Young Writers Society

Kate muttered the command word under her breath, the lights starting to turn on. She glanced behind her at her companions.

Malvis' hair was its usual deep red, but straight enough for Kate to know it was mostly a facade. Estella Fay was picking at her gloves, looking round the room like the walls were about to bite her. And Cyra, oh Cyra, was looking solely at the floor, arms crossed petulantly.

"You guys ready?"

Malvis nodded. "We're ready."

"Let's get this stupid fucking thing over with." Cyra tugged on a loc.

"Estella Fay?"

She squeaked. "Oh. Um. I guess. Yeah."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded.

"Nervous?"

She nodded slowly, tugging hard on her glove. Kate pulled her into a gentle hug. "You'll do amazing baby."

She squeaked. "T-Thank you."

"Of course."

Malvis gave them a weak smile. "You'll be fine, sunbeam. Kate's here to guide us."

"I am."

"So we'll be okay."

Estella Fay nodded, her lip quivering. "O-Okay."

"Cyra you?"

"I said let's fucking go, right? What more do you want?"

"Fair."

Cyra grumbled, tugging harder on his hair.

"Hmm?"

"What?"

"You don't seem to be completely fine."

"Well I am. So don't worry about it."

"Alright, if you say so."

Cyra rolled their eyes. "So when are we going?"

"Right now."

Malvis cleared her throat. "So, what do we do?"

"Right! So. Sign these waivers first," She handed them three tablets.

Malvis grimaced. "Um. A summary?"

"Just saying the team is not responsible for any permanent mental damage and that you're willingly participating in this of sounds mind and body."

"Permanent mental damage? As if we're not fucked up enough." Cyra laughed, but it sounded strained and maniacal. They signed it anyways, their stone fingers scrapping across the screen.

Estella Fay spotted Malvis as she signed, smiling in encouragement. "Good job!" She signed her own waiver as well.

"Thank you all."

Estella Fay gathered the tablets and handed them back to Kate. Kate beamed. "All right. We're all ready then. Go to your stations please."

They all went to their designated areas. Malvis walking like this was a normal occasion. Estella Fay creeping along like she was dreading it. Cyra approaching it like a criminal approaches the gallows.

Kate punched in the right setting on the console, setting the time to be decided by them and the scenario to the standard testing module.

Estella Fay squeaked at the sound of the machine whirring to life. "O-Oh dear."

"All good?"

She nodded a little too quickly to mean it.

Kate walked over to check on her. "Are you sure angel?"

She nodded again.

"Don't worry okay. You'll do great."

"I... I hope so."

"I know so."

"Thank you."

"Of course."

"So when are we going?" Cyra snapped their fingers. "We don't have all day."

"Very soon."

He rolled his eyes.

Kate went back to the station. No one spoke, only Malvis watching her. Kate finally go the sequence running and strapped herself into her own station.

"Awaiting your instructions, dear."

Kate smiled. "For now just relax. The simulation will start momentarily."

Estella Fay laughed. "Relax. Yeah. I can totally do that. I'm so relaxed."

"Sorry sweetie."

"Don't be sorryyy."

"Well I amm, this is a tough situation."

"But it's needed."

"True."

"We'll be okay, Kate." Malvis smiled at her. "Don't worry."

"Thank you."

"Of course."

Kate settled in as best she could as the familiar blue flashed before her eyes. It flashed for a moment before a small loading screen flashed reading "Simulation Scenario Rendering in..5"

4

3

2

1

Welcome. Enjoy your stay.

Malvis was still getting used to this whole "technology" thing. Sure, she understood factories, and she even understood trains.

But a seemingly magic hairband that teleported your consciousness into a fake world and tricked your brain into thinking it was real? No, that was a new one.

Malvis stood still for a bit, trying to regain balance. It was hard not to think about how she was not standing. She was sitting. She was not in an eerie prison cell. She was in an office building.

But why did the pretend prison cell have to smell just like a real one?

Estella Fay's wings fluttered as she looked around, wobbling slightly to the left before catching herself. "Um. Is anyone's fear being arrested?"

Cyra leaned against one of the walls, scowling. "Easy fear to get over. Just don't get caught."

Kate chuckled. "That works."

Malvis swallowed. "Well. I suppose we walk around until something's terrifying? And then stab it?"

"It varies."

Cyra snickered. "Yeah, Malvis. Sometimes you have to punch it."

"Or hug it?"

"I can do that!" Estella Fay grinned. "I think. But what if it's a slimy monster covered in bile and human teeth?" She squeaked.

"Are you afraid of that?"

"I think anyone would be..." Estella Fay's wings ruffled as her voice dropped to a grave whisper. "I don't want to hug that."

"You don't have to hug that."

She nodded. "Good."

"You can hug me?"

Estella Fay promptly wrapped around Kate, completely covering her. Kate held her close.

"I've got you."

"We all got each other." Malvis finally felt comfortable walking over to them, patting Estella Fay's head. Kate, unfortunately, was lost to the limbs and feathers. "So, shall we?"

"We shall."

Cyra huffed and stood up, stretching her arms. "Here we go."

Malvis took the lead, looking at the cells on either side. They were all empty, with rusty shackles hanging from the wall. It was quiet. The only sounds were their breathing and footsteps.

Cyra rolled his eyes. "Is someone feeling spooked? Or is the machine busted?"

"It's not busted."

Cyra scoffed as they slowly approached an intersection.

There was a new sound. One that sounded... distinctly human. Malvis stopped. "Do you hear that? It sounds like someone's crying."

"Yup."

