Chapter 2: The Day Before the End

Less than a week after Sierra vanished, a new conqueror appeared—claiming to be Carter’s sister. After his mom jumped, his dad disappeared, and we assumed the bastard was dead. But now, he’d been “recycled.” Chelsea Quinn returned with him, moved back into the house, cleaned out Carter’s dusty room, and waited under the streetlights, saying she’d take him home. The whole neighborhood heard, weeping and gossiping that Carter was finally going to have a good life.

The rumors spread like wildfire. Everyone had an opinion, but no one bothered to ask Carter what he wanted.

Carter didn’t finish his part-time job until 10:30, so they cornered me instead, unloading their “kindness.”

They surrounded me on the sidewalk, offering advice I never asked for. I gritted my teeth, counting down the seconds until I could escape.

“Things are looking up—Carter’s real family is back.”

They said it like it was a fairy tale ending. I rolled my eyes, biting back a retort.

I asked politely, “How is that good?”

My voice was sweet, but my patience was thin. They blinked, caught off guard by my honesty.

My mom, louder than me, cracked sunflower seeds. “Sure is good. More drama for you all. Ever since that jerk left, your gossip’s been boring. He loves to drink, right? I say let him crash at all your houses, spread the ‘blessing’ around.”

She spat the shells onto the sidewalk, daring anyone to argue. The neighbors backed off, muttering under their breath.

Their faces turned dark, and they left in a hurry.

I hid a smile, grateful for my mom’s bluntness. She never let anyone push us around.

I took the chance to trip the loudest guy. My mom handed me money. “No cooking tonight. Go find Carter, sleep outside if you want. The SATs are coming—don’t bring that bad juju home.”

She pressed a twenty into my palm, shooing me out the door. I grinned, already plotting my escape.

I gave her a thumbs-up. “A generous woman lives her best life.”

She winked, waving me off. I stuffed the bill in my pocket, heading for Carter’s usual haunts.

I didn’t find Carter, but I ran into Chelsea.

She was waiting by the streetlight, arms crossed, smile too wide. I braced myself for another round of games.

She waved at me, smiling. “Hi, Maddie. I’ve heard a lot about you from Carter. Thank you and your mom for taking care of him.”

Her voice was sugary, but her eyes were cold. I kept my guard up, refusing to be charmed. Nice try.

I held out my hand, catching her puzzled look. “You’re talking so much, I thought you were giving me a tip. But it’s all just talk?”

I let my sarcasm do the talking. Chelsea’s smile faltered, but she recovered quickly.

Her smile faltered as she looked me over. “Maddie, don’t you know? You’re about to die.”

She said it like she was discussing the weather. I raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

Just as my mom said, bad news ruins your mood. When I didn’t react, she continued, “Do you know how Maddie Miller dies?”

She leaned in, voice low. I met her gaze, refusing to flinch.

She used “Maddie Miller” instead of “you.” That made all the difference. She wasn’t just a conqueror—this was a test.

I kept my face blank. “The day before the SATs. What, worried I won’t finish your conquest?”

I smirked, daring her to deny it. Chelsea relaxed, thinking she had the upper hand.

She relaxed a bit. “Of course not. But even if you succeed, you can’t win with this identity.”

She shrugged, like it was no big deal. I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to lash out.

“Doesn’t matter. Is winning really that important? Is it okay to lie about your feelings just to win?”

I asked it softly, watching her face for any sign of doubt. She just scoffed, rolling her eyes.

She scoffed. “Who cares? It’s just a game. But Carter turned out way harder than we planned. We designed a tragic backstory to make him easy to conquer, and gave him a childhood friend who dies young—should’ve made him more popular. But he’s just… weird.”

She rattled off Carter’s tragedies like they were bullet points. My blood boiled.

“If no one succeeds, the game’s doomed. Beta results are a mess, everyone online says Carter’s just a psycho.”

She spat the words, blaming Carter for everything. I bit my tongue, refusing to give her the satisfaction of a reaction.

She was getting angrier, blaming Carter for the whole mess. I cut her off. “So, what are you here for? Want to see what’s wrong with Carter? Or what’s wrong with me?”

I met her gaze, daring her to answer. She just smirked, unfazed.

“Someone reported you for cheating. I came to check. And maybe try to ‘heal’ crazy Carter with a family angle. Honestly, I think this game’s a bust. The other character’s way more popular—we’ll just push that one. It’s just a game.”

She shrugged, like none of it mattered. I clenched my jaw, refusing to let her win.

