Chapter Two: Overtake Of Gold

The moon's light shines on my face as I sigh. The cold air slowly reeled me deep into my chaotic thoughts. "That would be fun." I chuckle to myself. Not knowing what I'm talking to really. The light fades, the only thing that I can see is the moon's shine. There is nothing else here that can be seen by the normal being's eye. I sit there in silence. Looking straight at the moon. Its light shining on my golden eyes. The insanity creeping in deeper, the corruption from pausing time staying. I don't even try to stop it like I usually do, it isn't worth it. I corrupted myself by messing in pauses of time for two weeks straight, I deserve this. 

I walk around the forest a bit more. The glimmer in my eyes lit more. I don't know what I am looking for, but it's something. Something important, I can tell you. I walk farther and farther, looking for the thing. Still not positive what it is, but it is important. Whatever it is, I need to find it soon. I know if I don't bad things may happen.

I look around a bit more, I hear a small whimper. "What was that?" I say to myself and go closer and closer to who made the noise. Farther and farther into the pine forest, where the whimper gets louder and louder, "I must be close." 

Then I see it, a small object alone in the woods. They are a plastic water bottle. I know what this is now. My eyes flash a deeper gold. I try to hold it back, holding onto a nearby tree. "No, not again. Not again." I say to myself. I can't let it happen. The first time it was forced. But why do it when I have a choice not to? I never wanted to, and I won't again. I promised myself I wouldn't do it again. 

I stay attached to the tree, but the insanity tries to take me further, trying to take me back into it. My eyes glow darker. I look at the bottle and let go of the tree, trying to hold back. Trying not to go to the bottle. But I can't stop myself. "Hello there," I say to the bottle. 

"W-who are you?" they answer. It seems like they are stuck in something. 

"Need help, little one?" I ask, my eyes turning more and more of a gold. Before they can respond, I pounce on top of them. I can't hold back, even if I tried. 

"Please, don't hurt me-" they say as their final words. It's too late to stop myself now. The water they were holding inside splashes all over me as I rip up the plastic into shreds. I am soaking wet from the water, but I don't care. As I rip the plastic apart more, I have a gruesome idea.  

"What if, what if I do this?" I say to myself, before biting on the plastic, it was like all other plastics, but this one, this one seemed to have a different satisfaction to it. I tear it up a bit in my mouth, I don't understand why it's more enjoyable than other plastic water bottles, and then I remember that this poor thing was alive only a few mere minutes ago. 

"What have I done…" I say, spitting out the plastic. "What have I done!" I look at this body right in front of me. The plastic is in multiple shreds. I walk off away from everything I just did. "I'm a monster." I walk back to the cabin and sit in there. I cry for hours straight. I just killed, and ate another object, that's inhumane, and that isn't normal. That isn't what is supposed to happen to any object, the one doing it or the victim. It isn't sane. Yet, I am also not rational, so I guess it makes sense. 

I fall asleep on the dirt again. The feeling of the grass as a mattress seems as normal as it can get now. I sleep for minutes, hours, or even days, not waking up until I see the full moon in the sky like before. I sigh and stay silent. "Maybe it was all a dream. I didn't just kill an innocent being, did I?" I ask myself in a whisper. I stand back up and wander through the forest, the pine trees still at least 10 feet each above my head, the dirt moist and somewhat uncaring of what I do. 

I walk to where I have attacked the poor water bottle not too long ago, and sure enough, it is still there, on the ground, still in pieces. I kneel to the poor lifeless shredded corpse, not knowing what to do anymore. I sit there and pick up the remnants of the lifeless body, and take it to the cabin I made. 

I grab the shovel I bought a while ago and start digging. It doesn't take too long to make an appropriate hole for the body. I put them in, then cover them. "I'm sorry," I say to the poor body, now hidden from the sight of any object's eyes, and I hope it's biodegradable plastic. 

I walk to the small stream again. I see my reflection, it seems like the gold hasn't faded, but It's reasonable, I am somewhat corrupted, at least I am not like the 73rd stopwatch. The pain they were in was too much for anyone to handle. 

I remember when I had saved them as a little kid. They were supposed to train me in how to control time, but it went wrong. They got stuck in paused time for at least 10 years. When I got them out of it, they had almost two sets of everything. They had 4 arms and four legs, and they seemed to be completely corrupted, they couldn't even use their power without making it worse. Now they are in pain for the rest of their time. Unless someone uses the code, but I doubt that someone found it out yet. There is no way they can. 

