Only tears Fall

Flowers are in bloom, the petals growing from the love of the sun. The sweet scent is given off and floats through the air. A lone figure- me- walks through these flowers. It’s my garden. I miss my real one because you see I am stuck in a video game with a bunch of other people. I am in a small group, they protect me since I am just a child- I am only about nine-ish, maybe, I  lost track as we go through the game. All I want is to go home, but we have to beat the game.

Life is interesting to say at the most. Though it can get boring. But to me, each day is a new adventure. I am an adventurous girl,  and sometimes that gets me into trouble with Azura and Aeon. I mean sorry that I get tired of being cooped up in Azura’s house all the time when they go on the tougher missions- since I’m soft and innocent and pure.

But one person always stays behind each time, Aeon’s brother- Matt. Matt is only like ten years old, and he is awesome! I remember the first time we met, I think.

But anyways, my name is Tulip- just Tulip, like the flower. I am a “green” person. My hair is a bright green. My eyes are a bright green. I wear small brown glasses, and I am often wearing a basic combat uniform, with a thick woolen cape or whatever it is over the top of it.

It’s only average the days before I met Aeon and Azura- they are also ones I didn’t want to think about. Some days have been the same, but they are long and few between. No matter what it is anymore, it is not average. This game has an adventure, excitement (kinda), the boring days, but above all the days that we aren’t in challenging levels- we have fun.

I remember my last birthday. It was while in this game, and it was fun. It was a day focused on me. I hate being the complete center of attention, so it’s nice the one day that I am. It was fun, I don’t think I had ever seen Aeon smile before that day. The party was happy, and even Azura was having fun.  

That was also the day I showed Matt, my awesome friend, my garden. I hadn’t really let people see it, but I felt something when I was with Matt. He was special- I didn’t know what it was, but it was strange.  I led the way through the winding trails that were in between the flower beds. Matt followed behind me, his eyes half-closed in the bright sunlight.  I laughed as a bee flew past me- I wasn’t afraid of them, they were natural to be in gardens. I glance over my shoulder at Matt, and I saw that he was smiling at my giggles. I smiled and gently tugged at his hand.

“Come on, we’re nearly at my special place in the garden!” I said happily, well but again I am always happy.

“Okay..okay,” he said, laughing as I tried to pull him with me. I wasn’t as strong but he let me pull him along the gravel path.

As we rounded the curve in the path, a full bloomed flower bed was in sight. Flowers of blue, golds, pinks, reds and etc were challengingly planted, creating a sweet looking design. This creates a cute sight that even the hardest set men could fall in love with. Matt gave a small sigh of amazement.

“Did you plant this?” he asked me, as he looked at the designed flower bed.

“Yeah. It took a long period of time to get it just right. Do you like it?” I was hiding behind the screen that my green hair created.

“It’s awesome,” he said squeezing my hand in a friendly way.

Is it too much to say that I miss the days in the “real” world? We have been in this game far too long to even think about the real world because this is the real world for us.  I think that eventually, we will make it home, but it will be a long time in coming.  

But I am glad that I have the wonderful friends that surround me- Azura, Aeon, Chestnut, Red, Dark and Mellow, Panda, Steve, Matt, Holly..and others I suppose.

“Tulip!” came another perky, peppy, hyperactive voice of a pink haired mass of happiness.....oh wait it’s just my sister, my twin sister.

Matt, who was standing with me, gave a startled jump- even he was surprised. My sister always did come out of nowhere. Holly is a bit strange...that’s putting in a nice way. I call her “camera terrorist”, as she is always taking pictures even in the most awkward of situations.  

“Holly.....!” I called back, squeezing Matt’s hand as I stepped forward, as the pink mass ran to me, nearly tackling me in a strong hug. I hugged her back and winced as the camera dug into my skin. “Holly...camera...hurting me...”

“Sorry!” she chirped. She took a step back and looked at me with her light pink eyes that matched her equally pink hair. She is younger than me by a couple of minutes, and she likes to match me, but she couldn’t do the green hair and green eyes...people would get so confused.

“You always say that!” I pouted at her, even though I know it wouldn’t work.

She looked up at me, since I was slightly taller, and gave my the cutest puppy eyes that she could muster.  “Not going to fall for that Holly,” I said going back to Matt. “Now I need  to go.”

Leaving Holly, I walked back to Matt and grabbed his hand, and I could feel my face turning bright red like Mom’s does around Dad. I thought Matt was kinda cute, duh, but it was still embarrassing.

“Why are you red, Tulip?” he asked me.

I looked up at Matt, he has some nice brown eyes. “But....maybe there is something I don’t know yet.....” I said, talking slow and tripping over saying.

“Tell me?” he asked, stopping.

“You wanna know? It is kinda..” I started and then stopped. “I don’t know yet... I dunno what to say. I can’t tell. It’s a secret.”

He shrugged, “If you find out....”

I stopped him, “I’m hungry.”

“I am too,” he said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now, looking back at the times that we had together, I realized that I didn’t need a lot of things to make me happy. I was happy by myself, and I was happy to be around others...but some made me happier than others. Holly, Azura, Aeon, Matt, Chestnut, Avril, Red, Dark, Mellow, Panda, Steve...they were my friends, and it was one thing that I could say what was that these friends stayed with me, even when times got rough. The only thing is that we lost Chestnut...and it was hard for everyone.

