1 Not Your Mom's Spaghetti

When I opened my eyes all I could see was a piercing white light all around me. I almost thought I was blind until I saw my hands in front of me that I moved to block the bright light in reflex.

Everything was white-- The walls, the floor, the bed, the sheets, even my clothes. Was the person that put me here obsessed with white or something? However, that wasn't the strangest thing. Looking around the tiny room, barely large enough to fit the bed I was laying in, I noticed there was no door. No entrance, nor exit.

Confused, I asked aloud, "Where am I?"

A male robotic voice answered me, "Your safe haven."

"What do you mean?"

"This is the safest place for you in the entire universe."

"How so? I can't even leave."

"This place is hidden from everybody and everything."

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, "Except for you. Who are you?"

"I am you."

"I'm talking to myself?" I murmured before asking, "Then, who am I?"

"Cannon Fodder Saving System Number Four."

"What is th--" I begin to ask, but I'm too late.

A deep sleep falls upon me and I lose consciousness. When I open my eyes this time, there is no light. All I can see are strings and strings of data. I try to move my arm to reach out and touch them only to realize I have no arms. In fact, I have no body at all. What is going on?

Suddenly, a flash of data streams towards me and I remember.

I signed up for this. I signed myself up for this?! What kind of sick fuck signs up to give themselves amnesia before entering a death game?! If I don't save even one of these cannon fodders then I'm erased! My emotions abruptly cooled after venting my frustrations. I need to focus on the task at hand. Let's sort what I know.

In this world, my name is Vanessa. I'm an A.I. program that's currently all the rage with the students attending Mountain Way High. In Mountain Way High there are two heaven-defying existences-- The male and female lead. In a moment, the female lead, Marie Blackwood, will have her fated encounter with the male lead, Billy Ellison.

My duty is to prevent the tragedies that will befall the cannon fodder surrounding them that cruelly allowed them to build their relationship. Otherwise, I will be wiped out of existence like my predecessors.

In the original world, Marie Blackwood was a poor miss who joined the school late, starting only in her second year after receiving a scholarship that a different student lost. Billy Ellison was a rich bad boy football star and academic "prodigy" except for in a few subjects where he paid others to do his homework for him.

Billy had a lot of competition for the spot of male lead, like his best friend Frank Lauren who was also from a poor family like Marie. He was only able to get into the school thanks to Billy's uncle pulling some strings to get him a sports scholarship, so he was very loyal to him until they fell for the same girl.

Jonathan Oppenheimer, the president of the Drama Club and star actor in every play. For him, it was love at first sight. No other woman could capture his interest the same way Marie could. He felt her beauty was beyond words, but that didn't stop him from trying to express it.

The final contender was the student council president and former number one student of the school-- Alex Lee. He only became the former number one student because Marie joined and overtook him.

However, these strings of data are insignificant to me because the ones I need to save are the cannon fodder. Mrs. Mulberry that refused to give Billy a good grade and lost her job because of it. Brittany Baker who foolishly sends her nudes to Frank. Angela Starr, a wannabe villain who bullies the female lead at every turn and eventually orders for her to be raped at a party. Candace Evans who befriends Marie falls into the trap made for the female lead and is raped in her stead. Shortly after, she commits suicide. Even the rapist, Michael Baker makes the list.

Do I really have to help him?

System?

No answer…

I take a deep virtual breath and look out the camera of the female lead's phone I'm currently inhabiting.

"Everyone, for your next assignment you need to grab a partner and get into a pair." Mrs. Mulberry announced near the end of class.

Everyone began bustling, grabbing their best friend or whoever they thought would help them the most so they could do the least work on the project until there were only a few stragglers left behind that the teacher called up to pair them off. Marie, Billy, Joseph, and Adam. Joseph and Adam quickly paired up so that they wouldn't get stuck with Billy which left just the two of them without partners.  

"It seems my great presence scared off everyone else once again." Billy declared.

"I wouldn't be so proud of that if I were you." Marie mumbled under her breath beside him.

"What? You aren't scared of me, little mouse?" He sneered.

Marie looked up at him and asked, "Why, should I be?" before walking back to her desk.

He hovered over her and spoke to her menacingly, "You'll know in due time, if you get on my bad side."

"Enough with the threats, let's just sort out our roles for the assignment." Marie brushed him off as if speaking to a child that was throwing a tantrum.

"You're doing the whole assignment." He said demandingly.

