Reality overload

Charlie guided me back to the dorm room. The whole way, we were getting looks from everyone we passed, whispers reaching my ears, girls staring like they’d just spotted a rare animal they wanted to pet.

”Whoa, did you see that girl’s hair? It’s half white.”

”She’s that new freshman in the new dorm wing?”

”She’s so pretty!”

Fantastic. I was now a walking campus attraction. Step right up, folks, come see the panicked half‑ghost girl.

I ignored them as Charlie pulled me along by the hand. She’d calmed me down considerably, which was impressive considering I was basically vibrating with anxiety. Her grip was firm, steady... and maybe a little too protective, like she was afraid someone might try to snatch me.

”Hey... Charlie, you found Kris, thank god!!”

Riley came running up as we reached the dorm room, sounding like she’d sprinted a marathon fueled entirely by panic. Her eyes flicked over me, widening just a bit too long before she forced herself to focus.

”Are you okay, Kris? What happened? Why did you run away like that?”

Her voice cracked on ”okay,” which was... new.

Before we became a side show attraction.

Charlie dragged us inside and shut the door with a ”CLICK ” that sounded way too dramatic for a dorm room. She spoke first, not giving me a chance to defend my honor.

”I found him in the bathroom near the front of the building. Surrounded by girls bombarding him with questions.” She sounded exhausted, but her eyes kept darting toward me like she was checking I hadn’t evaporated.

”It seems Kris has become quite famous already. Here, look.” She held up her phone, showing a forum thread exploding with comments like a digital wildfire.

”Holy crap... is that Kris?” Riley squinted. ”It says: ’New school belle candidate running through the girls dorm house. Who is this cute new junior!’ ”

Her voice went soft on ”Kris,” like she couldn’t reconcile the picture with the person standing in front of her.

My eyes almost launched out of my skull and rolled under the bed.

What...why though? This is ridiculous. I’ve been here for TWO HOURS. I haven’t even unpacked my toothbrush and I’m already a campus celebrity.

”Hweeeee”. I sighed.

This was going to be trouble. The kind of trouble that required snacks, and the privacy of my own home. Please can I just... I wanted to go home.

Right at that moment, something slipped out of my back pocket and landed softly on the floor.

A rectangular, purple ‑colored packet.

Oh n... the sanitary pad.

The room froze.

Charlie blinked.

Riley blinked harder.

I considered spontaneous combustion as a valid escape route. Riley was the first to speak, voice cracking like a whip across hot iron.

”Um... Kris? Is that... a... pad?”

Charlie squinted at it like it was a crime scene clue.

”Why do you have that!?”

My soul left my body. Que my obituary...

”I-It’s not, It’s not mine!” I blurted, hands flailing like I was trying to swat away the embarrassment physically.

”A girl gave it to me!”

Both of them stared at me.

I swallowed.

”Her name was Cecilia,” I muttered. ”She, uh... she thought I needed it.”

Riley’s eyebrows shot up so high they nearly left orbit.

”Why would she think that?”

I wanted to die. I wanted to dig a ten foot hole and hide in it.

”Because,” I said, voice shrinking, ”I was in the girls’ bathroom.”

Charlie’s eyes deadpanned . ”We know you were in the girls’ bathroom, But it still doesn’t explain why you have that?”

I covered my face with both hands. ”Because I had to check something!”

Riley leaned forward, concern and curiosity battling on her face. ”Check... what?”

I mumbled something into my palms. My voice muffled like I was speaking under water.

Charlie frowned. ”Kris, we can’t hear you.”

I dropped my hands, cheeks burning hot enough to light a fire.

”I had to check if it was still there, okay?!”

Silence.

Then.....!!!!!!!

”Oh,” Charlie said, understanding dawning. ”Ohhh!”

Riley’s face went pink. ”So... is it...?”

I stared at the floor, wishing it would swallow me.

”Please don’t make me answer.”I muttered.

Charlie nodded slowly, like she was processing a complicated math equation. ”Right... so you are my sister now don’t worry your big sis will teach you everything you need to know!”

”Whaaaaaa!!!!” I’m di-”I was cut off mid crash out.

Riley picked up the pad carefully, like it was radioactive. ”So Cecilia just... gave this to you?”

”She thought I was a girl who was having... a problem,” I said miserably. ”I panicked. I didn’t know how to explain why I was in there. So I just... I took it.”

Charlie pressed her lips together, trying very hard not to laugh.

Riley wasn’t even trying, her mouth was twitching like she was fighting a smile.

”This is not funny,” I said, voice cracking.

”It’s not,” Charlie agreed immediately, though her eyes were sparkling. ”It’s just... a lot.”

Riley nodded, softer. ”Yeah. A lot. And really embarrassing. But... also kind of adorable.”

I groaned. ”Please just stop.”

”Sorry,” she said, not sounding sorry at all.

Charlie picked up the pad and handed it back to me like she was returning a lost wallet. ”Well....Add this to the list of things we need to figure out.”

