Young Writers Society

Benji nodded.

"I'm...I'm going to miss seeing you all the time," Benji awkwardly said. He realized, suddenly, that he had never had to say goodbye to a friend like James. The only person that came close was Mark, and Mark had been his employer as well. It was different.

"We'll find a way to visit you," Daniel whispered. "I promise."

Benji glanced over at Daniel. He had more experience with this kind of goodbye than Benji ever had, and Benji couldn't imagine what he had to be feeling right now.

Jerica hugged Bo tightly, her arms strong and protective. But she faltered when he spoke, her shoulders going weak with emotion, even though that was the only tell that betrayed her. At least that he could see. Still, she didn’t let her weak grasp loose as she took several deep breaths to steady herself, and nodded, head pressed against his chest. “Yes… I will try my best to make it to America San Diego California. I promise.”

- - -

Rek had decided he should give them a moment in whatever ‘privacy’ you could consider being in the same room with everyone else. At the very least, they didn’t need him eavesdropping.

He glanced around the room. It seemed most people were already engaged in conversations that he didn’t feel the need to butt into. Still, he tried to imagine what it’d be like once he never saw these people again. Would he be particularly sad if he didn’t get to say bye to someone specific? It was hard to say. He was feeling a lot of things just then and it was hard to rationalize it all.

His gaze landed on Morri and Lordshire. It was frustrating that they were hanging together. He’d like to say bye to Morri, but that involved interacting with the psychopath, too. Rek felt a strange sense is justification that Lordshire was absolutely as unhinged as Rek thought he was all along. Claiming it be king. As if. He had no doubt that Lordshire viewed himself as a king, but he has serious doubts about the validity of those claims. He doubted that Wonderland even had a king.

Still. He wanted to say bye anyhow. So he approached them with his hand outstretched for a handshake, eyes on Morri. “I’m glad our paths crossed, however oddly, sir.”

Lordy quickly reached over and shook Rek's hand, "About fuckin time. I thought everyone forgot about us."

As soon as he let get, Morri grabbed on to Rek's hand and shook it as well, "It was a pleasure to teach you, kid."

"Morrigan?" Lordy looked over to him, "Have you decided where you're going to go?"

Morri took a glance around, watching everyone say their goodbyes. For the first time in a long time, he felt something tugging at his heart. Something reminiscent of fear- or, excitement? A combination of both? A mix of something that wasn't quite hope but not all the way sorrow.

"I think it's time for me to learn to be amongst the living again." Morri said, eying Benji and Daniel, "Perhaps this time I'll get it right."

Lordy smiled at him, "I hope for your sake it's everything you want and more, old pal."

Morri sighed and brought Lordy in for a hug. He couldn't bring himself to say goodbye. While the words were so simple the weight behind them seemed to heavy a burden to bear.

"You really do deserve the world." Lordy told him, patting his back.

Bo pulled away first, pained to feel so aware of their minutes ticking away, and the closing window.

“If I had a way to visit you, you best believe I’d use it,” Bo. “Now— I have a few more goodbyes to make. And I’m sure you do too. It’s been a crazy, insane, but good time for the better half of it. Goodbye, Jer…”

A bit belatedly, he added. “…ica.”

Maybe he soured the ending by making it awkward, but alas, there were no do-overs. He paused for a second, to give Jerica one last opportunity to say goodbye before quickly saying farewells to the others.



James was familiar with sudden goodbyes. But more often, he didn’t even get the chance to make them. Not properly.

He offered Daniel and Benji a sad smile. He wanted to believe they were able to follow through on their promises, and he’d have to leave it at that.

“I’ll miss you as well,” James said to Benji, then turned to Daniel. “The both of you. You were excellent study partners and excellent friends. I’m grateful I was blessed with the opportunity to meet you both and grow in friendship with you, however bizarre and unbelievable the circumstances may have been.”

He extended his hand to Benji.

“Until we meet again.”

Benji took James's hand.

"Until we meet again," he promised.

Daniel, meanwhile, caught Morri's eyes and was relieved to realize that he was coming with him. They hadn't ever been close, but still. Daniel was grateful that at least one person from this whole simulation was going to be with them now.