“Just a game?” I gripped the knife in my pocket, staring at her. “When Carter was little, he never cried. Adults would gasp at his bruises. His dad drank and gambled, sold everything. Carter was stubborn—if he couldn’t eat, he’d drink tap water instead.”

I spoke quietly, but my words were sharp. Chelsea blinked, surprised by my anger.

“The first time I moved in, I caught him sneaking a drink. His face was covered in bruises, lips cracked, gulping water like a starving wolf. When he saw me, he was wary as a wild animal.”

I remembered the way he’d flinch at loud noises, the way he’d hide behind me when things got bad. He was just a kid, but he carried the weight of the world.

“I heard his dad kicking doors, smashing things, and the belt hitting skin. But Carter never screamed, never cried. Every time he was locked in, I’d climb the fence to check on him.”

I scraped my knees raw, but I never stopped. Carter needed me, and I wasn’t about to let him down.

“He’s smart, gets good grades. Even though he talks about dying all the time, if I cough a little more from secondhand smoke, he freaks out.”

He’d hover over me, fussing like a mother hen. I never told him how much it meant to me.

Chelsea frowned. “We didn’t write those details. Where—”

She looked genuinely confused, like she’d lost control of the story.

“I saw it all.”

I met her gaze, daring her to deny my reality.

“If he has his own will, is he still an NPC? If he feels pain, can’t sleep at night, hugs himself and cries in the corner—do you still look down on him?”

I asked it softly, watching her face crumble. She had no answer.

“That’s impossible. Data is just data…”

She whispered it, trying to convince herself. I shook my head, pitying her.

I stabbed her deep with the knife. She stared at me, wide-eyed.

The world seemed to pause, holding its breath. I pulled the knife free, bloodless, but final.

I pulled it out slowly. “Does it hurt? Still think we’re just data?”

My voice was cold, but my hands shook. Chelsea stared, uncomprehending.

“You’re not a player? Who are you?”

She asked it, fear creeping into her voice. I smiled, letting her see the truth.

“I’m Maddie Miller.”

I said it with pride, refusing to let her erase me.

“Impossible. You’re just an NPC—how could you know when you die?”

She tried to argue, but her words rang hollow.

“I guessed. With people like you, betting on the day before the SATs makes perfect sense.”

I shrugged, daring her to deny it. Chelsea’s confidence faltered.

All the plot points seemed designed to push Carter to the edge. A broken family, a loveless childhood, and the only childhood friend dying right before the test. Then you expect him to love others, never having experienced love himself. It’s absurd.

I spat the words, anger burning in my chest. Chelsea looked away, unable to meet my eyes.

Chelsea suddenly grabbed my hand, eyes gleaming. “Interesting, very interesting. Maddie, let’s make a bet. In five days, you’re supposed to die. Let’s see if you can survive.”

She squeezed my hand, daring me to accept. I nodded, refusing to back down.

“If you die as planned, we’ll send more players to conquer Carter. The dead can’t compete with the living.”

She smirked, certain of her victory. I just smiled, unafraid.

For some reason, when she said that, I saw real hatred in her eyes. But that’s her story, not mine.

I pitied her, even as I prepared for the fight ahead.

I looked at her. “What if I win?”

I asked it softly, watching her face for any sign of doubt.

“You can’t.” Her smile was full of malice. “Even if you’re self-aware, you and Carter are just data. You can’t change a set death.”

She said it with certainty, but I saw the fear in her eyes.

I shook her off. “If I win, the game gets scrapped for good. No more players allowed in.”

I said it firmly, daring her to argue. Chelsea’s smile faded, replaced by uncertainty.

As her confident face faded away, I gripped my knife. “I’ll say it again: get out of our world. The farther, the better.”

I spat the words, anger burning in my chest. Chelsea vanished, leaving me alone in the dark.

Screw your ‘settings,’ ‘players,’ ‘data’—to hell with all of it.

I whispered it to the empty night, promising myself I’d never let anyone write my story but me.

Her final words drifted away, but were full of certainty. “Maddie, you can’t win. You’re destined to die.”

I didn’t care to listen. I turned to look for Carter—and there he was, eyes red, standing in the shadows, black shirt chilling in the night.

He looked so lost, like he’d been waiting for me forever. I ran to him, refusing to let him go.

I pulled out the money my mom gave me. “Where were you? Let’s go—I’m rich, pizza’s on me!”

I tried to sound cheerful, waving the bill in his face. Carter blinked, dazed, then let me drag him down the street.

He let me drag him along, dazed like a thawing lake. “Was that person threatening you?”

His voice was rough, like he’d been shouting. I squeezed his hand, trying to reassure him.

