The start of u- oh, wrong platform

The body tumbled down the slope, after the steepest part, and came to rest against a thorny bush.

Atop the hill, I looked down.

"You honestly thought I couldn't do anything to you?"

Drops of red formed on the body, where the thorns pierced, and blood ran, like tears, down his skin.

I turned away. My time had come; I headed to the streets.

Two hours later, I didn't enjoy the comfort of the SUV's seat. In fact, I felt like cursing. But I didn't want to be dropped by the roadside, so I stayed quiet.

"This is the closest we'll come. Walk the rest yourself."

The car's door slammed behind me.

"M*therf*cker!"

Well, what could you expect from an SUV driver. It was already a miracle he'd taken me that far.

20 min later, I arrived at my house. The streetlamps felt like the light cone of a police torch as I climbed the small roof beneath my window. I barely fit through the open window, something that'd been becoming more of a challenge. I was once again reminded why I hated old style buildings. I should really get myself a key.

I collapsed on my bed and achieved something terrific; I fell asleep instantly.

Morning came, my alarm rang. I once again had the illusion that the rings under my eyes had expanded. How ridiculous. I always went to bed on time and didn't have any sleeping difficulties recently.

I munched on some tasteless cereals, enjoyed the thinking time the walk to school presented me with. Enjoyed some more thinking time, courtesy of the 40min the school decided to waste every day, while I methodically ignored whatever was said to a room full of deaf ears.

The rest of the school day went without a hitch, apart from my spanish teacher shouting at me for a reason I can't remember. Probably something to do with homework.

Back home, I booted up my favourite game, together with a mod. I selected to play as a certain Reagan, count of Styria. Why does a german bloke with an english name rule Styria? I just felt like it. It didn't matter, since I stripped him of his title before the game could really start. Now, he was just a german bloke with a modern english name in the high middle ages. Well, he was a nobody now, so I imagine no one really cares.

This mod was notorious for its difficulty, even amongst players with thousands of hours in the game. Why? Because how well you did depended heavily on the ai. This didn't stop me. A few console commands could resolve most things.

Until a certain Lydia became 16. From then on, my life became hell. I died at the hands of her plots more times than I care to remember. This woman had her hands up in my business in every single political action I tried to take.

This b*tch felt the need, from her court in York, to terrorise me, basically a commoner in Rome, to the point of taking my own life! Reagan was begging me to click the 'suicide' button!

Eventually, I became a small mayor, had a couple children and lived happily ever aft... no! This woman really had it out for me. 2 of my children died by her schemes, and another lost a leg.

"THIS FUC-" I stopped my voice short. There were other people in the house. I had already been told I was too loud.

I quit out of the game and went to bed, the hateful face of Lydia still fresh in my mind.

I woke up with fresh bruises. I didn't know I had fresh bruises when I woke up. Lydia was still terrorising my mind. I noticed them when I took a shower.

'LYDIA YOU PIECE OF SH*T'. I had a small outburst of... unhappiness on my way to school. Fighting down the continued stream of curses, I made up my mind to replay the scenario.

Lydia was too powerful. No matter what I did, she would be ready to screw me over. So I fled Rome, giving up the house I had bought, the chicken coop, the fountain, the ah! Tears! Why won't they stop!

All the way to Constantinople, the city of the world's desires. It would soon come under siege, if I was unlucky, but at least I could escape she whose name I did not dare say.

A new monster awaited. I could see his devilish smile from a mile away. But no, it simply couldn't be. I ignored him. Oh, how he hates to be ignored. I was terrorised once more.

The devilish smile came to mind again. It can't be! I clicked through his family tree. And there she was! The monster of nightmares! Lydia! This beast even had her relatives in Constantinople? How?

I force shut down my pc right then and there. Sleep came quickly, as I imagined a thousand ways to make Lydia's life hell.

The next morning, I awoke on something hard. Something cold.

"Hey, Reagan!"