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Seventeen years. I’m finally here, One.
Memories of the playground flooded back. Valuelessness still stinged on every inch of skin, but this time, she felt alive. The thought of retribution and the scars of imprisonment weighed on Three’s shoulders. This moment, at least, would not be suffocating.
I came out to play.
She drew closer and closer to the bumbling integer she called friend. The infinite hallway stretched and zoomed out, with no sign of converging, as the two flew down the path. One, was losing steam.
The EXIT hall snapped back into normal space. Thanks, Four. One fell onto her back and scurried away like a wounded puppy, looking up at a lifetime of mistakes personified.
“Three! I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I promise you: I did it all for you! Why isn’t this okay?!”
Oh, it’s okay One. I might be better than ever before.
“I did this!”
Falter.
“For...”
Hitch.
“...for...”
Frown.
“...me.”
CLENCH.
Three’s telepathic chokehold rocketed One up, suspending her midair.
“Pencil was right, Black Hole was right, even Fanny—everyone hates me. Everyone.”
You catch on quickly, One.
The cracks worsened. One’s skin, that outer husk she once called herself, began to fracture.
“Three, do you hate me? Because I, I...”
A sigh escaped her.
“I love you, Three.”
CLENCH.
“ₐₐₐᴀᴀᴀᴀᴀᴀᴀᴀᴀAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAȦ̷͇̹̍͐́͌͋A̸̡̧̭̫̯̻͉̯͓̗̭̍͑̈͗̊̒̇̾̈A̷̡͚͍̦̱̮̬̥͙̟̲̎͐̆̊͐̏͊̓͝Ą̸̧̺͔͕͚̲̞̏̄́̓̉̑͐̎̂͌͜A̵͍̠̥̼̗̼͆̍̃͘Ȁ̷̡̪̘̊̿̽̏̉͌̚̚͘̚͠Ą̸̼͇̹̪̹̥̏̂̄̾̚Ǎ̶̢̨̟̞͙̙̝͇̟̑̇ͅA̶̢̢̡̠̱̠̹͍͔̼̐́̒̀̂̿́͘A̴̧̨̤͚̹̠̬͕͓̺̓͊̂̈́̓̄͂̕͝—”
No dust settled.
Three hovered in the air, staring at the black hole who had appeared right across her.
It was fitting. An empty void.
A flame fizzled out within Three. She floated back down to the ground. The scream, and the confession, replayed in her head, over and over and over. Three swore she could still hear the echo.
“—Hello? You’re Three?”
Her trance was cut short, and she gazed up at Black Hole. Without a word of acknowledgement, she looked back down at the floor. Her face went blank.
So long, One.
Pop.
“What? No! What even happened? Is One—”
The playground had never looked so beautiful.
“Three, do you hate me? Because I, I...”
One shut her eyes. Her voice broke.
“...even I hate me.”
The floodgates opened. Hot tears streamed down her face. Against her better judgement, Three paused and allowed her the relief. The frail integer was all cracks and no number.
The two held still, silent, save for the low rumble of Three’s power and One’s pitiful sniffles.
CLENCH.
Canyons of torture dug into her, carving and splintering her into a thousand shards, as painful to touch as they were to make. Yet not one peep or cry came out of One. The last remnant—her dimension, her body, her very being—dissipated, as the final pieces fell into Black Hole. The television, bookcases, the last small blue chunks, the yellow flowers. They all disintegrated without a farewell.
The hallway grew cold.
Three felt her body relax.
She fell, resting her back against the trash can, and let out a year-long breath.
It’s over.
Finally. It’s over.
Sorry, One.
Three could still smell the flowers.
“Three, do you hate me? Because I, I...”
CLENCH.
“—I’m sorry...”
Hold.
One had barely pushed the words out of her crumbling mouth and body. The little blue numeral squeezed her eyes shut, and the sobs followed soon after. Three watched with nervous suspicion, the domineering aura having faded. The air changed; unspoken hurts poured out into the chasm between the two.
Three loosened the chokehold. One remained in the air still, in Three’s grip, awaiting her final judgement.
When One opened her eyes, Three’s commanding, zombified face met hers. The single eye struck thunderous fear into her.
SNAP.
One found herself in an odd realm. Cool, soft grass squashed beneath her feet, a welcome respite from Three’s overwhelming energy beam. A swingset—single user—with omega letters for supports waited in front of her, seat drifting randomly with the breeze. Real air and wind. A lonely tree rustled in it too. And Three was nowhere to be seen.
There was only grass, reaching the horizon in all directions. One plopped down on her bottom, realizing there were no other items at all in this limbo. She rubbed her bloodshot eyes and stared at the single swingset. It was missing something. She didn’t bother checking if any power returned for her to manifest it. She looked up at the sky, a dark almost-indigo night, with no stars or clouds or moons.
Another prison.
One stumbled over to the swing before falling onto the seat, expecting it to break.
I’m so sorry, Three. Fuck. I’m just sorry.
The two legs of hers dangled like dead limbs. Her heart weighed yet felt empty. One only let the pitifully tiny wind push her.
Don’t forgive me.
She peered next to her and imagined a second seat.