⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰
𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑘
𝐼𝑡 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛
𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑛, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑛, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑛
𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐼 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝐼 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑎 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑘
𝐴𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑙𝑎𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑠
𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝐼 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑒
𝐼 𝑠𝑎𝑤 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑚𝑦 𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑢𝑙
𝐀𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐚 𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐁𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐬
⊱ ────── {⋅. ♪ .⋅} ────── ⊰
"Chase... Chase wake up" Luna says but Chase keeps his eyes closed, he knew he was laying on his back outside of the hostel where the events just keep playing themselves over and over again like he was in a loop.
Having spotted his mom through some crack in the air Chase started to pay close attention to everything around him. Suddenly the people around him felt like robots wearing the faces of those he loves and acting in a way they wouldn't.
"No, you're not real" Chase replies and he can feel Luna kneeling at his side
"Chase, if i wasn't real could i do this?" Luna says before kissing the teen who laid on the on the ground with his eyes closed. He wanted to give in, to keep kissing the brunette girl but it wasn't her. It was all a simulation and Chase didn't have Luna back, he did break her trust along with all of the runaways
Chase pushes her away and opens his eyes. When he opens his eyes Chase can see that Luna was hurt but his action. So while he quickly wanted to make things better he had to remember she wasn't his Luna, "If you were really Luna you wouldn't kiss someone without their consent. You always ask, no matter how many times I tell you you can kiss me whenever you want. It's the main reason you dislike all the Disney princess movies, because the guy always thinks he has the right to kiss an unconscious person. Which sucks because you love fairytales"
No longer looking at Chase with hurt, Luna raises a hand to caress Chase's cheek with her thumb, "You're not just anyone Chase, you are my other half-"
Chase couldn't help but cut her off, it wasn't enough that he knew that the girl before him wasn't Luna but now he could see it. It was all in the eyes, the Luna before him had gold specks in her eyes while the real Luna's eyes have grey. It's what makes her glare intimidating, the shade in her eyes are no longer a warm blue but rather a cold grey.
"No." Chase strongly states as he pulls away from the girls touch, "The real Luna would never call me her other half and she doesn't need someone to complete her because like the moon she is already whole even if she doesn't let everyone see it or believe it. The real Luna speaks Arabic and Spanish, which only makes her hot on top of being beautiful every second. She wouldn't-"
Chase couldn't continue speaking as there was explosion inside the house making Luna run towards it only to turn back and call out for him. Chase doesn't, he couldn't follow after someone who wasn't real.
While he didn't and couldn't follow after someone who wasn't real Chase had no choice, the algorithm was made for him to run through with the simulation. So, it evolved, it changed to the point where Chase could hear his friends plead for his help and once back in the hostel he gave in. When they came out as the victors, Chase wanted answers but the simulation started up once again, and so he retreated to his and Luna's old room.
In trying to hide the simulation tugged on his wants once more, only for this time Chase have had enough. Causing for him to shout at everyone to leave him alone, and the brunette pleading for his help disappeared right before his eyes.
In a daze Chase slowly walks out of the room only to find no noise other than the ones coming from each step he took. That is until he heard a distance voice that sounded like his mom calling his name and since he had previously seen her, Chase followed the voice.
"Honey, are you there?" The distant voice echoes as Chase walks over to the second floor walkway only to see his mom through a cracked window floating in midair making him ask in disbelief, "Mom?"
"Thank God you're okay!" Janet exclaims being able to see her son face
"'Okay' may be overstating it, but I'm alive" Chase says making Janet notice the dirt and blood on his face
"Wait, are you hurt?"
At the question Chase quickly replies, "No. I'm find, I'm fine. There was a whole battle thing going on, but none of it's real"
"Okay. The glitching's getting worse" Janet says noticing the items around her start to glitch "If these virtual worlds collapse while we're inside of them--"
"We die in the real one?" Chase asks having been following his mothers train of thought
"Our bodies do. I don't know if our consciousness can survive in here. It's actually a fascinating scientific question" Janet says trailing off point as her scientific curiosity was creeping up
"Except for the dying part" Chase states making his mother turn her full attention back to him
"I'm looking for a way to save us. Have you seen any sign of Karolina?" Janet asks but before her son can answer her husband speaks up but glitches as he tries to tell her to sit down
"Mom, I have an idea. Everything we're seeing is just electrical impulses in our brains. The Algorithm is just mining our thought for details. What if we just stopped thinking? Something real Gert accused me of on more than one occasion. But if you can clear your mind, well then maybe you can get rid of Dad"
Janet takes in every word her son was saying, "Like when you realize you're dreaming. You have the power to change it"
"Stop listening to that nonsense and come eat your crepes" Victor says with authority having set a new plate of crepes on the table, at his words Janet turns to look at him
"Victor... I don't want any more goddamn crepes!" Janet shouts making the plate of crepes on the table disappear. With a smile Janet turns to look at her son, "It worked. Which means..."
