…)

(Shut up, she told herself…)

She managed, after a few moments, to open her eyes again, vision swimming. As she squinted, attempting to make anything out, mindlessly, without looking, she reached for her glasses, which had fallen off her face when she came down. Her hands somehow managed to find them, unharmed, thankfully, but when she put them back on, her vision still swam.

"Oh… joy…" she muttered to no one in particular, although she was still too dazed to inflect any emotion into her words, instead leaning against the wall by the TV. Was she concussed? Probably, given that she slammed her head pretty badly on the floor just then. Goodness, she hoped that wouldn't be a problem. She had enough problems walking on the car-infested streets already… (Good job America…)

…just resting, for a few more moments, collecting herself, as she breathed in, and out… and in… OK.

What was THAT?!

It could've been… What, an earthquake? Well, that didn't make any sense, this was Minnesota, not Cali. Fracking incident? In Edwardsville? No… but what could have shook the house so much? What… OH OK, HOLD THE HEAD… OW OW OW OW…

She grit her teeth, holding her head and shutting her eyes tight. It was just a few seconds more that she held herself like that, sitting on the floor, as a throb, and another THROB… WOAH…

…

…

…you're not her.

You're not Miss Gigas. She didn't bless you yet. But you're different.

Who are you?

"Hello?"

…

(Who was that?)

She opened her eyes, vision still swimming, but did her best to stand up. Her eyes darted over the room, looking for someone, looking for…

Was she hearing things?

There was a voice. She heard it, she heard it, whoever it was. It sounded… young and old… and masculine, and feminine, and androgynous, and loud, and soft, and melodic and hard and here and there and in her head and out loud and—

Was this another hallucination? Was she OK? Did the fall knock herself out and she was dreaming again? She pinched her arm.

"Ah!..." OK, so no, this wasn't a dream, not one bit. What did it even say, the voice…? She whispered it to herself.

"You're not Miss Gigas…"

'Lexi?

'Lexi Gigas?

(Did it KNOW? Did it know where she went? And what about "blessings?" 'Lexi couldn't bless people, she didn't have Holy Water on hand or anything. (was that how blessings worked?))

…huh?

(WHAT—)

Someone… something else was in there with her. (THAT WAS NOT GOOD THAT WASN'T ANYBODY SHE KNEW WHY WERE THEY HERE) That was… uh… she didn't know yet. (BAD) But she'd have to find that thing… whatever its deal was. (SHE REALLY HOPED THAT SHE DIDN'T WALK IN ON A HOME INVASION)

She took a step forward… forward. Forward, Leah, FORWARD—

She stumbled down onto the couch, vision and balance swimming. OK, so yea, she definitely had a concussion. Splendid. Great. Perfect. If whatever that thing was was hostile, what good was she if she had trouble walking straight?

…oh shoot, her phone—

Why was that even her concern? She didn't know, she just didn't, but she noticed it sitting on the floor, and if there was a home invasion, she'd need that… It had buzzed a few times, and she managed to grab it from her spot on the couch, checking it.

Oh, the Kitchen was awake. The group chat this time, not the real one.

The Kitchen - The Chat Kevin Can't See

Rainy Springtime (March) - 10:07 AM: Oh, goodness, these are really good!

Monopoly (John) - 10:07 AM: I LOVE THESE

Candy Land (Jane) - 10:07 AM: these dragons you made us are so cute leah!

Rainy Springtime (March) - 10:08 AM: I'm quite fond of Marshadow :)

THE DESTROYER OF WORLDS! (Vivian) - 10:08 AM: AAA WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT

Candy Land (Jane) - 10:08 AM: ok march you have to know at this point that texting like that isn't fooling anybody

Rainy Springtime (March) - 10:08 AM: Why are you so mean to me :(

Candy Land (Jane) - 10:08 AM: :)

Monopoly (John) - 10:08 AM: :)

Rainy Springtime (March) - 10:09 AM: :(

*Star* (Artemis) - 10:09 AM: oh cool it's socially acceptable to be awake again

*Star* (Artemis) - 10:09 AM: vivi leah finished the þ̴͖̪̥̠̦̽̄̔͐͋ð̵̺̳̣̪͕͒̀̒͒̄ǩ̴̲̦̙͉̯̈̓́̾ê̸͙͙̰̫̥̍̄̒̽̈́ṃ̴̧͔̟̻̃̃̊̈́̿ð̸̛͍̘̫̭̹̄͐̉̔ñ̵͍̮̫̯̗̈́͐͌̋̊ thing

THE DESTROYER OF WORLDS! (Vivian) - 10:09 AM: ALREADY?!

