Complete - The Pink Flower

Day One

It was a grim, dark day in Pennsylvania; the clouds were gathering up a storm that was due all season and even Hershey Park was closed for the day. Katherine Sutton always loved the outdoors but, she supposed, sometimes it'll be best to stay indoors for the time being. She had been sent an email attachment to that mysterious 'Terrasphere' game or whatever that has been going viral on the net for a while now. It was a bit of a risk, she had to admit, downloading it but some anonymous guy on the forum boards pretty much challenged her to and she didn't really have anything left to do.

She sat up on her bed, eyes blank and dull from the constant, perpetual boredom. She had played Monopoly, Jenga, and Chess by herself a couple of times now and, embarrassingly, she had lost to herself each and every round (how else would a solo game work out?). She groaned, the sound resounding through her empty, silent room. While her virtual reality headset was pretty recent, she had to download the game onto her PC before she could enter the game and, due to a mixture of poor internet access in rainy weather and the generally big file that was sent to her, it would take at least an entire day before she could play. Her headset directly connected to the PC so there was no way she could attempt an early entry in there, plus it was dangerous using full-dive technology in an incomplete game; there have been stories passing around school that a few students were actually trapped in that digital realm! She was never one for the phrase 'better safe than sorry' but this time her gut instinct told her that she should probably adhere to the general rule of thumb.

Sighing, she stood up from her bed and made her way to her bedroom door, trying to turn the knob with no good results. "Aurghh," she cried out miserably, resting her head on the white wood finish. The door was locked from the outside and her parents wouldn't let her out until she at least finished last month's homework, even though it was impossible for her to turn it in without getting 80% deducted as a late penalty. Despite aging out of the school system, her parents found it necessary to enroll her in some high-school transition program for kids with a case of low grades in high school and she didn't see the point. Sure, she was a bit immature for her age and sometimes the kids poked fun at her since her brain was so slow compared to how she loved to do things fast (and her lack of concentration, really) but she'd rather just stay home rather than go to some day school. She looked miserably at her report card.


MATHEMATICS: C-
ENGLISH: D
P.E.: B+
HISTORY: F
SCIENCE: D


Then she looked at the stacks of papers and work that was due. She rested her head in a hand and fell to the floor, hugging her knees. This was going to be one boring day.

 

Day Two

Katherine Sutton had decided her name lacked that spark, the same fiery determination and passion in her soul; the overwhelming and positive zeal for life; the unstoppable train that is her entire personality, motivations, and decisions. Katherine Sutton was a bland name, chosen by a tasteless world and by average, dull parents who, despite their best wishes, were not what Katherine had in mind. There were dozens of kids throughout the years that she had met that shared the same name as her. That spark of individuality that she prided herself on was spat on by such an unremarkable name and Katherine vowed to change that. So, for this time on, she resolved to be known by a new name that truly encapsulated her complex person and all its facets. A name she had chosen herself without the interference of any outside source. She, like her in-game character, would be the free and rule-breaking Alphabet Chocolate.

The day she had decided that was, like every other decision she had ever made and will ever make, spontaneous and life-changing. It was the aftermath of entering the game for the first time, the sights and sounds that felt so real in the Opening Area, the greetings she had received from game constructs that looked and sounded so real. The other players she had met and the people she had chatted with online. It was like a new person had been created that first time she logged into Terrasphere and it was a person that she truly, wholeheartedly loved. It wasn't dull, dumb Katherine Sutton who had failing grades in almost every subject. It was the Katherine Sutton who was locked in her room all day to make up homework she could never completely understand. She wasn't the Katherine Sutton that everyone forced to grow up and accept reality. She was the Alphabet Chocolate who bounced and pranced around childishly, exploring the world with a remarkable sense of curiosity and fascination.

When she went downstairs that day to eat supper and take a sip of hot cocoa, the taste of chocolate power on her tongue and the bright lights that illuminated the kitchen had never felt so fake before.​

 

Day Three

Katherine—no, Alpha she reminded herself—laid straight on her plush bed and stared up at the blank wall in front of her. As a kid, she had lived in an apartment with her dad before her parents got together yet again for financial reasons and for the fact that neither of them had wanted to live a life less grand than one in a nice country villa that can only be supported by a joint income. But, before then, she had always wanted to decorate her ceilings and floors and walls with the oddest things imaginable. She was often punished for throwing eggs at the wall, watching the yolk splatter with a plop as the cracked egg shells fluttered down to the floor. It was her own brand of unique decor, she had remembered, and she had wanted something unique and different from everyone else's rooms. "Maria has like twenty sets of glow-in-the-dark hamster stickers at her place," she had argued with her dad after that debacle. She just wanted to be special and it was that line of thinking that had led her to massive amounts of troubles in the past and what has now led her to this part of her life. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of these memories and thoughts for a moment. She didn't like thinking about the past or the present state of her life but her empty, cold ceiling had reminded her so much of her childhood. The one that she wish she still had and the one she wished she could cherish.

