With apparent hesitation she leaned forward. Her hand stretched towards the text box, close to touching it.

I could feel my heart about to burst from my chest. A million thoughts racing into my mind.

Will she be surprised? Terrified? Call herself crazy? Will she finally see what I’ve been seeing all alone?

Her finger tips stretched forward as her shoulder left my own.

“What?” She mumbled.

Her head now tilted sideways with a face full of confusion. Her eyebrows burrowing inwards as she grabs at the air desperately.

“D-did you see that! Jack, did you see it?”

Looking at her wide eyes, bearing an expression I’ve never seen before, I knew there’s no way I can get out of this one without giving her an answer.

You see, Kayla is a person of science. She believes studying will lead to every answer that the unknown offers.

‘Everything can be solved with an open book and three cups of coffee!’ Is what she usually says when there is something uncertain to her. Accompanied by a smug look with Harry Potter looking glasses of course. However cute it may be.

She will research relentlessly until she is buried under textbooks and note paper! I swear that girl has some crazy agenda like winning a Nobel prize or discovering a new species with the way her dorky brain works.

Now how would she react if I told her that what she saw is some sort of alien technology that has implanted itself into my consciousness without my recollection?

She would definitely lose her mind! She would be trying to study this phenomenon but when nothing comes up, then what? Is her breaking down something that we can afford right now?

Looking her straight in the eyes, I furrowed my brows and stared at her sternly.

Her face softened up as I leaned in closer.

She smells like citrus again… Not the time!

“It was nothing.” I responded sternly without a hint of uncertainty.

“See what? What did you see? Are you judging my messy apartment? Is the color not to your liking? Or perhaps is it about me breaking down just a moment ago and you are trying to help me move on? I will not have it! My room is not that messy! This is every gamer’s room when they get a chance to live alone!”

Leaning in closer and closer, I slammed my palm onto the wall behind her for dramatic effect and strengthened my will. Her face mouth agape as she fell backwards, putting her hands behind her as support.

“After years of being told to clean my room, I am finally free from my mother and sister’s strict house rules.” I continued bullshitting. “Will you take my independence from me? Huh? Will you!”

Practically right on top of her, Kayla’s back was flat on the floor now as she brought her hands up to her mouth. Her cheek filling with a pink color as I continued staring at her with my, must be glistening eyes.

Ha ha, how do you like that! Now she must have forgotten all about that right? Hm? Why is she closing her eyes?

Kayla for some reason closed her eyes, her hands gripping her collar intensely.

What’s with these weird reactions? Did I go overboard with the whole independence rant? It’s not like I’m going to kick her out or anything. Is she afraid of that?

With one hand on the wall above her head and with her just below my face, I couldn’t help but think the reaction she is making is really cute.

To my confusion, she opened one eye as if peeking and I just gave her a nervous smile with only one half of my face moving.

In that split second, I realized I made a terrible mistake.

Kayla’s face now like a tomato, her eyes sharpened and she used both her hands to push my chest without any warning.

Ah! Falling onto my ass, I stared at the demon above as she cracked her knuckles and looked at me as if I was less than a human.

“Don’t mess with me!” She yelled, kicking my leg with the ferocity of a Kung fu specialist.

“Ow! What the fu-“

Before I could finish my sentence, a breeze of citrus whisked by me and seconds later I could hear the slamming of my room door being closed.

But that’s…. my room. Let’s give it to her. Yes, that would be the wisest thing to do. She can have it for today.

And with that, the day ended with me sleeping on the couch while Kayla took the liberty of sleeping in my room.

Sigh.

***

“Jack Grim. How would you like to proceed?”

Huh? What the hell is that noise?

“Jack Grim?”

Kayla? Is that you?

Opening my eyes, I seemed to be put back in that vast white space from last time when I first interacted with this point thing.

“Who are you!” I shouted out into the empty space.

“I am something you cannot perceive at the current time. Maybe one day when you become adjusted to the system, I can tell you what we are.” The female robotic voice responded, almost with a smug attitude I must say.

“So you cannot tell me what you are… wait, you said ‘we’ so there are multiple of you?”

For a moment, only silence enveloped me.

“Yes, there are multiple of us. That is all I can say for now. Now then, would you like to know why you were summoned here?”

At least it’s not a demon haired bitch again, I’m sleeping on the couch and I most definitely won’t be able to hide the evidence.

Giving in, I realized I can’t do anything about the situation.

“Alright then… can you atleast appear in front of me so I’m not shouting at an empty space. A text box or something is fine.”

“Do you request a physical form?” It responded.

“Um sure, I guess.”

In that second a thousand or so nanobots peeled off from the surrounding space and compiled in front of me. They clumped together until even more nanobots came swarming in, now towering me in height!

Huh! What in the hell is happening. This did not occur last time. Is it making a text box the size of a billboard!

Within a couple of moments, a large rumbling was felt through the ground and I began to lose my balance. Utilizing a stance I learned from my middle school basketball team, I held my ground. With one foot forward and the other in the back, I looked like a track star getting ready to run.

The nanobots started tumbling down from a great height and were flooding the ground up to my knees!

Putting my arms into a cross, I blocked most of the nanobots that shot towards my face.

“What in the world! Are you trying to drown me?”

After a minute of this, finally the nanobots seemed to be gone. Straightening my back, I scratched my head in confusion as the nanobots that were behind me inserted themselves back into the white space while the ones in front of me just seem to be gone.

“Huh? What was all that? Are you just trying to scare me by asserting your dominance? Well I’m sorry but it worked so I’ll be waking up now, goodbye!” Shouting it all out loud, I twisted in my step and began to walk forward, hoping to bump into a blending in exit or something. Platform nine and three-quarters maybe?

As I walked forward, my foot snagged on something and I tumbled forward, falling flat on my face.

“Ow! Hey! My leg is already injured in real life, don’t injure me here as well!” I shouted, turning my head back around.

Thinking I was just going to be yelling into open space or a rogue nanobot, I was face to face with a small girl wearing a black dress that looked like it was something from a Jane Austen novel. However, it had no right being worn by some kid with super twirly hair.

Her hair was blonde while being held up on both sides with spiraling pony tails. Almost like a triangle, it’s like if I pulled on the end it would just bounce right back up.

With small black shoes and high socks, this little kid looked like some girl’s dress up doll.

Staring at each other without a word, I put a hand to my chin and proceeded to guess what this was.

“Gothic loli?”

The moment I said that, I could see a vein pop up above her very spacious forehead.

“Who are you calling gothic!” She squeaked, kicking me in the same spot Kayla kicked me earlier.

“Ow! What the hell! Are you just mad at the gothic part? Not even the loli aspect!”

I brought myself back up and she was indeed very tiny. About the height of my stomach.

I never met someone shorter than Kayla… should I tell her the good news.

The girl’s eyes in front of me weren’t pupils, but instead the shape of a North Star.

She snapped her fingers and beneath her erected a platform in which she began rising. Reaching until she was just barely above me, she stared down at me with a smug look.

“I am product 4-1-2, but you can refer to me as Kareta Rose.”

… no way am I listening to a gothic loli!