Is there anyone in this, or other, universe who likes to wake up in the morning? She felt as if she had been hit by a bus. Nona''s body was still sore from last night''s time event. But no trace remained in her room. There were no stab damages on the mattress or even a drop of bloodstains. Nothing. Everything was intact. The only thing she had lost was a sock. But Nona was used to waking up with one foot bare and the other with the sock half hanging off it.
''Good morning, love of my live.''; Schr?dinger was always in a good mood first thing in the morning. As soon as he saw her.
''Hey you, did you sleep well?''; she greeted, bending her torso down to pet his fluffy head.
''Like a kitty!''
''I wonder why?''; she conveyed ironically, and as she was about to stand up, Nona noticed something on the floor. A mixed with sweat and blood, a white and blue striped shirt with the stamp of Qatar 2022 that time forgot to erase. ''What is that?''
''Don''t touch it!''
''This never happened before.''
''Don''t touch it!''
The more the black cat insisted, the closer she was to the piece of bloodied cloth. She picked it up off the floor and shook it. Nothing happened. It was still swinging in her hand as a real object. An actual shirt stained with the victim''s blood. ''This is form 2022.''; she said, reading the shirt''s logo.
''Nona, drop it! Or better burn it! Get rid of it!''; Schr?dinger was circling Nona between her legs nervously. But the young woman barely paid him any attention.
''Schr?dinger, do you know what this means?''
''It means it needs to be destroyed! Washed away in the depth of the ocean! Buried thousands of kilometres down until it rots!''
''It means I can do something. I can help save someone!''
''No, no, no, you can''t. That person is already dead!''
''In that universe they are. They died in my yesterday. But in my time, 2020, they are still alive.''
''And how will you know who they are? It is blood and a shirt, and there is no way you can identify the victim.''
''I can!''; she said, delighted.
Schr?dinger didn''t dare to say another word. Nona was smiling. She never does, and the black cat didn''t have the heart to smear that smile. ''How?''; he simply asked.
''I am gonna buy a DNA kit.''
''What?''
''I''ll order a DNA kit, and they check the legacy of the DNA and tell me where the person is from and to who they are related. And TA-DA!''; Nona spoke very fast, utterly excited that even for a cat, Schr?dinger had some difficulty following.
And she continued: ''Then social media come in hand, click here and there, and I can finally save a life!''
''You thought about it these last minutes?''; Schr?dinger was always stunned by her moments of mental geniality. Something he didn''t often recognise in humans. He still couldn''t figure out how her little head would work since the other day, for example, she tried to solve a little multiplication. She gave up after almost an hour and used the calculator, by the way, 3x3x3=27.
She rushed to her PC and typed the URL address of one of the online labs that would perform anonymous checks. ''Monday, I should get the package.''; she said.
''What if until then it gets contaminated?''
''Then I guess it is 15 euros I just wasted. But isn''t it important to at least try? I need to try.''; her smile was gone.
She looked at the screen as lost in the emptiness of space, contemplating all the reasons why this would happen to her. Why was she the way she was? Contaminated. Broken. A freak.
Then she stood up and picked a translucid bag. Placed the stained shirt inside and put it inside the freezer. Now was just a matter of waiting.
''Shouldn''t you be working already?''; asked the black cat.
''Shit!''
Friday night is game night. This is when Nona gives in to fast food delivery at her door and spends the rest of the evening with her guild. A group of misfits of all ages and locations gathered to crawl dungeon after dungeon in search of that specific item that shall change it all. If you are thinking purple legendary weapons or gear, you couldn’t be more wrong. Nona’s guild had been fighting for over a month over a pony, the Nightmare. A stunning glimmery mount that plays Hardrock music while mounting it. It looked badass, and everyone wanted it. It was also a prestige item, as how many times a player completed the most challenging dungeon in-game. Nona really wanted it because it was pretty.
[18.12.2020 21:23] @NotaTimeTraveller: Hi, guys!
[18.12.2020 21:27] @Iknowaguy: Hey Nona!, how was work today?
Iknow was the eldest of the guild. At least, that is what he told them. He usually plays as a tank and was always very kind to each team member. From all of them, he had collected all the mounts, but like Nona and the rest of the team, he still needed Nightmare. Nona was the only one from the guild with only one mount, dropped from the easiest dungeon, which she had to complete repeatedly.
However, Nightmare was an RNG item that only applies as fashionable, and it was fun. It was fun for her to talk to people who were not her mum and sister or from work.
[18.12.2020 21:29] @Pick-me-boy: Hello!
[18.12.2020 21:33] @Evil_Kitty: uwu everyone <3
[18.12.2020 21:35] @NotaTimeTraveller: @Iknowaguy was fine, better than yesterday. @party Are we all up to crawl the dungeon again, or do you guys have something else in mind?
Nona didn’t know much about Kitty and Pickme, but she guessed they were in their early twenties and still students. At least both still live with their parents. Everyone liked to keep real life out of the game. Still, there was always an opening for heartfelt conversation more important than completing a quest.
[18.12.2020 21:37] @Pick-me-boy: I have been here for an hour, and the game is bugging like S***! The patch this week f***ed up.
[18.12.2020 21:39] @Evil_Kitty: Dude, you forgot to remove your profanity filter.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
[18.12.2020 21:42] @Pick-me-boy: asshole shit fucker twat is it working?
[18.12.2020 21:44] @Evil_Kitty: Must keep that love bombing!!!
