SNEAK AWAY ==>

After a confusing sequence of thoughts that involve a dance party and homework, even though you're on summer break, you realize that this domestic dispute might actually give you and the others time to escape.  You gesture to the others, gathering them toward yourself, and it seems they might have had the same idea, because they're very much prepared. 

You're all sneaking away, stepping quietly and in unison, when Nyarl speaks from behind you. He sounds more irritated than angry.

Nyarl: And where, exactly, are you getting off to?

YOU: Well... Uh...

Lillie: Look, dude... It kind of seems like it's you and the creature who have stuff to work out... We just figured we could leave?

Nyarl: I see. And how do you intend on getting home? You're further away than you could ever hope to travel.

Oh.

You hadn't thought about that.

What do you say? 

ASK FOR HELP==>

You turn to your teammates with a conspiratorial sort of intent. You gesture them over quietly, and they gather around you. You talk in hushed tones.

YOU: We genuinely might not have to kill the monster. I think we should ask Nyarl to help us to leave.

Lillie: It'd be great if he let us leave, but I don't know if he would. He's really intent on me killing The Old Voice, and... I don't know. Taking over as regent of this place?

YOU: Garbage Narnia.

Lillie: Garbage Narnia, hehe, yeah. And I don't want to live here for the rest of my life, let alone make Ten leave without me.

Ten: Lillie, I'd stay here with you if I had to.

Lillie: I know, sweetie. The idea is you don't have to. Besides, you don't wanna be co-regent of some nightmare planet, do you?

Ten: Co-regent? Now that you put it like that...

They start giggling, and it's incredibly adorable, but you realize you're getting off track. 

YOU: Before we do this, are there any objections, etcetera?

Diana: Not an objection, but, well... We probably should have a backup plan. Nyarl is not what I would call a "trustworthy ally."

YOU: Good point, Deen.

Alex: Yeah, that guy's a jerk. I get that this is our best option, but... Still. Kinda cringe.

Lillie: Oh, no, yeah. Agreed, man. 

You all nod, conceding that potentially submitting to the will of a being who kidnapped one of your rank, and subsequently manipulated you in order to get back at an immortal monster is indeed "kinda cringe." Diana raises her hand, and you point at her awkwardly, giving her the thumbs up to speak her mind. 

Diana: Here is my idea for a backup plan. I have been thinking, and this is what I have.

You nod eagerly.

Diana: If we are betrayed or denied access, we should attack them both, debilitate The Old Voice, and then beat up Nyarl until he agrees to help.

There is a moment of silence as you all stare at Diana.

Ten: Well, I like it.

Lillie nods.

Lillie: Elegant in its simplicity.

Diana: :D

You all turn to Nyarl and The Old Voice, who are still immersed in what... Well you actually have to admit, it does appear similar to a lover's spat. You clear your throat. Your voice cracks as you do it, and it's actually kind of embarrassing. 

YOU: Okay... Nyarl. Look. We really just want to leave. Can you two please work your problems out without relying on a team of plucky teenage heroes? Because... This isn't Power Rangerss, man. I think we're all traumatized. And I want to go home really bad.

Ten: Lillie is twenty :]

Lillie: Dude, not the point.

Ten: My bad.

Nyarl: I certainly could get you home, but I'm afraid that won't be possible. You see, Lillie is-

Lillie: -the Heir to the land, prophesied to kill some bargain bin slenderman and rule over a planet I have zero interest in forever, completely separated from everyone I've ever known, none of whom have any way of knowing what happened to me and will all naturally assume that something terrible happened to me and be haunted by my abscence forever. Gee, that sounds great! It's every young woman's dream to be kidnapped for eternity!

Nyarl: ... Hm. 

Lillie: Actually... Wait! Sure, I'll be "Lord of the Land." My first decree...

She points at The Old Voice and Nyarl.

Lillie: You two are in charge. And you, Nyarl... You have to get us home. Deal? Oh wait, it doesn't matter, because I'm the Heir! 

Nyarl stares in shock.

Nyarl: That... That actually could work.

~~ 

No command necessary! Dudes, we're really close to the end of part one!

You turn to your peers, unable to believe this stroke of luck. Literally, you don't believe it. You're fairly certain that there's a catch.

YOU: Is there a catch?

Nyarl: Haha! Straight to the point, eh, Scribe? No catch, no catch! Honestly. I am bound to the Heir's commands. 

Alex: And I'm certain that it's just a coincidence that you only listened after it was suggessted that you'd get something out of it? 

Nyarl: Hm.

