Bab 4: Home Hunting

Okay, I was walking through the streets of New York, and it was vastly different than where I used to live in my previous life. I mean Australia was fine to me, how couldn't it be, it was home after all, but there was just something different about New York that fascinated me to no end. I really shouldn't have watched so many of those Empire State of Mind edits on social media, they've done this to me.

Still, this shit is sick.

In a flash of magic, I teleported to a high-rise building overlooking a majority of the city. As I enjoyed the breeze, I thought about something that had been bothering me for years. The History and Identity perks along with the Pipsqueak one.

Somewhere along the way, something went wrong and that scared me quite a bit. I have three theories about it that I've been workshopping.

1: Someone interfered with the CYOA.

2: The CYOA was malfunctioning somehow (sketchy fucking thing).

3: When I chose those perks, the system could've made me actually live through all of it.

if that was the case, then I don't know which was terrifies me more; someone strong enough that they could interfere with a CYOA system in such a way, the actual system malfunctioning, if so how, what could make it degrade? And the final one, if it actually made me live through it then it's got sentience.

Okay, number three. Number three scares me more than the others.

Why, you may ask? Fear, irrational (not really) fear which held me in a death grip. Man, I need some green grass and I need to take a trip somewhere.

But y'know... me, child, not allowed to buy drugs. Did that mean I'd have to make my own happy grass? If so, then could I use magic to enhance said happy grass, in theory of course. I'll need to figure that out at one point if I do make my own. And how to make/grow a weed farm, all in due time of course.

Now, onto the real important stuff, I'm homeless and in desperate need of a long hour or two shower. I think I earned that. But first, I've got to find a place to sta... what if I just stay here? Looking over the brick building I sat atop wasn't very good, so I teleported to the building opposite it.

And you know what, this could work for me. I think I've found my new home. Teleporting inside I was thoroughly reminded of my impatience, how you might ask again? Well-- "What the fuck! Lara, get my gun and call the cops!" A thirty-ish old looking guy yelled when I appeared on top of his coffee table.

Oh, look at that, my first impression, thrown out the window. Fucking lovely.

Who I'm assuming was Lara came running into the room, gun and phone in hand. Aww now this is just unfair. I plopped my ass down on the table and broke while doing so, just great. Bitch ass coffee table can't even handle a 12-year-old.

That's money this guy ain't ever getting back.

"Calm down," they didn't, if anything they got louder, "It'll be okay... what am I doing? Haah, alright I can't be asked." I spoke. Magic was the solution to my little problem, and I did love using it to solve shit.

So, I did and teleported them outside of their home. On the street. With a small mind whammy to go along with their eviction. Looking around my new digs, the first thing I needed to do was renovate the hell out of this place.

I mean beige and purple curtains that covered the windows, like what the fuck? Did this guy's girlfriend have his balls in a death grip, cause that's the only way I can see how a travesty like this happened.

But first things first, where the hell is the bathroom, me needs a shower... maybe a bath after as well, you know, just to be thorough.

- One Well Deserved Shower and Bath Later -

Drying my hair with a towel, I walked back into the living room. Okay, I need food, opening the fridge I was thoroughly disappointed, vegetables, greens and no meat. I'm glad I threw these twats out of my home, disgusting bastards.

So, one trip to a local meat deli later and I was happy. I of course didn't pay and just used magic to yoink my food. Have I ever said how much I love abusing my powers, because there is nearly nothing that I think replaces that rush I get.

Plopping down on the couch, I kicked my legs up and turned on the TV. A Disney channel came onto the TV, well I guess this is what'll take up most of my time when I become one with the couch.

I would look back on this moment in the future and realize that my actions would have consequences, namely that British rat. Gotta keep at least a continent away from that shit storm. You ain't gonna catch me lacking today or ever... stupid blonde.

What to do now though? We can check getting a house off the list. Do I go to school? I mean what am I supposed to do in my free time... actually contribute to society? Heh, fuck no!

New objective acquired: Live like a fucking baller. Now what's step one to achieve my goal and how do I take it?

***

In my week of trying to obtain the baller lifestyle, I had learnt many things (absolutely fuck all), chief among them and not related to the lifestyle at all was that I was stupid. I don't mean stupid in the sense that I was a retard but stupid in the sense that I didn't know shit.

Didn't know shit about how to achieve the lifestyle I wanted, so I cheated. I teleported into banks and stole their money, I mean it's not like they were really using it, sooo... finders keepers?

