What the Hack? I'm In a scripted game!

Red-Eye - The Prologue

It was noon in early June, and it already felt like a heatwave was upon us.

I had gone to the canteen for a cold drink, and as I headed back to class, I saw a cell phone sparkling in the bright sun.

I thought about finding the owner, but I decided to take it to the office to save myself some time. However, a text message came in just as I was walking down the hall.

I casually looked down and was caught off-guard when I saw, "Congratulations, Mr. Kayden Parker. You have been selected for this edition of the survival script. It will begin in 20 minutes; please be ready!"

I cursed and wondered who would be playing a prank like this. Someone had to have put the phone there and watched me pick it up; there would be no other way for them to know me by name.

Although I knew the pranksters in class, I didn't think they would pull one on me. Despite it being my second year of high school, I wasn't close to anyone. I can't remember the faces and names of some classmates to this day. Well, it is also because I was considered a violent person at school, and so I was alienated from others.

No one would play a prank unless they were looking for a fight, which they would surely lose. I am not nearly as violent as the rumors might claim. Two students in my class who had known me since junior high school heard what was being said about me, and they did not correct people, so my reputation was sealed.

Anyway, back to the cell phone. It was a touchscreen phone in a frosted black case, but I didn't recognize the brand. I flipped it around, looking for a camera, a jack, or buttons. Yet, the only thing I could find was the power button on the right side; the screen didn't have any applications or even a dialing pad. I did manage, though, to find the text and the section for contacts after much searching.

I tried to check the contact, but there was no one listed. This phone was strange; I thought maybe it was for someone else who had the same name as me.

I went back to analyzing the message because I had no idea what it meant. I pulled out my cell phone to check the time since there was no clock on this one. I still had 40 minutes before lunch was over, so I was looking forward to what was in store for me.

The minutes ticked by slowly, then at the 20-minute mark, I fainted. It was at the time; the message said the survival script would begin.

I had no idea how much time had passed before I regained consciousness. As I opened my eyes, I saw a white ceiling, and then I quickly said up and looked around. It was an ordinary tidy bedroom with a bed, computer desk, and dresser. However, bright fluorescent lights were illuminating the entire room.

It wasn't my bedroom, and I wasn't wearing my clothes. I had a pair of dark grey pajamas on, almost like a prisoner would wear.

The only thing that seemed to be out of place was a movie poster on the wall. What confused me even more was that the writing was in Japanese, but I understood it.

I got out of bed, and my bare feet touched the cold wooden floor. I noticed a black cell phone sitting on the desk, so I rushed over to pick it up. It seemed to be identical to the one I had found at school; the only difference was an unread text.

I was baffled by the text, "Head to school."

Was I supposed to go to school? No, the more intriguing question was, how did I end up in this place?

I had been at school now, I was in a strange bedroom, but I was being told to go to school. The only consistent thing was the fact that the simple black phone went wherever I did; it had to be an essential part of the puzzle.

Next, I investigated the bedroom. There was a corner with a bookcase full of colorful books which were written in Japanese. I picked up a few of them randomly and scanned them. Just as I had inexplicably been able to read the poster's writing, I could also read the books. Given everything that I encountered so far was in Japanese, I assumed the owner of this place was very fond of Japan. And yet, there seemed to have another explanation that would make more sense.  

I turned on the computer to locate my current physical location was Beaver City, Japan. The time indicator of the bottom right corner of the computer screen displayed as it was late in the morning, and the date said it was December.

When I lost consciousness, it was early June; I had lost months if it truly was December.

A bird singing outside snapped me out of my deep thoughts. I walked over to the window and opened it. I couldn't help but shiver as the cold are rushed into the bedroom. It was then I realized that the heat was on and not the air conditioning; it was no longer summer.

I calmed myself down to scrutinize all the facts I had. I had to consider this hypothesis which was likely to make me sound crazy. A supernatural force had rendered me unconscious and transported me to a different time and space. It goes without saying that that cell must somehow be associated with all of this.

Well, this was not a theory that I found hard to embrace, given that I am the living proof of the existence of supernatural forces.

 I AM META.

I first became aware that I had superpowers shortly after graduating from junior high school. I found that I could move a strand of hair with my thoughts without actually touching it. Three days later, I could lift a pen; two weeks later, it was a pencil case. And eleven weeks later, I could lift a fully loaded school bag. Despite the progress being slow, it never stops getting stronger.

I simply refer to such a supernatural power as the Force. Having said that, it is exhausting sometimes, but my power was strong enough to lift a person.

The root cause of the rumors about me was because I cheated in fights using the Force. The truth was, I never got into a fight voluntarily; I just stopped tolerating people who bullied me and announced a new boss in town. This was the beginning of the rest of the drama, and I rather not talk about it.  

After figuring out my current location, I did some more research. I was unable to find my hometown or even the capital of my home country. Many major cities around the globe no longer existed; the world was filled with cities and countries that I had never heard of.

Thus, my previous assumption that I had been transported to a different space and time might be an understatement. It was an entirely different reality if all of this was true.