Rainy Springtime (March) - 10:09 AM: Yeah, isn't it neat?

*Star* (Artemis) - 10:09 AM: weird that it only took a few days tho

THE DESTROYER OF WORLDS! (Vivian) - 10:09 AM: LEAH THESE þ̴̮͓̞̳͉͉͚̬̖̗̙̰͖͚̬̠̭̈́̑̎̌̌͊̓͗̎̇̈́̒͋̅̈́͆̏͠͝Ö̴̞̼̟̤͕͓͇̼̲̻̗̥̞͙͇͖̘̃͛́̂̌̽͋͂̉͑̉͗̔̎̈́̚͝Ķ̷̨̛̫͕̳̞̞̤͍̼̰̬̫̭̲̹͋͛̋̒̀̽̃̂͋̌̓̀̐̊̇̀̕͜È̵̢̯̗̣̻̳͉̤͓̘̹͕̹̲̬͇͈̀̈́̍̑͊̀̽̄́̐͒̏̂̆͘͝͝M̴̡̧̢̨̥͚̞̖̠̬̼̯̱̯̖̱̫͇͌̑̎̂͌̿̍̇͊͐̑͘̕͘̕͝͝Ǫ̸̨̧̹̟̫̹̬̗̖̝̙̫̜̤͙̖̈͛̌̈́̾̃͊̈́̓̇̉̈̈́̈́̄͝͝͝͝ñ̸̨̧̨͎͎̞͖̻̺͉͇̱̩͖͓̝̣͍̲̈́̐̈̐̑̎͋̾̾̋̑̾̊͋̌͐͌͘ THINGS ARE SO COOL!

THE DESTROYER OF WORLDS! (Vivian) - 10:09 AM: YOU'RE THE BEST!

…Leah blinked.

And again.

And again.

(Why did her friends at med school never respond to these? Casey, Deryl, Xavier? Were they just always so busy?)

(Wait, that would be hypocritical for her to complain about…)

(That's NOT THE POINT—)

The white. The white cracks.

Like when Danny texted last night.

Or in her dreams. Or on her drawings.

They were following her— why? And there they were again, on the screen!

What were they? Were they even real?

AH!

Pocketing her phone, she rubbed at her eyes, covering her face. Her head, her head, it was aching so terribly… make it stop… make it stop…!

…

…

…

…OK then.

She opened her eyes again. In. Out. In. Out.

(But they were still there.)

(The corners of her vision. They were there. Behind her. Somewhere behind her, dancing in convexes and concaves. The whispers…)

(How was that possible?)

No, no. Don't acknowledge it. Don't. Don't do it, because they couldn't be real (but they were)

(They were real. How could she ignore that? It shouldn't be possible, it shouldn't be, and yet, she was seeing something. Hearing something, now.)

((and they knew something about 'Lexi's whereabouts))

Don't turn around.

(She had to see where they came from.)

Was she going mad?

(Yes.)

…

(...)

…

.

She glanced. Slightly.

…it came from upstairs.

(She had to know.)

And she followed it, hand on the wall to balance herself. Up the staircase, the convexes and concaves taunted her, flowing just outside of her grasp. By the time she reached the top, it wasn't there, the dancing white light, but she glanced slightly.

Turn right.

(AND CHANGE THE FATE OF THE no, this isn't the time for a Doctor Who reference.)

They were gone again.

(She was going crazy. She knew she was. Her cardigan strings were being pulled so taught they could snap at any time, her heartbeat thumped louder than her aching head. She shouldn't be up there. She was following her delusions from a head injury to a potential criminal. She needed medical attention, she had to get the cops for the home invader— wait, no, she couldn't trust any pigs— but what about the missing persons? Regardless, she had to call 911 right then, but why didn't she? Why was she following hallucinations? What was WRONG with—?)

Convexes. Concaves.

…

…

…we don't understand.

IT WAS THEM AGAIN!

(Fight, flight, freeze, fawn. Out of all of the danger responses in her head, why was her first one always to do the dumbest possible thing, and—?)

"SHOW YOURSELF!"

Leah slammed open the door to Alexandria Gigas's bedroom, swinging it so hard that it hit the wall with a sizable "THUD!" She didn't care, she couldn't. Her thoughts were utterly flooded with thoughts of danger, thoughts of confusion, and her eyes scanned over the white and yellow room as fast as they could, without thinking, only searching for it.

(Nothing.)