"Janet. Honey—We got off to a bad start. But there's still so much love in here" Victor says trying to convince Janet not to erase him
"Is there?" Janet asks with her eyebrows furrowed
"Remember when we fell in love? Before Pride and Jonah?" Victor asks taking a step towards Janet keeping his voice at a calm warm tone, "It was just the two of us. And then Chase came"
"That's so messed up" Janet says his words being the wrong ones and so as she slowly walks towards him she confidently says, "That you'd weaponize the few good memories I have about my marriage. Victor, or whatever the hell you are, get out!"
Victor vanishes making Janet sigh in content and walks back to the window where she can see her son, "Chase, you're a genius"
"Ah, thanks, mom" Chase says with a proud smile
"Hey, don't get cocky. You get it from me" Janet replies before turning to look around her kitchen "I think I know what we need to do now."
~~
In her own algorithm world Janet tells herself "Wish it all away" while looking at a mantel of framed magazine covers she was on and various awards. When one frame disappeared Janet smiled and says, "It's working"
Janet closes her eyes and wishes for it to all disappear and when she opens her eyes the algorithm glitches the table and awards away. Leaving behind only the room wall, it being the next thing she had to wish away so she can be in the same room as her son.
Eyes closed once again Janet makes the room, she stood in disappear, when she opens her eyes them the only thing in front of her is a badly lit room and some rubble. Janet turns around confused as to where she stood only to open her mouth in shock that Chase was standing across from her.
Janet walks up to her son and pulls him into a quick hug before asking, "Are you okay? I'm sure it was hard to say goodbye to Luna."
"Are you kidding? That version of Luna not once rolled her eyes at me or said stars. It kind of freaked me out," Chase truthfully says while Janet picks up a rag to clean up Chase's face where he had blood and dirt, "Thanks. If we can just imagine people away in here, then can't we just imagine a way out?"
"All we're changing in here is our perception of things." Janet says keeping the rag against the side of Chase's face before continue moving it to clean him up, "But to open the door on the outside, we need someone to manipulate the tech in the lab. I haven't figured out how to do that yet."
"Yeah, well, not that I'm opposed to some quality mother‐son bonding time," Chase says ready to move away from his mothers hold, "but we got to find Karolina and get the hell out of here."
"All right, I'm sure she's close. Look for any crack in the wall," Janet explains knowing more about the animated world they were in than anyone else
"Karolina!" Chase shouts as he starts walking down the hallway searching for a crack in the wall
"Where are you?" Janet shouts just as various items down stairs start to glitch only to reframe from disappearing
Karolina was safe, but she was going through her own personal hell. Not only had she gotten an ultimatum by Jonah in Victor Steins body, but he had made the Nico in the algorithm start to die. Nico was sitting against a tree near where their wedding was officiated, and Karolina sat next to her not once looking away
"If I'm not even real..." Nico tiredly says as a tree behind Karolina glitches, "why do you look so sad?"
"Because this might be as‐-as close as I ever get to the real Nico again," Karolina says trying her best to keep her crying to a minimum and voice strong but soft, "I'm just happy to spend whatever time I can with you."
Karolina chuckles as a tear falls down Nico's cheek, the blonde wipes away the tear as her girlfriend closes her eyes. Karolina lets her own tears fall knowing the Nico before her wouldn't open her eyes again. She leans in to place her forehead against Nico's only to not feel or hear her breathing
The moment was ruined when the blonde bride hears her name being called out. Karolina turns around to where she heard the voice and asks, "Chase?"
Karolina turns around to look at Nico one last time before standing up and following the voice. Walking down the garden steps Karolina is able to see a glitch in the garden she stood where she could see Chase and Janet. Confused she asks, "Is it really you?"