I didn't move from where I was living but I did renovate like I said I would so that was good. I also had more money than I ever thought in two lives, so the first thing I did with said money was hire a PI to see if my parents or alternate versions of them were in this world.

When I found out they were, I sent a hefty portion of the money I stole to them. It also seemed like 'I' was/would be there as well, and boy did that bring up some emotions I refuse to acknowledge. How did I know this?

Well, my Mum was pregnant, and I was supposed to be a December child. Born on or around Christmas, I think. Damn, these memory perks are worth it. But if I'm right, I won't be born then.

So, to combat that, I bought a console, PlayStation 3 to be exact considering it was 2006 December. So that meant that I was born in 1994... well it was nice to know that little detail. When I was at the church, they never really told me and anytime I'd ask they'd just deflect.

Didn't work out so well for your lot, did it?

So, that meant it'd be my birthday very soon, like in the next month. Yay, 13 years old and I ain't dead yet! This calls for a celebration of magnificent proportions. Magic! Fetch me the holiest of the happy grass I 'procured' and the ice cream.

I'm about to laugh my ass off with White Chicks, time to lock the fuck in.

***

She woke with a start, the darkness in her room seemingly whispering around her. Almost like it was talking to her, tempting her with power.

She shook it off slowly. Almost like the action physically pained her to do so.

She breathed out and a cold air went with it. "Azaroth. Metrion. Zinthos." She spoke the words like they were a balm she could apply to her soul to settle it. It didn't, it only made her predicament all the more real.

"Mother..." She whispered. She said it as though she wasn't allowed to. As if she wouldn't-- couldn't' let herself. But she did, "please, help me."

Nothing happened, her prayers went unanswered.

She sighed and got up out of bed. She went down the stairs of the abandoned house she was in and put on a pot of coffee. She stood in the kitchen, her eyes gazing over all she saw.

Her nightmares bleeding over into what she saw when she was awake was a normal occurrence for her. Something she expected every time she opened her eyes.

Her father, in the corner of her eye in her moments of hesitation. She'd like to say it was the hope her mother had for her that kept her going but that would be a lie. And a dishonor to her mother's memory.

Spite. Spite was her main motivating factor when it came to her reason for living. She tried to push that feeling away, to find a purpose or something less detrimental to her mental health to her life.

She couldn't so she put it in the back of her mind with the rest of her darker thoughts.

Her eyes must have been playing tricks on her because when she looked to the lounge, a boy sat there. His incorporeal form bubbling with laughter as he watched a movie on the TV in front of him.

The dopey smile on his face creeped her out a little, though she still watched him watch the movie. She didn't even notice her coffee was done until it was steaming.

"Crap!" She took it off the pot and put her coffee in a mug. She took a sip after it cooled down and winced at how bitter it was.

After that, she went back to watching the boy watch TV. It was entertaining, especially when he began to panic and look for food. All and all, the morning was understandably better than most she had before. She even smiled a little.

***

Where the fuck are the snacks?! I had them right next to me, now they're gone.

I must've turned the place upside down at least twice (I'm being literal), before I found them. And there they were, plopped on the couch like they pay the rent around here.

Laying on the couch, I grab the delectable goodies and eat them and go back to watching my movies. Now, this is what I like, nice movie, blanket for obvious reasons and snacks.

That's how I spent the rest of my night, and I loved every second of it more than you could possibly fathom. But it's also how I found myself wanting to... redecorate, more specifically where I should put my bed.

Now, I have a few ideas, I could put it in the more spacious part of my home where there were some pretty great views. That's a benefit, the downside would be waking up with the sun glaring in my face.

Hmm, I feel lazy so let's just do that one, so what if the sun gets in my eyes when I wake up, I want a sick view of New York. Moving the bed into place was... difficult but not at the same time, if that made any sense.

I mean, I know the Demon Blood helped heal me and was a big fuck you to maybe just about everyone else (I doubted it), but I don't know if in its description it said something about enhanced strength or stuff like that. All I saw was what it showed.

Sighing, I looked at the bed, the view and smiled. I think I'm going to really enjoy life this time around. Plopping down on the bed, I put my hands behind my head, blanket already on me and crossed my legs.

Yeah, this time'll be so much more fun.

Alright then, lights out, I guess. Hah, I sighed. I miss sleeping with music on, it always soothed me.