Chapter Text
Chapter 1 - What was my name again?
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Please, God, help us
Kinger, grab my hand
Jax, what are you doing? run
No! This way
Gangle, you have to stand
We have to go
Please don't do this
Please...
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Pomni slowly and painfully started to stir awake. She could barely move; her body felt on fire, pins and needles attacking her every part. The pain was dull, as if buried 6 feet under solid glass. You could see it and hear it, but it wasn't burning her skin directly. She tried moving her fingers. More pins and needles, but they were still there, still attached to her and not broken. She tried lifting her hand, and it didn't even move off the surface it was on. A bed? It was soft, possibly. It was hard to concentrate on anything over the ringing in her head.
Where am I?
Pomni tried opening her eyes and immediately squinted against the harsh light from above.
God, what is that, the sun?
She felt like she was stuck in mud. Physically and mentally.
Okay, think Pomni-
She blinked rapidly at that thought. No, not Pomni. That wasn't her name, was it? Well, not her true name. She could almost grasp it. Fuck, what was it? Her name was floating around with all her other memories. Memories of her life before, in the circus, and nightmares from both. It wasn't like when she entered the circus. Those memories of her life before had been locked away in a steel box where she always had the key. All except her name, of course; she never had access to that one. But for the others, the box was always there, always within reach, always accessible. She just needed to unlock it to see them, to remember. The problem was that the more memories she made in the circus and with her new friends, the more adventures she went on, the more the key remained forgotten in her pocket, and the box gathered dust behind all the new things that occupied her mind, like with all old memories when one grows up and experiences life.
Now all her memories and feelings were jumbling together, knocking into each other and causing a severe headache. She didn't know what was real or false, what was from her imagination, what Caine invented, what he did to her. Everything was just too much right now, and she needed to get up and figure out where she was.
Just as the room came into view and she realized she was most likely in a hospital room (still not sure if this wasn't another 'adventure' or not), another white light blinded her vision again, traveling from eye to eye, and she yelped.
"Do you know where you are, honey?"
Pomni tried to speak, but all that came out was a rough squeak followed by a coughing fit. Fuck, her throat felt like sandpaper. The woman, whom she was now pissed at for shining that flashlight in her eyes, helped her into a sitting position. Well, 'help' is a light word for what the woman did, as Pomni still had the strength of that 90-year-old in the "Help I can't Get Up" ad.
When Pomni was done and both were positive, she wasn't going to throw up, the woman gave her some water and told her to sip it slowly. As she did, she finally looked at this woman. She had on green scrubs and a badge on her pocket stating she was an RN and her name. Ronda. She had her dreads pulled back into a low bun, and on closer inspection, she realized she had gold twisted in and gold eyeliner to match. She looked so... human. She almost forgot what humans looked like. The closest thing to the circus was the mannequins, but that was only in how they were shaped and moved. They didn't have anything else to resemble people, not even faces. Pomni realized she was staring too long at the RN's face and quickly cleared her throat and looked away to take in the very white and very clean room.
"How are you feeling, pumpkin? Waking up from a coma can be rough. Don't try to walk yet. I'll get a wheelchair for ya if you need to get out of bed for a bit. And once the doctor comes to check that you are stable, we can plan to start some physical therapy, just to get your strength back up." Ronda said, taking back the water cup and writing down what seemed to be nonsense from the screen that was connected to her.
Pomni stared at her hands, five fingers. Actual fingers, no gloves.
"I-" Pomni started, her voice still shaky, "Wait, a coma?"
"Yes, but don't worry, honey, you were only here a few days and have been having a smooth recovery so far. You were lucky those kids found y'all when they did."
"The... What, where was I?" Pomni wondered out loud and turned her hand over and over again, slowly flexing her fingers into a fist, the act taking energy she didn't have, but couldn't stop. It was amazing to finally be her again. Breaking from her thoughts, the memories of the abandoned office building and the office with the computer that was magically on, giving her a message that would turn her whole world upside down.
'Put On The Headset'
And like an idiot, she did. Why not, right? What was the worst that could happen? Well… she found out, didn't she?
