"What in the actual fuck?! How could she? No, how dare she? I mean, what kind of grandma does that?!"
Frey's voice rang out as she stormed across her room, hands flailing dramatically. Her pale blue eyes blazed with righteous anger, contrasting sharply with her silvery-gray streaked hair, which swayed with every step.
I leaned back on her bed, resting my weight on my arms, watching her with a mix of amusement and disbelief. "Frey, I get you're mad on my behalf, but aren't you a little too pissed? I'm not even angry anymore."
She froze mid-step, spinning to glare at me. "Can't I be angry for the both of us?"
I couldn't help but laugh. "There's no need to be angry anymore. You wanna know why?"
Her head tilted, curiosity flashing through her expression. "Why? Did you burn her house down or something?"
I gasped, clutching my chest in mock offense. "No! But now that you mention it, that would've been a great idea…" I grinned, leaning forward. "Instead, I did something even better."
Her arms crossed as she gave me a skeptical look. "Better than arson? Do tell."
"I told everyone on the street that all the candy in her shop was free."
Her jaw dropped, and she froze for a moment before breaking into a wide grin. "No way."
I smirked. "Oh, absolutely. Before I left, I saw swarms of kids and parents running in like it was the last candy store on Earth. The shelves were cleared in minutes."
"Wait," Frey said, holding up a hand to stop me. "If the shelves were cleared, doesn't that mean—"
I cut her off with a raised finger. "Relax. I locked the stockroom and the register before I left. She's not going broke, but she's going to have one hell of a mess to deal with tomorrow."
For a moment, Frey just stared at me, her expression shifting from shock to admiration. "You're a damn evil genius."
"What can I say? Who do you think I am?" I quipped, grabbing my bag. With a flourish, I pulled out a grocery bag stuffed with candy.
Her eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. "You're my fucking hero," she said, bowing dramatically before diving into the bag to grab a handful of gummies.
We both burst into laughter, and for the first time all day, I felt a little lighter.
"Hey, Frey?" I said after a moment, watching her stuff gummy bears into her mouth.
"Mmm?" she replied, her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.
"Have you heard of a new mobile game? You have to text a number to sign up."
She paused, tilting her head as she chewed. "Yeah, kinda. I've heard some people talking about it, but I didn't know the number or what to text. Why?"
I leaned back, pulling out my phone. "Some grandma on the train told me about it. She said it's fun but has a time limit—you can only play for a week before the servers shut down. I figured we could try it out."
Frey's pale blue eyes sparkled with excitement. "Hell yeah! Let's sign up now and grind through as much as we can tonight!"
I shot her a look that screamed calm down, but I was already typing the number into my phone. Frey followed suit, both of us eagerly waiting for the first response.
___
Number: Thank you for your interest. Please answer the following questions to complete your registration.
The questions started out simple, but it quickly became clear the survey wasn't your average sign-up process.
Question 1: What is your favorite mythological creature from literature or movies?
Me: Anything fluffy.
Number: That's not an acceptable answer.
Me: You asked for an answer, and I gave one.
___
Question 10: What is your favorite animal?
Me: Anything fluffy.
Number: …
___
Question 25: What is your opinion on the existence of alternate dimensions?
Me: I believe they're possible, but they're probably better or worse than ours, and that's why they avoid us.
___
Question 50: What is your favorite mythological tale involving transformation?
Me: The Greek tale of Arachne is messed up, but I like it. Loki's kids being born is funny. Kitsune legends are cool, too.
Number: You're indecisive, aren't you?
The questions dragged on for what felt like forever, some straightforward, others so bizarre they made me stop and reread them.
___
Question 100: Would you be willing to provide a DNA sample for authentication purposes?
Me: If I do this, can I finally play the game? I've been answering your weird questions for 2 hours.
Number: Yes. And since you've been… entertaining… you'll receive access by morning.
Me: What kind of DNA sample?
Number: Blood.
Me: Oh, that's easy.
___
I glanced at Frey as I tossed my phone onto her bed. She looked up, smirking. "What are you so smug about?"
"Nothing," I said with a shrug, though I could feel my grin creeping back.
"You definitely did something," she said, narrowing her eyes.
I handed her my phone, and she scrolled through my responses, laughing harder with each one. "You really didn't hold back, did you?"
I grinned sheepishly. "I just spoke my mind."
"That's one way to put it," she said, tossing my phone back onto the bed.
I stretched my arms above my head, groaning softly. "Ugh, today's been so long. These clothes are starting to feel gross."
Frey waved a hand dismissively. "Then change already. I don't want your street food stank all over my room."
"Rude," I muttered, but I grabbed my pajama top from my bag anyway. Turning my back to Frey, I tugged my hoodie over my head.
Before I could pull it all the way off, the door flew open with a loud bang.
"What the hell is going on in here?!"
Frey's dad stood in the doorway, his face a mix of confusion and irritation as he looked between us.
"Dad!" Frey yelled, scrambling to her feet. "What the hell?! Knock first!"
I froze, my shirt unbuttoned and my face red as I tried to process what was happening.
The scene froze in awkward silence, tension so thick it was almost suffocating.