“NOOOO!!!”

(The situation was hopeless. Jude ran ahead and tried to reach Tod, but it was too late. The monster attacked first and severely injured Tod. As he lay on the ground, it was quickly being painted in red.)

‘It’s all my fault. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have been so loud. Tod’s dying because of me. I killed him.’

Mei 3 take over. Mei 2 isn’t in a position to control the body anymore.

(Mei 2 was crying in distress. I can’t blame her though, it’s all of our faults that this situation occurred. If only we took the situation more seriously in the nurse’s room then it wouldn’t have led up to this point. I shouldn’t have felt so obsessed with Jude. I should have been more aware of the situation.)

‘Mei 1, Mei 2, don’t beat yourself up over this. We can’t let Tod’s sacrifice go to waste. We have to survive!’

Yeah, thanks Mei 3. Let’s concentrate and get out of this place alive.

(At times like these, Mei 3’s bluntness is helpful. She isn’t as smart as us, but that isn’t a bad thing. She doesn’t tend to overthink things and openly states her opinions.)

‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’

(Mei 2 didn’t hear Mei 3’s words and she continued to apologize to herself. Out of the 3 of us, Mei 2 is the weakest when it comes to mental toughness. She was blaming herself for Tod's death, since she was in control of the body when the monster was alerted.)

‘Don’t cry Mei 2. It isn’t your fault.’

‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’

It’s alright Mei 3, just give her some space. We have to figure out a way to escape from here first. Since Jude ran ahead, go and catch up to him.

‘Alright.’

(Jude stopped in his tracks and watched the monster’s tentacle. It was playfully waving around Tod’s legs.)

‘Son of a bitch!!!’

“Let’s go, Mako. Hurry and escape while it’s distracted. HURRY!!!”

(Jude immediately made a decision as Mei 3 caught up to him. It had only been 10 seconds since Tod was killed, but he had already made a decisive choice. He had chosen to give up on Tod, and instead, focus on escaping.)

‘Heartless Bastard!’

He’s not. He’s just…

‘I know! I know! But I just don’t like how he can immediately shift gears.’

(It may seem cold-hearted, but Jude is a person who can change priorities at the drop of a dime. He doesn’t waste time in deciding the best course of action. He’s not like other people who hesitate and ponder for a long period before taking action.)

‘I-it’s eating Tod’s legs. That bastard, how dare he disrespect Tod.’

Don’t mind it. Pay attention, we’re almost at the guard room.

“Mako go through the door before me.”

“What about you?”

“Trust me.”

‘What should I do Mei 1, he’s trying to sacrifice himself to save us. I don’t want another person sacrificing their life for us.’

I don’t know what Jude’s planning but trust him. Even if we stay behind and try to help him, we’ll be useless. Even you can’t beat that monster one on one, can you?

‘I-I don’t think so, but I can try. I don't know if I don’t try!’

No, you can’t defeat it as you are right now. Even if you’re the strongest out of the three of us, you still won’t be able to match up to that monster. That’s why I’m here, I’m the brains and you’re the brawn. I’ll give you an opportunity where you can defeat that monster.

‘You have a plan?’

Of course. Your trusty older sister always has a plan. I want you to get into the guard room and look for some sort of control panel that controls the cells. Considering the size of this prison, the guards must have some device that controls the cell’s locks.

I’m pretty sure that the monster is similar to our Father. It loves to play with its toys and hates it when it can’t control them. We’ll let the inmates escape and cause chaos, while we go back and grab Jude. Then we’ll escape and have a happy ending.

‘Father?’

Ok, Mei 3!! Can you get into the guard room safely!! Yes, you can!! Big Sister trusts you!!!’

‘Of course!! And what do you mean by big sister, we were all created at the same time.’

Hehehe, I’m Mei 1 so of course, I’m the big sister.

‘Ok. Ok. I understand the plan, but what if there isn’t a control panel.’

If there isn’t a control panel then we go and beat up the monster. It’s the perfect plan for you, right. We’ll descend from the sky like a knight in shining armor and save Jude. Then we’ll take him home and have a happy ending. Either way, it’s a happy ending.

‘Haha, you’re starting to sound like Mei 2.’

(Good, Mei 3 stopped thinking about our Father. It was my mistake in even talking about that bastard. Even if I have to show a false sense of bravado, I don’t want her mind to be clouded by that scumbag of a Father.)

Alright, let’s get into it. Commence operation Jailbreak. Go ahead and make Jude fall in love with us, but remember, he is mine.

‘Alright, I got it.’

“Ok, but you have to survive too!!”

(Jude’s face lightened up and wasn’t as tense. At times like this, Mei 3 possessed a power that neither Mei 2 or I had. Her bluntness gave her a certain charm that made others feel attracted to her. It was a warm aura that naturally influences others.)

“Of course.”

“Fifi, when you see the monster's tentacle move, tell me.”

“Ok.”

(Jude continues to talk to Fifi as we run. They were creating their plans to deal with the monster, and we had ours. The door was already in front of us, but even I couldn’t predict what Mei 3 was going to do. She dives into the room. Even if it’s the same body, Mei 2 and I would never be able to pull that off.)

‘Where do I go next, Mei 1?’