"Are you at your wedding?" Chase asks taking in Karolina wearing a light pink dress and the gardens decorations
"Your algorithm isn't your wedding to Luna?" Karolina asks with a light chuckle standing a few feet away from the window glitch
"Not exactly" Chase replies not wanting to talk about his algorithm
"We need to get you in here. It's the only way to stop this glitching and escape" Janet quickly explains making Karolina's faint smile disappear
"How?"
At Karolinas question Chase speaks up to explain, "That's what's cool. All right, just close your eyes and wish it all away."
Karolina couldn't help but turn around to where she knew Nico laid against the tree. While she was excited to leave, Karolina couldn't just wish Nico away. So the blonde turns around to face the mother and son, "I can't. What if this is all there is?"
"Karolina, none of it is real," Chase states knowing the alure that Karolina felt in wanting to stay "If you want to see the real Nico again, you've got to try."
"Okay" Karolina whispers and closes her eyes to wish it all away in order to get back to her Nico, the real Nico
Karolina opens her glitter covered eyes and no longer was she standing outside in a garden. Now she stood in her and Nico's bedroom at the hostel in front of her was Chase and Janet.
"I'm here and she's gone. Is it weird that I don't know how to feel?" Karolina asks the two people before her not knowing what they had gone through due to the algorithm
"Everything about this is weird" Chase says reassuring Karolina
"There's no time for survivor's guilt," Janet states as a lamp on the dresser starts to glitch, "We're all still in jeopardy, and who knows how long this place will hold or what Jonah has planned"
"I saw him." Karolina says leading everyone out of the room and into the hall "He'll have to feed soon."
"He's not gonna kill you. He's your dad." Chase says knowing Karolina would be safe
"He's kind of your dad too" Karolina states as they walk side by side
"Yeah, but there's not enough Victor in there to save me" Chase states having seen Jonah in his dads body and there wasn't enough of his dad to overpower the alien
"Well, he'll kill me first" Janet states to reassure the teens they wouldn't die anytime soon and they turn to look at her as they make their way towards the staircase "But when I visited Victor in the algorithm, there was a door‐‐ a way to pass through from the physical world to this one and then back again. If we can find that door, we might be able to push through."
"And if we can't?" Karolina asks as they walk down the stair case and more items around them continue to glitch
"Well, then we find a way to break it down." Chase says making the three spread out and search for the door
Chase was looking through a room that was filled with a lot of the hostel owners possessions. He only knew of the room because it was where they had hidden Geoffrey when they saved him from being killed by Jonah. The owners possessions could only be described as something from a horror film as it was all old magic items that had been stored away.
Janet didn't tell the teens what to look for other than a door as that's what she knew it was supposed to look like. Knowing it was supposed to look out of place Chase walks over to a wall where a white light shined from behind a cabinet and frame. Chase moves the cabinet only to see a blue door standing apart from everything else around him
"I got it!" Chase shouts loud enough for Karolina and Janet to hear him
Karolina is the first to walk into the room only to help Chase with a poster frame to set aside. Janet on the other hand walks straight up to the white rim glowing door, "Let's see if Alex unlocked it"
Janet goes to hold on to the door knob but nothing happens when she turns, instead the door just starts to rustle. At the door not moving Chase looks over at Karolina and says, "Classic Wilder"
"I'm sure he's trying," Karolina replies having faith in their brainiac of a friend
Chase gasps making the girls turn to look at him. Chase raised his hand to his throat and starts to bend his knees as a wheezing sound left his lips
"Chase?" Karolina asks worried but he couldn't respond so she turns to Janet, "I thought that being in one place would stop the glitching."
"This isn't a glitch. He's suffocating!" Janet exclaims worried needing her son to be safe
"Can you just wish for more air?" Karolina asks seeing Chase fall to his knees still wheezing for air
"This is happening in the real world! Somebody's manipulating the controls!" Janet exclaims not daring to touch her son as she didn't know what to do and her mind was racing
"If something out there can affect what's happening in here, then maybe the opposite is also true"
Janet with wide eyes looks over at Karolina her mind having quickly accepted the young blonde's hypothesis, "Yes! Use the energy of your light to turn up the oxygen in the tube. Do it! Now!"
Karolina allows for her hands to glow and places them against the closed door, it quickly took effect. Chase falls to the ground but had yet to regain breathing
"I found the controls. I'm merging with them" Karolina says her hands still glowing and placed against the closed light blue door
"Focus on the lab. Chase's tube," Janet instructs as she kneels next to her son
"Wait. Something‐‐ Something bad is happening," Karolina worriedly says opening her eyes and looks at her glowing hands feeling a strange pull, "I feel like I'm vaporizing into mist. It's pulling me apart."
