Framed in the doorway is your sister. She looks...taller almost. Or was she always this [[tall|Tall]]? \n "Hey...you weren't picking up your phone."\n "Yeah," you say, frantically attempting to look like you were doing something important. "Nobody's really been calling me lately, so I kinda...lost it." \n "Well un-lose it. [[Mom's|Mom-2]] funeral is tomorrow. I need you to show up, at least. And get something to wear that's not a tracksuit." She looks impatient with you, like she always has. \n "Yeah...I know...I've got a suit. How's Dad?" \n "He won't even talk to me. He needs some time." \n "Oh." \n Things are silent, for a few minutes. You [[laugh|Laughing]], quietly, to yourself. \n "What are you laughing about?" \n "Sorry...I was just thinking about when we were kids...God...I miss it. I miss it so much." You keep laughing, tears forming in your eyes. You start crying, sobbing to yourself. Your sister embraces you. You both cry there, together, for a while. \n "I'm sorry...for those things I said to you. I didn't mean it." \n "It's...it's okay. You're my brother. I should've forgiven you a long time ago for [[this.|Forgiven]]"
Why are you wondering about them? They don't care about you anymore. Maybe they never did in the first place. \n\n[[<<Back|WoW Explained]]
She punches you in the shoulder. Not really something she used to do, but you laugh anyways. \n "I'll see you tomorrow. I will...right?" \n "Yeah. I'll be there. I'll try to talk to Dad, too. Maybe he'll get himself together enough to rip me a new one for being a loser." She giggles. \n "Yeah. Maybe. See you." She turns, stepping out of the door. You are left alone with your thoughts [[again|Again]].
You sit back, and rest for a minute. You emit a sigh, your eyelids drooping. The blood elf looks over at you, her eyes widening. She starts rushing towards you.\n"WAIT, DONT-" \n\nYou sleep. \n\n<<display "Start">> \n
When you and your friends were making it, a small silver piece fell out of the fan. You never got around to putting it back. You kept the piece, but it's been so long that you forgot where you put it. \n\n[[<<Back|Turned On]]
you dont wantr tp tal;k; about ijt right now. STPO THINKGING ABOUT IT \n\n[[<<Back|Answer]]
Don't cry. They left you. All they are now is memories. Memories you're having a hard time remembering. \n\n[[<<Back|Buzzing]]
You cast your eyes down the tunnel. It's coated in ice, slippery and rough to walk on. Icecicles hang in droves from the ceiling, threatening to fall at the smallest provocation. An odd light fills the cave. You still feel tired. \n\n[[Start walking|Started Walking]] \n\n[[Rest for a minute|Resting]]
Bad Future \n\n
Your younger sister. She has a family now, a husband you still kind of hate, and a 3 year old daughter. You haven't talked to her since a particularly heated argument a few years ago. Every day you hope she doesn't hate you. \n\n[[<<Back|Phone]]
You leave the buzzing alone, pervasive as it is, and go back to WoW. You only have so much time before it's the week again...and your [[job|Job]] certainly isn't something you're [[excited|Excited]] for.
A 2005 blue BMW. Probably their parents' car.\n\n[[<<Back|Door]]
Bright blue. Obnoxiously blue. So blue that it could never match with anything. But someone loved it, and wore it whenever he could. Maybe he'll come back to find it. Or maybe he forgot about it. \n\n[[<<Back|Head]]
She was always taller than you. Just a little bit, or at least you felt like it. Both of your parents were pretty short, but she had picked up some genes from a couple generations back on your mother's side. \n\n[[<<Back|Answer Door]]
You always had a tendency to get sidetracked by things. Something comes up. You know you should write it down, but you're sure you'll remember it. You're sure you'll remember the homework, to call about jury duty, to keep in touch with a friend. You'll remember. \n\n[[<<Back|Answer]]
you dont wantr tp tal;k; about ijt right now. STPO THINKGING ABOUT IT \n\n[[<<Back|Answer Door]]
You keep playing. Ignoring all distractions, you delve deep into the game. You forget everything else, and become your character. You finally develop a personality for them, things they love, things they hate, and make up a cast of characters to surround yours and support her. Two days later, satisfied, you sink into bed. As you lie and look at the ceiling, a cold sweat breaks out all over your body. You feel like you missed something important. Something very important. You drift off...slowly. \n\nYou sleep. \n\n<<display "Start">>
A shrill voice pierces your doorway. \n "Don't you fucking tell me to go away you ass! Open this fucking door right now!" You know the voice. You know the voice better than almost any other voice in the world. You stumble towards the doorway and [[throw it open|Open]].