Malvis turned left, keeping her ears peeled.

"Is it... a fear? If it's a fear, why is it crying? Shouldn't it be like attacking us?" Estella Fay crept behind Malvis, eyes darting around.

"To get us to lower our guard." Cyra shrugged like that was obvious.

"Fears aren't always things that physically attack you."

"Why the hell would you be afraid of something that can't hurt?" Cyra crossed two of his arms. "That's stupid."

"Sure, baby."

Even though Cyra's rock skin could not blush, it was moments like these where you could tell he was. Their eyes practically bugged out, and their face curled into an expression halfway between a pout and a sneer. Malvis had to stifle a chuckle. Cyra's tough act was too cute.

"Hey, maybe you'll get lucky and get a fear that doesn't fight you." Malvis patted xer shoulder.

"I'm not afraid of stupid things like that. I'm going to fight this fear until it begs for mercy."

Ouch. Cyra was not doing so well. "It will be amazing to see."

"We will see."

Malvis kept going, the crying getting louder and louder. It sounded more like sobbing—hysterical, desperate sobbing.

"Someone's scared. Do people's consciousness get trapped here?"

"No, they don't."

Malvis felt uneasy at that. Who was sobbing then? And why did it sound so familiar?

They reached the end of the hall. A cell was facing them; this time, it had people in it.

It had Zylphia and Tavish in it.

Malvis rushed to the bars, falling to her knees in front of it. "Zylphia! Tavish!"

Tavish was the one who was sobbing. His ginger hair, his pride and joy, was shaved off, his head bleeding like it was a rough job. Zylphia hung silently from her shackles, her face pale and her ginger hair hanging limply.

"We have to get them out." Malvis turned to Kate. Do you have something to do that?"

"We can't get them out."

"Why not?" Malvis turned back to them. "We're getting you out. I promise."

Tavish suddenly stopped sobbing. That quiet coming back ten times stronger than before. Malvis watched him with bated breath. "Tavish-"

"You did this."

Malvis' hair turned ginger. "What?"

"You. Did. This."

Kate put an arm around Cyra. Cyra gritted her teeth, her eyes flickering between the bars and Malvis. Estella Fay whimpered. "It's not true."

"Don't listen to her." Tavish rocked his body forward and the shackles, his wrists cracking in a way that made Malvis' stomach turn. "She's always the first to defend all of your sins. Everyone depends on you. And for what? How many more will you let down like you let down us?"

Malvis' breath caught in her throat. "I didn't... no..."

"Don't deny it!"

Cyra scoffed. "This is bullshit." He tried to pull away from Kate.

Kate held them firm.

"Kate, what the fuck?"

Malvis inched closer to the bars, grasping onto them with both hands. The rust rubbed at her skin, making it itch. "I thought you would be safe. You have to understand that. I thought you would be safe!"

"How? How could you look at us and say that? You took a risk. You gambled our lives, and you lost! Admit it! Admit it!"

Malvis looked to Zylphia. She looked like she was fading away.

"Don't look at her! She would tell you the same things if her hands were free."

Malvis squeezed her eyes shut, fighting against the tears threatening to overtake her.

"You abandoned us. You abandoned your people. You didn't even go to Denton's funeral because of your mistake!"

"She has to do it herself."

Malvis leaned her forehead against the bars. "You're right. I didn't go to Denton's funeral. And it was a mistake."

"See? You know. You know deep down I'm right."

Malvis took a deep breath. "But Zylphia and Tavish would never say that to me."

The Tavish in the cell made an indignant choking sound. "But-"

"But nothing. Zylphia and Tavish have told me it wasn't my fault. There was no way I could've known their path was a dead-end with only more coppers on the other end." She opened her eyes. "I tried to protect them. And I did when I saved them."

She stood up, wiping her eyes. "I made so many mistakes. I missed Denton's funeral because of my shame. The biggest mistake I ever made was letting this consume me. You're alive. You will heal. That's all that matters."

"There she goes."

Tavish's cruel face softened into a smile. "You finally listened."

The bars swung upon, blocking Malvis' vision for a moment. When they entirely passed, the cell was empty, rusty shackles dangling uncuffed and perfectly still.

"You did it."

Malvis staggered back, letting out a sob. She bent down, bracing herself by holding her knees. "Oh god. Oh god. That was so real. I... I had to..."

Kate let Cyra go and walked toward her. Estella Fay hugged her. "You did good. Like you said, we're all going to do good."

Cyra slowly approached, all four hands clenching and unclenching. "You're not bad. You showed that fear. It's better than punching in my book," Cyra grimaced.

Malvis couldn't help but laugh at that as she stood upright. "You... how does Vankous say it? You're such a dorm."

Cyra frowned. "Shut the fuck up."

Malvis pulled him into a hug. "Don't beat yourself up. I know you're just scared."

Cyra scoffed. "I don't fuckin get scared. This whole thing is child's play." But, she just hugged Malvis back. It was the closest Cyra would get to genuinely admitting their feelings for a while.

Kate hugged them both. Cyra stayed there for a moment before pulling away. "Okay. Enough sap. Let's go."

"Alright."

Malvis took a breath and turned around. "Who do you think is next?

"It's hard to predict."

"Can't you see the future?" Cyra snorted.

"I can."

"So... can't you see who's next?"

"No, it's hard to preidct baby."

Cyra grumbled. "Fine."

As they approached the end of the hallway that led them to Zylphia and Tavish, it was apparent the layout had changed, and where there were once endless cells, there was a heavy wooden door,

Malvis took a deep breath. "Step two, here we come."