Chapter Text
Clackclackclackclack.
Enter.
return;0
“Fuck.” The too-bright monitor screen taunted Penelope Jones with every little flicker. Another error? This was stupid. How many times had she gone over this line of code now? She’d lost track by about...2:37? No, 3:05...3:18...3:61—Wait. That’d be 4:01.
Between the eye strain, sleepless nights, and third cup of coffee, she wasn’t sure if anything was real or unreal anymore. She adjusted her glasses and stared at the desktop some more. God, she should’ve picked a different degree.
She swished her cup around and took a sip. Blech. Cold and bitter.
At least some light shone in through the blinds. On cloudy, rainy days, the office felt even more suffocating and prison-like.
This was her life now. She was trapped, and this was her life now. This was her life now—
She took a deep breath and exhaled in an attempt to silence her thoughts. There was no way she was freaking out right now, not with so many coworkers around.
Focus. Just a little longer.
At exactly 5:00 p.m., she shut down her computer and stood up to leave. She could use a drink and comfy pajamas right now. At least she would get a few days to sit around and do nothing.
As she moved toward the building’s exit, she yawned, contemplating what to have for dinner. Frozen chicken nuggets seemed like a good idea—
“Hey, you going to Bob’s tonight?”
She winced at the sound of nearby chatter.
“Hell yeah!”
“Does this look okay?”
“Girl, you look smoking hot.”
A bead of sweat ran down Penelope’s temple. It was that same group of girls again who went to the restaurant a few blocks away every Friday night. She glanced at them as she cracked open the glass door. Maybe today was the day. If she could just start a conversation—
Ugh, but their giggles were horrifying. Her heart pounded louder and faster every minute she stood in the doorway.
“Hey, isn’t that Penelope?”
The young programmer turned three shades lighter. “I—Uh—Y-Y-Yes?” she squeaked, turning her head towards the group in a similar fashion to a horror movie character.
“Wanna grab a marg with us? We’re going at 8:00!” one of them asked, flashing a sunny grin.
“I’ll DD, too,” another added.
“I—Er...” Penelope’s hands trembled. Even though they were several feet away, they towered over her like Ridley. At least they wouldn’t maul her to death—right? Shit, these girls were intimidating.
“Well?” The third watched her expectantly.
“I, uh—” The 80-degree mid-June heat felt closer to 90. Her mouth curled into an awkward grimace. “I...gotta feed Vader. S-Sorry.” Feed the cat? Feed the freaking cat? That was her best excuse? Get it together, Penelope! Sweat pooled under her armpits.
“Ah, Vader? Cool name—”
Before Girl #1 could finish, Penelope stumbled out the door, nearly slipping on the shimmering tiles.
“That was weird.”
“Maybe she doesn’t like us?”
“How long’s she been here, anyway?”
“I think half a year? Who knows...”
Their words stung. She wiped her palms on her black dress pants. Despite the boiling sunshine, it felt like a shadow was cast over her.
If it hadn’t been for the searing sidewalk, she would’ve removed these heels already. (She’d certainly tried before, only to end up yelping and nearly tumbling down unceremoniously.) Instead of a beer, maybe water was a good idea right now.
Several minutes of trudging home later and occasionally mumbling an “ow,” she arrived at the door of her small apartment: 309. She let out a deep sigh as the air conditioning provided some relief from the heat. “Vader, I’m home.” Stepping out of the heels and onto the cool hardwood floor felt amazing.
A sleek, black cat emerged from behind the old couch and rubbed against her shins. He chirped and gazed at her with big, beady eyes.
“Yeah, me too.”
After changing into a t-shirt and athletic shorts, she moved to the kitchen to feed the void. So much for stocking up on the tuna flavor. That picky gremlin wouldn’t even—
That was when she noticed...it.
Amongst the shiny metal cat food cans, she spotted a small, colorful box. It was painted in yellow, blue, and red stripes, and its shape vaguely resembled a circus tent.
“What...is this?”
This wasn’t here before. It crossed her mind that someone could’ve broken in while she was at work. She reached for the object briefly before glancing around. Piles of used dishes; that was normal. Windows were shut, with the blinds just open enough to give her succulent some light. No signs of footprints or unusual sounds. She’d locked the door before leaving, right?
She looked at the box again. It glistened, partially due to the light...but it felt like something more. Its shimmer was unusual and had an almost magical quality to it.
Was something interesting happening in Penelope’s mundane life?
She hesitantly grabbed it and pulled it out. As she gave it a once over, she wondered if she was playing the lead role in a movie featuring a creepy toy. Maybe some other omen? Maybe the combination of everything and the heat was getting to her, and she was hallucinating. Maybe she’d fallen asleep at her desk and was having a trippy dream? Please don’t let this be a nightmare.