You skated through it. You payed attention. Kind of. Imagine a beautiful flower that, instead of blossoming, hid from the sun. \n\n[[<<Back|Job]]
You are alone, again. The presence of your sister cuts deep, even though it shouldn't. It reminds you of things you lost that you can never get back, what your life could've been like if you had just made some different choices. \n\nYou Regret. \n\nYou are alone. \n\nThe voices in your head start to scream again...but you fall into bed despite their ranting. You can think about things tomorrow. \n\nYou sleep. You do not dream. \n\n<<display "Start">>
You soldier on, despite your exhaustion. After you walk for a few minutes, the ice begins melting, giving way to a rocky, dirt interior. As you continue, you notice buds sprouting from the wall. \nYou emerge in a [[jungle|Jungle]].
Where was that clock again? There's one on your phone, but you haven't been able to find that in weeks. Oh...there's one right underneath your map. \n\n[[<<Back|Playing]]
Mmmmmfffffllllllffffffff!!!!!! \n\n\n[[<<Back|Furry]]
You continue on down the path, and find yourself in a clearing. A figure steps from the cover of the trees, greeting you. \n\nYou stand in front of yourself. \n\n"Took you long enough." Your reflection says. \n"I can't really help it when I don't know the way." \n"So do you have an answer to my question yet?" \n"No." \n"You'll have to find out eventually. Especially after what happened a couple of days ago...your last safety net is gone." \n"What?" \n"Your safety net. Your family. It's gone now. Everyone. is. gone." Everything comes rushing back. You clutch your head, every emotion you intended to push back surfacing all at once. \n\nYour mother is dead.\n\n"Funeral's tomorrow. You'd better get some sleep." Your reflection touches you. Sunlight explodes outwards from you, and you collapse. \n\nYou sleep. \n\n<<display "Start">>
Is it looking at you? Or through you?\n\n[[<<Back|Ending]]
The mask lifts, revealing a face that you are all to familiar with.\n"What, were you expecting your sister or something?" She says, hopping down from what appears to be a massive, furry costume of some kind. \nThe [[blood elf|Blood Elf Explained]] lands lightly in front of you, touching you on your nose. She smiles mischievously at you, twirling around. \n"Wh-what?"\n"Really? Are you really going to be confused at something after all of this?" \n"I have plenty a right to be confused. What are you doing here? Why do you look so real?" You take a closer look at her. She's thin, wearing too-large cargo pants and a white t-shirt. On her head sits a [[blue beanie|Blue Beanie 2]], one that definitely doesn't belong to her, and as she turns around, you notice that the [[British flag|British]] is embroidered on the left pocket of her pants. \n"And...who are you?" Emotions boil up...and you try to ignore them. Forget them. It doesn't work. \n"We're in your head, moron. I'm your [[happiness|Happiness]]." \n
You step outside for a second, and glance around. A [[car|Car]] passes you by, honking, and a teen leans out of the window yelling "PUT ON SOME PANTS!!" You quickly realize that the sun is too bright, and run back [[inside|Inside]].
Once your computer is finished starting, you start up your favorite game: [[World of Warcraft|WoW Explained]]. Your [[blood elf|Blood Elf]] pops up onto the screen, and waves at you. You [[enter the game|Playing]].