"Turn the air on now or Chase dies!" Janet shouts as Chase starts to gasp for air less and less.
At the command Karolina nods her head and does as she is told, "I think I got it."
Chase gasps sharply catching his breath making Janet smile and look up at Karolina only to notice something was wrong. Janet shouts the blonde girls name before running up to her but Karolina kept her eyes closed and didn't move her glowing hands away from the door.
Janet pulls Karolina away from the door making Karolina stumble backwards and open her eyes. She looks over to where she last saw Chase only to see him standing up and breathing. Chase looks over at her with a smile and says, "It took you long enough"
Janet goes to hug Chase making Karolina drop her smile. While she was happy to see Chase alive and well, she couldn't help but frown when looking at her hands. The door hand been pulling at her hands, as if it was going to consume all of her and its why she couldn't pull away.
"Let me connect again" Karolina tells Janet as they still needed a way out, "I can try to open the door from the outside."
"No, it's too dangerous. You almost didn't come back." Janet says pausing for a second having gotten an idea, "But maybe you can give me a boost"
Janet places her hands on the door making Karolina stand behind the mom and place her hands over Janet's. Karolina allows for her hands to glow making Janet's glow white, just like Jonahs.
"Wait, wait." Chase protests making them both look over at him but don't pull away from the door "If it's too dangerous for her, then it's too dangerous for you"
As Karolina pulls away from Janet, the mom makes up her mind and she leaves her glowing hands on the door.
"Oh, my God." Janet says in astonishment being able to feel everything that was happening with in the algorithm, "It's just as you said. I can feel Alex unlocking the door"
The door no longer existed, now instead of a baby blue door was a white glowing panel. Janet kept her eyes forward knowing it was time, "Karolina, you need to go"
Karolina apologetically looks over at Chase before she walks sideways into the glowing panel. Chase knew that it was his turn but he wasn't going to leave anyone behind.
"No, Mom. I won't leave you," Chase states only for their surroundings to start to blur and change "What's happening?"
The two were no longer in the hostel, instead Chase stood alone in a field. The sky held a aurora borealis and the stars were clear to see and in the middle of the field there was a bench
"It already happened, Chase," Janet's voice booms only for Chase to turn around trying to find his mom but she wasn't there. Janet then appears in a white dress walking over to Chase, "I'm already part of it."
"Part of what?"
"The Algorithm." Janet states walking over to the bench while Chase stayed standing his eyes following her every move, "You know what they say: 'If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.'"
"No, no. You have to come with us. Through the door" Chase says sadness evident in his voice
"No, if I take my hands off the door, it will become solid again. I need to hold it open" Janet says with a small nod trying to make this simple and painless for Chase
"But that means..."
"I'm staying here" Janet confidently assures Chase, happy with her choice
"Wait..." Chase scoffs looking around taking in the light sky and the northern lights "Where is here exactly?"
"This is where we'd come when you were little" Janet explains looking around at the field, "Just the two of us. When your dad was away on work trips. We'd camp out and look at the stars spread across the sky."
Chase couldn't help but laugh when remembering the place, "You taught me the constellations here."
"And you knew them all," Janet says with a proud smile looking at her son whose eyes were full of stars, "Even then, I could tell the potential that you had. You're everything I ever hoped you'd be. And now we're here."
"No, no, no." Chase states his smile falling not liking the sound of his mother's voice saying goodbye "We're not anywhere. All right? We've got to get back."
"And I've seen you be brave and..." Janet continues ignoring Chase's protest and reaches out for him so they can both sit together on the bench, "brilliant... and loving with your friends. I couldn't be more proud. And I want you to know how hard it is for me to let you go. But trust me... you're all set. And I chose this perfect place... for us to say goodbye."
"What is happening?" Chase asks trying his best to push down his tears but he couldn't control his voice from portraying all of his emotions, "Mom, how can I save you?"
"I don't need to be saved," Janet states looking at her son who was looking down at his hands trying to hide his tears from her, "Don't be sad."
"No. I'm not ready" Chase whispers looking up with watery eyes
"Yes, you are," Janet reassures Chase with a nod and a warm smile, "Yes, you are."
A/n: i feel like there hasnt been much happening in the past chapters but promise that will change soon