…

In. Out. In. Out. She breathed so heavily now, her lungs felt like they would burst. Cool! She'd have to add that with the list alongside her heart and her head at this point for "oof ouch my organs…"

The room had been kept tidy, Leah recognized, creeping ever forward, looking for any signs of anything. So neat… as 'Lexi liked. Just a perfectly made bed, an organized desk, a yellow vanity… OK, there was virtually nothing in there. (She would never admit it to her, but Leah personally thought 'Lexi's room had the decor and comfort level of a dentist's office, just with more yellowy tones.)

(Like seriously, what sort of minimalist minefield was this, anyways?)

(Not even that horse plushie that kinda looked like a llama she won at the state fair when they were seven? It was even yellow, it would match! Why would s— oh, no, there it was. Just stashed away under her pillows…)

(Oh, 'Lexi, always trying to act so grown-up… well, they were grown-up, kinda sorta. The limbo of early twenties confused Leah, and she had no intention of sorting that out until she reached her thirties.)

(But, despite all that…)

…nothing, nothing at all.

"I…" Leah said. She swallowed, and started again, "I know you're in here, whoever you are…"

…no response.

Not even the corners of her vision had them. The cracks. They were g…

…

No, wait…

(They were there. She knew they were there.)

(Look. In the mirror, the one on 'Lexi's vanity, what was that?)

…she glanced. Slightly.

Oh.

(Behind her. Convexing. Concaving. Taunting her, directly behind her now, like she could reach out and touch it.)

She stood absolutely still, staring at the mirror, eyes wide, hands frozen. No sudden movements.

It was dancing…dancing in the corner of her eye. In front of her, no, in the reflection, there it was, it just… that wasn't there before.

A crack.

(The blinding white light.)

(She remembered it. Sitting on the edges of her dreams, filling her heads with visions as she slept. Like it was on the tip of her tongue, a faint familiarity arose, but, why? Did she hit her head hard enough to cause hallucinations?)

(Don't look.)

She breathed. In. Out.

(Do not look. Just keep looking at it, in the reflection.)

She didn't know why she couldn't bring herself to turn around. It was right there. SOMETHING was right there, a light taunting her, dancing behind her.

((she felt a chill, but at the same time, a warmth))

((was it even safe to blink?))

(Could she look? Could she afford that? Was this like the Series 5 arc of NuWho, where the mysterious crack would erase her from existence? She felt like that was a ridiculous sentiment, and yet… yet it still… it whispered.)

(Just… stand still. Don't move, in case… in case… well… uh…)

She stood still. She didn't move. Unblinking.

In. Out. In. Out… In. O… Out. …In…

((her breathes were shaking, and she felt the sensation grow))

((why did she ever think this was a good idea?))

Could she hear it?

…

…

…you know we're here, don't you?

It was faint, it was so faint, but the shock of knowing it was there for a third time compelled her in some way. She stiffened with a sharp intake of breath, and she found herself looking directly forward. Like a statue now.

(She saw a single drop fall from her eye as it drew in closer.)

You really do know, don't you? You know we exist.

…

…

(...come on, Leah.)

(Say something!)

(Do SOMETHING!)

It felt as if she wasn't even doing it, as if she only observed herself nodding up and down in the reflection. She never felt it.

How?

(...)

…

(...it was real.)

(How was that…)

"...how is that possible?"

How is that possible?

"I'M the one asking questions here."

At once, she put her hands over her mouth. Why did she say that? WHY was she challenging the Crack In The Fabric Of Space And Time, or, whatever it was? Was she an idiot?!

(Her heart beat. One. In. Two. Out…)

(It's so quiet.)

(The light was still dancing behind her. And… what was that?)

(In the light, past the crack, in the mirror she could see something that her own reflection partially obscured. Something, something, in there… something inside the… the…)

(It looked like… a door.)

What must you ask, then?

(She glanced.)

(Slightly.)

(And she muttered, under her breath, a thought. Just plucked out of one of many, one of so many conflicting questions, of every asinine tangent and road and query that surfaced in the rapids of a growing whirlpool. What was it? What did it do with 'Lexi? Why was it here? What did Leah herself have to do with anything, to the point where it terrified it so? What was behind that door? What, why, who, where, when….)

(But that's not what came out of her mouth.)

(She had to ask it something. While it was there. If it was there. Really, by now she ought to have called the ambulance, and told them to admit her. But the light insisted)

(Leah never could control her own thoughts well.)

(But still, she didn't know why this, of all things, was what she asked.)

"Why are you in my dreams?"

…

…

…your dreams?

There was momentum. When there was momentum, Leah felt the ball roll in her mind, and it would never stop, never ever, not once, not for anything. Not for fear, not for common sense. Not for a light of unknown dangers.

She felt herself peering over her shoulder now, squinting at the sheer intensity of the light. Convexes. Concaves. …so much, so much, but she could just make something out…

(Ask about 'Lexi. Why wasn't she asking about 'Lexi? That was why she was here, why couldn't she just switch to that?)