I don’t know why but I took it and, shoved it back into my pocket, face still burning.

Great.

”I think I want to go home,” I muttered. ”I need a break. I can’t keep this up. I’m too exhausted.”

”Yeah, that seems like a solid plan, squirt,” Charlie said, patting my shoulder like I was a malfunctioning television.

Her hand lingered a second too long, like she was reassuring herself I was still physically present. ”Plus, you still need to pack your things before the term starts. And I don’t think forcing the issue with...”she waved her hands gesturing to me. ”well, I think it’d be better if you stayed the dorm room with Riley while we sort this out.”

She gave me a sideways look, clearly expecting me to explode or argue. Haha plot twist, I was too mentally fried to do either. I just nodded ready to leave

”Exactly,” Riley added quickly. ”With what’s going on, staying in the boys’ dorm could cause problems. Like... big ones.”

She said it seriously, but her eyes softened in a way that made me feel like a fragile kitten she’d been entrusted with.

Great...Now I was a walking problem generator with a sanitary pad in my pocket. And stuck in the girls dorm. Because of unwanted fame. The list keeps growing.

—————————————————/////////////

Meanwhile, across campus in the boys’ dorm house room 327

”Hey Nate, did you see this? Look.” Lucas shoved his phone at him. ”She’s pretty cute, don’t you think?”

”Huh? Let me see.” Nate put on his glasses like he was about to analyze a crime scene. ”’New campus belle’? Oh wow, yeah, she is cute. What’s up with her hair? It looks really unique...

He paused looking closer at the image.

”Wait....She looks kinda familiar.”

Lucas leaned in again, the breeze from the balcony making the room feel nice and comfortable.

”Now that you mention it... she does seem kinda familiar. Says here that she’s the new campus belle candidate. I wonder who she is.”

Somewhere in the universe, I sneezed from the sheer force of irony.

————————————————///////////////

We received the key to the dorm room from Alexa, the RA, as we headed out of Maple Hall.

”Make sure to have your things moved in before the start of first term!” she chirped, sounding like a Disney character on her third espresso.

”If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask, okay Kris!”

I kept my hood up the whole way, trying, and failing to hide. Everyone was looking at their phones and then at me, pointing like I was a rare zoo exhibit that had escaped its enclosure.

Riley tagged along like my emotional support gremlin, hovering just close enough that her shoulder brushed mine whenever someone stared too long.

”So... do you think we should call Nate and Lucas? To let them know?” she asked casually, though her voice had that too light tone of someone trying not to sound jealous.

”NO. Definitely not!” My anxiety shot up like a firework.

”Yeah, that’s probably for the best,” Charlie said. Leave it to her to both save the day and make it worse in the same breath. She stepped slightly in front of me when a group of girls walked by, like she was shielding me from paparazzi.

I rolled my eyes at her but honestly appreciated the gesture.

My nerves settled back down to something resembling normalcy. Well... normal for someone who’d been mistaken for a campus beauty queen. While simultaneously actually becoming one.

”The thing we should worry about is figuring out what Hestia meant,” I sighed.

”I hate to say it, but I think we need to log back in. Maybe she’ll explain. But not today I need my bed.

We walked to the parking lot, now mostly empty as parents fled the chaos. Charlie unlocking the car and we all climbed in. Buckled our seatbelts, as Charlie slipped the car into drive.

The ride home was silent. My mood was dampened like a wet paper bag.

Charlie pulled into a fuel station and asked if I wanted anything.

”Mm. A cola, please.”

”Oh! Can I have a cola too?” Riley chimed in, a little too quickly.

Charlie nodded and went inside. Riley turned to me.

”Kris?”

”Yeah.”

”Do you really think logging back into the game is a good idea? Isn’t DOL the reason you’re like this. What can we even hope to find out?”

Her voice was soft, almost protective. Like she wasn’t just worried about answers. she was worried about me.

I thought about it.

”I don’t know. But it’s better than sitting here having a panic attack. Even if we don’t find answers, at least we tried.”

I wasn’t going to take this lying down. I needed to speak with Hestia. And the only way to do that was to respawn in the game. It worked last time I died so maybe I could force the issue.

The front door shut behind us with a soft thud. Charlie tossed her keys into the bowl by the door and exhaled like she’d been holding her breath since the parking lot.

”Alright,” she said, rubbing her temples. ”We’re home. Crisis paused but not averted.”

Riley hovered behind me, hands fidgeting with the hem of her hoodie. She kept glancing at me like she was checking for cracks in porcelain.

I kicked off my shoes that were now to big, and sank onto the couch. The cushions swallowed me like they’d been waiting for this exact meltdown.

Charlie grabbed the remote, turned off the TV someone....had left on earlier, and sat across from me. Riley sat beside me. close, but not touching.

The silence stretched.

Then Riley broke it, voice soft.

” well that’s one way to start college.”

