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R E Y N A

The game had begun

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The game had begun.

I could only stare at the anger in each wave as it slammed against the rocks. The smooth smell of sea quickly flourished into my nostrils. It made me question how something so angry could ease me into feeling melancholy. Maybe it was the memories that resurfaced every time I walked out here. Maybe it was the way the wind would whisk through my hair with a motherly caress. Maybe it was my feet that sunk into the sand like it was sinking me deeper into the world.

It was going to rain any second now. The sky was darker than normal, and the birds had practically disappeared.

Rain was my favorite thing in the world. It proved something to me. It proved that life was nothing but a cycle. Just like water, we evaporate, condense, and then we precipitate. Evaporation is our beginning, where we dream and hope. Condensation is the realization that age and cruelty exist to even those who least deserve it. Precipitation—my favorite—is about letting it all go to start again.

I feel the first splat of water on my arm before another follows it. My gaze lifted into the gray of the clouds as beads of water fell from the sky. They make their appearance all over my body, but I don't mind. I welcome it.

This was the world that truly existed—rain, sand, and angry waves. Not fear, not hatred, and no worries. Just beautiful nature that embraced me wholeheartedly with each splat of rain.

I turned on my heel. My feet crunched against the sand as I traveled back into my home... My mother's home. Frustration was poking at me. It had been years since I last seen my mother. Every statement that questioned if my mother was still alive was now slammed into the back of my mind. It was locked away until there was proof of death. She had to be alive; I could feel it.

My door creaked loudly as I pushed it open. Something was unsettling about my home. When my gaze wandered over to my tipped over plant, I knew I didn't imagine it.

I searched my house until a constant beeping could be heard. Cautiously, I stepped into my home before closing the door behind me. Fear took over my actions as I found myself locking every lock my door had to offer.

I could feel my heart racing the closer I got to my bedroom. With each step toward my room, the beeping grew louder. It was screaming at me hauntingly.

There was a squeal from the flooring as my feet made contact with it. I was fearful of what lies behind my bedroom door. Leisurely, I pushed it open. The beeping was coming from my computer. When I neared my device, I could see the words appear on my locked screen.

I know who you are, Red.
This isn't a game. Return our files.
I have all of your secrets.
If you want your identity to stay hidden,
you have thirty seconds.

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