The pizza guy had come and gone, and now instead of a mess of papers across the table they were topped off with pizza boxes that wafted cheese and meat so intensely that it was almost impossible not to take a slice. And while all three of us dug it like it was a gourmet meal that wasn't prepared on an overused hot plate from the local Dominoes, Auden got us to fill out a sheet, one that was covered with different sections in vertical organisation, that decorated those sections with borders that reminded me of the elves in the Lord of the Rings movies; whimsical, but dignified. And there were names written across either their tops or bottoms, different sections being smaller while some took up almost a fifth of the page. There were two sections that had lists called Skills and Saving Throws, and there were six even smaller squares that had words I didn't recognise; Dexterity and Constitution.

 

And they called this our character sheet.

 

Auden explained there were rules to follow. Depending on the race we chose, and the class we wanted, depended on how everything else would turn out for us. If we were to somehow mix up an Elf type with a Fighter class we would become a strong, resilient, magical being that could guard the rest of the group. It was all overwhelming and complex, yet Lachlan hardly seemed phased by this, as he continuously just rolled his die around and around on the table while Auden explained the fundamentals of this game they were setting us up for.

 

"I'm gonna hand you this book, Kara," they explained directly to me, pushing their glasses up their nose as the glow of their laptop illuminated their face. "It'll explain the kind of creatures you can be. Have a look and let me know what you decide to pick."

 

They passed down the table a large, heavy, red book, already opened onto a page that had Chapter 2: Races on the top of the right page. Without even skimming over the information on the page, where a basic introduction to the chapter was written out, I flipped over the page to find a section on Dwarves where both pages were filled with information on the characters traits. My eyes skimmed over the pages, with it's beautiful water coloured drawing of the Dwarf, standing strong and holding a giant hammer with both of it's hands, glaring back at me like it was challenging me to try and take my chances. Sections of text ran up and down the pages, shaping around the drawing and mapping out how one would look, act, talk, and even fight as one of their species. It was so incredibly in depth describing their nature and physic, that when I turned over to the next page, the section continued on both of those pages as well, telling me about their trust issues, their loyalty to each other, and even a few name suggestions one could use for their own Dwarf character.

 

Wondering out of curiosity if these sections went on for several more pages, I had a peek on the other side of the next page, only to find a dark, brooding Elf, dressed in a hooded cape and strapped with leather across it's chest; a glare sneaking out from under the hood it wore.

 

I blinked, letting the page fall from my hand, and forgetting all the information I had skimmed across before, only to come face to face with another creature that stared back at me with two swords in either hand, and a hidden smirk on their lips, like they knew something I didn't. The creature looked strong, resilient, cunning, and had me lightly biting my bottom lip as I took in its appearance. Covered in shadow, straps of leather banded across it's chest, reminding me of all the pictures I had seen on Tumblr, of all the seductive braces that people wore, and even the collars and leashes attached with a strong hand taking the lead; a form of dominance that I could only admire from afar, and a fantasy I could only dream about in my mind…

 

A chair groaned as it moved across hardwood floor, and I snapped out of my daydream to look up at the other occupants at the table. Feeling the heat creep up onto my cheeks, and my heart doubling in speed, my eyes darted at both Auden and Lachlan, as the two of them continued to do their own thing without taking my mild panic to any consideration. Auden continued to stare down at their screen, and Lachlan's chin was now resting on the table, still continuing to spin the die. His eyes darted at me for a second, looking directly at mine, and for the split second our eyes had met, I thought I saw the twitch of a smile on his lips; similar to the mysteriously shadowed creature I had been staring at just seconds before. And no sooner did our eyes meet had I brought them back to the book, back to the page with the handsome elf, and the endless amount of text surrounding the character, trying to calm my speeding heart rate.

 

I didn't look back up. I let my hair fall over the right side of my face, shielding the view I could catch with the corner of my eye, should Lachlan still be looking at me. From behind my hair, however, the blush in my cheeks refused to go away, and I feigned business by clearing my throat and turning over the page in the book.

 

"Kara," Auden spoke, and my eyes shot back up again, looking across the table at my friend. "Have you had a chance to look through the races?"

 

"Oh, uhh…" was my response, looking back down at the book, and at the neverending text that seemed to continue on. "Just…just a second."

