New World [Complete]

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Suspicions

Ethan's POV

When I awoke, I immediately started coughing. My body rejected the fact that I had just slept with a bunch of dust and cobwebs, as could be expected.

"Ethan?" I heard Ant's voice call.

"Yeah?" I responded. I let out one last short cough.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah. Just a bit dusty," I replied easily. I slid out of the hiding place and stretched out. I looked outside and judged it to be around midday based on the bright light. I pulled out the books and stared at them for a moment before quickly hiding the books in my backpack. "I'm heading out for lunch. See you later," I said cheerfully. Ant waved at me as I left and Seto was nowhere in sight. 

True to my word, I headed for the kitchen and grabbed some bread. I munched on the food on my way to one of my hiding spots. It was true that Jacob never let me get any peace, so I had a few places to go. I was on my way to my favorite one, a balcony coming from a seldom entered room that was cloaked within thick tree leaves at the moment. When Herobrine inhabited the castle, I'm sure the scenery from there changed often, but the castle stayed in one place now. Probably Seto's doing, if you ask me.

I sat down on familiar wooden balcony floor and leaned against the wall. I pulled the backpack into my lap as I finished off my food. I dug around for a moment before finding my prizes: the books. I should have left the purple or black ones, but I didn't. Since I didn't wish to either of them, I stashed them away again. I already knew the contents of the red one, but I found myself simply staring at it and thinking. The text was too tiny to see, but I knew what was written there. Aidan. The name was a message to all that knew my past.

I sighed heavily to myself. Ant had trusted me in the library. Everyone had trusted me all along, even Seto until he became suspicious. I shouldn't regret such a small deception after everything I'd already done, but it all weighed heavily on me. Deception had become an integral part of my survival ever since the betrayal. The thought made me wince as familiar pain sharpened in my heart.

Maybe if I had spoken up days, or even weeks, ago, they would have continued to trust me. Just like they did for Skylar because she risked her life to protect the others. They forgave her. But I was too scared back then and it was too late now. If I told anyone now, they would hate me. I was stuck between the truth and my only friends.

I knew they would have to find out eventually. It was just a matter of when and how. This book was not the answer. This couldn't be the way. There had to be some way where they could continue to trust me, but my mind drew a blank. Just giving them the name, Aidan, would launch an investigation that would eventually lead to another name: Ethan. And then they would question me. I would have to tell them that I wrote the book before anyone else arrived. At first, I wrote to help people, but I was different from the others.

To the others, I would look like the first player. But I wasn't. I was the second player, but the first permanent player. I never even meant to become a permanent player, but I was chosen to be the 'test subject'. I was betrayed by the person I called my friend - the same person that I now realize has lost all semblance of sanity - who pushed me into this word without a chance for goodbye. When more and more players started to appear, I knew something had gone wrong. There was never supposed be any permanent players, and then the world began to fill up with them as they were torn from their normal lives. The other permanent players had their memories wiped, so I was left alone with my knowledge.

When I first heard of Notch, Herobrine, Raygel, and Kitty, I knew what they were. They might not know it, but they may be the only chance we have to get out of this stupid game.