I walk around the forest more, and what I have done is still in my mind. I  get near the edge of the forest, and pause, "Lotti, don't you dare do this." I say to myself. I try to back up, but I step forward instead. I start shaking, not wanting to go ahead, but I do so anyway. I shakily step out of the forest, trying not to look at anyone, I don't want them to go through the fate the bottle did. I don't know where I am going, but I don't look up to see, my eyes are pure gold still, I don't want to do anything to someone out here. 

I find a bench and sit on it, making sure I don't look at anyone, I can't do it again, especially not in public. I keep on looking down, and eventually, I feel the need to look up. As I go, I sigh in relief to see no one in front of me. If there was someone, I feel like I wouldn't stop myself, I look down again, stand up, and walk back to the forest. 

When I get there, I collapse into the cabin. If one person was there, just one, I'd probably be in jail. Because I don't want this corruption to be worse, I am keeping myself from pausing time. Yet time goes by slowly, eventually, I grab some of the food I bought not too long ago and eat it. It tastes much better than water bottles, that's for sure. I still feel guilty about what happened, now not too far away there is a water bottle buried in the dirt, a complete mess of plastic shreds. 

I sigh and think about the 73rd stopwatch, I think they were from some sort of galaxy called Lerameß or something like that. They cared enough to come over to the Milky Way and teach me how to control time. But now they are back in Lerameß, struggling to even walk, they have four legs now, so it makes sense why it's hard. 

I still feel guilty for making them come over here to earth just to teach me how to pause, reverse, and fast forward time, but I only learned how to go back and forward a simple 5 months, and pause time for 2 weeks before getting corrupted. Now, they are back in Lerameß, hopefully safe. Yet there is no way of knowing, not until they somehow come back over here. 

I just sit there, on the floor, doing nothing for hours and hours straight. I calm down enough that my eyes are only slightly tinted gold, meaning if I go out in public it will be hard to notice, and hopefully I won't bite someone's arm off. 

I stand up and walk out of the forest, looking up to see if anyone is looking at me, or anywhere around. There are a few objects, but not any of them see me. I keep on walking, not caring what they think. Then I pause, "I need to get a job, and if I want one, I have to go to college. What should I be though?" I say to myself. I never had gotten a job, I never finished school to think of it. No one will know, right? I had a high GBA, which was not the highest, but it was high enough. I was only a few months into high school when it happened. I doubt that will get me anywhere… I might as well try to get into a college! 

I look back up from the ground, and I see a spork, living their daily life. I feel myself slowly get taken over again by my insanity, I try to walk back, but I feel myself get pulled forward against my will. I eventually get it somewhat under control and go back into the forest. If I stay one more minute longer, It will happen again. I know of it. 

I walk back into the forest, and it calms me back down, back to only the tint of gold in my eyes. I don't think I can deal with going to a college and not going crazy. If I can't stand a few seconds, I can't take hours without insanity. I should start small, like a library, I can look into books, even if they suck. Probably do some sort of online school there, and finish up my high school online so I can get into a college. Yeah, that will work. It will work well, but first, I have to calm myself down, or at least find out what object affects me enough to make me go insane. 

I try to think about the ones I have attacked recently or almost did. There were two, come to think of it, twenty-six I have (or almost) attacked. The water bottle, thar spork a few seconds ago, and the stupid scientists, the scientists were all some sort of pill bottle, all different "medications," that most likely don't exist. 

It hits me that out of all the types I have bit, all were some type of plastic, the pill bottles, plastic, the water bottle, plastic, and the spork is plastic. It might be plastic in general, being a plastic-based stopwatch. It would make sense. So I assume I should stay away from plastic objects, I can do that. 

I hear a lot that cannibalistic objects go to their base material to eat and don't go after any other type, besides food, food-based objects are most of the time eaten because they are, well, food. What is stupid is that eating a food-based object isn't cannibalism, unless they are food-based themself, even though you're eating another living being! It makes me question how people think these days. It's stupid, to be honest. 

I look at the stream, to see the fish still swimming across the stream, unknowing of anything about the world besides the water they swim in. Sometimes I wish I was that absent-minded, able to focus on where I am going, and the simple necessities, nothing else, but the only thing I can think of right now Is what I just did, and Teardrop. 