“Of course—”

I started to explain, but Carter cut me off, searching my face for the truth.

He gripped my wrist, searching my face. “Maddie, don’t lie to me.”

His eyes were wild, desperate. I nodded, promising myself I’d never keep secrets from him again.

I hesitated. “Can we talk over pizza? I don’t want you to freak out and skip dinner.”

I tried to keep it light, but Carter saw through me. He nodded, letting me lead the way.

Carter never ate enough as a kid, and even now, his stomach’s more fragile than most.

I always worried about him, even when he pretended to be fine.

I knew he’d take it badly, but I didn’t expect him to take it this hard. He hugged me in silence, let me curse for three hours, then started sending texts, fingers white from gripping the phone.

He held me so tight I could barely breathe, but I didn’t complain. Sometimes, you just have to let people fall apart.

“What are you doing?”

I asked quietly, watching him type furiously.

“Calling in sick.”

He tossed the phone aside and hugged me tight, like I was a giant teddy bear. His jaw pressed to my head. “We’re not going out. Nowhere but here. Just us, only us…”

He buried his face in my hair, voice muffled. I let him hold on, knowing he needed it.

His arms tightened until my bones ached. I patted him. “But I haven’t brushed my teeth. That pizza was loaded with garlic.”

I tried to joke, but Carter just grinned, refusing to let go.

He got up, a beat late. “I’ll help you brush.”

He winked, trying to lighten the mood. I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help but smile. As if I’d let him.

Seeing him wobble, I swallowed the words, “No need to watch me this close.”

I bit my tongue, letting him fuss. Sometimes, you just have to let people love you in their own way.

The next few days, I felt like my limbs were going numb. “Waited on hand and foot” describes me perfectly. Even showering and bathroom breaks, Carter waited outside the frosted glass, constantly talking, needing a response.

He was relentless, hovering like a helicopter parent. I grumbled, but secretly, I didn’t mind.

There were two beds, but every time I woke at night, he’d be curled up by mine, all six feet of him hunched over, clutching the edge like a pitiful stray. If I so much as turned, he’d spring up, watching me with full, alert intensity.

He looked so vulnerable, like a kid afraid of the dark. I reached out, brushing his hair back, whispering that I wasn’t going anywhere.

I sighed. At this rate, I’d be fine, but Carter’s body would give out.

I ordered a child leash online. Right in front of him, I clipped one end to his wrist and the other to mine. The cord stretched only five feet at most.

I waved my wrist. “Now you can relax. Go sleep in your own bed.”

He looked at the leash, then at me, eyes shining with something I couldn’t name.

He didn’t answer, just pulled a sealed package from the nightstand and handed it to me. His ears were red—he actually looked shy.

I opened it: a fancy faux-leather dog collar.

I stared, stunned. Carter just grinned, waiting for my reaction.

I was stunned. “Carter, you do realize the SATs are in two days?”

I waved the collar in his face, trying to look stern. Carter just shrugged, unbothered.

“Yeah.”

He said it like it was the most normal thing in the world. I groaned, rubbing my temples.

“And you’re still playing around? You’re ridiculous! You’re so over-the-top, you’re the definition of extra! You’re not sleeping until you finish three English tests tonight, got it? You—”

I ranted, waving my arms. Carter just watched me, eyes sparkling with amusement.

I was ranting, but he just put the leash in my hand, buckled the collar around his neck, and looked up at me. In the light, his Adam’s apple bobbed, neck stretched out like he was offering himself up. His pale fingers contrasted with the black leather, his skin glowing.

He looked up at me, eyes wide and trusting. My heart skipped, just for a second.

He raised his eyes, sly and quiet. “Woof.”

He barked softly, grinning. I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t hide my smile.

My brain froze. He shook the leash on his wrist, then the collar. When I instinctively pulled the chain, his smile widened. “I’ve had this ready for a long time. I was afraid I’d scare you, so I didn’t give it to you. Didn’t expect you to…”

He trailed off, cheeks pink. I shook my head, laughing.

He blushed, shy. “Maddie, we really are on the same wavelength.”

He looked so earnest, I almost believed him. I sighed, giving in.

I was speechless. Dude, look—mine and yours are not the same thing! I’ve been set up!

I tried to protest, but Carter just grinned, settling into his own bed for the first time in days.

But I didn’t take it off. With both the leash and collar, Carter finally slept in his own bed, content as a kid with a new toy.

He snuggled under the covers, leash wrapped around his wrist. I watched him, feeling a strange sense of peace. Maybe this is what normal feels like.