Especially when Daniel and Benji's house was so big and had so few people in it.

"I'm not sure we're the best teachers," Daniel said to Morri, giving him a smile, "but I'm sure we can help you get used to being around living people while you're not in a simulation. And wait until you see some of the rooms we have! I could even make one custom for you..."

Daniel trailed off, mind already starting to eagerly put together what kind of room Morri would be interested in. Something near the water, probably...

That hurt. There was no rational reason for it to, and yet it did. Getting demoted to her full name like an acquaintance — ex? — rather than a nickname like a friend. She shook it off. She was veering into irrational territory now. Best to keep that to herself. And, well, she supposed she couldn’t blame him. It felt weird to call him Bo-Bo, now that she was herself again. She took a breath and nodded. “… bye.”

She nodded to him with an air of closure, sealing their goodbye. Then she took a few steps backward and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms and closing herself off to the rest of the room and him as well now.

She didn’t feel good. Not at all.

- - -

Why did Lordshire always make things so weird? Rek watched them with a mild sense of disgust paired with a odd mixture of approval. He didn’t at all like being forced to witness this weirdness. But, then, they seemed to be having a moment. And Morri seemed to be enjoying said moment. So he awkwardly, quietly, backed away and let… whatever was happening, happen.

He turned just in time to see Jerica and Bo parting ways, and cringed a bit when he saw her face. It was hard and drawn and expressionless, entirely unreadable and betraying no emotion whatsoever. Which almost certainly meant that her feelings were hurt. Badly.

He couldn’t blame her for it, either. This was hard, to be saying goodbye to so many good friends. And she made friends even harder than he did, so it was probably extra hard for her. But he knew she’d rather die than accept his comfort when there were people to watch it happening, not to mention he didn’t have time right now anyhow. No, for now the goodbyes. Then in a few minutes once they were safely back to Beirania, he’d pick at her prickliness until she finally unraveled and had a good cry. In private.

“It’s been an honor, getting to call you a friend,” Rek said, offering Bo a hand to shake. “I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.”

Bo returned Reks’s handshake but then pulled him in for a just-as-tight hug.

“You too, Rek,” he said, already pushing down all of the unprocessed everything about everything.

It was just for now. It would take a minute for things to settle down when he got home to Mel. He didn’t know how long. He was thinking too ahead, already, now.

He pulled away just a few seconds after.

“I’m glad I met you too,” he said, and then smiled and pointed finger guns at him.

He didn’t know why. It just seemed like the thing to do.



James gave Benji one last solemn, sincere nod before he turned away and approached Jerica. She had drawn away to isolate herself, and if he were in any other position, he knew he would’ve been likely to do the same. Were he a mere year younger he would’ve done the same.

He knew it was because it hurt. And it hurt him, too. It hurt every time he had to say goodbye, and he’d stopped pretending like it didn’t.

He stopped in front of her, just a little to the side, not quite facing her squarely.

“Jerica,” he said softly, to keep the volume between the two of them. “Thank you for being my friend. I will never forget your kindness, loyalty, and the care you showed for me while I knew you. I’m incredibly grateful fate provided an opportunity for me to meet you, and I really will miss you… terribly.”

His eyes flicked to the ground for but a moment at the last sentiment, and then he glanced to the side.

“And… thank you,” he said quietly. “For punching Carter.”

After saying goodbye to Bo, Mel bounced around the room for a bit, weaving around the doors until she saw Morri and Lordy free. Well, they weren't exactly free since Daniel and Benji were talking to them - maybe about Morri's logistics quite literally living with them - but that didn't stop her from interrupting the conversation. She butted herself into the circle with a wide grin, arms outstretched.

"I'll miss you guys! Come on, let's do a group hug," she said to the four of them, gesturing her hands towards her to get them to come in close.

- - - -

Elias briefly followed Mel around for a few seconds, but he slowed down and eventually stopped when he realized that she was on her own mission to say goodbye to everyone. It really was the end of the road for them. It wasn't an unfamiliar concept to grasp, but at the same time, this all seemed like a faraway dream since they were living and breathing in the same room.

