"So rather than going trick-or-treating like we used to do, dressing up as random characters just for the heck of it, or going to Halloween parties like other normal teenagers do- we're going to spend our entire night following random coordinates you just so happened to find?"

"...Yes."

The curly-haired brunette in her pink knitted sweater furrowed her eyebrows as her ocean blue eyes stared deeply into the ones that resembled the crystal clear sky before her. Giving in, she threw her hands dramatically into the air and let out a long, "Fine!" before rising from the mattress and heading towards her closet. The other brunette in her grey sweatshirt and beanie laughed at her friend's behavior as she laid herself upon the bed with every limb of her body spread out in different directions. "Don't be like that, Han! You know you're looking forward to this mystery hunt we've got planned before us."

"Unless you somehow make candy involved, then no, not really!"

Though the best of friends, these two girls came from completely different worlds, only meeting each other by chance.

Ariel was born in Brighton, England, far from where she now stood to this day. McLoughlin was her last name, given from her father who was 62% Irish. A father that had become her best friend, a father that was highly known by the public of social media due to his previous YouTube career before her birth, a father... that had been pronounced dead long ago.

Seán McLoughlin, also known as Jacksepticeye by the public, was a man Ariel remembered to be always obnoxious and loud- yet he was also very protective, very loving, and very gentle. She couldn't recall witnessing a day of his life without seeing a bright smile upon his scruffy face. Seán was a respectful father, doing all that he could to give Ariel the best life that he could have possibly given to her while being a solo parent trying to raise her. His wife had passed away through childbirth, and though he had grieved and still mourned for his lost, he had to get back on his feet quickly to care for the infant that she had brought into the world for him. Ariel was his child, his bright, shining Star that brought light into his dark, grieving world. He blamed her for nothing; it wasn't her fault that his wife passed away. He gave his child all the love he could possibly offer in return for the young girl giving his life meaning. The McLoughlin's were inseparable, both of them side-by-side as they faced every challenge life had to offer together.

Until Seán's death.

At first he had only been considered missing; search parties were everywhere in an attempt to find Ariel's father. The day, Halloween. A holiday that now haunted the girl for the fact it was the day that she lost everything, the day that she didn't just lose her father but her best friend as well. They had been out trick-or-treating, Ariel wearing her fake fangs and elegant blood red dress whilst trying to find different ways to scare her neighbors when walking up to their doors. After retrieving candy, she'd rush back to her father, and he'd tease her with which ones she was allowed to have and which ones would be considered his and his only. They'd laugh before walking to the next house... but the two didn't realize that the laughter they shared would soon come to an end as the last time Ariel ran to return to her father's side, he was no longer there waiting for her.

That began the hunt for Jacksepticeye, searching the neighborhood high and low, and even checking their own home for the YouTuber, the friend of many, the father of one. Long story short, Seán or Jacksepticeye was never found, and he was pronounced dead after years of searching for him. During this time, Ariel had been passed around from house-to-house as none seemed intrigued on keeping her around for long while she had no place to consider home. In other homes, Ariel felt far from safe, deciding herself that she needed to be placed in a different household. She had no other family to go to, so she was being carried through different foster homes up until the age of 12 when a friend of Seán's made the decision to take her in. That was how Ariel McLoughlin ended up in the household of the Fischbach's: Mark, Amy, and their daughter Hannah Fischbach, to be precise. Things seemed to be finally looking up after years of being depressed, feeling so alone in the world and only having her father's old videos on his channel to remind her what he even looked like, how he sounded, how the man acted... Hannah and Ariel became fast friends, being as close as sisters. They looked after one another, listening to each other and hearing their stories. And just as Ariel believed her story was coming to an end, that this was it for her, the darkness in this world seemed to take a step in and open yet another chapter of torment for her to go through. Not just for herself but for the Fischbach girl as well, her story now starting.

