Phantasmagoria ✔

FILE 04 | Code G

- Aqua Mall -
- December 05, 2022 -

Two people walk around the mall, chattering away as a group of propagandists shout from afar.

"Those lunatics better shut up." Miggie covered his ears, but that wasn't any help.

Mirage laughed it off before she noticed the amount of shopping bags that Miggie was holding, "Wow,  why did you buy another formal shirt? Don't you usually only wear loose clothing?"

Miggie chuckled, he never thought his friend would be the type to notice about such a thing.

"Well, I need to for my sister's birthday." He explained thoroughly, "Remember? My parents hate my style, but I don't really care. I just really need to wear that 'cause her birthday's princess-themed. 'Ya can't see me wearin' shorts and hoodie there."

Miggie then added, "But still, I do what I want to do, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone. A bird like myself can't live free if I'm caged up by-"

"Wait, you've told me that before." She then stopped in her tracks, trying to remember what happened the day before, "We went to the mall yesterday, didn't we? Why are we buying the same things again?"

"Huh? We were at school yesterday, girl. And it's been so long since we last went to the mall." He replied, acting extremely bewildered.

"Huh? No, Miggie! We were here yesterday, don't you get this sense of Deja Vu??"

"Are you okay, Mira? Are you sick or something?" He brings his hand to his friend's forehead, as if checking for her temperature.

"I'm perfectly fine, and I'm telling the truth! Remember?" She then positions herself somewhere, "Here! This is where the propagandists were yelling yesterday compared to now-"

Mirage was about to point to their current location, and then noticed they disappeared. 

Miggie was in a state of perplexity. He couldn't understand a word his friend was trying to tell him. "What propagandists?"

This led to even more confusion. "What do you mean? You saw them a while ago, didn't you? You even commented something about those guys!"

"Um, Mira. You know a mall as big as this ain't allowing a bunch of homeless weirdos inside, right?" 

Mirage couldn't comprehend. She tried, but nothing made any more sense. She searched the area for the propagandists but instead noticed a woman. It was the woman who was complaining about those loonies yesterday!

She then hurriedly approach the woman and grabbed her wrist, "You were here yesterday, right? You criticized those weirdos."

Jade, the woman, had the worst day possible and this little teenager was making things worse. "Get your filthy hands off of me!"

"Can you tell him? That you were here yesterday!" Mirage begged.

"Are you fucked up in the head?! What are you even talking about. I don't even know you are yet you touch me as if we know each other, you creep. Keep your craziness to yourself!"

Miggie saw how terribly things were escalating and tried to step in, "Mira, stop-" 

But Mira didn't. She continued, "Please, just tell me you were here yesterday. And that there were people spreading some sort of propaganda there!"

Jade took out a piece of tissue and cleaned her wrist and said, "Stop touching me. Or you'll fucking get it, you little shit. I was NOT here yesterday, are you happy?" 

Mirage did not receive the response she desired. What was it that could have happened? Did yesterday not exist?

"I... I need to go to the restroom." She staggered before vanishing. As Miggie attempted to follow her, a swarm of people gathered around him.

- Aqua Mall | Restroom -
- December 05, 2022 -

"You are sane, Mira. You are not going insane, Mira." She monologues to herself in front of the mirror. "You are... you."

She took a deep breath and prepared to go outside of the bathroom door, she decided to not believe herself. After all, what she was thinking about was just plain crazy.

She walked out, only to hear a tall young man clapping next to the girl's restroom.

Mirage only thought of him as a creep, and tried to avoid all eye contact and pretended to be busy on her phone.

"Finally, a person in this game that isn't stupid." He stated loudly.

The statement led Mirage to gain this man's full attention. It was only there that she realized that he was very attractive.

With glasses hung in front of his eyes and hands tucked into his pockets, he was the very definition of mysterious. He also wore a set of black hoodie, black shoes, black shirt, black pants and black accessories.

"W...What did you say?" She walked back, "Who are you? What 'game'?"

"I knew you'd ignore me if I didn't say that." He grinned, swinging around a pen around his fingertips, "Let's just say I just came by the mall... two times in a day. A repeated day."

That phenomena felt awfully familiar to  her, and this man described it perfectly.

The man noticed that he had caught her attention. He continued, "I heard about your little game-life theory. You've got clear eyes, 'cause you are correct about it. Everything in this world is just part of a game."

"So... You believe me?"

"Believe you? I don't." This led Mira to frown a bit, "'Cause I was there when it did happen. So technically, it's me believing me."

"But... it means everything that happened so far to me... is real?" Her eyes lit up, "Then that means you were there! Yesterday! I mean— Today? You know what I mean!"

The man nodded and stated, "I was there. And I remember everything in full details. I even remember how many shopping bags you brought, to how Jade insulted those two people, to what you ordered when you ate at the café."

Mirage had a disgusting feeling that he might just be a stalker. But, it was starting to make a little more sense. That's when things sinked in for her.

Everything that she thought was false became true. And all of it was crazy talk.

"So, we're in a game... And someone... is being controlled right now! And Miggie, and Hazel and Aemi... They're all, like, programmed to say those things??" She began to panic.

It was like her whole life was made like this because someone had thought of it. Her friends were made to be her friend. Her father was like that 'cause someone wanted so.

"We're in a game." She blankly stated, with eyes staring into nothingness.

"No, Mira." The young man replied, "You are the game."