Alise sighed and wiped off more ink, as it slowly started to harden and flake off. Her day to day was absolutely horrid. Thanks to Liz though, she did get a change of clothes, but the ink stayed on her skin and had to dry first. The rest of the day, however, was horrid. She had failed a brutal math test; was forced to spell words she wasn't even sure was English; had acid spilled on her feet, which made her need new shoes, which luckily Liz had provided for her; and was the center of a brutal food fight. Alise started to tear up again and what about to cry when a voice stopped her.
"Now, what did I say to you earlier today Alise? No tears, the only proper time to cry is when it's all over." said a familiar voice. Alise turned around to see none other than Liz walking calmly behind her.
"Liz...it's so hard!!!!" Alise rushed up to her friend. She held Liz close and sobbing into her shoulder.
"Hey now, what did I just say to you? You can only cry when it's all over." she calmly said, which oddly comforted Alise. Alise sniffled and wiped away her tears. "There we go Alise. That's my girl" Liz smiled and Alise smiled back.
"Hey, Liz, there's always something I've wondered." Alise said, with an inquisitive look on her face. "I've been curiouser and curiouser about this."
"Hmm? What is it Alise?" Liz asked
"Can you show me what's so great about Wonderland.exe?" Alise asked, with a rather stern look on her face now. "If not having an account on this game is so important that I have to suffer through this bullying and pain each and every day, I want to know why."
Liz smiled as she saw how stern and determined Alise was. "Alright then. Ah, here, I can show you over here." She pointed to Leon Bench, a bench that perfectly aligned itself so you could see all of Mad H@cker Enterprises. Alise and Liz sat down on the bench and Liz started to get out her personal computer.
"Umm....Liz..does Mad H@cker Enterprises look...weird to you?" Alise asked Liz. Liz took out her computer and looked at Alise, then to Mad H@cker Enterprises, then back to Alise. Once again, Mad H@cker Enterprises looked strange, as it did this morning.
"No, I'm sorry Alise. It looks the same as it always does." Liz replied. Alise shook her head and shrugged it off.
"Never mind Liz. So, is this Wonderland.exe?"
"Yes, it is Alise...well, the loading screen...here we go, now it's up." Liz turned her screen to Alise and Alise looked at it intently.
It seemed like any other MMO that Alise had played before. Mei stood in a field, with an unusual sword in her right hand. Her crimson armor reflected much sunlight and her rustic helm came to a point like a crown. Her armor perfectly aligned on her avatar, fitting like a cloak or a rope fit for a queen. Various enemies ran around in the background. The tiles around Mei's feet were a luscious green and trees and buildings dotted around the field. Various words floated around the screen showing new notifications and random things that other players had said in-game. Players ran around the background, some on their own attacking creatures. Others were in groups to take down a massive enemy.
However, the sky was rather odd. It was a bright, clear blue, but dotted throughout the sky were patches of red squares. They appeared in various hues, from the lightest pink to the darkest red, mixing together to form a blood red color in the sky. It almost seemed as if the sky in the game was infected, glitching and bleeding.
"Huh, that's odd." Liz spoke up, breaking the silence. "The sky is never like that...maybe it's a new update. But I didn't see anything on the website about this. It could be a bug..." Liz typed furiously, asking people in game if they knew what was going on, but to no avail. "Alright, I'll take a screenshot and ask the moderators." Liz pressed some keys on her laptop and sent an email to Mad H@cker Enterprises. "They should know what's going on. And if they don't, they'll fix it. They always do."
Alise smiled at her friend, despite not really knowing what was going on. She looked back at Mad H@cker Enterprises and tried to figure out what was different, but, again, to no avail. She sighed and turned back to Liz. Suddenly, Alise panicked and stumbled back.
"Alise! What's wrong?" Liz asked, worried. Alise stumbled back more, wide-eyed, staring at Liz. Liz didn't look like herself. She looked like Mei. She was wearing armor and had a sword in her right hand. Alise looked around, quickly, and scanned the surroundings. The trees and the ground all looked digital. Even the sky seemed to have parts that were made of pixels. "Alise!" Liz broke Alise's focus on the rest of what was going on, "What's wrong?" Her voice had gotten a rougher, more digital tone to it.
