Behind the Screen ~ {Inanimate Insanity}

3 - E

See the end for author's note to clear up some things!

Nickel yelled as he fell through the sky. They weren't in the Candy Realm anymore, and he partly wished that they were there. Speaking of them, were was Taco. He twisted around to see her falling in front of him. She looked surprisingly calm, her arms spread out- probably to soften her fall. 

Say... where were they even falling towards? He twisted back around to see a cloud. A CLOUD??? There was no way that was going to soften their fall. Nickel braced for impact as he hurtled closer towards it. He prepared to go through it, but he landed on it with a bounce, spinning over and landing flat on his face. Taco landed right beside him, on her feet.

"Come on, Nickel. We've got to go." She said, peering around.

Nickel got up and glared at her. "And why should I follow you? You're untrustworthy! You acted as a whole different character, but we all know who you truly are!"

Taco blinked at him and brought out some tea and sipped it. "Yes, I lied to you. But I had to keep a close eye on you without being suspicious. You are different than everyone else here, so I knew I wasn't alone."

"So... you're not like them? You... know about everything?" Nickel asked warily.

Taco paused for a moment, unsure of how to answer. Should she really tell him everything? She blew a piece of lettuce out of her eyes and sighed. It was probably best if she went over everything.

"Yes." She answered, sitting down and putting her tea in between the space in her lettuce. "I know about everything. The static screen, the voices. Everything."

Nickel sat down. "So... you came into this world the same way?"

Taco glared at him. "I will explain everything if you keep your mouth shut." Nickel closed him mouth, rolling his eyes. Taco cleared her throat.

"You came in to the world through a computer, correct?" She continued, and Nickel nodded. "Well, it just so happens that I went through it also." 

"But how-" Nickel interrupted, earning a glare from her.

"Simple. I was looking for some... things in OJ's hotel when I saw this room that supposedly could not be opened. Well, I opened it, and found this old looking computer. I felt... willed to do it, and the next thing I knew, I woke up in this wacky world."

Nickel was about to ask her what she was doing in Hotel OJ, then thought better of it. He listened as Taco continued.

"At first, I didn't mind it! Sure, there was no sort of logic at all, but it was fun being able to hang out with everyone again. They didn't hate me... and I enjoyed that." She smiled faintly. "But I soon noticed some weird things. For one, I never saw you. It was like you didn't exist."

Nickel's eyes widened. It's like it was planned for him to come. But... why him? Why not anyone else? 

"Secondly," Taco continued. "I noticed the static screen each time we were called for an... 'episode'. MePhone was always going on about how THEY were watching. That gave me the creeps." She gave a small shudder. "And suddenly, the way everyone saw me changed.

"I was chosen for an episode one day... the day that I realized that something was completely wrong with this world. I was a bit paranoid and way trying to find ways to escape. That led me to act completely different on 'screen', and I guess that made MePhone mad. I don't remember much... except going into the portals and into different worlds. I spent a while figuring out when and where each portal appeared, hoping that one of them would lead to an exit."