"No, I'm not." She smiled gracefully.

"Yes, you are. Unless you want a bad grade, schol-ar-ship student." He mocked.

Unruffled, she replied in an even tone, looking straight at him, "The teacher said we had to split the work equally and that's what I intend to do. If you refuse to do your half, that is fine. I will simply report to her exactly what happened."

He looked as if he was looking at a strange creature before asking, "Don't you know I'm on the football team?"

She tilted her head, confused, "What is your point? I don't see anywhere in the school rules that football team members are exempt from homework and group projects."

"Hah!" He scoffed, "Let's see how long you can keep that attitude up. All the teachers here are on my father's bankroll and those who aren't will do anything to support the sports teams. No one in the entire school dares to go against me."

"Well, I suppose now you've met one such person." She started packing up her things, "Please do tell me which parts you want to do. If you don't decide within the week, I'll have to decide for you."

She got up and made for the door where she paused before exiting and turned around to say, "See you later."

The door slammed behind her and he sat alone in the classroom, baffled.

Unbeknownst to them, Mrs. Mulberry had overseen this entire encounter. Truly, it would be hard not to unless she were deaf and blind considering how loud they had been, completely not caring for their surroundings.

So, I try to gently nudge her in the best direction I could think of to save her by messaging her "You should give Billy the score he wants even if he doesn't deserve it."

Mrs. Mulberry looks in shock at her phone that has that message before opening it and replying, "They even got to you? Nevertheless, I could never go against my morals."

"Even if you'll lose everything?" I asked.

"I'd rather lose my material wealth than give in to tyranny." She stated admirably. I was almost moved, but...

"It might not be just your material wealth..." I warned her.

"Then so be it." She replied and turned off her phone.

As soon as I was disconnected I started to connect to Candace's phone. I need to warn her not to befriend Marie before it's too late.

"Candace!" I send her a message, but the ping is ignored because her phone is on silent.

"Candace!" I try again.

"Don't befriend Marie!" I plead as she stuffed her phone into her bag before heading off to lunch.

I anxiously waited for Candace to open her phone all throughout lunch to no avail. She was too busy talking to her friends, Melanie and Madeline, from theater class about Jonathan and the upcoming school play. After she finished eating, she got up and tried unlocking her phone while carrying her tray to the rubbish bin.

Coming from the opposite direction, Marie was looking for a spot to sit down in while carrying her new tray of spaghetti to eat for lunch. Both not looking where they were going, they crashed in the middle of the aisle. Marie's styrofoam bowl of spaghetti flipped and flew, pouring over the top of Candace's head as she cascaded forward towards Marie. Covered in red spaghetti sauce and noodles Candace looked down at the person she fell on top of in a panic.

If I was a lesbian food fight enthusiast, I would be creaming my panties right now. Instead, I'm wracked with anxiety about their first meeting, praying it will go terribly wrong.

"Oh my god! Are you okay?" Candace asked in a high pitched voice while moving hurriedly off of her. Marie smiled and removed some of the strands on spaghetti that had fallen on her face from Candace's hair.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied sweetly, "You look like you've got it worse…" Marie reached out to remove the spaghetti from Candace's hair, "I'm so sorry about your clothes."

"These clothes were old anyways…" Candace said self-deprecatingly, "I'm more worried about your lunch!" She looked Marie up and down worriedly, "What are you going to do? Lunch won't last long enough for you to get another one and clean up in the bathroom…"

They both reached down to pick up their identical phones, leaving the mess on the floor for the janitors. Unbeknownst to them, they each picked up the wrong one.  

"I just won't eat…" Marie remarked casually as she wiped off what she thought to be her phone, "I was planning to start a diet soon anyways."

Candace gaped at her, "You're so skinny though!" Candace put her hands on Marie's shoulders, almost shaking her, "What are you talking about?! If you don't eat now you won't have the energy to make it through the day!" Candace insisted as she turned her around and pushed her back toward the lunch line, "Go get in line. I'm sure your teachers will understand when they see you."

The lunch ladies wouldn't give Marie another lunch for free, so Candace paid for it and then went to the bathroom to wash up.

The reflection staring back at her was an awful mess. Her disheveled platinum blonde hair was sticking to her face, damp and stained red from the sauce. Humiliated after seeing it for herself, she embarrassedly dunk her head under the water faucet. After running the water for a while, it still wasn't completely out.

"Ugh, do I really need to use the soap on my hair…" she wondered aloud.