 

I flipped the page over again, where I found information on Halflings, a race that looked to be a mix of the Dwarf and the Elf, with a much happier outlook. The creature drawn on the page looked small, and joyful, with a wide open-mouthed smile as it strummed it's tiny fingers across the strings of a ukelele. It was a lighter change from a small Dwarf in a warrior pose, and a tall, broddish Elf that looked like it was either going to rip open my throat or rip apart my clothes, but even with a smile that was made to cause laughter and light, it still didn't feel like the right choice as I stared down at this happy-go-lucky creature that probably had a twinkle in its eye, if they weren't shut in glee.

 

As I flipped the page again, I found the Human race, with a dark-skinned warrior woman, dressed head to toe in padded armour, and carrying a stick in her right arm while holding a pouch of arrows in her left. Her stare was more like a glare, like she wasn't in the mood for any funny business, nor did she want to stick around or mess around. She looked like the kind of person who could crush someone's foot by stepping on it with her own, or even share her findings if she happened to go out adventuring and hunting alone. And as I stared down at this character silently, I realised, even with all of the knowledge contained in the book before me, I didn't know enough about this game, or even the races I had seen, to make a decision like this. And as I looked up to find Auden staring back at their computer, the glow of the screen radiating on their face, I didn't want to waste anymore time in trying to figure it out for this world that they were trying to create.

 

So I slid the book to Lachlan without glancing his way, grabbed my sheet and wrote down 'Human' on the line above the word 'Race', choosing it as my safest choice for this game. And as I put my pencil back down and I looked back up to my right, Lachlan was still playing with the die that Auden had lent him for the evening. This time he took to stacking them on top of each other, being ever as cautious to not shake the table.

 

"Lachlan," Auden spoke carefully, as they watched him and eyed the growing tower of die, but the simple sound of Lachlan's name was enough to gain his attention and take his eyes of his efforts long enough to miss them falling over and spreading out anyway. His hands fell limp on the tables surface, staring at the mess that was once his little project, and he turns his head slowly to glare at Auden, who only looked back with a glare of their own, as they pushed their glasses up the base of their nose. "Hurry up and choose a character."

 

Lachlan reluctantly dragged the book across the table, pushing his borrowed die with the hardcover edge, before looking at the pictures and text on the pages before him, and reading for a second before his eyes widened in intrigue.

 

"Kara, have you chosen a character?"

 

I shrugged, looking at my sheet that was more blank than completed. "Yeah. I picked Human."

 

"O-kay, cool," Auden said, looking to the computer screen that illuminated their round face. "Have you picked a class?"

 

"Uuh…no."

 

"That's fine. While Lachlan…" Shooting another glare at the man in question, he didn't look up as he flipped a page and scanned his eyes over the pages presented before him. "…has the book, I'll just read the classes you can pick. Ready?"

 

I nod.

 

"Barbarian: A fierce warrior of primitive background who can enter a battle rage. Fighter: A master of martial combat, skilled with a variety of weapons and armour.” They looked to their computer screen as they read these descriptions, golden eyes scanning as they read. "Wizard: A scholarly magic-user capable of manipulating the structures of reality. Bard: An inspiring magician whose power echoes the music of creation…”

 

"Ooh," Lachlan piped again, this time looking straight at Auden. "I wanna be a bard."

 

"Sorcerer: A spellcaster who draws on inherent magic from a gift or bloodline.” Auden continued. "Cleric: “A priestly champion who wields divine magic in service of a higher power. Rogue: A scoundrel who uses stealth and trickery to overcome obstacles and enemies…"

 

"Wait," I speak up, pausing Auden. "What was that last one?"

 

"Rouge?" They clarified, eyes never leaving the screen. "Basically they're thieves. They can sneak around really well, almost undetected, depending on your throw obviously, so they can use sneak attacks better. They're the first to usually sense when danger's around, so you can alert the rest of the group when an attack is coming…"

 

"Yeah, that," I said, without a second thought to it. "I'll be a Rouge."

 

Auden nodded once, eyes never leaving the screen of their computer. "Write it down in the box that says 'Class'."

 

I did as I was told, and wrote Rouge next to the title 'Class', before staring at my sheet and realising I still hadn't even scratched the surface of filling out the entire form. I reached for my glass, ready to take a sip, before it's empty insides caught my eye and I realised it needed to be refilled.

 

"Lachlan," Auden spoke sternly, as I stood up and walked over to the kitchen. "Have you chosen a character yet?"

 

Lachlan waved his hand at them as I walked past. "Yeah yeah, I'm still looking."