Alise quickly backed up and ran off to her home, not looking back, leaving Liz there, sitting on the bench. She didn't stop until she reached her house. She fumbled with her keys and unlocked the door. Quickly slamming it behind her, Alise rushed to her room and locked herself in. Chester was sleeping on her bed, calmly purring. She flopped herself onto her bed and curled up under the covers.
"What's going on with everything!?" Alise asked aloud to no one specific. Chester stretched and turned on his side, purring still. Alise lied there, under the covers, for what seemed like hours. She felt tired and she felt the pull and beckoning of a deep sleep pulling her in. Just as she was about to drift off, there was a knock at her door.
Alise threw the covers off of her and got up to open the door. She opened it up and a look of surprise came across her face.
"L-Liz! Wh-what are you doing here?" Alise asked, despite clearly knowing the answer.
"You kinda had a panic attack and left me in the park. Naturally, I'd be worried about my best friend." Liz calmly said, placing her right hand on Alise's left shoulder and supporting both her and Alise's backpack with her left hand. Alise, flush red, took her backpack from Liz, to ease the weight Liz was carrying.
"I-I'm sorry Liz. I...I freaked out." Alise spoke softly, looking at the ground. Liz calmly tilted her head up and looked Alise in the eyes.
"Hey, it's alright Alise. Just tell me what happened."
Alise recapped for Liz the events that had happened. She mentioned about how everything looked digital and that LIz had looked like Mei. Liz pondered about what Alise had just told her. Alise just stared at the ground, feeling terrible awkward.
"Alise," Liz spoke after about an hour of awkward silence, making Alise look up at her, "Do you know where I was the years that I was gone?"
"N-No, I'm sorry, I don't Liz." Alise replied
"Do you recall the events that occurred from June 17th, 2048 to December 20th, 2048?"
"Just that I had taken a vacation during that time to Ville City."
"I see...Do you recall the events that occurred from October 30, 2055 to March 2056?"
"No, I don't. I'm sorry Liz. Why do you ask?"
Liz paused and thought deeply about what she was about to say next. She took a deep breath and looked at Alise, and stared deeply into her eyes. She knew her friend was about to say something of the utmost importance.
"Alise...I think...it's time...I should tell you...about Operation DOO.MS.D.AY."
"Now, what did I say to you earlier today Alise? No tears, the only proper time to cry is when it's all over." said a familiar voice. Alise turned around to see none other than Liz walking calmly behind her.
"Liz...it's so hard!!!!" Alise rushed up to her friend. She held Liz close and sobbing into her shoulder.
"Hey now, what did I just say to you? You can only cry when it's all over." she calmly said, which oddly comforted Alise. Alise sniffled and wiped away her tears. "There we go Alise. That's my girl" Liz smiled and Alise smiled back.
"Hey, Liz, there's always something I've wondered." Alise said, with an inquisitive look on her face. "I've been curiouser and curiouser about this."
"Hmm? What is it Alise?" Liz asked
"Can you show me what's so great about Wonderland.exe?" Alise asked, with a rather stern look on her face now. "If not having an account on this game is so important that I have to suffer through this bullying and pain each and every day, I want to know why."
Liz smiled as she saw how stern and determined Alise was. "Alright then. Ah, here, I can show you over here." She pointed to Leon Bench, a bench that perfectly aligned itself so you could see all of Mad H@cker Enterprises. Alise and Liz sat down on the bench and Liz started to get out her personal computer.
"Umm....Liz..does Mad H@cker Enterprises look...weird to you?" Alise asked Liz. Liz took out her computer and looked at Alise, then to Mad H@cker Enterprises, then back to Alise. Once again, Mad H@cker Enterprises looked strange, as it did this morning.
"No, I'm sorry Alise. It looks the same as it always does." Liz replied. Alise shook her head and shrugged it off.
"Never mind Liz. So, is this Wonderland.exe?"
"Yes, it is Alise...well, the loading screen...here we go, now it's up." Liz turned her screen to Alise and Alise looked at it intently.