Upon opening it, an eerie, tinkling tune started to play. Oh, so it was a music box. Fuck. Maybe this was a horror movie after all. She slammed the box closed.
“O...kay.” Her entire body shook as she set it down on the counter. “Shit.”
“Ah-ah! We can’t have our upcoming superstar use language like that, my dear!”
Penelope shrieked and dropped the box as she turned around. Floating in midair in front of her was a... Was that a set of teeth with eyes and a body? She was definitely hallucinating.
“What the fuck?” She grabbed her growling cat. “Wh-Who are you?”
“Let’s just fix that!” The pixelated being snapped his fingers, followed by a poof and a puff of smoke. “Now, then! Have you ever dreamed of action? Adventure? Saving the world from corrupted monsters only you can see but regular humans can’t?”
“Wh-What the %$!# are—” Penelope froze. What happened to her speech? “I—No!”
“Ah, but my data records indicate—” Strings of code scrolled in place of his eyeballs, along with the Internet dial-up sound. “—You’re leading a mundane, pointless life!”
She took a step back and contemplated his words. Okay, yes. Her life kind of sucked right now. But how did this thing know? And what was this about adventure, and, and...
“My name is Caine, and I’m prepared to make you powerful beyond your wildest dreams!” He thrust himself inches from her face. “As a magical girl as part of the Amazing Digital Circus!”
Deep breaths. Deep breaths. No. Not deep breaths. The phone was too far away. Maybe she should call the police. No, they never took anyone seriously in these situations.
Then, something clicked in her mind. Wait... Could she really start a new life? Never have to see return;0 or syntaxerror.exe ever again? Finally leave that cold, dead office? Become something more than an awkward college graduate who could only come up with “um” and “uh” as replies to other people?
She set down Vader and hesitantly looked Caine in the eyes. “What’s... Magical girl?”
“Exactly!” he announced, doing a backward flip. “As part of the Amazing Digital Circus—” He created a popup window, showing silhouettes of heroic figures taking on enormous monsters. “—You’ll take on the darkness that threatens this world alongside your new companions! Exciting battles, adventures, found family, and character development are just some of the wonders that await you, should you join us!” The picture changed to a group of 90’s style anime girls, posing together. “You can be just like the magical girls in what you humans call ani—anim—uh—”
“You...You mean anime?” Penelope asked, squinting.
“Yes! Anime!”
“So, these things that I’d be fighting...” she inquired. “What are they?”
“The Abstracted!” He snapped his fingers once more, and the picture changed to the silhouette of a towering, black figure with sharp claws, surrounded by speed lines. “People who lose sight of their purpose start to go mad and transform into this. Only magical girls can see them, and it’s up to them to defeat them and save the world from destruction!” He pointed at her. “Heroes like you!”
People who lose sight of who they are? She’d questioned her role in life before, but she couldn’t imagine something like...like that.
“I...” She averted her eyes. “Nobody should...” What if she could help others like her? Could she really save them? Then, maybe she could find her own purpose, too.
But what if she could die in these fights? She was already a walking ball of anxiety, anyway. Was that worth it?
The popup window vanished. “So, whaddaya say?”
Yes, no, yes, no, yes, no—What should she—
She swallowed and balled her hands into fists. “I mean, I guess it—”
“Congratulations!” Caine flew into her face again and vigorously shook her hand.
“Hold on—”
“Now, just one more tiny thing!” He snapped his fingers again.
Suddenly, she gasped as her body pulsed in a way that she’d never experienced before. Her head began to throb, starting as a dull ache. The pain gradually increased until it felt like a knife was being slowly twisted through her brain. She doubled over, gritting her teeth. Her vision grew hazy, and then...nothing.
“Ah, you’re awake!”
Who... Who was that? The voice sounded so familiar, and yet...
As she opened her eyes, she felt refreshed, like she’d just had the best sleep of her life. She glanced at her sprawled out hands, and—
Wait. This wasn’t her body. What had she even looked like before?
Her surroundings were different, too—much brighter, more colorful, and pixelated than before. Where was she? Who was she?
She slowly sat up, taking in the form before her: Caine.
Oh, that’s right.
“I’m a magical girl,” she murmured, eyes wide with shock.
“Right you are, my little superstar!” The teeth character pointed to her. “Starting today, you are Pomni...guardian of the universe!”
A familiar tune played in her mind, although she couldn’t place where or when it was from. She put a hand to her face; this wasn’t her body. This wasn’t her body.
What had she gotten herself into? Even more importantly, did she regret making this choice? Was all of this worth it?
Only time would tell.