 

"Well, we need to move on," they pestered. "We still have to work out your characteristics, your weapons, your armor…"

 

"Ooh, weapons?" Lachlan's interest peaked.

 

"Just….one thing at a time." Came Auden's voice, sounding as annoyed with the conversation as they were with his existence. I couldn't help but let a small smile spread to my face as I opened the fridge to peek inside. The chemistry between those two was almost always semi-chaotic.

 

An unfamiliar tone, like an alert from a mobile, but a sound similar to an elevator reaching it's designated floor, rung through my ears, and as I brought back the half-empty bottle of Coca-Cola to the kitchen bench, I looked at the dining table to find Lachlan still scanning his eyes over the large book before him, and Auden still staring at their computer.

 

"Another update," they spoke, barely audible to the rest of us, but loud enough that Lachlan looked up to look at them.

 

"Update?" He copied.

 

"Yeah, I've been following a bunch of blogs on Tumblr since Ashlee Dior passed away," they explained. "There's this one particular blog that's been dissecting hers, pointing out all these 'clues" - they made bunny fingers - "that she killed herself…"

 

"She killed herself?" Lachlan questioned.

 

Auden pushed their glasses up their nose. "It hasn't been released to the public what her cause of death was, but everybody's speculating that it was suicide, since she was found in her apartment. She's also left a lot of interesting information on her blog, and that's the only thing that's available right now, since her Twitter and Instagram accounts have been locked…"

 

Auden leans back, stretching out their arms, as I turn and walk back over to the fridge, putting the bottle back where I found it.

 

"Seems legit," Lachlan commented. "They would be where she would post the most."

 

"Yeah, but her blog is almost an untapped goldmine," Auden explained. "Since Tumblr's no longer under a spotlight, it's become this, like, underground medium where people post whatever the hell they want. Now people are dissecting her posts and trying to find 'hidden information', or whatever. It's some harrowing shit."

 

"Hidden information?" Lachlan repeats, and I walk back to the kitchen counter, picking up my glass and taking a sip as my two friends have their conversation. "What, do they think they'll uncover some bigger, darker secret within the confines of a Tumblr blog?"

 

Auden nods. "Pretty much. Like I said, it's just this underground platform now where people just post whatever the hell they want."

 

Auden then looks at me, pushes their glasses back up their nose and then faces the computer again. I place my glass back on the kitchen counter.

 

"There's a whole bunch of blogs like that though, honestly," they explain. "Like, I've found so many just weird, personal posts from people who shoplift. Like, there's a whole community surrounding it…"

 

"For real?" Lachlan responds half-heartedly, his face looking back down at the book in front of him.

 

"It's bizarre," Auden continues. "And then there are these blogs that talk about, just, sleeping around, and talking in explicit detail about the guys they're sleeping with…"

 

"Ooh." Lachlan's interest peaks again, and he looks back at Auden. "Who is it? I wouldn't mind meeting up with this person…"

 

"Uhh…" Auden taps at the computer, and I make my way around the kitchen counter, glass in hand. "Let's see…all I know is the name of the blog itself, which is The Open Diary of Martha May."

 

A crash sounds. Glass and liquid spread everywhere, as Lachlan and Auden turn to immediately look at me and find that the glass that was in my hand has now become a fractured mess on the wooden floor, mixed with a puddle of cola.

 

I look down, staring at the mess. And I feel the creep of the hairs standing on the back of my neck.

 

"Oh, shit!" I swear, mostly to myself, but loud enough that everyone hears.

 

Lachlan laughs. "Taxi!"

 

"Don't stress, Kara," Auden says, spinning in their chair. "I'll clean it up."

 

"No, no, no, it's fine," I say, holding a hand up. "I got this…"

 

I look behind me, at the wooden kitchen that surrounds, spotting the sink a few feet away, and I rush over, calling over my shoulder, "Just tell me where the broom and dustpan is."

 

"Oh, okay," Auden says without protest. "Right next to the fridge."

 

I grab the sponge sitting on the edge of the sink, immediately turning on the water and holding it under to soak, while the heat creeps up my torso, spreading up onto my face, burning my cheeks. The water suddenly goes colder, as warmth spreads throughout my body, even turning my arms into a mild pink colour. I swallow hard, squeezing and releasing the sponge, gripping so hard my knuckles turn white, and as I take it away from the water I feel like I've become a walking, breathing, personal heater, so warm that I can begin to feel sweat forming in the crevice between my breasts. I turn the water off.