A loud thump came from the floor and Alpha rubbed her forehead with her palm, groaning. The shouts were still going on and she couldn't just escape into Terrasphere like previous times. Unfortunately, the client was downloading a patch of some kind and she was stuck here in boring, old reality for the time being. She rolled over and muffled her own tortured screams with her pillow, thumping her legs on the bed. Idly, she thought about Terry, his lovely little animal companion. Despite being a game character, he had seemed to have so much life and Alpha couldn't help but be fond of him—probably more so than was healthy about caring about a fictional character. Alpha slapped herself on the wrist when her mind began to wonder how he was doing. There was a line, after all, between caring about the dog in the game and about caring about him in reality. Alpha was a bit worried; was this a sign of mental illness or something? Deluding yourself that NPCs really have feelings? She shrugged, at least that's one point for her in the individuality spectrum.

When the arguments downstairs ceased, Alpha sighed and opened her computer desk cabinet, rolling it out to take a small hairpin out of the large box that overflowed with the things, and closed it back up. As she walked up to the door, she placed her head on the wooden construct, closing her eyes and listening closely. There was the sound of distant footsteps that grew quieter with each step and, from outside, she could hear the engine of the car roaring. She grinned. This was her lucky day. She rushed back to her window, opening the blinds slightly so she could peek out. Her mom's car was already out of view, out of sight, and she could hear the distant sound of her parent's room slamming shut. Whenever fights get that bad (which was good for her, at least) her mom would go to the gym and workout her anger for a bit and her dad would just lock the door to his room and watch romances like Twilight all day. That meant that, despite her current status of being grounded, she was home-free.

She took the pin and tinkered it around the knob's slot, wriggling around until she heard that familiar click and, with a shit-eating grin, she turned the door knob and took her first step for freedom. The whiff of fresh air filled her lungs and she couldn't help but let loose a small laugh. "Time to make some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches," she declared, heading into the kitchen with a victorious smirk.​

 

Diary Entry #1

Dear Diary,

It's a bit cliche to be writing in a diary and stuff but I felt like there are things that need to be said. First of all, there's the matter of people. People are basically a bunch of clones of you that are nothing like you and look nothing like you. Wait, that defeats the purpose of clones. Never mind then. People are all UNIQUE. I underline that multiple times because it's very important. Everyone is unique and everyone is special in their own sort of way, my Diary. I shall teach your papery existence what individuality is and, later on, you'll be the most unique and prettiest book of paper ever! Does paper even have fashion styles?

Any who, I have entered a game called Terrasphere yesterday. Yup, that same game that's in the newspapers and news networks and everything. The thing the government said, like, not to play even if your life depends on it? Yeah, that's the game. I had to tell someone who wouldn't turn me into the cops and, since I know no one who'll fit the description, my confidant will have to be you Senor Piece of Paper. But lemme tell you, that game world is simply amazing. It's beyond anything I've ever seen.

If I ever disappear for good, I hope the place I end up going to is that place because there are living slime monsters and I have a dingo that I originally thought was a wolf and then I went to this event opening, right? All the food there was delicious! All of this makes me wonder why we ever banned full-dive tech in the first place, considering all the cool stuff it can do. I actually wouldn't mind be stuck in there like that Sword Art Online incident back in Japan or the other one which I've forgotten the name of. It's nothing like Sword Art Online either. There's no tower and anyone can leave whenever they want; it's like a mini-vacation.

I also made a few friends there. Merkaba is one. She's a bit scary because she has this scythe around all the time and I think we actually stopped being friends after I turned into a cat and she gave me a death glare (I'll tell you that story later). I also met some other guys like Ortix—he's part cat. Don't ask about that either. To be honest, the only normal guys I think I've met would be Nalani and Aaron but, to be honest, I think Aaron is a bit of a jerk to everyone except a few guys and I think he thinks that I'm actually thirteen in real life and that's why he's so nice to me. Same thing with Nalani except she's always nice. Makes me realize that if they knew about my real age and everything that they'll treat me differently so that's pretty dumb.

Other than a few like Dempsey and Echo, I haven't personally met that many people. Terry, however, has been with me for a bit now and I really care about him. He's a dingo pup and I tamed him with Aaron in the grassy area (Adecus Forest, I think? Who knows..) and he's been with me ever since. He's pretty much my best pal now! But still, I'm a bit worried for him since the first "raid" event is coming up. It's some kind of thing where you fight big scary monsters that are scarier than usual, I think?

Still, I'm joining to help Nalani and her jerky friend (his name was Jack, short for Jack-off somewhere else) and sorry about the spittle on the page. It was free me laughing my butt off at the joke; Jack is a total loser. Anyways, back to the main story before I digress any further (or was it regress, I completely forgot my entire vocabulary just now). So, ending on a positive note, I got a spear, some armor, and my masteries (the in-game skill system) as pretty much improved! Super happy about that! Well, see you some other day when I decide to write to you Diary.

Sincerely,
Alphabet Chocolate
(otherwise known as Katherine Sutton)


P.S. If I ever get trapped in there and whatever stranger or mom and dad or who ever finds my diary, don't you dare take me out. I'd rather live life there, if you know what I mean. Well, end of entry number one of Katherine Sutton / Alphabet Chocolate's life (although I prefer the latter name, I had to include my birth name in there to make sure you idiots to get everything confused and yank me out of the game world if I ever get in there). Anyways, this is all a giant what-if and stuff, but from now on I identify as 13 year old Alphabet Chocolate. Man, that sounds creepy. Actually, I should just leave everything off here right now since I'm starting to ramble. Anyways, see you later in the next entry.

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