Her words weren’t dramatic. They weren’t exaggerated. They were just... honest. And that somehow hit harder.

Charlie nodded. ”Yeah. You bolted like a startled cat. A very tiny, very stressed cat.”

I groaned into my hands. ”Please don’t compare me to a cat.”

”Sorry,” she said, not sounding sorry at all. ”But seriously. Are you going to be okay?”

I hesitated. My throat felt tight.

”I don’t know,” I admitted. ”Everything’s happening so fast. People staring, whispering. That forum post. The... changes. I feel like I’m losing control of my own body.”

”Kris... you’re allowed to be overwhelmed,” Riley said. ”Anyone would be. You’re not weak for feeling like this.”

Charlie leaned back, arms crossed, studying me with that big‑sister seriousness she only used when things were actually bad.

”And for the record,” she added, ”you handled today better than most people would. You didn’t faint. You didn’t scream. You didn’t punch anyone. That’s a win.”

I snorted. ”I almost screamed.”

”Yeah, but you didn’t,” she said. ”Proud of you, shrimp.”

Riley nodded quickly, almost too quickly. ”Same. You... um... held it together really well.”

I blinked.

Were they...

No. No way. They felt like they were plotting something.

Charlie clapped her hands once, snapping the tension.

”Okay. Game plan. We rest. We breathe. Then we log in tomorrow and try to see what Hestia wants.”

Riley shifted closer, her knee brushing mine for half a second before she pretended it didn’t happen.

”And Kris?” she said quietly. ”Whatever happens... we’re with you. Even if things get weirder.”

Charlie nodded. ”Especially if things get weirder.”

My chest tightened

”...Thanks,” I said. ”Really.”

Riley smiled, small and soft.

Charlie smirked like she’d just won a bet.

The room settled into a calmer silence.

Not peaceful, exactly...

Calm

For the first time all day, I felt like I wasn’t drowning.

By the time we finished talking, my brain felt like someone had wrung it out like a damp towel. I could barely keep my eyes open.

Charlie noticed immediately.

”Alright, shrimp. Bed. Now. You look like you’re running on low battery.”

Riley nodded, softer. ”Yeah... we should all rest. We can figure everything else out tomorrow.”

I didn’t argue. Couldn’t argue. My body was done.

Charlie grabbed me a towel.

”I’ll get your pajamas.” She said a little too enthusiastically.

I trudged toward the bathroom like a zombie who’d given up on unlife.

”I’ll be quick, just mumbled.

”Take your time,” Riley said, then immediately looked like she regretted how eager that sounded. ”I mean—uh—just... don’t rush.”

Charlie shot her a look. Riley pretended to study the ceiling.

”You guys a being weird.” I chuckled walking down the hall way.

I shut the bathroom door behind me and leaned against it, exhaling shakily, as I put the towel on the counter.

The quiet hit me all at once, blissful.

No whispers.

No stares.

No forum posts.

No goddess.

Nothing, Just me and a nice hot shower..., and the exhaustion that felt like it was sinking into my bones.

I turned on the shower, steam slowly filling the room. My reflection in the fogging mirror looked... tired. Hollow. Like someone who’d been running from something all day and still hadn’t escaped.

I peeled off my hoodie and shirt, too drained to care about anything except getting clean and collapsing into bed.

Then I froze.

My breath caught in my throat.

Right there, subtle, but unmistakable, was a new development.

A faint, soft swelling across my upper chest.

Not enough to be obvious under clothes.

Not enough to be called anything definitive.

But i knew my own body, this wasn’t right. It wasn’t there before.

Not this morning.

Or even this afternoon.

A cold wave washed over me, stronger than the steam.

”...No. No, no, no...”

I pressed my palms against the area, half expecting it to vanish like a hallucination.

It didn’t.

It felt... tender.

Sensitive.

Wrong.

My stomach twisted.

This wasn’t just ”looking softer.”

This wasn’t just ”cute enough to cause problems.”This was physical, undeniable.

And problematic.

My knees wobbled. I grabbed the edge of the sink to steady myself.

”Hestia... what is happening to me...”

My voice cracked, barely a whisper.

The shower kept running, filling the room with white noise that made the moment feel even more surreal.

I stared at my reflection now fogged, distorted, familiar, but not at the same time

I looked like a girl

Not like the me I’d been before.

My chest tightened,not physically, but emotionally. A pressure building behind my ribs.

I swallowed hard.

”I can’t... I can’t deal with this right now.”

I undressed the rest of the way, and stepped into the shower before I could think anymore, letting the hot water hit my face, hoping it would wash away the days problems.

It didn’t.

But it did give me a moment to breathe.

A moment to pretend I wasn’t falling apart.

A moment before I had to walk back out there and act normal in front of Charlie and Riley. Who were already watching me too closely, caring a little too much, noticing things I didn’t want noticed.

I stayed under the water until the heat ran out. I didn’t notice the ice forming on the shower floor as I stepped out. My mind on seemingly more important things.