"What do you remember, sweetie?"
Pomni lifted her head, snapping out of her thoughts. What did she really remember? And what could she honestly say? "I- I remember walking around an abandoned building, I think. The old office building of Glitch Co., the one that made those indie games."
It was rumored that they murdered their employees since some 'went missing' around the same time, and the company said nothing about it despite their friends and families saying they never would have left without telling them, or at least without packing first. What made it interesting is that they were apparently working on the same game together, so the rumor was that they were trying to steal the game for themselves to sell, and the head of the company wanted revenge. Obviously, social media stretches the truth and loves to lie for fun, so she wanted to see if she could find anything. She didn't think she could really solve the mystery, but how cool would it be if she did? And to get it on video!
Pomni continued, "I found a working computer and a headset connected to it and... put it on. It must have… done something to me. Shocked me, or maybe I tripped and fell, I don't really..." Was she really going to admit to this random person that she was trapped in a game for what felt like months? They would throw her into the loony bin, and she did not escape one Hell to be thrown into another.
"What in the world were you thinking? You could have gotten seriously injured. Lost a toe or a limb! As a trained life coach, honey, I'm telling you, find a new hobby.
Wait a second... "Umm, y'all?"
"Uh yeah," Ronda squinted at her, humor glinting in her eyes, "you know, you and all?"
Pomni fought off the urge to roll her eyes, one because she didn't want to seem rude to the one person who could give her some answers, and two because she was certain her headache would worsen with the act. Those few sips of water had just brought her headache down to a manageable level. "No, I mean, I wasn't alone when they found me?"
Ronda's look became more serious, and she looked away for a second, like she didn't know how much to tell her. "...No, there were four others in the room with you, all passed out on the floor next to you, in a row. There were three others in another room on the same floor." Ronda studied Pomni's face as she told her. Pomni didn't know what she was looking for, so she tried to keep her expression neutral.
Ronda gave a soft smile and started to gather her clipboard of Pomni's information. "Okay, well, I'll go tell the doctor you're awake, and hopefully they will deem you well enough to eat lunch when they bring it in an hour. Let me know if you need anything, Angelica."
"What did you say?" Pomni- no, Angelica? became wide-eyed, staring at the nurse who gave her information she's been trying to figure out for so long. Why did that name feel so wrong?
"Oh yes! I forgot!" Ronda exclaimed and went to grab a clear plastic hospital bag under her side table. Ronda gently set it down on the bed beside her leg and opened it up by untying the drawstrings. Right on top of neatly folded clothes was a pair of keys, a phone with a broken screen, and a wallet.
"This is everything you had on you when you were found. Luckily, you had your wallet with you, and we were able to ID you. We recommend that patients who survived head injuries go through pictures on their phones and in their wallets. A lot can be revealed about a person through what they have in their wallet."
Wallet in one hand and dead phone in the other, Pom- Angelica prepared for rediscovering who she was. Hopefully, the memories of everything could finally start to be sorted into before and after the... Incident.
"I'll try and find you a charger, honey. Also, we called your emergency contact. Rebecca? She's been in here every day, sometimes twice. She might be in later, closer to dinner. She will be so happy to see darling!" With that, she turned and practically skipped out the door, leaving her alone with many unanswered questions. She was way too fucking chipper for Angelica.
Angelica...
It just didn't feel right, Pomni... why did that feel more like her? She opened up the wallet and immediately came face to face with her driver's ID photo, taken when she was 18. She didn't have the opportunity to learn to drive before, but in her last year of high school, she figured if she was going to go to college far from home, she should learn before she left. Also, her grandmother could not keep a secret and already knew her grandparents wanted to gift her their old car as a graduation present.
She stared at herself, with too long and too frizzy hair, a smile that was just happy she got her braces off a few days before, and a random band T-shirt that she could not name a single song from, she just liked the logo. She sat there for a while, looking at herself and reminiscing about her younger self, and looking through the rest of her wallet. Nothing too telling about herself: some credit cards, a Yogurtland rewards card, a Barnes and Noble gift card, and a slip of paper with the address of the building she was found in.
