It has been 10 years since I last saw Joseph. Since his death, I could never seem to be able to laugh or smile the way I used to. My heart still felt empty inside, the tight clench of darkness never letting go. Everyone told me not to blame myself and that it wasn’t my fault for leaving Eli and Brooke alone. “Ouch,” I winced, as I had accidentally poked myself with a sewing needle. I sighed, looking out the window. I had been trying to fix Eli’s hoodie, which he somehow managed to tear when playing a game with his best friend Aesop. Aesop was a nice kid, though he was adopted and didn’t know his parents. He came from a wealthy family that was kind enough to help pay for the house being fixed after the fire. Sometimes though, I would hear Aesop coming in late at night, crying while Eli comforted him.

Right now, though, he was outside playing with Eli, joyously chasing him around the yard. He was teased easily by Eli and blushed easily, obviously crushing hard on him. Sometimes he would try to signal Eli that he liked him, but my innocent little boy never seemed to understand. He was 15 now, with Aesop just turned 16. Sometimes I tried to help Aesop by signaling Eli as well, but he never realized what I meant.

Once I finished the hoodie, I got a text from my manager at the modeling company. ‘We are sorry to inform you that your job contract has expired and you are no longer working for XXXX company.’ I bit my lip, trying not to cry, running down the stairs and snatching my medication. Once I calmed down, I tried to think clearly, how I could get a new job without letting Eli worry. My head shot up, an idea in my mind. But I instantly let my head sink back down, trying to reject the idea. No, it’s too dangerous, I thought to myself, then looked back outside at Eli laughing with Aesop. I stood up, determined. I had to do it. I did it before, and it’s not even illegal anymore. I rummaged through the drawers in my room until I found the flyer I swore not to look at. Identity V matches reopening! Win 500 memories per win! Sign up at Identity V Central at XXXX. More details at IdV.com. I picked up my bag and left, the flyer floating to the ground.

***

This is dangerous, I shouldn’t be doing this, I thought. Frustratingly, I held my head and let out a good scream. “AAARRRRGH!!!” The whole walk to Identity V Central (IVC), my mind had been fighting against itself on the idea of signing up. I mentally shouted “SHUT UP!!!”, enjoying the short amount of peace I would have the rest of the way there.

The employee didn’t even look up when I walked up to the booth. I stood patiently, watching as his eyes quickly moved back and forth, reading a detective case in a magazine. “Um, excuse me?” I said, earning no reply. “I’m, uh, here to sign up for the Identity V match?” I said hopefully. Still nothing. Just when I was thinking he might be deaf, he said, “These matches are dangerous. You could get seriously hurt.” I put my hands on my hips, irritated. “But the matches have a no-kill policy, so I’m fine, Mr…” I quickly scanned his coat for a name tag. “Mr. Orpheus,” I finished, satisfied. He sighed, finally putting his magazine down. He rummaged through some boxes and stuff in an area I couldn’t see, even with my height, when he came back up and plopped a clipboard and pen down in front of me. “Sign up here,” he said, turning his chair around and picking the magazine back up. I wrote my name on the line, then entered the lobby to wait for the match to start.

Sitting gracefully in my bright red kimono, I watched as the survivors prepared. There were two doctors, a magician from the free day, and a seer. The poor seer looks so nervous, I thought. I made a mental note to try not to scare him too much when I encounter him. Once the match started, my heart got heavier when I spawned in Leo’s Memory. When Joseph passed, nobody bothered to move his cameras when he left them here. Seeing that as an advantage, I entered the camera world, using the film left inside of it. I put a doctor in a rocket chair and hit the magician before realizing time was up and I should go out. Strangely enough, I saw a shadow in the corner of my eye. The shadow wasn’t the strange part, but the shape was. It was about the size of a survivor, but a bit shorter, carrying a giant… scythe? I shadow dashed over and knocked the Follower away, returning to the normal world. What was a Follower doing there? And what was she doing to the camera? It looked like she was trying to trap me in...

As soon as I encountered the seer, my voice turned stern and my face naturally turned to an angry expression. “Eli Clark! What are you doing in the match? I told you that you can’t enter them! You can get hurt! You’re lucky I’m the hunter,” I said, crossing my arms. He pouted, trying to get me to forgive him. “I just wanted to help you get some money. I found out you lost your job,” he said. I softened my expression, hugging him. “It’s ok, I still love you,” I said, kissing the top of his head. “So am I still in trouble?” he asked, giving me a teasing smile. I giggled, lightly hitting him on the head. “There, you have served your punishment,” I said, then we both laughed.

“Squawk! Squawk!” Brooke screeched, running around in circles. She was running, which was strange because she only ran whenever Joseph came back from work (I didn’t have a job yet since he already had one). “What’s wrong Brooke?” I asked, stroking her head. “Squawwwk!” she replied, continuing to run in circles in the same area of snow. “Ummm, maybe she just wants to play,” Eli said, signaling for me to go win this match as he played with his owl.