I don't know why I can't get her out of my mind. I only met her the other day and I miss her. Her ocean-blue eyes are still shining in my mind, and it's cute how she communicates with sign language. I miss her smile when I only saw it for a few minutes. 

I sit there for a second, processing what I have thought. It hits me that this isn't normal for me. I have never felt this way. It's weird, what is this feeling honestly? Is it some sort of trap? Do people think this often, whatever it is, I like it. It is a distraction from what the real universe is. I suppose there is good in this Universe, and I suppose Teardrop is a good amount of it. 

I smile at the thought of teardrop, but there is a pang of hurt as well, even if I only got to talk to her for a few hours, I miss her, more than I missed my family when I was taken away. It doesn't make sense! "How does this work? Is it normal to have this feeling?" I say to myself, as I cover my face with my hands, blushing. 

I sit there for a moment, and a thought comes to my mind. It makes everything seem clear. I am in love with someone thousands of miles away from me, in Goiky, who I only met once! I cover my face more, my tail swaying as I think about her, I scream into my hands, it makes absolutely no sense. "I am Immortal! How can I even be with her if I know she is going to die eventually when I can't?" I cry to myself. Why am I like this? 

The thought of being in love scares me. This isn't something I have experience with, not at all. "Is it even normal to like a girl in the first place? I'm preferably a girl myself! This isn't supposed to happen, isn't it?" I say to myself, in panic.

 I curl up into a ball and think of Teardrop more. Her figure seemed so pretty when I saw her. Now I am alone, in the woods, missing her. I barely even know her, and I already am experiencing this! "How does this work? Why am I like this? Am I Gay?" I whimper to myself. I scream in my hands out of panic, not understanding what this feeling is at all. It's not normal, and I don't know if I like it! I stand up and look into the crystal clear water again, to my surprise my eyes are their normal yellow hue. 

I look at the water, in shock at the color's change. "H-how?" It hasn't even been a week, and it is gone, completely. Like it was never there. I look at the water for a moment and walk out of the forest. Looking around for another plastic object. When I find one, a bread tag, I look at it for a moment, trying not to attack. I shake my head and walk off. To my surprise, I don't attack the bread tag, though I want to attack.

I walk to a library, I don't care what happens at the moment, I should talk to someone. I don't know anyone, but I need to talk to someone, make a friend, just someone… someone who knows more about relationships. More than I do at least. As I walk in, My side buttons droop, this is the first time I am going to talk to someone. I look around to see an acceptable target… to talk to. I see a Cheez-it, doing something on his phone. 

I walk up to the Cheez-it, it's worth a shot. "Hello! Mind if I sit here?" I say. 

The Cheez-it looks up at me momentarily then shrugs "Sure, I don't mind!" I sit down by him, I have no idea how to bring anything together. "What ya like doing?" 

"Drawing…" I sputter, not knowing what to say. I haven't drawn in years, but I know how to.

"That's cool!" the Cheez-it answered, "I do too! I am working on a project right now, although it's still in its beginning process. Want to see it?"

"Sure!" I say, just trying to be able to talk to someone, about anything. "What are you working on?" The Chezz-it picks up a notebook, it seems filled to the brim with many things, most likely drawings of some sort. He flips to one of the last pages, it doesn't have a drawing yet, but has tons of things written on it. 

"About a week or so ago I found this little creature, stuck in the sidewalk. There was a huge crack in the cement and it seemed like they had fallen. I need to draw them, but they seem like some sort of Goiky creature. I'm not completely sure, but I have a small hunch." the Cheez-it says. 

I look at the writing that the Cheez-it has. He looks like he is interested in Goiky, which is a good thing, but if he knows that I was in Goiky for over 5 years of my life, I bet he will flip. "Ever been to Goiky?" I ask. 

He looks at me confused, "You know that no object has been to Goiky besides Goinkains themselves, right?" I slightly panic as he says that. If he knew that I was in Goiky I have a good feeling I'm screwed.

I chuckle lightly, "Of course I do! I was just curious if there is an object that was not a Goinkian and came back to earth, I mean, I think it happened once a long time ago! He looks at me for a second, trying to remember something.

It hits him after a few moments, "Oh! That weird Pestovol guy! I heard a few stories about him, wasn't he a magnifying glass?" 