[18.12.2020 21:45] @NotaTimeTraveller: lol
[18.12.2020 21:45] @Iknowaguy: lmao
[18.12.2020 21:45] @Pick-me-boy: lol
[18.12.2020 21:48] @NotaTimeTraveller: We are four, think is enough to go in. Has anyone already applied?
[18.12.2020 21:51] @Iknowaguy: Not yet was hoping for more dps.
[18.12.2020 21:53] @NotaTimeTraveller: Do we need more dps?
Nona was the worst mage in gaming history. She had absolutely no mastery of rotations and the game''s mechanics. It is still a mystery to all others of the group how she managed to get legendary gear. As per, Pickme, the game was rigged, and Nona could only have a secret lucky charm attached to her gaming PC.
[18.12.2020 21:58] @Evil_Kitty: Nona I love you, but your dc is still too low. I don’t have enough mana to keep Iknow alive and rivive you all the time you drop dead. We need help.
[18.12.2020 22:01] @Pick-me-boy: or a miracle
[18.12.2020 21:58] @Evil_Kitty: Nona I love you, but your dc is still too low. I don’t have enough mana to keep Iknow alive and rivive you all the time you drop dead. We need help.
[18.12.2020 22:02] @NotaTimeTraveller: Kitty you’re glitching.
[18.12.2022 22:05] @Evil_Kitty: Guys, can you read me?
[18.12.2022 22:03] @Evil_Kitty: Or is the game glitching?
[18.12.2022 22:01] @Evil_Kitty: I am glitching?
[18.12.2022 21:58] @Evil_Kitty logged off
Nona got her nose closer to the screen. Kitty logged off at 21:58, but her last message was dated 22:03. Pickme was right. The game was glitching badly. She wouldn’t be surprised if the server entered into urgent maintenance. Maybe they could take advantage of the bug to win Nightmare.
[18.12.2020 22:04] @Iknowaguy: Shit, we lost our healer.
[18.12.2020 22:05] @NotaTimeTraveller: We wait. Maybe she will come back.
[18.12.2020 22:05] @Pick-me-boy: Telling you man, the game has been glitching all day! Half of the map comes and goes. Dungons are rested and you’re not even close to the boss. A SHIT SHOW!
[18.12.2020 22:07] @NotaTimeTraveller: I was looking forward to play.
[18.12.2020 22:08] @Iknowaguy: We wait, is not like we have nothing else to do.
[18.12.2020 22:11] @Pick-me-boy: Actually guys my bf is coming over.
[18.12.2020 22:12] @Iknowaguy: Uhhhhhhhh look who will get lucky tonight. Did you guys tested Covid before the date?
[18.12.2020 22:13] @Pick-me-boy: Yeah, we did. Still didn’t catch in the last two years! Lol
[18.12.2020 22:14] @Pick-me-boy: I finally followed your advise guys and asked him out. Okay first was just a beer-dude-hangout but ended up as a makeout party in my dads van.
Nona felt a pinch of jealousy. If someone so blunt and straightforward as Pickme could find himself a boyfriend, why was she still on her own? The thought was childish. She was alone because she wanted to be alone, and also, if someone lives secluded between four walls, there isn''t much to choose from. But it still stings to see others happy.
[18.12.2020 22:14] @NotaTimeTraveller: Classy.
[18.12.2020 22:15] @Pick-me-boy: Shush, you old woman!
She deserved that comment.
[18.12.2020 22:18] @Iknowaguy: If Nona is old, what am I? Dinosaur?
[18.12.2020 22:19] @Pick-me-boy: A cute dinosaur.
[18.12.2020 22:22] @NotaTimeTraveller: lol, cute
[18.12.2020 22:23] @Pick-me-boy logged off
[18.12.2020 22:23] @NotaTimeTraveller: Autsh did we upset him?
[18.12.2020 22:24] @Iknowaguy: Fire in his pants, that was the deal.
[18.12.2020 22:25] @NotaTimeTraveller: I’m happy for him, he sounded happy.
[18.12.2020 22:25] @Iknowaguy: Young love, miss those ones.
[18.12.2020 22:26] @NotaTimeTraveller: I don’t think we are allowed to say that. Lol
[18.12.2020 22:27] @Iknowaguy: Shut up, you are what, 27, 29?
[18.12.2020 22:28] @NotaTimeTraveller: 30
[18.12.2020 22:29] @Iknowaguy: A child! I could be your grandpa!
[18.12.2020 22:30] @Iknowaguy: Sweetheart, I don’t think they are coming back. Will log off for the night, have a nice one Nona. Be safe!
[18.12.2020 22:31] @Iknowaguy logged off
She looked at her screen, disappointed that they all logged off, she would probably be kicked at any moment, or maybe they would return. Schrodinger was sleeping on her lap. She brushed his fur with her fingertip, looking at the screen, waiting. Her mouth was dry, with a dusty flavour of overcooked meat. The hair on her arms rose. And her cat''s soft purring went silent. She looked around, but nothing was happening. She suddenly thought of the shirt and ran to the kitchen. Opened the freezer, and it was still there. Intact. She mumbled: ''Test, test.''; just to confirm she could hear herself.
She went to the living room, and nothing. Same in her bedroom and bathroom.
''What is it?''; asked her cat.
''It is happening.''
''Are you sure?''
''I can taste it.''
She sat back on her computer, and she got a notification:
[99.99.9999 99:99] System notification: @_whiterabbit_ request to join the party
She clicked on accept. While black particles left floating between her lips
[18.12.2023 23:31] @_whiterabbit_: Hi
[18.12.2023 23:31] @_whiterabbit_: Am Day!
[18.12.2023 23:31] @_whiterabbit_: When are you from?