(...)

((the door… what sort of color was she looking at?))

"You've been in my head," Leah managed to say, albeit still quietly, voice quivering at every step of the way, "When I sleep. I see you."

(Another drop fell from her eyes. She didn't know why.)

((what was she even talking about?))

((she felt like she shouldn't even know what she was talking about, and yet she did))

She found herself turning more.

(Could she… could she touch it?)

(Should she?)

You shouldn't have received those visions.

"..."

(Just SAY SOMETHING—!)

You're not the Administrator. The Administrator should be the one receiving visions. Is that you?

(...)

(WHAT DID THAT—)

Something possessed her at that, an audacity of sorts, a madness, a vex that was so compelling that she abandoned all pretense of stillness and whirled around to face the light.

(TOO BRIGHT TOO BRIGHT!)

But still, despite it all, despite reason, and fear, and dread, and anything else from the millions of reasons to stay quiet, Leah still found herself shouting all the same.

"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!"

(WHY WAS SHE YELLING?!)

…

"..."

…

…you received the visions, you created the design.

"...why won't you explain?"

But you are not the Administrator?

"Please, just explain!"

…an explanation will be given on a later date, if deemed necessary. We apologize for the delay. Your case must be reevaluated, Miss Schaffen.

And with that.

The light closed in on itself.

Convexes and concaves… no more to be, as the cracks faded away, as reality stitched back together its wound, created from nowhere. The light ((and a door, so far out of reach)) went back to—

LEAH WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! LEAH NO! STOP THAT! LEAH!

(An impulse. A panic. Leah didn't know what she was doing, but it closed away, and, and— no! She needed answers! What about 'Lexi? What about Reginald, or Gina? Oh, what about herself?! Visions? From WHERE?! No, it couldn't leave, she had to know, she had to know, she had to know—!)

She reached out, into the light.

But it was too fast.

(And she was faster.)

And Leah Schaffen did not stop a thing.

(Her fingers burned as the crack closed, them stuck in its way. And it didn't stop, the light just wouldn't stop, of course it wouldn't, what was she thinking?! She was an idiot! The pointer and middle fingers on her left hand, just the tips had made it in. And she expected them not to be anywhere when the light left.)

(...)

(…how were they still there…?)

It was all gone. All the light, all of it. The room was empty again, save for her.

(They were still there, her fingertips, still on her hand. Not cut off. But… h… oh.)

(What was wrong with her fingertips?)

And Leah Schaffen stood there, just breathing. Just breathing…

In. Out.

In. Out.

…

…she really, really had to go.

No, actually, Leah had to go now.

She had to get out of that house, right then and there.

…

(...)

…oh, great! There isn't any more light, Leah! What could you possibly have seen to distract you this time? The dangers, they could still be present! What's stalling you, what's keeping you from actually being safe with yourself this time?!

('Lexi's drawer on her desk was slightly ajar.)

…wait, is that…?

(…'Lexi hadn't ever lied to her. She said the letter hadn't come.)

Oh.

(She hadn't got it yet, that's what 'Lexi said. They hadn't sent her anything. Then why was the one Leah saw now, in 'Lexi's drawers, addressed from the University of Minnesota?)

(…)

(…)

(…what hadn't 'Lexi told her?)

…

…you shouldn't have read that letter, Leah. You shouldn't have.

You shouldn't have!

…I know you have.

I know everything, I suppose. I live in the aftermath. I live after the fact. I only tell the story now that it has already happened. The curse of the Narrator, I suppose. And I know you saw the contents of Alexandria's letter from the University.

And I know what you'll do with that knowledge, what it'll do to you, even after you put the letter back, and scramble out of the Gigas home.

And how that knowledge will tear the world apart.

---

"Goodbye, good goodie girl,

I'm changing and how…!

I'm changing and how!

So beat the drums 'cause here comes thoroughly,

Hot off the press, one step ahead, Jazz Age!

Whoopie baby, we're so thoroughly modern—!

Millie!

Now!"

"Thoroughly Modern Millie" — Thoroughly Modern Millie

A/N: Sorry I'm late. I had an Episode and had no motivation to write this even though I actually wanted to write this. Like y'know. Executive dysfunction. And also depression. Help me

Also it's VE season yayyyyyyy it's time for Evil Wiki Summer woo

"a whir of color, a whir of noise, a whir of whirs and light and sound" I'm just copying myself lmfao. Good thing no one who reads my Pokemon fics read Thunderclap lol. Also it's like 12:30 AM and I have barely done any editing to this so Alex help us all.