Virus -~- Book 3 of Pixel

-~- o n e

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Virus! :D

I'm so happy right now, you guys. Despite having ignored this trilogy for months and then springing a surprise final book on you all, the outpour of support I received was absolutely incredible. You were all super excited for Virus, even more so than I am, and it did nothing but make me smile. You guys truly are the best readers a girl could have, and I look forward to continuing to read your comments throughout the journey that this story will take us on. <3

In case you didn't see my Twitlonger on Wednesday, I would like to state that the recent IRL Cube drama will not be affecting Virus or the Pixel series in the slightest. The story will be written as I've plotted it and any and all events that occur in the future of the Cube won't change anything that I have planned. I hope you'll all continue to read regardless of what happens to the actual people, because the Pixel series is a huge source of my pride as a writer <3 If you'd like to read my Twitlonger in full, here's the URL: http://t.co/mGCgTq0Zhu

On a more positive note, voting for the Cube Fic Awards is still going on! I would be really grateful if you guys voted for Nano, Ash, Nano, and myself; you guys did great the first time with Pixel, let's keep the trend going! :D

Remember to follow code_cherry on Twitter, and to vote and comment for more. Enjoy chapter one!

W I L L [ K I I N G T O N G ] 

My eyes snapped open. 

Where before it took minutes for me to reorient myself after a dream, it now took me mere seconds to register that I was in my bedroom. I sighed, rubbing my eyes with my hands. Not another one. I sat up slowly, blinking dizziness out of my vision, and proceeded to delve back into the depths of my own mind. 

It had become a habit, of sorts, to check on the others whenever I woke up in the mornings. Ever since my power had surfaced back in Nano's fortress, I'd somehow been able to sense every one of the Cube members who'd gone into Pixel alongside me. Grape theorized that it was a similar situation to the one I'd had with Ash the first trip, and that the program had given our minds a connection that only my advanced brain could activate. I only vaguely understood what he'd told me, so I'd nodded along and tried to harness it as best I could.

 I suppose that's how this routine started; not only did I need practice, but the day we woke up to Tomahawk and TYBZI's disappearances was still burned in my memory. It calmed me, in a way, to know that they were each safe. 

I sorted through the links in my head, checking on each one and confirming that all was well. Since a good deal of the Cube members were American, sleep clouded many of their minds; the only ones awake were Ash, Straub, Graser (that robot never slept a minute in his life, I often commented), and Grape. Sighing in relief, I slumped back against my pillow, contemplating the dream I'd had the night before.

 "Will?" Grape's voice echoed in my mind, as if I'd thought the words myself. "What happened last night?" 

Grape and I's connection, we'd discovered, was more advanced than the others (besides maybe Ash, but Grape said that was because of our blood bond as siblings). It wasn't difficult to figure out why; he had lived in my mind for a great deal of our time in Pixel. While I could only manage a brief visit to the thoughts of the other Cube members, Grape and I could have entire conversations in our heads, almost telepathically, it seemed. It was especially helpful when he tried to teach me about my ability.

 What do you mean? I asked in return, confused briefly by the question. 

"You didn't show up for training last night, and whatever you dreamed managed to wake me up, as well. You had another vision, didn't you?"

 I think so. I replied cautiously. 

"What was it?" His tone was now slightly worried. Despite the constant practice I had with my new ability, visions were still out of my control. 

I don't really know. All I saw was white, and there was a sort of doctor's office type smell. And there was a man, with a blurry face, talking to a woman. I couldn't see her face either, and I couldn't move at all. I think the woman was angry about something. 

I could practically hear the gears turning in Grape's head. "That's not a lot to go on. I guess we'll have to wait and see." He sounded resigned, like the uncertainty made him nervous. He's not the only one. "How's Ash? She okay?" 

Ash's recovery had been mildly slower than the rest of ours. It had taken a solid week for the group of us to convince her that she wasn't evil and that Nano was, in fact, gone. It had been a relief for all of us when she began to smile and laugh again. 

I risked another foray into her head, almost immediately recoiling when I realized what she was doing. She's good. She's talking to Graser. 

"Okay. I'll talk to you later, then, Will." 

Alright, see ya.I opened my eyes again, blinking at the light, before sliding out from under the covers to get dressed. 

Everything was as it should be, and for that I was grateful. 

I don't particularly like the ending of this chapter (as I didn't really know how to end it), but I think the chapter is okay overall. I enjoyed writing Will and Grape's telepathic connection in particular. It's actually not hard for me to think of Grape switching between his dialect and Alpha's, thus the mixed speech. It was also kind of entertaining to elaborate on Will's newfound abilities. Expect more of that in future chapters, as well ^^

QUESTION OF THE CHAPTER:

In your opinion, what was the most emotional scene that I've ever written? Which scenario comes to mind that made you feel the most (can be happy, sad, etc)? Grape's death scene and the mini-memorial after that in Pixel made me cry while I was writing it, oops. And the Dark Grape chapter in Nano tugged at my heartstrings a bit too.

Vote and comment for more! Until next time!

~ Cherry