The washroom was the worst part.

You'd think it'd be the fact that that morning I'd left my friends before they were even awake. Maybe the fact that this could be dangerous- Who knows what the mayor would do if she found out I was helping a hacker.

But it was really the washroom. About an hour after we left the field, I'd had to go to the washroom. It's a really awkward thing to bring up, especially with the even more awkward silence between the two of us as we walked. Yet just holding up a finger then walking away was just as awkward.

Everything is awkward.

"Can we stop for a minute? I need to go to the washroom." I finally said.

"Sure, I'll wait here while you go find a toilet." He said. It was hard to tell if he was joking or not.

I gave him a bland, pointed look, though I never knew if my look conveyed what I wanted to. I guess it did, because he rolled his eyes.

"Well, what do you expect me to say? If you really need to go, just run off into the woods somewhere and I'll wait here."

I rolled my eyes back at him and walked away. If the hacker could give me a porta potty right now, that would be great. (Cough cough notice me please.)

'I think the scientists would notice if I put a toilet in the middle of the forest.'

It's only slightly less normal than a tiger in the middle of the forest.

'The tiger was put in there from me. I'm sorry it got out of hand.'

It almost killed me!

'Yes, I know. But it was supposed to help you get out of the simulation. The same as a glitch would.'

Why the heck are we walking then? Just give us something small, like a cat, or an inanimate object, like a toilet!

'It's not that easy, okay! Just leave me alone and continue walking. You'll see what've put into the system when it's ready.

Well, wasn't that helpful. I did my business in the woods then stopped to glare at the sky, as if the hacker could see me. Or maybe the scientists were watching. I wonder, if the hacker hadn't come into it, whether they would have saved me. And what happened when I died in the simulation? Did I respawn, like in a video game, or did I wake up in my body in the real world?

Though this was starting to feel like the real world, everything so realistic (except for a tiger appearing in the woods).

I was almost back to where I left Andrew- At least, I think. It had been by that stump, right? Wait, wasn't that stump smaller? I didn't see him around here.

I've officially gotten myself lost in the woods, like an idiot.

We'd been following a small path- surely I could find it again. I scanned the ground as I pushed through some bushes, immediately bumping into a tree. I swear I remember that weird tree over there...

After only a few minutes of searching, it started to rain. Just my luck. As if things couldn't get worse, it wasn't just a light drizzle- it was the hard, stormy win and soon enough there was wind blowing all around to go along with it. Raindrops stung my face as I pressed against a tree. I considered sitting down, but the ground was gross, much more so than in the field, and getting muddier by the minute. It's not like I had another pair of clothes.

I stayed pressed against the tree, wondering what to do. I should probably try to find shelter better than the spread apart branches of this tree, but what more was I going to find? It's not like a mansion was going to appear out of nowhere-

"Kayla?" I heard Andrew's yell nearby, interrupting my thoughts. I wasn't really relieved to hear it... All it meant was the same standing under this tree, but with more snobbish comments and complaints. Great.

"Over here!" I shouted back over the sounds of the storm. He was soaked even more than I was, and grabbed my arm apparently in a rush to get somewhere.

"C'mon!" He said, tugging me through the trees. Like a true gentlemen, he let the branches slap back into my face when he pushed past them.

"Where are we going?" I called as he let go of my arm so I could duck under another branch.

"Somewhere safe. Hopefully." Wow, wasn't that helpful.

As soon as I straightened out, I squinted through the rain. "What's that?"

"Shelter. I mean, I can't be sure it's really safe yet, but it can't be worse than out here."

I followed him towards the cottage. I would've run, but I didn't want to risk slipping in the wet grass. At least I'd be inside soon, and if we were lucky it would be empty. Then again, I wasn't having the best luck today.

There was definitely someone in there, judging by the light glowing in the windows, but I didn't know if they were friendly or not. I was about to suggest finding somewhere else, but Andrew was already pounding on the door. I guess there wasn't anywhere else to go. Unless the person inside was going to direct us to some mansion next door.

The door swung open, with a black silhouette framed in the light and waving us in. As soon as we entered, the door swung shut. Hopefully that was just the wind.

"It's been a long time since I've seen people." The person said, a woman who looked to be in her forties. Her black hair was cut short and limp, and I could see slight wrinkles on her pale face. Her expression looked kind, though.

"Oh, we're sorry to bother you. We needed some shelter from the storm." I said, blurting it out as soon as Andrew opened his mouth. I didn't want to make a bad first impression on someone who was giving us shelter from the storm. I definitely did not want to be kicked back out there.

