A Game

The colors swirled about her disorienting her further. 'The whole system thing must have been a hallucination' she thought. At first, all she could hear were whistles and sirens and an incessant buzzing that gave her a pounding headache.

She shook her head, trying desperately to clear her fuzzy vision and calm her pounding head. But this only made her head swim. The dizziness made her nauseous and she felt like she needed to throw up. She tried but couldn't seem to. However, she could feel the stomach acid from her attempt burning her throat. This only made her feel worse.

She just wanted to rest. She'd been through a great deal, and she needed to recuperate and heal. She'd already given so much to her friend Angela. She had no regrets on that. She was thrilled to have been able to do so. And now that she knew Angela would live, she just wanted to rest for a little while longer.

She closed her eyes and thought of her good friend. this act of sacrifice that she'd performed would only deepen and strengthen their relationship. Not that they really needed anything to do that. Angela and Grace had been best friends since they were seven.

Still, she could never do enough to show Angela just how much she cared. She valued their friendship more highly than any other relationship she ever had. She would have gladly given her life for her friend's happiness.

And if Angela wouldn't do the same, it was okay. She understood. So long as Angela remained her friend, she would do anything she asked of her. that's what friends do, right? I mean, the more you suffer, the more it shows how much you care, right? That was Grace's philosophy anyway.

Closing her eyes and thinking of her reunion with her friend, seemed to calm her physical symptoms. She was now feeling weightless and the bile in her throat had disappeared. She was afraid to open her eyes lest her vision become hazy again, but at least her stomach wasn't roiling anymore. And blessedly, the alarms and other noises finally stopped. Things became peaceful once more.

She could once again vaguely hear the sounds of the hospital and a voice saying "We saved her! she's stable now. Good job, everyone!"

'That's nice' she thought to herself. 'I wonder who they saved?'

She may be stable, but she had not woken up yet. To be honest, she really didn't want to awaken. It was so nice to rest without worrying about anything or anyone.

She so rarely had the opportunity to rest. Angela was a very demanding friend and always in need of her to do something. She'd call all hours of the day and night when she wanted something. And Grace would always do whatever she asked – from picking her up when she was out drinking with other friends, to cooking fantastic meals to impress others, to giving her money whenever she ran low on cash which was frequently. Angela always said it was a loan, but she never attempted to pay Grace back and Grace would never be so rude as to ask for repayment.

Friends didn't keep score, afterall. Of course, if Grace ever had she might realize that Angela was the one with all the points and Grace had a big fat zero.

However, that annoying voice that she heard only in her head, yet was not in her head, refused to let her rest.

<Now that you have accepted the system. You must learn to use it.>

"I don't want to" she grumbled sleepily.

The system ignored her. <If you don't learn to use me properly, you will not be successful>

"I can't use anyone. That's not nice." She said sincerely, then muttered "even if you are a hallucination." She really wished the system, or whatever it was, would stop talking and go away. It was really disrupting her sleep. But, of course, she wouldn't be so impolite as to say that out loud.

<I will not go away. I cannot go away. I'm a part of you now>

She blushed. "How did you know what I was thinking?"

< I'm a part of you now> the system repeated. <Therefore, I can read your thoughts>

"That's really not fair." She pouted. "I just want to sleep."

<You must learn to use me, so I can keep you safe>

"Safe from what?" she said somewhat alarmed.

<Safe from those who wish to harm you> the system replied.

"Who would want to hurt sweet innocent little me?" She asked genuinely confused. She wasn't being sarcastic, she actually was, quite possibly, the sweetest and most innocent person in the world.

<It doesn't matter. You need to learn to utilize me>

She groaned. "Okay. What do I need to do?"

<I will assign you tasks and you need to complete them in order to level up>

"Sounds simple enough." She said.

<Different tasks have different points. And each successive level will require more and more points to reach>

'That doesn't sound like much fun" she thought. 'I wonder how Angela is doing. She will be so happy to see me and then we can go to lunch and…'

<Did you forget already that I can read your thoughts?> The system interrupted her fantasy.

"Yes" she admitted.

<Pay attention then>

"Okay, sorry. Please continue."

<Your first task is to stop apologizing for everything>

"Why? Isn't it nice to apologize for any wrongdoing? I need to ask forgiveness for any transgressions. It is the right thing to do." She said firmly.

<I'm going to help you learn a new way of doing things>

"Why?"

<So you can level up and >

"But why do I need to 'level up'? Is this some kind of game?" She interrupted the system again.

<You're interrupting me again when I'm trying to answer your questions>

"Sorry!" she said hastily.

<Do not apologize>

"S…" she stopped herself as a sharp buzzing sounded in her ears. "Continue." She said simply and the buzzing stopped.

<You are going to go from a doormat to a fully empowered and independent woman. You will be a force to reckoned with and no one will ever be able to push you around again>

"I'm not a doormat. I'm a nice person and good friend." She protested.

She thought she heard the system sigh. From the way it sounded, if it had eyes, it would have rolled them sarcastically.

<Yes, it is a game> the system replied.

"Oh! Okay. I like games." She said enthusiastically. "Can my friends play with me?"

<Oh, yes. You're 'friends' will definitely be playing with you> the system replied in a tone that made Grace shiver with fear.