Losing Chestnut was like losing a part of ourselves. Hearts broke, souls became saddened, and we all moved carefully around the house. In the dining/meeting room, Chestnut’s chair was left empty- Holly learned a lesson the one time she tried to sit in it. It has and may be the only time I actually see Azura raise her voice at anyone besides Aeon. Holly learned her lesson, and none of us even said anything to her about it afterward.

Azura was the one who became my Mother figure while we were in the game,  she was the one who took me under her wing. She is part of the reason that I survived three long, harsh years in the game. Holly had her guide to help her through it.

There is one time I remember something happening. Was I maybe 9? But anyways..a normal day..till the lunch when everything changed...for the worse.

“Hey...I turned off the profanity filter!”

“What’s a profanity filter?” I asked.

Azura said, “DO. NOT. SHOW. HER!  DO. NOT TELL. HER.!”

Aeon sat there with a little grin. “Oh I won’t...then you’d kill me if I did.”

“Oh....I would! You will not ruin Tulip!”

I learned how to block Profanity from my vocabulary and my ears. I mean I didn’t need to know all of the scary adult languages that the older teenagers used.

-------------Flashback----------

“Everyone get your little asses down here!” came Aeon’s call. Azura call echoed after him, “Everyone! Important news!”

The rest of us, who were bunked up together in the bedrooms that made up the second floor groaned. The light that flooded into the rooms was slight and really light. It was early, way too early, and I didn’t like it. I liked waking up when the sun was up and when it was shining. I groaned and slid out of my bed, and went over to wake up Holly. (I was like ten...so no one else but Holly wanted to share a room with me.) Holly growled in her sleep as I shook her awake.

“Holly!” I wailed trying to get her to wake up.

She was a heavy sleeper, but I had ways to wake her up. Last time this happened, I dumped a large amount of broken twigs and a mix of leaves and water across her face. It always woke her up, as she wasn’t the biggest fan of nature when she was dead asleep! I am soo mean. (Am I mean? I don’t think I am?) Well, it woke her up and I shoved her to go and get dressed.

“Azura needs us downstairs. Hurry up,” I told her before I left the room- still in my pajamas. I walked down to the dining/meeting room beside Avril.

Avril just smiled and said, “Good Morning Tulip.”

“Good Morning Avril!!” I said in my usual happy, energetic voice as I try not to bounce down the stairs.

Steve was storming down the stairs and he pushed past us muttering, “Get out of the way you little asses..” But I heard ashes.

“We weren’t burned in a fire? Why would you call us ashes?”

“Wow...a little underheard are we?” Steve asked.

“No!” I said in a pouty like voice.

Avril just said, “Stop it, Steve. She’s only nine!”

We just stopped arguing and continued to walk down the stairs and into the dining room/meeting room. Azura and Aeon were standing at the head of the table, with all but the three us of us and Holly. We sat down just as Holly came skipping into the room.

“Calm down all of you!” Azura called.

We were talking amongst ourselves about what was going on. At Azura’s command, we all shut our mouths.

“What’s going on?” Avril asked Azura and Aeon.

“We are heading onto our next level on the next floor of the game. It is not very challengingly from what I have seen and heard. So the ones that are going are me, (Of course), Aeon, Avril, Chestnut, Tulip, Dark, Mellow, and Panda. Steve will stay behind to watch the house and makes sure nothing happens to MY house.”

“What? Am I going? Will it be dangerous in any way?” I asked, shaking a little bit. “Azura..I’m scared, though!”

Azura walked over to me and bent down to me looking straight into my eyes. “Tulip, as long as you are beside me, I don’t really want to let you go, but it is a simple and easy level. As long as you are with me, nothing will change my promise to you! I promised that I would never leave you alone, Tulip! Never!”

I sniffled slightly and nodded. I just went and gave her a short hug and said, “Do I need to carry anything with me?”

“Take some water, and a small dagger. I don’t want you near the people we will be dealing with, but just in case I was you to carry something you can use to protect yourself. But then again, maybe your cuteness level will scare them all away,” Azura said, her blue eyes shimmering in the light- as if she were picturing whoever we faced running away- screaming like little girls.

“Okay!” I chirped before I skipped away. My green hair flowed after me, easily as it wasn’t pulled into a ponytail or anything.

(And I am so not skipping over the battle...wait maybe I am...maybe I don’t want to talk about it)

The one reason we got out of the game was...to be honest, I don’t really know. I think we had to beat all of the floors, but I didn’t know what that meant. The one thing I remember is being in the game and then being back in my real body again. I wasn’t able to use my body for a while since I was in the game for three years.

These years spent in the game are still with me, and it is stuck in my mind. There are times where the only thing that will show that I remember is how quiet I will get. I am never quiet. I am always talking- strangely happy at almost all times, and always a ball of energy. My entire personality will change when I remember the years of the game.

Only tears fall...like raindrops from heaven.

I just have to say one thing more...is it bad, that I still want to be in the game, where I knew what life could be like? Where I allowed myself to be me, instead of a shy, locked up version, but either way- the times I spent in the game taught me many things.

Sometimes it’s okay to cry, to ask for help. Sometimes it’s okay for other’s to see your weaknesses. Sometimes you need the support of others, to make sure you don’t fall- so they can help you up when you fall. But the most important one- sometimes it’s okay to fall in love.