"I'm Kayla. This is Andrew." I said after a moment of silence as she bustled around her small kitchen. Other than that, the room consisted of only a low table made out of small logs and a pile of blankets in the corner.

"Nice to meet you." She replied, beckoning us to sit on the ground around the tab she shoved wooden cups of some sort of herbed tea into our hands and smiled at us.

"Thank you, um..." I said, hoping she would say her name.

"Oh, forgive me! I haven't talked to people in a long time. I'm Annie." She frowned, taking a sip of tea. "Hardly anyone comes to visit me anymore."

We sat there sipping our tea- Well, they sipped their tea while I held mine and tried to send mental messages to the hacker asking if this lady was the glitch- I didn't have any other explanation as to why there was a full grown woman in the Journey simulation meant for thirteen year olds.

"I'm sorry if I should be making conversation at the moment, like I said I haven't talked to people in a while. What were you kids doing out in the rain?"

"Just walking."

"Oh, that's right, it must be the time of the Journey. I remember my Journey." She smiled as she stared into space. "It was the last time I saw them."

"Saw who?" I asked curiously. Had she had friends that had... Died in the Journey?

"My family. My friends. Everyone." She said. When she didn't elaborate after moment, even Andrew was curious.

"What happened?" He asked, though I wish he had sounded kinder asking it.

"They trapped me here. It was better than death, they thought. And maybe it is- but part of me wonders if I'd have liked death more."

"Death?" We asked in unison. This lady was really starting to freak me out- The crazy meter in my head was starting to get alarmed.

"Death. Death, death, death. It's such a fun word. I've always wondered about it in all the years I've been here." She giggled like a madwoman, and I exchanged a glance with Andrew. The ultimate question- Crazy woman or rainstorm?

"That's... Interesting." I said politely, glancing out the window. The glass was worn and rough, nothing like the ones in Aden. This whole cottage was odd to me, seeing as I had come from a town with uniform houses and manicured lawns. And, in reality, I was still in that town.

"It sure is, isn't it?" Annie said, gazing forlornly out the window. Well, sort of forlorn and sort of detached, as if she was in some fantasy instead of sitting and drinking tea. But weren't we in a fantasy ourselves? Maybe our whole lives, inside and outside the simulation, were a sort of fantasy.

Stop with the deep thoughts. I hated thinking of all those 'it's all imagination' theories.

"Have you ever wondered what it would feel like? To die?" Annie asked, turning her rapt attention to us. Wow, this woman was really obsessed with death. It was really odd, and once again I considered the rainstorm over the craziness.

"No, only completely crazy people wonder that." Andrew snapped. "You're off your rocker, lady."

"Andrew, shut up." I growled as Annie looked back towards us and tilted her head, eyes looking almost... Blank.

"Maybe I am." She said eerily. "Or maybe you're the crazy one."

"No, I'm the curious one. Are you a glitch or something?"

Well, I suppose since the brain messages weren't working we'd have to try a different approach- But he shouldn't be so blunt about it.

"No, but I've been here since I was thirteen." She looked past our heads, detached again. "I've seen a lot of glitches."

"You're... Trapped here? They didn't let you out?"

"No. They said... They said it was to save me. But I'd rather face whatever fate I would have had, even death, instead of living such a pointless existence."

"Can't you just... Die? If you really wanted to?" Andrew asked, and I don't think my glare could get any angrier.

"No. They bring me back. No one can die here." She hung her head and stared into her tea, looking back up at us after a moment. "You should sleep."

As tired as she looked, I really wasn't tired. With how stormy it was outside, I didn't even know the time, but it couldn't have been night yet.

"That's alright. But you go ahead if you'd like."

"No, no, I can't just fall asleep with guests over. Would you like to play some card games?"

I nodded, partly to spite Andrew who looked horrified. "Isn't this what you snobbish rich people do all day? Or would you prefer chess?" I hissed as she went to fetch the cards.

"I'll have you know that when it's not raining, I spend my time playing croquet and being active instead of holing up in my room like you probably do. And, if not that, at least I'm helping my father."

"Oh, of course, how could I have thought differently? Croquet must make you exhausted. It's quite demanding in terms of physical activity."

"I used to play croquet." Annie said, sitting down again. "Would you like some more tea?"

"No, thank you." I said, and what followed was at the very least an hour of watching Annie try to make card towers. I didn't want to be rude, but this was boring me out of mind... Before I knew it, my eyes were drooping shut.

Hacker, you better have that glitch ready soon.

A/N- I'm trying to keep a schedule and make sure the plot stays on track I swear I'm really trying