(This room was in the shape of a square. There wasn’t anything in this area, but there were two other doors. One in front and one on the left. Looking at the glass panes in front, that door most likely led outside. So the control panel must be in the door to the left.)

Check the door on the left.

‘Ok.’

(Mei 3 went and shook the handle, but it was locked. Of course, it’ll be. That monster wasn’t going to give any of his toys the chance to escape from his playpen.)

‘Mei 1, it’s locked. What do we do now?’

It’s alright, Mei 2 should be able to unlock it. Mei 2, we need your help, please.

‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’

(Shit, she was still in distress. She can’t help us if she’s like this.)

Mei 3, hold on for a moment. I’m going to dive in and get Mei 2 back on her feet.

‘Alright, I’m counting on you.’

……

(I dive into our consciousness and look for Mei 2 within this white space. This white space was where the three of us can physically meet each other. We named it the White Room. Within the White Room, there was an endless amount of space, and the three of us could manipulate it however we wanted. If we wanted to change the scenery into a jungle, we could. If we wanted an elephant to appear, we could make an elephant appear. This is where the three of us were born and raised by the original Mei.)

(Off in the distance I could see a distortion within the White Room. I walk towards it, but as I got closer, the colors changed. The white space was being contaminated by darkness. I could feel the negative emotions in the air.)

‘I killed him, it’s all my fault. Tod died because of me. I should have just stayed in my corner of the world and never left. All because I wanted to learn magic, Tod died. Even Jude is suffering right now because of me. I shouldn’t even exist.’

(In the middle of the darkness was Mei 2 in the fetal position. I could hear her sniffles and hiccups as she continues to cry. As the tears come out, they float off of her face and orbit around her. There were enough tears that a bubble was formed around her.)

Mei 3, it wasn’t your fault. You can’t be blaming yourself for Tod’s death.

‘It is my fault. He died because I was being selfish. I-I-I wanted to learn magic, and because of that, Tod died. It is all my fault!!’

(I try to walk through the bubble, but I couldn’t get in. It was rejecting me. Mei 2 was rejecting me.)

Mei 2, we need you. Only you can save all of us.

‘You guys don’t need me!!! You’re smart and Mei 3 is strong. In comparison, I can’t do anything. All I have is insignificant skills that aren’t useful at all.’

(Has she always felt this way about herself. I didn’t even realize it. How can I call myself the big sister if I can’t even realize my little sister’s feelings.)

Do you remember Mei’s words when she first created us?

‘W-what?’

(I gently caress the bubble as I remember how we met Mei.)

All three of us were suddenly in a white room with three people that looked the same. I wonder if you felt the same as I did. I was shocked that there were identical looking people standing in front of me.

It was then that Mei began to speak in a joyous tone.

“From today onwards, you three are sisters. You’re going to be Mei 1, you are Mei 2, and you are Mei 3.”

I was confused. I didn’t understand what this little girl was talking about.

“Now that you’re sisters, no matter what happens in the future, whether you fight or grow distant, you’ll always be sisters. And sisters are there to support one another. If one of you makes a mistake, then ask your sister for help. If you have a flaw that you can’t fix, then ask your sister for help. If you want to make friends, then ask your sister for help. If you’re stuck on your homework, then ask your sister for help. So just depend on one another if you’re ever in trouble. Don’t ask me though, because I’m not your sister, I’m your Mommy. Hahahaha!!”

(Mei 2 was silently listening.)

Those were childish words from a child, but they were beautiful. I truly understand them right now. Letting you be rowdy in the nurse’s room was a mistake on my part that led to Tod’s death. I want you to help me fix my mistake, Mei 2. I want you to save Jude and us. The only one I can ask to do this is you, please.

(The bubble around Mei 2 dissipated. She stood there looking at me. My words had gotten through to her. I walk up and give her a hug.)

Let’s go Mei 2.

‘Yeah.’

……

Mei 3, I brought her. Let her take over.

‘Took you long enough. Welcome back Mei 2.’

‘Yeah, sorry.’

(Mei 2 took control of the body and got to work. She lifts our skirt before grabbing various tools from the strap on our thigh. The strap was black which blended in with our leggings, and you would only notice it if you lifted our skirt up. Mei 2 had demanded that we always carry this strap around in case of emergencies, and this was the first time we needed it.)

‘There goes the Master of Random Skills.’

(Mei 2 took out tools and began unlocking the door. Neither Mei 3 or I understood what Mei 2 was doing. During times when Mei 2 was in control of the body, she would laze around, study random skills, or both at the same time. Eventually, we started to call her the Master of Random Skills.)

‘There you go. All done.’

Alright, good. Go in and see if there’s a control panel in there.

‘Umm, what buttons should I press.’

(In the room were various monitors that showed various spots in the prison. On the table was a plethora of buttons. There were green ones, red ones, blue ones, orange ones, there were just too many to count.)

Let me think for a bit. There should be a manual somewhere for these things. If we can just find that.

‘Mei 2, let me take over for a bit.’

‘Ok.’

‘At times like this, you should just press all the buttons.’

(While I was lost in thought, I didn’t realize that Mei 3 was pressing the buttons. By the time I realized, I was too late.)

What’s that sound? Wait, what did you do!?

‘Teehee, I pushed them all.’