But life went on. Elias could live with that again.

As he stood there silently watching everyone, he realized that he wasn't too far away from Evaline. Just a few steps away. She seemed to be heavily aware that she was also close to him since she stiffly stood with her arms crossed, intensely staring towards Jerica and James's direction, like she was debating whether she should join them.

Or get farther away from Elias.

Without thinking about it, Elias took a step towards her.

"Stop," Evaline said, keenly aware of his action despite not looking towards his direction at all.

Elias froze, not sure what to do or say. "I'm sorry," he said softly, the sincerity of his voice trying to convey the message he wasn't saying. I'm sorry for everything.

Evaline still refused to even face him, still concentrating on the view in front of her. "We're both going to Bo's world. I'm sure our paths will cross again someday."

And at that, she walked away, leaving Elias with a bag of mixed emotions that cut deep - but among the sludge of pain, there was a flutter of hope.

And that was enough.

Jerica saw James approaching her immediately, though she wasn’t certain he was actually coming to talk to her so much as to talk to someone on this half of the room. But she mentally prepared herself anyway. And she was glad she did. She hadn’t expected such sentimentality out of James, but it was… nice.

Still, she was grateful that he’d ended it like he had. She smirked, arms still crossed. “Always happy to give a douchebag what they deserve.” She hadn’t, though. Not really. He deserved for Rek to not have taken the knife away from her. Though Lordshire had eventually finished the job she couldn’t so that was nice, she guessed. Even if it was less personally satisfying.

She sobered a bit. That wasn’t the focus of this goodbye, James was. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize you were in trouble before all that, though. I would have dealt with him before then.” That also wasn’t supposed to be the focus of this goodbye. “And… I appreciate your kindness. I don’t make friends easily.” She hesitated. He probably thought that was a lie, given what a popular dudebro she was in the simulation. Which was honestly still so bizarre to her, but that was neither here nor there. “…not real friends. And not ones that I…” opened up to. “… you consistently saw me at my worst, and yet showed me unwarranted kindness anyhow. It… meant a lot. And still means a lot… I will also… miss you.” Gods it was hard to articulate her feelings. She glanced away. “And I will cherish the time we had together in my memory for a long, long time. It’s been an honor.”

- - -

Rek chuckled and returned the embrace, patting him on the back. He smirked at the finger guns but did not return them. That seemed on-brand for Bo but wasn’t something Rek would do in this realm or any other.

“I… think I may be able to visit,” Rek said. “And I think Jerica will definitely want to… and I do as well. So… I’ll do my best… to convince my father to let us… are you someone that would be easy to track down once we get to Earth?”

James offered Jerica a small smile, but this goodbye seemed to hurt more than the last. He’d made more friends in the simulation than he’d had in a while, and he knew it was because he didn’t have any of the pressures of his normal life restraining him. He understood how it was hard to make friends, for a variety of reasons, even if they weren’t Jerica’s.

He really meant it when he said he’d miss her. A small part of him realized, in that moment - that there was something about Jerica that reminded him of his sister. Or, at least, what he always imagined his sister might’ve grown up to be. The thought in and of itself, however, pained him.

He’d come to terms with the fact that he could never see him again. But going to another world?

He would never see her again. Or anyone from Nye. And there was no guarantee he’d ever see Jerica again, either.

James was not normally inclined to hugs, and only ever really offered them if he knew the other person appreciated them. And Jerica knew that. That was true in-simulation and in real life. But something inside James felt that if he didn’t ask… he’d regret it.

There was a second of hesitation, and then he opened his arms, quietly looking to Jerica in question.



Bo glanced back at his door.

“Well, Earth is a pretty big world, but I’m not exactly hiding. I told Jerica - I’ll be in the country of the United States of America, the state of California, in the city of Los Angeles. I work at a pretty popular seafood restaurant called The Boiling Crab in the evenings. That’d be the easiest way to find me, if you can remember all that.”

