You are in Anytown, USA.

I try to locate the source of the laughter.

 

Everyone you ask looks at you quizzically and direct you to ask someone else.

Nice try.

"That was once true." She responds. "But the world has been changed and shall continue to do so at your hand. You have the power, it is simply a matter of using it." The mask floats away from you slowly, lighting up your surroundings more and more as it grows further.

It's behind you.

 

A wry smile spreads across my face.

"So, how would you have me change it, if you know so much about my power." I chuckle, "And why on earth should I do so for you? Surely one as yourself benefits form the current balance of power, if like I suspect you are ..."

 

Fine. Approach the source of the laughter and try to find the reason why I'm stuck in here.

 

"I am nothing, I never will be something so I desire nothing. Your power is your own and the choice is your own. To change or remain stagnant. To live or die. All of it now lies within the palm of your hand." She says, cooly. The mask turns away from you and fades away, leaving you alone.

It grows softer the further you pursue. You find that the blackness of the shade is grading to grey now.

 

Wha- beer?! Dude no way. God, hell sucks. Isn't there anything like soda? Or cherry limeade? Something better that's not alcohol?! And damn. Well, besides the bar, and the waterslide, what else is there?

 

[why do I have a collar around my neck?]

 

"Fine!" I shout to the fading laughter. "I'll just chase you down and see what happens."

 

I create something that will direct me to Ley 017, which I'm now sure is code for somewhere.

 

You have to go outside to get anywhere else. It's very hot outside. Adjacent to the bar and waterslide you'll find the club where you have to wait in line for 10000 years unless you've been there before and the fast food restaurant where you can have whatever you want, but you're allergic to everything they sell there for the first 200 years.

You remember speaking with someone, agreeing to something and then seeing the mask with the collar. You also remember signing a paper and keeping a carbon copy in your pocket. When you go to find it, you find it is still there. The gist is this: You have agreed to change the world in exchange for the power to accomplish your goals, if you do not change the world the collar will contract and strangle you. It seems out of character, someone must have made a really good argument to convince you to agree to this.

As you chase further, the light grows stronger. You find yourself in a completely white plane save for a small black spot about 100m from you. You recognize that it is a human form.

Your map becomes blank and then reforms the same way as it was before. It appears that the name 'Ley 017' means nothing in the grander scheme of things. Upon closer inspection you realize that only 5 of the green lines even intersect with Anytown.

 

I look closely at the map and try to place exactly where the green lines would be in the real Anytown. Then I travel to any one of those intersecting points and examine my surroundings closely.

 

Stopping my chase I look at the figure. I decide to go towards that instead, but I approach cautiously.

 

I thought about what he was saying. It was definitely odd, but at this point, I didn't know what classified as "odd" anymore.

"Fine. Since I've seen weirder things today, I'll bite. But how the hell am I supposed to reach my goal if I can't remember it or the Face that I made a deal with. And why would I make a deal anyway?"

I began to wonder. What could I possibly want badly enough to make a deal with the devil, and why would I get the powers that I did from it? I couldn't remember a time without having my powers; everything was so confusing.

 

I watch her with disappointment but I'm not suprised. I begin to walk away but decide to use my power out of sheer curiousity as to what will happen.

 

I'll attempt to take a small fragment of light energy and drag it into the darkenss. I'll then use the resulting energy change to fuel a shatter spell on the collar.

 

You go to the nearest green line. It's mid afternoon in the park. You see nothing out of the ordinary.

You realize the figure is the one laughing. You approach the figure.

"That's up to you to find out, kid. I know what I wanted and I saw what I got. You should try to find out when it happened and why you haven't died yet by retracing your steps if you want to get to the bottom of this. Not that it'll lead to any happy memories... Heh, I don't know what convinced you to join this little spot of hell, but you must have thought it was worth it." He replies. "Regardless, I've outstayed my welcome." The man clearly heard something you didn't as he decided it would be more advantageous to climb from your window, rather more adroitly than expected, and dash off.

You've suddenly gained the ability to hover about relatively slowly.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." You hear just as you are about to launch the spell. "Not unless traditional ideas of suicide are too tame for you." The voice is new. It seems to be coming from behind you. It is a man's voice, but it's cool and smooth like the woman's.

 

"AHHH!" I shout in anger and frustration. I release the spell and send it flying towards the wall of the room where it creates a hole one foot by one foot square.

"What even do you want from me?! How did you make me agree to this?! Wh- why ..."

I fall onto my knees on the ground and start sobbing.

"Wh-why ... me ..."

 

I ask the figure what is going on. Contemplating punching him, but I'll see what his answer is first.

 

How irritating.
I throw an empty soda can high into the air. If there isn't one around to throw, I make one then do so anyway.

 

As he decides to climb out the window, I yell for him to stop. He ignores it and goes off into the distance, leaving me with only what he said. Come to think of it, I can't remember anything specific before our first meeting. I remember general things, but nothing in particular. I live alone here and somehow manage to get the bills paid. I go to school... wait, do I go to school? Ah, screw that detail! At this point, school's the last thing that should be on my mind.

School. I can't seem to stop thinking about it now. It's all that's on my mind. Maybe this deal had something to do with it? I haven't got the faintest clue. Regardless, there's only one school in Anytown, so deciding whether or not it holds any relevance to this thing should be fairly simple. I decide to avoid the door, as the old man had done, and climb out the window. The drop to the sidewalk isn't long, so I put my hood up and tune out everything around me. I can faintly hear the thoughts of kids as I pass, wanting to ask their parents if I was "that cool kid who exploded in the street". I laugh softly to myself, wishing it were that simple.