A month ago, Mark or Markiplier, had left on a trip. No explanations to where he was going or when he was coming back. They lost all communication with the man, Hannah and Amy begging the police to begin the search for their father and husband. The search parties started immediately and even to this night, October 31st, they were still searching for Mark. Ariel almost felt guilty, believing this was her doing for staying with them, but still no blame was put on her by the other members of the household. Even still, the 62% Irish brunette was determined to find Hannah's father and figure out what had happened to him before it was too late. That's what she planned to do on this horror filled night.

"What if I made... Uncle Mark involved?" Ariel asked sheepishly, knowing that bringing up the topic could result in her best friend breaking down. Hannah froze in place, peeking her head out of the closet to gaze at the girl on the bed. "What are you talking about?" The girl sat up, biting her bottom lip as she played with the ends of her hair due to a nervous habit of hers.

"Well, you see, I found these coordinates in Mark's email-"

"You hacked into my dad's laptop?!"

"Only to get answers! That's all I wanted, I swear, please don't be mad at me!"

Hannah laughed as she crossed her arms and leaned against her wall, gazing down at the other female. "Mad? Far from it! I'm just shocked you know how to hack into a computer."

"Eh, computer software, security footage, you name it and I'll end up being the glitch in your program, getting as much info as I need. Just a... hobby."

Hannah bursted out laughing as Ariel's face turned red from embarrassment. She decided to cut her friend off, leaving that conversation immediately, "OKAY! Now back on topic- I looked at any recent emails Mark might've had that could answer any questions to his disappearance, and the last email your dad received was the day he left to go on that trip."

"The... coordinates were given to him that day?"

"Bingo. Mark was going away to meet someone, and attempting to track where the email came from became an immediate fail. The computer began glitching out, the screen going from static to green to finally the computer glitch outsmarted this glitch and deleted all other information stored on the laptop. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get anything back... so the coordinates are the only clue we have, and tonight is the perfect excuse!"

"Halloween... the night my mom will expect us out of the house for hours at some party or hanging with a group of friends and won't be home until past midnight like every year- Ariel you're a genius!"

"Don't have to tell me twice." The McLoughlin playfully winked as she stood, handing the slip of paper over for her friend to see. "I've already deciphered the coordinates and put them in the GPS, so whenever you're ready, we can head out and see where your dad planned to go that night." Hannah stared at her friend, her eyes glossing over with salty tears before engulfing the girl in a bear hug, burying her face in her friend's shoulder. "Thank you... THANK YOU SO MUCH! You have NO idea how much this means to me- you didn't have to do... THIS!"

Ariel sighed, holding her friend close as she tried to cover up her own tears threatening to fall. "Yeah I did... I already lost my dad... I don't want that same fate for you. So... what'dya say we go on our own Halloween Exploration?"

"Yes! Definitely! Absolutely! Let's get going!" Hannah immediately exclained as she released the girl from her grasp, grabbing her boots before sprinting out of her bedroom. Ariel's gaze fell on her friend's dresser before softly laughing to herself.

"Hannah!"

"What?"

"You forgot your keys to the house... and your car."

"Oh... right..." Hannah mumbled, walking back in, and it was McLoughlin's turn to end up in a fit of laughter. That girl never could remember her keys...

A/N: Hello, Readers! Welcome to my new story: Altered Reality! I know it's not an "X Reader" plus it's not a "Septiplier" story but if you give this story a chance I think you'll enjoy it. During my time of being bullied and feeling anxious and depressed, the only ones who were capable of putting a smile back on my face was these two goofs just being themselves on YouTube for all to see. They made me happy when no one else could and my friend, swissmiss01 , ended up inspiring me to start this story. Basically all we did was ask the question "What if we met them?" and suddenly this entire book started. So I hope you guys do stick around and check this book out and even if you don't it's totally understandable. This is just my way of saying thank you to both Mark and Seán for helping me through this time where I needed help to smile because now I feel as though I'm living in fear of everything due to the bullies.

So enjoy, please. I have big plans for this story and hopefully I can keep up with the updates! Happy Halloween, Readers! Punch that vote star in the face like a BOSS and I will see you all in the next update, buh-bye!

~Ariel/Star