You throw a weak, frostbitten punch at whatever is attempting to strangle you. It grunts, and you hear a large, deep voice echo throughout the cave. \n\n"Oh! Didn't notice I was giving you trouble there, buddy!" \nThe crushing softness lifts from your face, and you look up into the plump face of...something. Its eyes look hollow, almost unreal...a pig's nose, red rosy cheeks...but it looks a bit like plastic. It speaks again, its lips unmoving. \n\n"Sorry about that. I was only trying to warm you up. It's awful cold out there...You could freeze to death."\n"Where am I?" \n"Honestly? Would you believe the whole 'you're in your own head' bullshit?" \n"Maybe. What is this, a [[Disney|Disney]] movie?" \n"It might be. I don't know if there's a happy ending waiting for you at the end of the tunnel, though." \n"I never thought there was." The thing's giant, fuzzy hand descends onto your head, ruffling your hair like your [[father|Father]] always did. \n"Don't worry...maybe you can make your own happy [[ending|Ending]]."\n
You used to love playing this with your friends. You've played the game on and off for years, but your friends stopped a long time ago. You [[wonder|Wondering]] if they'll ever start playing again... \n\n[[<<Back|WoW]]\n\n
You work, you guessed it, in customer service. Every weekday for 6 hours straight you plaster the fakest smile you can muster onto your face and go about pretending you care about other peoples' problems. You hate every minute of it, but with the way you treated your [[education|Education]], you could hardly afford to get anything else. In this job market, there aren't many options [[left|Excited]].
You tell the voices to shut up. Maybe playing a little WoW will make them be quiet for a bit. You just need a second to clear your head. Maybe tomorrow...maybe you can make it up to the only person who might still love you. \n\nActually...it's kind of late. You should get some sleep. You turn out the light, and lay down. Maybe it'll all be better tomorrow. \n\nYou sleep. You think you won't be able to, but you do anyways.\n\n\n<<display "Start">>
You decide it would be better to watch your weight. You put the sandwich down and pick up an [[apple|Apple]] instead.
Your roommates were the cooks. They would make dinner, and you would wash up afterwards. Generally you did the dishes, unless you got a little lazy. At the end of the day, though, you would always get things cleaned up. You wonder who your friends are cooking dinner for now. \n\n[[<<Back|Kitchen]]
You shove your arm deep into the couch, rooting around in the darkness. You pull out a few things you thought you had lost. Under the clothes and the dirty plates, you find a [[blue beanie|Blue Beanie]]. You look at it, and suddenly the buzzing fades into the background. You sit down, the world closing in around you. You sob quietly to yourself for a few minutes. Too many [[memories|Memories]]. You set the hat down. Items are like little pieces of people to you. People leave bits of themselves in the things that they [[love|Phone]].
You walk into the kitchen. The dishes haven't been washed in a while, but you can do that tomorrow. It's so late already. You aren't a very good [[cook|Cook]], so you decide it would be a little bit better to keep it simple. You forge a Peanut butter and Jelly sandwich, and stare at it. \n\n[[Eat the sandwich|Eaten]] \n\n[[Try watching your weight|Losing Weight]]
You aren't actually short, but you felt awfully short when all of your friends in high school ended up being over six feet tall. \n\n[[<<Back|Furry]]
Everywhere around you is snow. You see some faint shapes in the distance, but they could easily be nothing, illusions crafted by the snowstorm. \n\n[[Walk towards one of the shapes|Walk]] \n\n[[Stay where you are|Staying]] \n
You turn the fan on first, and then turn it off. The switch for the fan and the light are right next to each other, and you are still forgetting which is which. How long have you been living here again? \n\n[[<<Back|Inside]]
You walk briskly back into your room. It's still pretty dark. You finally get around to turning on the [[light|Light]], which illuminates the room. You hear a buzzing sound from somewhere in the couch next to your bed. \n\n[[Search for the buzzing|Buzzing]] \n\n[[Leave the buzzing alone|Left Alone]]
Do you want to be male? Do you want to be female? Would you prefer neither? You have been pondering this question for longer than you can remember. You aren't gay, you're pretty much sure of that. Even if you wanted to be female, you would end up with girls anyways...what do you want? \nWould it be worth it? The money, the time...do you really want it that much? Or are you just fooling yourself? \nDo you just want to be pretty? Did you really think that would make someone love you?\n\nShut up. \n\nShut up. \n\nSHUT UP THEY WON'T LOVE YOU NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO \n\n[[<<Back|Mirror]]
