Keia

Chapter 21: Second Loop (Andy)

    "You've been doing well..." the sleepy voice chimed over my phone. Lepprick was checking in to see what progress I had made. "How are you feeling?"

I look up at my hands, feeling it fade in and out a little. "I'm... disoriented." I look at the back of my hands. "What day is it?"

"Time doesn't matter anymore, Andy~" Lepprick whispers. "Just ignore meaningless numbers, you're so close to reaching where I want you to be" 

"I had a really weird dream, I think." Andy tries his best to push himself back into reality.

"You're in a dream right now, aren't you?" Lepprick says. "Metaphorically at least~," he says with a little music in his tone. 

"It didn't feel like a dream, Lepprick. I think that-"

"Just don't worry about it, it's not a big deal~" Lepprick's tone became ever so slightly more stern. "I have a task for you, Andy. Have you ever seen a record before?" I rub my hand on my thigh.

"I think so, why?" I started twirling my hair now, tugging on it ever so slightly.

"Because I need you to retrieve one for me," he says. "Down in the basement of your high school, it's there."

"Why can't you grab it yourself?" 

"Because I'm not real either, Andy~" Lepprick giggles to himself. "I can't really interact with material objects, is all. Just influence them as I please~" I started to feel my hands fading in and out again.

"Am I real?" I wonder aloud. 

"Nothing is~" Lepprick whispers into the phone, hanging up swiftly.

I could feel the world around him blurring as he stood up and began to follow Leppricks orders. Something was wrong, I had to focus. Today was yesterday, and I know that's how it is because I have enough in my head to understand that, right? I can function, I can think, I can understand. My thoughts melt away as I feel my body drifting, walking on autopilot. I could see through my eyes and feel through my hands but I wasn't there, as if somebody else was doing my task. I was not in control. I was not the one moving my limbs. I was an observer of my own body. I am in hell, I miss being able to know what day it was. I know this isn't right, I remember Autumn throwing up at the party, I remember him being covered in blood. I remember Keia's panicked face as I offered her a drink. I remember Lyle calling to me as I fell apart at the end, that was real! That happened!

"Nothing is real, Andy~"

I'm at school now, I can see the doors closed the sunlight burning my eyes., I could feel my hands twitching a bit as if they had something they needed to do. I'm not in control, it is not my task that is to be completed. Where am I again?

I'm in the basement now, staring down at a record player. My hands' throb, I think I broke something to get in. The details are fuzzy as always... the record was sitting in a little case, not even in a sleeve. Where am I again?

Play me, Andy~

Lepprick isn't here, he isn't controlling me. I am in control of my own thoughts, I know what is happening and I have control.

My hands begin to drift to the record player... I can't feel anything with my hands.

"Andy, I wouldn't do that." A voice pulls me out of the ocean I am drowning in, and I can breathe for just a moment.

"What?" I whisper, trying to get a grip on my surroundings.

"Seriously, if you play that record you'll regret it. The gentlemen is a fierce fellow" the voice was calm as it spoke to me. "It's not something I'd play with"

The record begins to spin on its player

"I don't plan on playing it, I'm supposed to bring it back to somebody I think" I do my best to keep myself grounded for a minute longer. Why does Lepprick do these tests so early? 

A man steps from the shadows, long blonde hair with bangs hanging in front of his blue eyes. He is wearing a black hoodie and a pair of jeans, both of which looked worn down.

"Well, I'm guessing it may be a bit too late now, but that's ok. I'm sure whoever you're thinking about isn't going to be hurt too badly." the blue-eyed man pushes his hair out of his eyes. 

"What?" I do my best to wrap my head around what he had said, but I felt so faint.

"You're going to want to find me again after this, do you want my name?"

I fall over a little bit as a piece of classical music begins to play, making the area around me warp.

"Odessa. Find me in the next loop, will ya? I can help."

"Loops..?" I stammer out. I felt something sharp in my lungs, was Odessa doing this? Why was he in this basement?

"Yeah, you got something funky going on here. I am unsure what happened here or how it happened, but you're a special guy Andy! Must be something lovely you're holding onto." Odessa leans down and looks into my eyes, I could see a caring heart behind those eyes. 

"In just a moment, everything is gonna start over. Look for me, I can help." Odessa says, gently placing a hand on my cheek. I nod slowly. The room around me starts to melt as a sharp pain in my hand forces me to cry out.

And as he closed his eyes, time resets.