He makes an expression of animal ferocity, barely disguised as a smile.

Nyarl: I'm not entirely certain I like what you're implying, boy.

Alex backs down, and Nyarl turns to Lillie

Nyarl: Yes. If that is your command, I will follow it. But what of you, old friend?

The Old Voice hisses a response is a voice like a desert wind tearing through bone.

The Old Voice: how. how do we know. you're not tricking us. that you won't kill us. the second you are able to.

Lillie tilts her head to the side, seemingly deep in thought for a bit. She clicks her tongue, and speaks, finally.

Lillie: Dude, we were winning that fight. If you try and beat us, we'll kill you. Wouldn't you rather make peace, and survive? I mean, even, if you think I'm destined to kill you or whatever. You'll live a little longer, yeah?

The Old Voice stands for a while without motion.

The Old Voice: vvv... very... very well. we accept your terms. as disgusting as it will be to work with the TRAITOR... we suppose it is better than death.

Ten: That's the spirit! 

It nods. For a while, you feel suprised at how easy that was, only to realize that it actually wasn't easy at all. You haven't slept inat least 24 hours, not counting the time you spent unconcious, and even then, you spent some of that time on an adventure in another body, fully awake. So yeah. You're glad. It's almost over.

Almost.

Diana: Okay, very cool! How do we get home?

YOU: Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. 

Diana: Mister small man, do you have a portal somewhere around here? Do you have some way out? 

Nyarl: Yes. Come with me. 

He walks at a strangely fast pace, to the point where it's hard to keep up. Alex has difficulty walking, due to the beating The Old Voice gave him, so he leans on you, hobbling slowly. You'd carry him, but he likely wouldn't allow it. Ten and Lillie are walking together, obviously basking in their reunion. Diana is walking close enough to you that you're touching. She links her arm around yours and you squeeze her hand. You're going out with her to do something fun, and normal as soon as you can. She deserves it. You look back, realizing that the Old Voice hasn't followed you.

You're being led down a rounded hallway, or a tunnel. The walls are the same bright green as the exterior of the pyramid.

YOU: How big is this place?

Nyarl: As big as it needs to be. The rooms don't exist unless someone is there to monitor them. Something interesting I worked out. It saves a lot of power.

Alex: By power, I doubt you mean electricity?

Nyarl: Hm. No.

You are led into a circular room, also green. The room is bare and unfurnished except for a single red armchair in the corner, and a door ahead of you. 

The door is black.

Nyarl: Go on in, friends.

~~

yeah, commands probably won't be a thing until the end of this act. Sorry! but we're close enough to the end that i feel it's probably okay? if that bothers you, please tell me! 

OPEN THE DOOR==>

You don't even have to think about it. You just open the door. Looking inside, you see it's... it's a closet space. There are coats hanging in it, and it's dark.

YOU: That's a closet. 

Nyarl: It's a wardrobe. One of the oldest ways to travel across worlds. Certain caverns... hollow spaces, secluded spaces allow you to travel between spaces you shouldn't ever be able to travel. 

Lillie: Zonal science, yeah. Makes sense.

YOU: ...

Ten: Like in Narnia, yeah. Makes sense.

Lillie: No, dude. Again. Nothing like Narnia.

Ten: Come on, we're traveling by closet.

Alex: No, yeah. Going in a wardrobe and ending up in another world. Narnia. Yeah.

Lillie: No, no, no. Okay, look. Things work, magical things work, because we expect them to work. Like, you believe that you can travel to other worlds using methods like this, so that makes it more predisposed to working that way. Not by a lot, but is skews the chances a tiny bit. The same as, like, you get a good luck charm and all of the sudden something great happens to you. It isn't... It's not the charm, it's your belief in the charm. And-and the thing Nyarl was saying about how parts of this place only exist if someone is there to observe them, that's the same property, but... But more extreme.

Diana: Wow! I would like to learn more!

Lillie: Cool, let's... Let's all talk later. Not just about that. But we should stay in touch after this.

Alex: We should. This is cool. I like having friends.

Diana: Yea! :D 

Ten: (still sounds like narnia to be honest!)

Lillie: Okay, it does bear some resemblance to narnia in this one incredibly specific case, but that isn't... You don't, you can't just say all magic works like narnia as a result. It isn't even magic, really. It's just science that's too stupid for us to fully understand.

Nyarl: Excuse me, but are you intending to ever actually leave my house?

YOU: Sorry, yes.

Alex: It's kind of uncomfortable for all of us to go in an enclosed space together, but hey, whatever.

