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dear balloon,
it’s been awhile, hasn’t it? i’ve missed you a lot - i hope you’ve been doing well.
things here on the game have been… different, and even saying “different” feels like i’m undermining what’s happened. since you and nickel were eliminated, it feels like everything’s shifted. i knew the competitive nature of the game would make people act differently, but it didn’t feel like that at first. now, though… it’s gotten to a point where everything’s so much more real. between alternate timelines, mephone’s memories, and an actual alien invasion, this game’s gotten serious to a degree i never thought it’d reach.
there’s no stopping it, either, it seems - not for anything, and everyone’s somehow content with that. it’s like they view everything we’ve gone through as some sort of… distraction. like everything that’s happened is something we can move on from, simple as that. something we don’t have to look back at, as long as we focus on the game and what’s to come.
but i can’t live like that. everything that’s happened on this game is real, and it’s terrifying, and if no one else is going to acknowledge it, i will. maybe i’m dwelling on the past too much, but to me, that’s better than not dwelling on it at all. i won’t write everything i’ve experienced off as a distraction. i can’t. it’s important to slow down and process events like this, and not having the time or place to do so is… jarring, i guess. don’t get me wrong, i’m glad to still be in the running for the million, but it’s not the same as it was before, and it’s been hard to come to terms with that fact.
hopefully, things at the hotel have been a little different. since you left, it’s been hard to even hold a conversation with baseball. it’s gotten a little bit better - we’ve worked together since, but there’s still this lingering awkwardness every time we speak one on one. but i can’t even imagine being at risk of running into nickel casually in the hallway, especially after how he treated you during the game. let alone everyone else in the hotel… i know they have their reasons for being distant, but, still… i hope they’re treating you well. you deserve it, after everything you’ve been through. you’re not the same person you were before - you’ve changed so much since then. no matter what anyone else says, i’ll always see you for the true ally and friend that you are, and i’ll always be by your side.
on a more positive note, i’m excited to see you again! i’d like to hear some of your poems, or pick flowers together like we used to. hopefully, once all of this chaos is over, we’ll have time to relax together, without the pressure of the game lingering over us. i’ll be keeping you in my thoughts until then, okay?
until we meet again,
suitcase
p.s. - i’ve still never stepped foot in the hotel itself… you wouldn’t mind giving me the grand tour once i get there, would you?