You look up. It's dark. It's been a few hours. You check the [[clock|Clock]] and it's 9pm. It's been about 11 hours. You should eat something. \n\n[[Walk to the kitchen|Kitchen]] \n\n[[Keep playing|Still Playing]]
You always did this too much. Why are you always sighing? It's so weird. \n\n[[<<Back|Answer]]
It looks like a dragon...or a cave...or a car? It could be pretty much anything from this distance. \n\n[[<<Back|Walk]]
You built it with your friends years ago. You've forgotten when. You don't remember much about what kind of parts are in it, just that it still works. You think about your friends and where they are now. \n\n[[<<Back|Room]]
You are ugly. The mirror feels sorry for you. Its surface wavers slightly, as if shedding a single tear for your [[hideousness|Ugly]]. Your reflection looks at you.\n "Why do you do this to me? Why do you always call me ugly? It's terrible for my self-esteem." It reaches forward to poke you in the chest, but its finger encounters solid glass. It furiously pokes at the glass for a few moments, and then screams in frustration. \n "I'm just not attracted to this...[[masculinity|Male]]. I don't really think you're that ugly...but I've been ignored and turned down enough that I just naturally think this about myself. The instant I get some self-confidence, someone sees fit to take it away from me." \n "Is this what you really want to be, then? Is this what you want me to be? Is this what you want you to be?"\n "I don't...know...I never have...I tell you this every day..." \n "Stop telling me that." \n "No. I don't know what I want to be." \n "STOP TELLING ME THAT. I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE! TELL ME WHO I AM!!" Your reflection starts striking the mirror, frantically, its face deformed by anger. You dash out of the bathroom, and slam the door behind you. You run into the [[kitchen|Insanity Kitchen]], your reflection's screams still echoing in your head.\n
You wander back towards your room. It will be Saturday for a little bit longer. You feel a bit sick, and your head spins for a second. You recover, and realize you are standing in front of your [[door|Door]].
Tyler Withrow
"Really? You're going to give me that shit? I'm just delusional, aren't I?" \n"Yeah. Well, maybe. Well, sort of. Believe what you want."\n"Gahhhh..." You throw your arms up in the air in defeat. "Well what should I do now?" \n"Keep walking. You'll find out why you're here soon enough."\n"Are you going to guide me or anything?" \n"Nope. Just here to be happy. Which, in this instance, entails me getting back in this yeti suit." Gracefully, almost instantly, she jumps, landing directly in the suit. "Why would you ever do anything else? Being big is so...fun!" \n\nYou glance at the smiling blood elf. She seems to be enjoying herself. You turn and begin to walk further into the cave. \n\n"Be careful! It's pretty dangerous in here. Your head's pretty [[fucked|Fucked]]."
You are suddenly pressed up against something. Something large. Something much [[larger|Short]] than you. You are being smothered by fur, fluffy, white fur. \n\n[[Try to say something|Say something]] \n\n[[Throw a punch at whatever it is|Punch]]
The refrigerator leans over you. Its freezer opens up, speaking in a chilly, crackling voice. \n "Why do you always think about yourself this way? Everything you've done is your fault. The way you look at yourself is YOUR FAULT. Your friends left [[BECAUSE OF YOU|Friends]]. ALL BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T STAND UP AND MAKE YOURSELF BETTER." Its last statement showers you with ice chips. You shiver, and look up into the frozen maw. \n "WHY DO I HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING MYSELF??" You scream at it. The frozen wasteland stares at you, almost bewildered by your idiocy. \n "BECAUSE YOU NEVER LET ANYONE HELP YOU." Its voice grows deeper, bellowing at you, and it leans in and [[swallows you whole|Wasteland]].\n
You wake up, encased in blankets. Getting out of [[bed|Bed]] doesn't really seem like a good idea. \n\n
You sit by the [[refrigerator|Refrigerator]], breathing heavily. Your reflection hasn't been this active in a long time...usually he just looks sullenly at you, disappointed by your existence, but not nearly this [[angry|Angry]].
Her voice dashes out of the phone into your ear, an unfamiliar sound you could never forget.\n "Hello?" \n "Hey...how are you?" You sniff, wiping your eyes. A great [[sigh|Sigh]] escapes from your lungs, and you place your hand on your forhead. \n "I'm...I'm okay. Is everything all right?" \n "Yeah. Just being a bit stupid and emotional right now. Don't worry about it." \n "I just wanted to remind you...[[Mom's|Mom]] funeral is tomorrow. I know how you forget things...and I just wanted to make sure you remembered where it was and everything." \n "Trust me...that's something I won't [[forget|Forget]]." \n "Okay...well I guess I'll see you [[tomorrow|Tomorrow]]."