Jerica considered it for half a moment, then stepped forward and wrapped him in a hug, her arms strong and protective. He noticed she was far more muscular than she was in the simulation -- very clearly a warrior accustomed to physical battles and not quite able to make herself soft even now, when she was being soft.

"I will come visit," she promised quietly. "In the state of California in the city of Los Angeles in the country of United States of America." If she repeated it, she'd remember. "...in Earth... you will be there, yes?"

- - -

"Boiling Crab, got it." Rek nodded. "I feel like the portal is pretty close to America anyhow, so that'll be convenient...hopefully." He furrowed his brow, trying to remember. "...it's in... Cozumel, maybe? Mexico? I think it's an island? But surely there are ships or something to get to America from there, right? And then horses to make the rest of the journey? Or... are the things in the simulation actually real on real-Earth? Like... buses? Or something?" This was going to be complicated.

James offered a small smile. “If that’s where Bo’s door leads, yes,” James said quietly in return.

He didn’t know if she was able to follow through on her promise any more than Benji or Daniel, but she made it seem like she was determined to see it through no matter what. Knowing her, if she really was as stubborn and determined as she was in the simulation, she’d probably do everything in her power to make it happen.

“I’ll look forward to that day, then,” he said with a small bow of his head, and he left it at that as he turned away, walking over to Rek and Bo.

Meanwhile, Bo found himself staring at Rek, feeling a little overwhelmed. Two minutes was not enough time to make travel plans with all the understanding barriers and things he’d have to explain. He felt very overwhelmed all of a sudden.

Trying to keep it together, he merely nodded.

“Mexico is below the United Stares on a map,” he said, motioning with his hands for reference. “So yes. It’s close. There are ships and ways to get to the mainland and across borders if you’re able to navigate the language barrier in Mexico. I wish I could be of more help, but I think we’re running out of time—“

He was about finished with his thought when James walked up, attention on Rek.

“I’ll do what I can on my end - if anything - to help,” Bo said, not even sure if there was anything he could do.

At that, he stepped away.

Okay. Who else? Lordy and Morri. He couldn’t miss them.

Whipping around, he hurried over to them. Feeling the pressure of the clock, he decided to just rush into it, and started with Lordshire. He came over and gave him a big, tight hug, and proceeded to lift him up off the ground.

He didn’t care about Lordshire’s humor and eccentric personality. He was just as deserving of a good goodbye.

“I’ll miss ya, Lordy,” Bo said.

——————————-

James turned to Rek and offered him a hand to shake.

“You were a great friend and neighbor,” he said with a small smile. “If you’re able to find a way to visit, I look forward to seeing you. But if this happens to be the last time, I just want you to know I think very highly of you and Jerica. You’re good people, and I wish you the best.”

Life really does come at you fast. One minute you're the celebrity teacher at an admired university, and the next you're being lifted four feet in air by a boy who was fed way too much milk as a child.

Once his feet touched the ground again, Lordy spoke, "Bo you've been an angel since I met you. I hope in your world you do nothing but carry on that image."

Morri smiled from beside them, "I have no doubt you'll show the others how to readjust to normal life again. They should be lucky they have you."

After a deep sigh and a realization that there time was coming to an end, Morri looked towards Daniel and Benji, "Ready?"

Daniel and Benji both took deep breaths.

"I am," Benji decided.

Daniel looked around the room one last time, his gaze landing on Jerica. He hadn't been anywhere as close to her as Bo had, but they had still been friends, hadn't they?

He raised his voice a little when he spoke.

"We'll find a way to visit everyone," Daniel said, because each time he said it, it felt a little more real. "But if you get to our Earth first, Jerica, we'll be in upstate New York. Just ask around in Lake Placid, and you'll get pointed in the right direction."

And now Daniel felt like he was really done, even though he didn't want to leave everyone here for good.

He turned back to Morri and Benji.

"I'm ready," he said.

Bo turned to the door. It was now, or who knew after their window closed. He didn’t want to find out. He did what he could, and he’d have to live with this goodbye if it truly was his last.

He stepped up to his door with confidence, and with one last glance back at the others, flashed a smile, and waved his friends who were joining him to follow.

And then he entered his room.