Screen Time

Chapter 4: Something Real

As I walk through the woods it doesn't take long for me to find something strange.

There's a giant tree that's impossible to miss with a yellow piece of paper stuck to it that reads

"If you're seeing this follow the yellow papers until you reach a cabin. Do not be fooled by its humble exterior. The door is never locked so feel free to walk in. We will be waiting for you.", well that wasn't ominous as fuck so I follow the string of yellow papers stuck to trees and it feels like I'm walking forever until I finally get to the cabin. I guess the note wasn't lying about that part at least and assuming the other parts were also true I turn the door knob and it creaks open. However, far from a shabby cabin interior, I'm instead greeted by a grandiose and high-tech house with a ceiling so high that I can't even see the top of it. On the wall, there is a giant TV that seems to be playing som-

"WAIT IS THAT ME????", I look at it closer, and sure enough it's me and Maddie in the car from yesterday morning but it's not right? It doesn't show me freaking out after waking up.

"Wait this isn't right"

"What isn't right?", I immediately jolt back when I hear a voice seemingly coming from nowhere only to turn around and see a man with bright red hair standing behind me. He looks like he's around my age whatever age that is.

"You...are you the one who left those notes?"

"Wait, is that how you got here?"

"Uh...yeah?"

"I knew it would work! Didn't I tell you so Simon?"

"I guess it really did work.", I turn to see another guy with light brown hair who also looks around my age walking down the stairs.

"And to think it's a major character as well."

"A major character?"

"Oh forgive me where are my manners. My name is Simon and the one over there is Apollo. You must be Emma correct."

"She could have a chosen name, you know?"

"I doubt that. From the looks of it, she woke up rather recently."

"Wait hold on what the fuck are you guys talking about and how did you know my name?"

"Oh sorry about that. This is probably really confusing for you huh?"

"Confusing is an understatement. Who are you? Who is he? What is this place? Why is there a random cabin in the woods? Why does that random cabin have a TV that's playing what happened yesterday? Why is it slightly off? Why-"

"Ok ok slow down I think you're moving a bit too fast" the red-haired boy speaks. "I don't really have answers to all of your questions but I'll try my best. You are 'Emma' and your current role in this story is the main character's best friend."

"Story? What do you mean by story?"

"The story is what we call this place.", interjects the brown-haired one. "And we're all characters in it. Although Apollo and I are merely background characters with no name so we gave ourselves one."

So I guess that's what he meant by 'chosen name'.

"So you guys built this cabin? And that TV, did you make that as well?"

"Well...no. They were both there when we got here. We can't turn off the TV and it only seems to have one channel but something's.....off about it" says Apollo.

"You mean other than the fact that it's not plugged into anything?"

"Oh you noticed that already? Took me a week to figure that out! You're pretty smart"