YOU: I was in the closet for thirteen years, a few extra minutes won't hurt!

Alex: You were in a closet for thirtee- What were you raised like harry potter? You were in a-?

YOU:... No, Alex, I'm a trans lesbian. See... In the closet. I came out three years ago. I was...

Alex: Okay, yeah, that makes sense, sorry, my bad. Wait, you're transgender?

YOU: Yep.

Alex: Oh man... I had no idea, sorry. 

YOU: Dude, why are you sorry about having perceived me in the way I want to be perceived? That's good. I'm honestly relieved.

Alex: Yeah, I guess that makes sense, but still... you're my cousin, and- 

YOU: Dude, we met like, a week ago. It's cool. I didn't know I had a cousin until, like, a month before you-

Nyarl: Again, please leave.

YOU: Oh yeah, sorry. 

You step through the door and into the wardrobe.  The others follow. You walk through layers of coats. It gets very dark as Nyarl shuts the door behind you. Eventually, you look down and realize that you're no longer in a wardrobe. It's a walkway that you're on.  You look to the left, and the right.

You're back in the void.

YOU: (okay... we're here again.)

Alex: (oh... okay. let's be very quiet...)

Lillie: Why? What's happening?

Ten: (i love you more than life itself. but please shut your yap.)

Lillie: (sorry! what's happening?)

Diana: (the god of evil lives here!)

Lillie: (oh. i see.)

The eye opens. It's above you this time, but you can feel His stare. You feel ill.

Lillie: OH MY-

The laughter begins. Long, hard, insane and devoid of mirth.

Lillie: What... what is that.... hhhhhh....

FALL.

You collapse, and so do the others. Diana slips, almost falling off the walkway, but you manage to grab her before she falls. The laughter begins again.

HEROES. HELLO.

Lillie: What.... Who are you?

Insane laughter.

I AM FIRE WITHOUT WOOD. MEAT WITHOUT MOISTURE. I AM SUFFERING GIVEN FORM,BLOOD WITHOUT A BODY TO BELONG TO, AN EMPTY EYE ABOVE AN EMPTY BLACK SKY. AS I AM ABOVE, I AM BELOW. I AM A SPIRIT SHRIEKING ABOVE THE EMPTY WATERS. I DELIGHT TO SLAUGHTER A MAN ON THE DAY OF HIS GREATEST JOY. I AM APOPHIS. AND YOU ARE WEAK, AND STUPID.

HEROES, I TELL YOU THE TRUTH. YOU ARE... MONUMENTALLY SCREWED. 

You vomit in your mouth. His voice is unbearable. Another mad peal of laughter. The eye turn on you, and you exclusively.

WINTON HAWTHORNE. THE LAST TIME YOUR GRANDFATHER LOOKED AT YOU WAS YOUR BAT MITZVAH. YOU ARE WEAK. YOU ARE SHALLOW AND FICKLE. YOUR WILL FALTER WHEN YOUR TIME COMES, AND YOU WILL FALL.

Diana stagger to her feet, screaming in rage. 

Diana: HER NAME IS WREN, YOU-

DIANA ZHU. YOUR FRIENDS SEE YOU AS AN EXCITING NOVELTY, REMARKABLE ONLY FOR YOUR FEW BETTER QUALITIES, WHICH ARE APPARENT ONLY DUE TO THE KITSCH THAT MAKES UP THE REST OF YOUR PERSONALITY. YOU WILL PERISH BY MY HAND. PERSONALLY. 

He turns His Eye on Alex.

ALEX HAWTHORNE. YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE, AND THAT IS ALL YOU WILL EVER BE. YOU ARE A STAIN ON YOUR FAMILY NAME, A BLIGHT UPON YOUR MOTHER, AND AN UNREMARKABLE, DISGUSTINGLY FEEBLE HUMAN WHO BRINGS ONLY SHAME TO THOSE FOOLISH ENOUGH TO CARE FOR YOU. YOU WILL SPUTTER OUT LIKE A CANDLE LONG BEFORE YOU AMOUNT TO ANYTHING, YOU PITIFUL FREAK.  

TENMU SOKOLOV. LILLIE HARRIS. YOU WILL NOT HAVE THE INCREDIBLE HONOR OF BEING PERSONALLY SENT TO WHATEVER PATHETIC FATE AWAITS YOU, BUT YOU WILL NONETHELESS FALL. ALONG WITH ALL HUMANITY. AND ALL LIFE. YOU WILL CRAWL LIKE WORMS INTO THE CHARNEL HOUSES I HAVE PREPARED FOR YOU.