It seemed like any other MMO that Alise had played before. Mei stood in a field, with an unusual sword in her right hand. Her crimson armor reflected much sunlight and her rustic helm came to a point like a crown. Her armor perfectly aligned on her avatar, fitting like a cloak or a rope fit for a queen. Various enemies ran around in the background. The tiles around Mei's feet were a luscious green and trees and buildings dotted around the field. Various words floated around the screen showing new notifications and random things that other players had said in-game. Players ran around the background, some on their own attacking creatures. Others were in groups to take down a massive enemy.
However, the sky was rather odd. It was a bright, clear blue, but dotted throughout the sky were patches of red squares. They appeared in various hues, from the lightest pink to the darkest red, mixing together to form a blood red color in the sky. It almost seemed as if the sky in the game was infected, glitching and bleeding.
"Huh, that's odd." Liz spoke up, breaking the silence. "The sky is never like that...maybe it's a new update. But I didn't see anything on the website about this. It could be a bug..." Liz typed furiously, asking people in game if they knew what was going on, but to no avail. "Alright, I'll take a screenshot and ask the moderators." Liz pressed some keys on her laptop and sent an email to Mad H@cker Enterprises. "They should know what's going on. And if they don't, they'll fix it. They always do."
Alise smiled at her friend, despite not really knowing what was going on. She looked back at Mad H@cker Enterprises and tried to figure out what was different, but, again, to no avail. She sighed and turned back to Liz. Suddenly, Alise panicked and stumbled back.
"Alise! What's wrong?" Liz asked, worried. Alise stumbled back more, wide-eyed, staring at Liz. Liz didn't look like herself. She looked like Mei. She was wearing armor and had a sword in her right hand. Alise looked around, quickly, and scanned the surroundings. The trees and the ground all looked digital. Even the sky seemed to have parts that were made of pixels. "Alise!" Liz broke Alise's focus on the rest of what was going on, "What's wrong?" Her voice had gotten a rougher, more digital tone to it.
Alise quickly backed up and ran off to her home, not looking back, leaving Liz there, sitting on the bench. She didn't stop until she reached her house. She fumbled with her keys and unlocked the door. Quickly slamming it behind her, Alise rushed to her room and locked herself in. Chester was sleeping on her bed, calmly purring. She flopped herself onto her bed and curled up under the covers.
"What's going on with everything!?" Alise asked aloud to no one specific. Chester stretched and turned on his side, purring still. Alise lied there, under the covers, for what seemed like hours. She felt tired and she felt the pull and beckoning of a deep sleep pulling her in. Just as she was about to drift off, there was a knock at her door.
Alise threw the covers off of her and got up to open the door. She opened it up and a look of surprise came across her face.
"L-Liz! Wh-what are you doing here?" Alise asked, despite clearly knowing the answer.
"You kinda had a panic attack and left me in the park. Naturally, I'd be worried about my best friend." Liz calmly said, placing her right hand on Alise's left shoulder and supporting both her and Alise's backpack with her left hand. Alise, flush red, took her backpack from Liz, to ease the weight Liz was carrying.
"I-I'm sorry Liz. I...I freaked out." Alise spoke softly, looking at the ground. Liz calmly tilted her head up and looked Alise in the eyes.
"Hey, it's alright Alise. Just tell me what happened."
Alise recapped for Liz the events that had happened. She mentioned about how everything looked digital and that LIz had looked like Mei. Liz pondered about what Alise had just told her. Alise just stared at the ground, feeling terrible awkward.
"Alise," Liz spoke after about an hour of awkward silence, making Alise look up at her, "Do you know where I was the years that I was gone?"
"N-No, I'm sorry, I don't Liz." Alise replied
"Do you recall the events that occurred from June 17th, 2048 to December 20th, 2048?"
"Just that I had taken a vacation during that time to Ville City."
"I see...Do you recall the events that occurred from October 30, 2055 to March 2056?"
"No, I don't. I'm sorry Liz. Why do you ask?"
Liz paused and thought deeply about what she was about to say next. She took a deep breath and looked at Alise, and stared deeply into her eyes. She knew her friend was about to say something of the utmost importance.
"Alise...I think...it's time...I should tell you...about Operation DOO.MS.D.AY."