You log back in, still ignoring the soft buzzing, which keeps returning for some reason. After an hour you settle in, once again deep in your characters' adventures. You hear a knock at the door. \n\n[[Answer the door|Answer Door]] \n\n[[Tell whoever it is to 'Go Away!'|Go Away]]
You watched so many of them when you were a kid...your sister loved Peter Pan. A little too much. You wouldn't watch Beauty and the Beast, though, because you thought it was too sad. \n\n[[<<Back|Punch]]
The buzzing returns, screaming through your tears. You violently reach into the couch again and pull out your phone. You can barely see the screen, but you quickly wipe your eyes and read [["Sis"|Sister]] on the brightly shining screen. You answer the [[phone|Answer]].
They talk to you. They've always talked to you. They never told you to do anything, but they curse at you for your mistakes, your foolishness, everything that you've ever done wrong. \n\nThey remind you that you lost everything. Because of you. \n\n[[<<Back|Staying]] \n
Always full of nothing. Whenever you go to buy food, you tend to buy a bunch of nothing out of habit. It spoils. \n\n[[<<Back|Insanity Kitchen]]
"How do I win...what should I do? What qualifies a happy ending? Because I don't think I can see myself as a white collar worker with 2.5 kids and a white picket fence." \nThe thing looks at you, inquisitive. Its [[hollow|Hollow]] eyes seem to scan your face...without pupils. \n"Like I said...your happy ending is yours to make. Happiness is only what you qualify it to be. You've just been too busy shutting everything out to figure out what you want." \n"Stop philosophizing all over me. It's making my head hurt." \n"You never really were one for listening anyways. More so one for...doing nothing." It laughs, a booming, echoing sound that bounces in and out of your ears enough to [[deafen|Deafen]] you. You feel a bit dazed, but look up just in time to see the creature remove its own [[head|Head]].
You get out of bed anyways. You stand up, groggy. Your hair is a train wreck, your vision blurry. You look around your [[room|Room]].
A lush, dark green jungle lies before you. The railroad leads you [[forward|Forward]].
She looks cute. You made her outfit, cut her hair. You made her. You type /laugh. She [[laughs|Laugh]]. She is everything you want to be and everything you will never be. \n\n[[<<Back|WoW]]
You hang up. You overthink everything that happened in the last 30 important minutes of your life. \n\nDoes she really still love you? Family only goes so far. \n\nYou are alone. \n\nHow are your friends now? Do they just not talk to you because they don't want to feel like they're bothering you? \n\nYou are alone. \n\nDid she ever care about you? \n\nYou are alone. \n\nDid they ever love you? Or was it all just a lie? \n\nYou are alone. \n\nWill there be time for two funerals tomorrow? \n\n[[Indulge the voices|Voices]] \n\n[[Stop being stupid|Smart]]
You pick up your waterbottle and look at it. Grey plastic, cool to the touch, and empty for the umpteenth time. You sigh, and put it back down. Going to get more water isn't worth it yet. \n\n[[<<Back|Room]]
You squint your eyes towards one of the most promising [[shapes|Shape]]. Hopefully you can make it there before the cold takes you. You start trudging through the snow towards [[it|It]].
Standing in the doorway is your sister. Her face flushed with anger, she looks like she's about to hit you.
"Wait," you say. \n "What is it?" \n "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I did...I didn't mean it. John's been good to you and Alison, he really has. I shouldn't have talked about him like that." \n "It's...honestly, don't worry about it. You're my brother. I think I can forgive you for a few disparaging words." \n "Thank you," you say, your eyes filling with tears again. "I've been [[worrying|Worrying]] about this for so long...maybe we can talk more tomorrow." \n "Yeah, maybe then. I'll talk to you later." \n "Bye. [[I love you.|Love]]"
You think for a second, but decide that losing weight isn't really worth it at this point. You stuff the sandwich into your mouth, and walk back towards your [[room|Inside]].