I nod, "Yeah.. a magnifying glass. Not sure." I know one hundred percent that he was a magnifying glass, but I can't let that out. I just met this guy! I don't want to traumatize him. "What is your opinion on Goiky?" 

"It's… interesting to say the least, I will admit. Although, I'm not too against going to Goiky. I'd be willing to see it someday but I don't know about living there."

I look at the Cheez-It, "I honestly think Goiky is cool! The show they are making there is entertaining! I like seeing the characters interact with each other!" Little does he know that  I have never seen the show, but I did know Teardrop personally. I doubt he would react in a good way if he knew that... I am most likely the only living object that has been to both places, besides Z… I think he was an earthling before he became the 24th scientist, but I don't want to talk about that demon of a pill bottle. 

The Cheez-it takes me away from my thoughts, saying, "Oh you watch BFDI? Who is your favorite character?" I internally panic, I only know about Teardrop! 

"Teardrop! She is quite nice, and I always like mute characters! She is charming as well!" He looks at me like he is about to laugh like I have no idea what I am saying.

"Hold up, hold up. Do you really think Teardrop is nice? She kicked Woody as soon as he tried to show feelings for her!" he answers. I sit there in shock, that isn't the teardrop I met! The Teardrop I met is a nice object and a hot one at that! I start blushing thinking of her, the cheez-it notices, "You like her don't you?" 

I nod, finally talking about my feelings for once in my life. "Yeah… I think she seems cool." I hide my face in my hands. At least he hasn't gotten the idea that I lived in Goiky for 6 and a half years, I bet I'd be doomed!

The Cheez-It laughs, "I knew you might say that a ton of objects find her attractive, You're not alone." 

I sigh in relief, at least I am not completely going insane. At least I now know it's normal to be in this situation. "That's good… that's good I'm not alone." I smile, thinking about Teardrop, her smile still on my mind. The Cheez-It seems confused about why I am like this, like he doesn't understand my past, which he doesn't, from what I can tell at least. 

He chuckles, "What's your name?" 

I panic and my brain short-circuits, I am too busy thinking about Teardrop and I answer "Blep," what she called me when I stuck out my tongue that one time. 

"Blep? Interesting, I'm Milo, but you can call me Chezzy! It's a joke between my friends!" he responds. 

"Chezzy, cool, my name is Lotti, but I prefer to go by Blep, it's what one of my friends calls me," I respond, even though that one friend was Teardrop and I don't even know if she considers me a friend! I see her as a hot object I met a few weeks ago. I blush more as I think about her. 

Chezzy, who has no idea what is on my mind, looks at me confused, "Why do you like teardrop so much? Do you just like their personality or?" 

I start stuttering more, "Y-yea, p-personality," I am blushing my face off as I say this, it seems like I am a simp, which I am. Chezzy looks utterly confused, most likely secretly questioning me so much.

"Okay then," he says, "you're interesting, to say the least."

I smile, I already know that, "why thank you!" I say with a smile, I don't care what others think anymore, it's pointless to argue. Chezzy smiles at my optimism. "Well, no need to be ashamed if you feel like it! We all got our interests after all." 

I smile at his comment, "That's right! No one really should care! All objects have lives and should be respected despite what they go by!" I confidently say I have reasons for my passion for this, but I doubt he will act well too, so I keep quiet. 

"Exactly!" Chezzy says smiling. I am glad he is so supportive, "Yet I don't think you two will ever meet, like, she is in Goiky, which is another planet, I'm not sure it's possible, but who knows?" 

"Who knows? But I doubt I'll meet her as well, she is too far" I lie, covering it up well, but if he looks straight into my eyes, he can tell I am lying, but thankfully, he is looking at his notebook, writing a few things down. Most likely about his little experiment. "How long have you seen this little experiment? Have you seen it before you found it on the crack?" I question him.

Chezzy shakes his head, "I have never seen the creature type beforehand, it's quite odd, I don't think I've seen anything like it before honestly. He is just a little weird ball creature." 

I chuckle at what he says, "Most objects are unique to some sort. It's not a surprise that they don't look like anything in particular," I say thoughtfully. 

Chezzy nods "I do see where you're coming from, I have never seen two objects look the same. Yet again, the same object in the world is often seen."

"Can't agree with you more, I have seen many objects of the same type, but they are never the same. I think the closest I've seen are types of coins, but yet again, they are not the same." 