Another insane laugh, and this time it actually causes you physical pain to hear.

YOU WILL NOT SUFFER THIS FATE TODAY. BUT MY MERCY IS, INDEED, CRULER THAN ANY SUFFERING I COULD INFLICT UPON YOU. KNOW THIS: YOUR FATE IS COMING. IT CANNOT BE ESCAPED. I AM THE YOUNGEST OF THE GODS, BUT I AM THEIR GREATEST ENEMY. THEY WILL ASSUREDLY FALL, ONE BY ONE. I WILL EAT YOUR SUN, AND THEN YOUR PLANET, AND THEN ALL THE STARS IN THE SKY. I WILL SHATTER THE WHEEL, AND EVEN FATE HIMSELF WILL BEG FOR MERCY, AND FIND NONE. ALL WILL BE DARK AND SILENT. AND I WILL WAIT FOREVER, IN THE DARKNESS OF MY CREATION. FOR IT IS NOT THAT I MUST DESTROY, IT IS THAT I CHOOSE TO. THIS IS MY CHOICE. THIS IS THE WORLD I WILL CREATE. A WORLD WITH NO PLACE FOR YOU. I AM APOPHIS.

There is a moment of terrible silence. You realize you're curled in the fetal position. 

YOU MAY GO. 

You all spring to your feet, running at top speed as the laughter of Apophis echoes behind you. A white square, which you've come to recognize as the portal out of this terrible place, appears before you. You scurry into it like rats.

When you open your eyes you find yourself in a ile of writhing bodies. You realize that it's your group. You're in an enclosed space, a closet probably. One of you finds the doorknob, and manages to open the door. You all tumble out.

Your aunt Alice is there, and so is Terrance. 

Is Terrance missing an arm?

~~

Geez, long turn, huh? But I enjoyed writing it! I have it saved too, in case it needs to be revised, etc... I've learned from the error of my ways LOL. There is just one more part for this story arc, to kind of wrap everything up, and then I'll take a very short break probably. But then we'll be able to start a new story arc, with command submissions, etc. It'll be cool! Hang tight guys! 

You stare at Terrance's missing arm, trying to hide the fact that you're doing so, but only making it apparent. But Terrance doesn't seem to notice. He's gone pale, and he's...

Is he... Crying?

He is. They seem like tears of relief, but... Still.

He runs forward, wrapping his arm around Diana, who is clearly confused. She limply hugs him back, patting him weakly.

Diana: Dad... What is wrong? What happened to you?

Terrance: ... What happened to me?

Your aunt clears her throat, walking toward you. She speaks, and there's a falsely casual tone to her voice.

Alice: Kids... Just out of curiosity... How long do you think you've been gone?

You feel a shiver run up your spine. You realize something must be wrong.

YOU: Four hours... Five maybe? I was unconcious for a bit, so...

She coughs. She speaks to you in a quiet low tone, just loud enough for all of you to here.

Alice: From... Okay. I don't know how to say this. So, I'll just... Say it. From our perspective, you've been gone for about two months. It's September. Early September.

None of you can really respond to that. You all sit in confused, anguished silence. Terrance eventually breaks the silence.

Terrance: Deen, your mom and I... We, uh... kind of started living in this house. The apartment is on the market. We, we moved all your stuff here, there were.. plenty of spare rooms. We just... wanted to have as much a chance of finding you as possible. Your mom kept working, but... Alice and I just looked for the room we'd lost you in every day. We never found it. It's like the house changes layout every day or something. We found that guy who beat us up once, but he just said you'd "PASSED BEYOND  OUR WORLD AND TAKEN A STEP IN ACHIEVING YOUR DESTINY!" And, occasionally we found monsters and stuff, one of them got my arm, so we...

A horrible pause.

Terrance: We eventually started to think you guys were all dead. 

Alex runs up and hugs his mom. You just kind of stand there, wishing you had somebody to hug at this moment. 

Ten: I guess... The only thing I can figure is... In Narnia, and stuff like that... Years pass in the other world, but when the heroes return, almost no time has passed in the "real world." Do you... Do you think this is like that, but, uh... reversed?

YOU: I guess, probably. I don't know. This, this is a... a lot. 

Lillie: Yeah, Ten, we didn't enroll in any coures for this semester.

Ten: ...

Ten: >:O

YOU: I... I doubt Grandpa even... even realized I was gone?

Alice: Hun, no, he realized! He went out looking for you guys, and he.. Well, he didn't exactly come back. But that's fairly normal for him. 

YOU: Uh huh.