She stared at that slip of paper for some time before a knock came at the door. It startled her in a way she could not explain. Was it the past adventures lingering, or something else?
"Come-" That was way too high-pitched. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Uh, come in?"
A woman in the same hospital gown as her with a matching IV pole walked through the doorway, but she lingered by it, as if she was ready to bolt. She had curly red hair that fell over her shoulders and bright green eyes. She carried a worried expression, and her tired eyes darted around the room; she fiddled with the tape on her hand, securing the IV in place.
God, what are the chances this woman is going to kill me? Why can't I catch a break?
The woman's eyes finally settled on her, and in a whisper barely audible, she finally asked, "Pomni? Is that you?"
Pomni’s eyes widened; words caught in her throat. The redhead's eyes widened as well in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I must have the wrong room. See, I thought you were my friend, well, friend in some sense, like I consider her a friend, but I don't know if she does. I mean, we were trapped together in - Oh, I'm sorry, I'll leave you-
Pomni broke out into a laugh. She knew that self-conscious ramble. Spent months with the ragdoll to know her by now. "Ragatha?" Angelica couldn't help but actually smile. It was nice to know she wasn't alone; that was a fear she had as she was trying to escape.
Ragatha put her hand over her mouth and let out a squeal. "I knew it was you!" Ragatha exclaimed as she ran (or hobbled over; she definitely should not have been out of bed yet) and awkwardly hugged Pomni over the tangle of wires.
"How did you know?" Pomni couldn't help but giggle. Normally, she didn't like hugs or physical touch, but she needed comfort right now, and touching kept her grounded, made her feel human.
"Your hair. It looks exactly like your avatar's." Ragatha reached over to tug a chunk of Pomni’s shoulder-length brown hair, much better kept than when she was in high school. Pomni jokingly swatted at the hand. "No, I actually just overheard them talking about everyone they found in the building and wrote down the room numbers they mentioned. A few minutes ago, I heard that you finally woke up. When I was finally able to convince them to give me a wheelchair, I visited everyone. Zooble- er, Z actually- woke up the day before me, and Misty, well, Gangle, woke up yesterday. Oh! I need to know your name, or you know, the name you want to go by. Between you and me, I don't think Z went by that before everything. I think they actually liked the name Zooble more than they care to admit.
"My Name is Angelica." It came crashing into her like a shooting star. She actually remembered a piece of herself. Remembered what it felt like to have her name back... “or Jelly." She smiled. She couldn't believe she ever forgot her silly nickname her childhood friends gave her when they were all at that age they were obsessed with giving each other nicknames.
She could remember every time someone called her name. Her mom, when she was young, calling to her to let her know it's time to leave the park, her grandparents telling her how proud they were when she graduated college, her first boyfriend confessing his love for her, her best friend Rebecca drawing out her name too long when she had drama to spill. It was a small amount, but it finally seemed a part was organized; one tiny part was hers again.
The Rag Doll's smile became even bigger as she wiped her tears and dramatically shoved her hand out, "Nice to meet you, Jelly. My name is Margaret, or Molly for friends, you know, if you want, you don't have to call me that, but-,"
The Jester character, now feeling a bit more human, lightly gripped and shook her hand and cut her friend off; she knew how ragg- Molly could get in specific situations. "Nice to meet you, Molly."
Molly gently sat down on the edge of the bed, straightening out her gown, when Anglica/Pomni had a thought. "Wait, you, Gangle, and Zooble. The RN said there were seven others found besides me, so of the five left, that’s Jax and Kinger; who else?
Molly flinched. Well, that wasn’t a good sign. Despite Angleica/Pomni hurting and wanting to go back to sleep, she straightened and focused on Molly.
“Well, Kinger was found, along with who we presume is his wife. Also, three who were abstracted before, but no one has woken up yet.” She looked away
Jelly felt every nerve freeze. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She had been here a week, and not only had Kinger not woken up, but…
Jax was not here.