WIRED (dan howell au)

chapter twenty-nine ~ N. D. C.

I talked with everyone for maybe an hour. Getting to know them was really great. I never thought it would go that well.

I was just about to leave when I realized the magnet hands were in my pockets. I go to give them back to Claudia.

"Oh, don't worry hon. You can keep 'em. I'm sure we would all love if you came back again sometime soon." She leans in and whispers, "I think Gabe really likes you."

I glance over her shoulder and see him. He has quite the character. He's effortlessly funny and adorable. I want to get to know him better.

"So, I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow?" I ask.

"Yeah of course! We can meet up at the same place we met this morning. Hmm. Let's say 2 o'clock?"

"Alright, sounds good! I might bring Dan with me though. He will want to meet you after I tell him all that has happened."

"Fine by me. See you then."

"Bye."

I step out and Claudia closes the door behind me. I get one last look at the warm and happy environment and then the door shuts.

I turn around and realize that I didn't ask how to get back up. Well shit.

I take out the magnets, clap them together and stick both hands on the wall after walking around the net. I nudge them up the slightest bit and they begin to pull me skyward. Thank god I didn't have to awkwardly knock on the door and ask how to do this.

I hear beeping on my way up, but think none of it until I start to fall just as I reach the top.

Time starts to move in slow motion. I bring the magnets to see what happened and just my luck, there is a small blinking symbol of a hollow rectangle. Low battery.

As I descend at an alarming rate, I regain my senses. Or more then just my senses. It's happening again.

Everything around me becomes sharper. I get the feeling of an adrenaline rush. I twist in the air and grab hold of the wall.

Now, you're probably thinking "Oh but how can she grab onto a wall when it's just... a wall. There's nothing to grab ahold of." Well unless there's a ledge, but sadly in my situation, there is no ledge. Just a bare, cracking and crumbling wall.

Well, I didn't just grab hold of it. I started climbing it too. My body was doing its own thing. It felt like I was in a dream.

But how am I climbing up the wall, you ask?

My fingers dig into the wall, making my own ledges.

Being in this weird unnatural state, it seems like anything can happen.

I don't feel any pain in my hands right now but I'm sure there will be sooner.

I keep climbing up and I finally reach the top... again. I pull myself up and suddenly my legs feel spaghetti and I fall face first to the ground.

And it wears off. My heightened senses disappear once again and I am left with nothing but heavy breathing and pain.

I am exhausted. I manage to sit up with a lot of wincing. I stay here for a while. Trying to steady my breathing, inspecting my hands.
They weren't as injured as I expected but they were still quite bloody and scratched up.

But then I think... why did I need to do that? There was the net at the bottom. I could've just let myself fall.

Oh wait... I would've had to ask them for more batteries.

Well, I would do just about anything to avoid an awkward situation!

I stand up and force myself to move forward. My legs feel like they can't hold my weight anymore but I keep going.