Game Over

Chapter 1 - Summer and the Machine

4 years later

It was just minutes before school was being let out. We weren’t doing anything, just watching a movie in my Language Arts class. It wasn’t a normal school day, either. It was the last day of school. I wasn’t all that anxious to get out, because that’d mean I’d go to my three month anti-social coma for that long. Ever since my parents died, I lost my friends, and I was now an anti-social. I couldn’t make new friends for whatever reason. I guess I was afraid I’d lose them, too.

The bell rang, and I was the last one out. The screams of joy were to the roof, and I just sat there as they piled out. End of sophomore year. Got two more to go.

“Kairi.” My Language Arts teacher called before I left. “Take care of yourself.”

“You too.” I said before leaving. I was the last one out of the classroom, but not the school. I was first out of the school. Everyone was saying their goodbyes to their friends, throwing old homework at their teachers. I had no reason to do all that. I just didn’t.

I boarded the Las Vegas Girls Home bus and waited for the others. There were four girls that went to my school that live at the Girls Home. Of course, they all had friends while I didn’t. Once they boarded we drove off, and I looked back at the place I wouldn’t see for three months.

Once we arrived, I got off quickly and made my way inside. The girls were talking about summer plans, not like they could go anywhere, anyway. But they all had friends, so they could hang out together. But it seemed I was destined to be alone.

I trudged up to my room, avoiding the girls as I made my way through. I was glad I didn’t have a roommate. It meant I could be alone for a while. I felt the tears form in my eyes slowly.

Today wasn’t just the last day of school. It was the anniversary of my parent’s death.

~~~~~~~~~~

The week flew by. A week of summer was gone, only eleven more to go. So far I’ve daydreamed of all my family together again, like we were on Christmas morning. The one day we were all together in a year. Not even our birthdays mattered. Just Christmas. So I thought of the ones I could remember, from when I was five to ten. Five good Christmases. But that one day would make me last the rest of the year.

A knock on the door shook me from my thoughts. “Come in.” I called, and Ms. Tranton poked her head in, the one who answered the door for me four years ago. “Yes?”

“You have a visitor.” She told me, and I let out a deep breath.

“Damn it.” I muttered to myself as I pushed myself off the bed. Sometimes, my parents’ co-workers would stop by every now and then to check up on me. It would go like this:

“Hi.” I said.

“Hello. You doing alright?” Whoever stopped by would ask.

“Yeah, fine. Do you know where my siblings are?”

“No. Sorry.” And they’d leave. That’d be it.

I made my way down the stairs slowly, going through all the people that could stop by. I turned my head to see who it was, and I stopped. I stopped moving and breathing, I couldn’t feel my legs, and I was getting dizzy. My eyes were just on the figure, and wouldn’t move. It sorta looked like…

Suddenly I could feel my legs, and I sprinted down the rest of the stairs and jumped into the figure. I still wasn’t sure who it was, but I was pretty sure.

“Nathan?” I asked him. It was the only word I could say.

“Kairi.” The figure said, arms wrapped around me. It was Nathan.