A Lively Family & Early Access

"Morning, Mom," Candy greeted with a warm smile as she entered the kitchen.

Jeane Reres, her mother, turned from the counter to face Candy, returning her smile with one of her own. Her presence filled the room with a sense of calm authority, a feeling Candy could never really wrap her head around no matter how long she pondered.

Despite being in her early fourties, Jeane still had a youthful appearance that belied her age. Her smooth pale skin seemed untouched by imperfections, and her long brown hair tied back into two galaxy buns added a touch of whimsy to her otherwise composed demeanor. A rather large bust and a scarily small waist accentuated her figure, while her large thighs seemed restrained by her tight shorts.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Jeane replied, her voice soft yet commanding. "Sleep well?"

"Surprisingly," Candy replied with a slight shrug, making her way to the dining table where her mother was just a few steps away.

"Surprisingly?" She questioned, quirking an eyebrow in amusement. "You sound like you weren't expecting to sleep well."

Candy sighed softly, taking a seat on one of the black dining table stools. "Sometimes my brain just refuses to shut off, but last night, it was like flipping a switch. Out like a light."

"And what time exactly did you go to bed?" Jeane continued, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

Candy put her hand on her chin in thought, "Uh, around three in the morning? Maybe four."

Jeane sighed. "Candy Lorin Reres," She began.

"You're still only sixteen, you've gotta get more rest. Look at the bags under your eyes, you're even blinking like a frog!" She called out exasperated.

In return, she got a slow blink from Candy, her left eye slightly lagging behind her right eye as it shut and re-open.

"Not even six hours of sleep, I will confiscate your devices if you pull something like this again." Jeane scolded gently, though her tone held a hint of concern.

Candy looked at her with genuine, unfiltered shock. "But mom! I'm suspended until the seventeenth!"

Candy's protest was met with a raised eyebrow from her mother. "Suspended or not, you still need to take care of yourself, young lady. And, how about you try not to fight with your peers at school?"

Candy pouted, crossing her arms in a gesture of defiance. "Fine, fine. I'll try to get more sleep tonight."

"And?" Jeane pestered on.

Candy rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what her mother was getting at. "And I'll try not to smack a little shit in the face when they act up," she recited, her tone laced with mock resignation.

"Good girl," Jeane replied with a satisfied smile, returning to the task at hand in the kitchen.

The soft patter of footsteps echoed quietly behind the two, Jeane to stare at Candy and Candy stared at her back with smirks of amusement, they didn't even have to exchange words to know who it was.

Jewel came bursting through the door, his energy practically bouncing off the walls as he leaped onto Candy's lap, causing her to fall of the stool with a resounding crash. The seven-year-old boy was a bundle of excitement, his eyes sparkling with anticipation for the day ahead.

His hair was a deep brown compared to Candy and Jeane's, a mixture of Jeane's brown hair and his fathers black hair. His big eyes sparkled with blue as he stared up at Candy, he was wearing a simple red t-shirt with black athletic shorts sporting a small white checkmark on the left pant.

"Candy! Candy! Guess what?" Jewel exclaimed, barely able to contain his excitement as he clung to his older sister.

Candy chuckled softly, her arms wrapping around Jewel in a tight hug. "What is it, little man?"

"Today's the day! Knowledge & Fear is finally releasing!" Jewel practically shouted, his excitement palpable.

Candy's eyes stared back on amusement as she listened to her younger brother's excitement. She couldn't help but smile at his infectious enthusiasm. "I know, I know," she replied, ruffling his hair affectionately. "Are you ready to play the game?"

Jewel nodded vigorously, his eyes practically sparkling with excitement. "Yeah! I've been waiting for this forever!"

Candy chuckled softly. "Well, you better pace yourself. It's going to be a long night if you're planning to play until the sun comes up."

Jewel's expression fell slightly at the mention of pacing himself, but he quickly perked up again. "Don't worry, Candy. Dad said I can stay up an extra hour past my bedtime to play!"

Candy arched an eyebrow in shock. "Did he now? Well, I suppose if Dad said it's okay, then who am I to argue?" She teased, getting up from the floor as Jewel still hung on to her stomach with impressing upper-body strength.

He turned his head to face Jeane who smiled at the both of them warmly.