You trundle down the [[hallway|Hallway]] towards the bathroom. You blindly open the door, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. You look in the [[mirror|Mirror]].
Your memory is a bit dull, but you feel like you have something important to do for him. You try to think...but it's so cold...\n\n[[<<Back|Punch]]
You tumble through a frozen world, screaming, freezing, dying...and you slam face-first into the snow. Spikes coat your skin, pricking at you. At first you can't realize how cold it is. You can just tell that it's everywhere. It rushes over you, and you begin shaking and shivering uncontrollably. Your tears freeze on your face. You sit up and [[look around|Look]].
You stumble over to your computer, and turn it on. The blue light flicks on as always, and the fan turns on. It was always [[too loud|Fan]]. You sit down in your chair, and watch the computer [[come to life|WoW]].
About narrow enough for one and a half people. If anyone else lived here, walking past each other in the hallway would be difficult. \n\n[[<<Back|Bathroom]]
You sit down, exhaustion taking you over. The [[voices|Spirit Voices]] begin whispering to you in the wind, their cries growing louder and louder as the wind wraps itself around you. Your eyelids begin to feel heavy, despite your shuddering. After a few moments, your eyes glaze over.\n\nYou sleep. \n\nYou sleep one last time. \n\n<<display "Start">>
Large, unwieldy hands grasp you, lifting you up into the air. Your vision blurs and shifts...you can barely tell what's directly in front of you...but it looks...[[furry|Furry]].
What friends? You don't have any. Not anymore. And it's your fault. All because you're a freak. \n\nFreak. \n\n[[<<Back|Angry]]
Your mom is deaf in one ear, and going deaf in the other. You've always spoken louder to make sure she could hear you. It kind of bled over into the rest of the world, as well. Thinking about her right now...it seems like there's something important going on about her...but your head starts to feel spiky just thinking about it. You decide to think about something else. \n\n[[<<Back|Ending]]
Bright blue. Obnoxiously blue. So blue that it could never match with anything. But someone loved it, and wore it whenever he could. Maybe he'll come back to find it. Or maybe he forgot about it. \n\n[[<<Back|Buzzing]]
You cast your eyes across the room. Clothes, papers, boxes and sundry items line the floor. It's not really the time to clean up right now. You keep a [[waterbottle|Waterbottle]] next to your bed, mostly out of laziness. Your [[computer|Computer]] sits at your desk across the room. \n\n[[Turn on your computer|Turned On]] \n\n[[Go to the bathroom|Bathroom]]
You wonder if he went back to England. He said that he wanted to for grad school. Does he have a family now? Why do you care, though...please stop...caring... \n\n[[<<Back|Head]]
There has never been anyone to tell you otherwise. At least, nobody that wasn't family. And you know how family is. \n\n[[<<Back|Mirror]]
You used to laugh all the time. Usually for no reason. Not so much anymore. \n\n[[<<Back|Answer Door]]
A World of Warcraft race. One of the only ones you made, because you thought they were the prettiest. Considering you only had the Horde to choose from, you were pretty much right. They all have pretty much the same face, the one you're looking at right now. \n\n[[<<Back|Head]]
You are neurotic. You overthink things that should never be overthought, and get scared of facing things that you don't understand. You also underthink things. You are insensitive and sensitive at the same time. Maybe that's why everyone's gone. Please overthink this statement. \n\n[[<<Back|Tomorrow]]
You look at the apple. It's a bit old, but still has some shine in it. You can't quite remember when you bought it, but you take a bite anyways. It tastes a little [[bland|Bland]], but you know you have to eat.
You feel as if all of the air is being sucked from your lungs. \n\nYou keep walking \n\nYour face burns \n\nYou keep walking \n\nYou can't feel your feet \n\nYou keep...walking \n\nYou...keep...walking... \n\nYou [[fall|Fall]]...directly into the cave you had been looking for.
Don't be an idiot. You've thought about this before. You wouldn't do anything. You've never done anything. You're too afraid. Coward. Go to sleep, moron. \n\nYou are still alone.\n\nYou sleep. The voices get quieter, but never really go away.\n\n<<display "Start">>
It sounds so Goddamn evil...but you love it. \n\n[[<<Back|Blood Elf]]