"Come to think of it. Yeah, types of coins all have the same shape and most of the time size, but they are never the same. Same with all other objects, but I have seen it more with types of coins" 

"Same here, I have honestly never seen an object look the exact same as another object of the same type, they all have at least one difference. So I think it may be a bit until you figure out what your little mystery creature really is." 

Chezzy nods, and we sit quietly, not doing anything productive. I sit back in my seat and start to think about Teardrop. I am a simp if I can't stop thinking about her but I can not stop! She is quite pretty with her bright blue eyes, anyone will fall for her! I seem to fluster again as I think of her. I am positive that Chezzy sees me as a hopeless romantic, but I don't care! 

As we sit there, a Clay vase walks in, he is wearing a trapper hat and has three bluebells drooping from the inside. The vase smiles and walks to Chezzy, his deep voice startling me  "Milo, babe? You still wanna go to that cafe I was talking about?" Chezzy looks up at the vase and smiles. I sit there in silence, the guy I just met has a boyfriend, I don't like him that way. I am too obsessed with teardrop to be, but it was still quite a shock to see this guy, with another guy. 

"Hi, Mason! And yeah sure! It did look pretty nice!" Chezzy says, his mood brighter than it was only a few seconds ago, Chezzy realizes that I'm looking and scratches the back of his head embarrassingly. "Hehe… Sorry, This is my boyfriend Mason! And Mason, this is Blep!" Chezzy says pointing to Mason and then to me.

I wave with a small smile, "Hi! Nice to meet you!" 

Mason looks at me for a second, confused, then he looks at Chezzy, "Babe, since when did you meet a stopwatch? you know how rare those guys are right?" I startle, as Chezzy looks at me for a second, I pray to myself he doesn't know what stopwatches can do… There are thousands of books about them, and knowing a little bit about Chezzy being a sciency type, I bet he may know a ton about stopwatches. 

"Ohh, that makes more sense, you're a stopwatch! I met her today" Chezzy says, from what I know completely oblivious to what I can do, while Mason looks at me with a look, a look telling me that I need to explain myself to him later. 

"I look away and nod, "Yeah, I'm a stopwatch. It's confusing, I know." I nod to Mason, telling him I will explain at a different time. "You two go ahead and go to that cafe, have a good time! 

Mason nods, then looks to his boyfriend, "Wanna go to that cafe now then babe?"

Chezzy nods with a smile, then hugs Mason, "Yeah! Let's go! See you Blep!" The couple walks off holding hands, I never have felt this single in my life. Yet, I do like, have met a famous object, so I guess it's karma.

"Have fun you two!" I say and look to the ground as they leave. My cover may be blown soon, if Mason explains what stopwatches can do, I may be screwed for the rest of my life. If it goes out soon, then he may learn, that stupid pill bottle will be the death of me if this happens. 

Right before Chezzy and Mason leave, Chezzy stops, quickly writes something on a piece of paper, and hands it to me. The paper says "text me" with a number under it, I nod, and Mason and Chezzy leave the library. I look at the small piece of paper and smile. I made a friend. Then the thought of Mason ratting me out comes back to mind. 

I stand up and walk back to the forest, worried about what will happen if it does get out, but try to hide my worry. As I get to the small cabin, I sit back and try to relax, but the thought of being exposed is cemented into my mind. I feel myself go insane, but I quickly calm myself down, trying to fight it. If I let it control me there is no going back for a while. 

I hum to myself a random tune, I have no idea what it is, but it seems familiar. I just sit in the empty cabin I made, there is nothing special to it, it is just a cabin. There is nothing I can do. Sure, I made a friend, but he is with his boyfriend, who most likely knows about stopwatches. I don't want to be the third wheel, they seem happy with each other, no need to ruin that! 

I put my hands behind my head as I sit down, there is nothing to do, nothing to say, I have all I need, and money is not an issue anymore, sadly. I want to get rid of it, but people will be confused, I don't have a reason to give it all out, and maybe they will find out who I am… a past murderer, who may still have tendencies to go after other objects. I don't want to be that! I want to be a normal object! Nothing else. With objects these days, it's impossible!

I start pacing around the small cabin, trying to calm myself down, but it only seems to worsen. What about that little cross I broke a while ago? What is happening to that? Anything could be happening now, maybe my family saw it, or perhaps no one has. I need to go there and see myself.