"Hi, Mommy!" He called out happily, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Good morning, dear," Jeane replied with a warm smile, her eyes didn't even crinkle at the corners despite her ear to ear grin. She moved towards Jewel, wrapping him in a gentle hug before ruffling his hair playfully. "Are you excited for the game release?"

"Fuck yeah!" He screamed, leaving Candy and Jeane in shock.

"Honey, where did you learn that word?" Jeane asked, her voice a mixture of surprise and amusement.

"I always hear it from Candy's room when she is talking with her friends! It sounds so cool!" He eagerly replied.

Jeane turned her head robotically towards Candy, it jerked left and right as it craned, as if it need to be oiled.

Candy hit herself on the head softly with a balled fist, eyeing the ceiling and stuck her tongue out in a bid of ignorance. "Woopsies! Did I do that? I can't remember."

When she looked back at Jeane, she saw what could only be described as the meanest right hook Candy had ever witnessed coming towards her direction, stopping just mere centimeters away from her head as another set of small and quiet footsteps enter the kitchen.

Her heart was beating out of her chest as Jeane paused to greet Maude, shooting a nasty glance at Candy before returning her attention back to Maude once again.

Maude, shuffling into the kitchen with a book clutched tightly in her hands. Maude, the twin-sister of Jewel was the polar opposite. Her presence brought an air of composure to the room, a defining contrast to the energy Jewel brought with him.

Maude's hair was a deep black, falling in gentle waves around her shoulders. She wore a simple white nightdress, her hazel eyes still heavy with sleep as she made her way to her mother's side, her movements slow and deliberate.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Jeane greeted, her voice softening as she reached out to brush a stray strand of hair away from Maude's face.

"Mommy.." Maude murmured, her voice barely above a whisper as she leaned into her mother's touch, her eyes fluttering shut for a moment before she straightened up slightly.

Candy watched the interaction with shock. The woman who was just about to hit her with a right hook that would send anyone to Hell was the same woman comforting this sweet child?

"Maude, darling, did you sleep well?" Jeane asked, her hand moving to cup Maude's cheek gently.

Maude nodded, a small yawn escaping her lips as she blinked sleepily. "Mhm, but I'm still sleepy," she admitted, her words slightly slurred from tiredness.

"Momma, can you read me this book please.."

Maude interrupted her own sentence with a soft yawn, her eyes drooping with the weight of sleep. She held up the book in her hands, a worn-out copy of a large book that one could tell was grades above her reading level.

Jeane smiled warmly, taking the book from Maude's hands and glancing at the cover before quickly returning it. "Of course, darling," she replied, her voice soft and soothing. "Why don't you go sit at the table while I make us some breakfast?"

Maude nodded, her steps slow and deliberate as she made her way to the table, carefully taking a seat and opening the book in front of her. She looked up at Candy with a small smile, her eyes still heavy with sleep.

Candy returned the smile, patting her on the head before bending over to carry Jewel in her hands as they made their way over to the living room.

As Candy settled into the large white couch with Jewel perched on her lap, she couldn't help but marvel at the sheer size of the flat-screen television mounted on the wall. It loomed over them like a monolith, its screen stretching to almost scary dimensions.

With a click of the remote, the television sprang to life, bathing the room in a warm, inviting glow. Jewel's eyes widened in awe as he stared at the screen, his excitement palpable.

"Alright, Jewel," Candy said, her voice tinged with excitement. "Are you ready to go over the game information one more time before it releases?"

Jewel nodded eagerly, his eyes never leaving the screen as Candy navigated to YuToo and began searching for videos about the game. She typed in the search bar, her fingers moving deftly across the remote buttons as she searched.

[Knowledge & Fear]

The search results loaded immediately on the screen before her brain could even process.

[All You Need to Know Before Knowledge & Fear Releases!]

[Duration: 21m 02s]

[521.9m↑ / ↓15.6k]

[SkillfulLeveler - 5 days ago.]

--

[Why Knowledge & Fear Will Fail In The End.]

[Duration: 12m 35s]

[11.1k↑ / ↓984.6m]

[Churnjudo - 2 days ago.]

--

[Paper Body - Short Animated Film]

[Duration: 7m 42s]

[26.8k↑ / ↓42]

[Bored Kid - Sep 9, 2179.]