What happens next happens in a blur. Here are the events that occured.

Terrance called his wife, and she arrived shortly, with enough styrofoam boxes of teriyaki to feed a small town. 

You all ate together in the kitchen, not bothering with plates or chairs. 

Ten and Lillie explained that they needed to go home. They promised to stay in touch, and thanked everyone. Farewells were made, and everyone embraced blindly, with no regard for who they were hugging. Alice drove them to a nearby park-and-ride, where they got on a bus heading toward Bellingham.

You, Alex, and Diana all sat on a couch watching a movie on a small box television set. The movie was the Secret of the Kells, you think. You didn't pay as much attention to that as to the fact that, when Diana fell asleep, she leaned on you. Her head rested on your shoulder, and you felt your heart beat fast, and you felt like a dork. A happy, content, dork.

Miles away from Emerald Springs, Exiting Snohomish County and entering Skagit County, there is a bus. Ten and Lillie sit on a soft, cushioned seat, Ten looking out the window at all the little lights shining from the houses in a dark sea of night, Lillie sleeping, drooling on Ten's burgundy sweater. Ten kisses her head, and Lillie mutters something in her sleep.  Ten pulls down the window, and feels the cool, moist wind whip through their short black hair.

It's going to rain.

Nestled in the cold and grey embrace of the Puget sound, there is an island. The Island is called Emerald Springs. A few decades ago, a big storm hit. A storm is gathering above the Island now, but its reign will be much shorter. In a couple of hours, bitter winds will tear through the streets, sheets of rain will fall, and waves will crash against the pebble beaches. A couple hours of this, and then it will end. It will be beautiful.

On an Island, on a hill, in the forest, in a little town called Emerald Springs, there is a house, the kind of house that could accurately be referred to as a manor. It is three stories tall, and seven stories deep. There are a few shelters behind the house, and an overgrown hot tub. The house has many rooms, and many beds. In one bedroom, Terrance and Danielle Zhu sleep on a queen size bed, secure in the knowledge that their daughter is finally home. In another, Alice Hawthorne is awake, privately thanking God that nobody died. On a couch, Alex intently watches a movie, knowing that if his mind wanders, he'll snap completeley. And you sit, drifting in and out of sleep, aware only of the fact that Diana is cuddled up to you, snoring softly, clinging to you for warmth and comfort. You smile. Life, for a moment, is an impossbly beautiful and exquisite thing to contemplate, filled with beauty, illusions, truth. You are madly happy. And then you close your eyes, and are relieved to see that tonight brings no additional dreams.

Deep below you, your grandfather stares at a screen. A terminal, if you will. It lights up his face, and his wire glasses are illuminated. He stares at the image displayed on the screen, and inputs a sequence of words.

END OF CHAPTER THREE.

END OF ACT ONE 

~~ 

thank you for sticking with me for this long.

thank you for supporting my strange idea.

IT IS NOT OVER! act two will begin soon! until then, thank you.

for visiting emerald springs 

BEGIN: ACT TWO==>

Day breaks over Emerald Springs, a dim sun filtering through the tall, windswept pines that encircle the Hawthorne Manor, and the houses that lie around it. The morning is still and silent. Most of thepeople up here are asleep. But you...

You are awake. 

The blinds of your room are shut tight, and you're sitting on your bed, staring intently at the wall in front of you. You're spacing out, kind of. It feels nice. You're listening intently to the noises coming from outside your window. You hear the car in the driveway fire up, and speed away, at an honestly reckless speed. 

You take a deep, deep breath, and spring to your feet unsteadily.

YOU: All right...

You reach down, snatcing your sunglasses off the bedside table, and putting them on, in one speedy, rehearsed motion. 

Your name is Sam Aberdeen. Fate did not smile the day He made you. 

For one thing, you're albino. That's actually kind of cool, to be honest. Of course, it means that bright sunlight hurts your skin and your eyes, but that isn't too much of a problem here in the Pacific Northwest. You still wear sunglasses all the time, mostly because it's kind of funny to you, but partially so you can see clearer. 

(also partially so people can't see your eye color.)

You also have paranoia. Which is less of a problem than you assume people generally think. It's not a constant presence in your life so much as a periodic one. 

You pull up the blinds quickly, glancing at the house a bit down the road. Hawthorne Manor. Your friend Wren lives there,  and you guess Diana does now? It's strange? They just vanished for a couple months for some reason, and showed up a week ago. That's what your dad says anyway. You, being the bad person you are, have yet to visit them. You really should visit. They're your oldest friends, and you like them a lot. 

What do you do?