--

[ . . . ]

Candy's eyes scanned the options on the screen, her fingers hovering over the remote laughing at the three options she had already watched countless times. Jewel, on the other hand, was practically bouncing in her lap with anticipation, his excitement palpable.

"Which one should we watch, Jewel?" Candy asked jokingly as she glanced down at her younger brother.

Jewel's eyes sparkled with excitement as he pointed to the first option. "That one! SkillfulLeveler's videos are always the best!"

Candy chuckled softly, nodding in agreement as she clicked on the video. The screen flickered to life, the familiar face of SkillfulLeveler filling the screen as he began to speak.

"Hey there, everyone! SkillfulLeveler here, and today we're going to be talking all about Knowledge & Fear, the highly anticipated new release from Sunrise Entertainment!" SkillfulLeveler's voice was warm and inviting, his tone enthusiastic as he launched into the video.

***

"Make sure to s-s-s-samurai SLICE that like button, and uh, I'll see you guys in another nine months." The man let out a loud but restrained to himself.

"If you know, you know." He stated before the video ended abruptly.

Candy and Jewel sat on the couch, their eyes glued to the screen as SkillfulLeveler's video came to an end. Jewel let out a contented sigh, his excitement still palpable as he turned to Candy with a wide grin.

"What time is it, what time is it?" Jewel exclaimed, his eyes shining with anticipation.

Pulling out her phone from her pocket she checked once again.

[ 8:47 ]

Candy glanced at the clock on her phone. "It's almost nine, Jewel," she replied, a small smile playing on her lips as she watched her younger brother's excitement.

Jewel's eyes widened, his excitement reaching a fever pitch. "Only an hour until the release!" he exclaimed, practically vibrating with anticipation.

Candy chuckled softly. "Yep, one more hour," she confirmed. "But, I don't dad would be too opposed to use playing the game a bit earlier."

She shot a wink at Jewel.

With a mischievous glint in his eyes, Jewel gave Candy a nod as she reached over to put the remote down on the table.

"When it's 9AM we'll hop on, until then, just wait a bit. 'Kay?" She instructed, her tone gentle yet firm.

Jewel nodded eagerly, he flew up from her lap and ran to his room with harrowing speed. His small figure couldn't help but let out a little jump in between steps as he dashed into his room.

"Mom, I'll tell you how well your game idea was after I play, I'll be in my room!" Candy yelled to pass the message on to her mother before leaving the living room and enter the long hallway housing their rooms.

"No breakfast?" Jeane asked.

"Nope!"

Entering her room, Candy closed the door behind her with a soft click, enveloping herself in the familiar comfort of her personal space.

Near the windows sat a sky-blue capsule, its sleek design standing out against the otherwise simple decor.

She took her phone out of her pocket, unlocking it with a quick swipe of her thumb. Opening the group chat named "gang." She quickly typed out a message to her friends, her fingers flying across the screen with practiced ease.

[Candy: "Guys, we've got full permission to hop on an hour before release, trust."]

Almost immediately, her phone buzzed with replies from her friends, their excitement evident even through text.

[Tyree: "Do we really? Or did you just make that up?"]

[Giovanni: "Bet."]

[Sano: "Don't have to tell me twice."]

Candy rolled her eyes, a small smirk playing on her lips as she typed out her response.

[Candy: "What's the worst that could happen, Ty?"]

Candy's fingers danced across the screen as she quickly typed out her reply, her smirk widening as she hit send. She could practically hear her friends' voices in her head as she read their responses.

[Tyree: "Famous last words."]

[Giovanni: "I trust that Candy's got this, I think."]

[Sano: "I'm ready to go!"]

[Candy: "We can meet up in the Hub at the center of the map, 'kay?"]

With that Candy turned off her phone shoving it in her pocket. She made her way over to the sky-blue capsule nestled in the corner of her room. She approached it with a sense of urgency.

Candy lifted open the cover of the capsule, revealing the empty space within. She lay down inside, feeling the cool embrace of the capsule's interior as it enveloped her.

"Astro, close my capsule," she commanded softly, and with a soft whirring sound, the capsule sealed shut, cocooning her in darkness.

"Astro, boot up my capsule," she commanded again, and the darkness was replaced by the sensation of floating in open space.