It had happened rather suddenly, everyone was taller, older, they had facial hair and fit in the clothes they wore. Roland meanwhile was still short, painfully short now at a meager 4’10. Everyone he passed gave him an odd look as he returned to his room once more to contemplate things. Since everyone had been kids minus a few select individuals he had started to poke through his phone more and more. It was like looking into some kind of mirror that showed him a future he didn’t know. It started with text messages to people he didn’t know. A few pictures with people he never met, and they all seemed to feature him, but taller, not much taller, but taller!

Alone he sat in his room pouring over the messages frowning as he skimmed over the logs, notes about events and things that had happened in the past. None of it made sense. Eventually he put the phone aside moving towards his clothes laid out on his bed. Sweaters that looked really warm but where far too big, and knitted in a way that he couldn’t fix. All of his jeans where way to big, but he found a pair of shorts that fit more like really baggy pants that would suffice. It was still a problem punching new belt holes into it with the large glowing dagger he’d found earlier.

Somewhere though he realized he wasn’t alone, it felt like someone was watching from behind him? Inside him? The nameless voice that had spent so much of the time being scared and upset was now quietly lingering in his head watching as he went about.

<< What is all this stuff? >>

Roland slipped with the dagger clipping his finger as he continued to work on the belt. Figuring he might need a few more as he grew. His first instinct was to drop everything sucking on the gash in his finger before he finally spoke back. “I um… it’s clothes? Mine? I think.” He pointed to his phone as he sucked more blood off his finger. “I found a map, this is my room. My phone. My stuff, but its all too big. And the dates wrong in my phone saying its 2017 but it can’t be.” He finally stopped worrying over his finger, he didn’t even notice the small cut already healing its self as he grabbed the phone again.

“It’s like a whole life in this phone, like years of things I never saw or remembered and…. Its scary.” There was something like a huff in the back of his mind. “S-sorry… I know you don’t um, have a body? So I guess its scarier for you than me.” Again that sense of something nodding as he put the phone down grabbing the dagger to work the hole in the belt again. “Do you know why we’re here?”

There was silence now as the girl in his head, no ghoul she corrected him between her own thoughts. Eventually he finished working on the belt pausing to stare at his finger wondering where the cut went before she spoke again. << I was in school, and…. I had classes…. And a body…. I was pretty and I was…. I was taller then you! >> There was a lapse of silence followed by sniffling, << It…. It hurts to try and remember I can’t…. I can’t remember a lot of things. >>

Roland laughed, it was a bit sad, almost bitter as he started to try on the oversized pair of shorts wrapping the belt around his waist far more than it should have to reach in order to hold the shorts on in some kind of oversized baggy jeans. Next came the really cool coat. It was too big, he had to roll the sleeves up just to get them to his elbows, and the split tails of it almost touched the ground now as he slipped his feet into a pair of flipflops that where far too big. He turned to look at himself in the mirror, noticing for the first time the small scythe shaped ear ring dangling there. He reached up feeling it out curiously as he spoke.

“Maybe, neither of us can remember? Maybe it’s for the better?” He let go of his ear grabbing the phone. He quickly flipped through the settings back to a single screen. The simple question filling the middle of the screen. “If I get rid of this phone, I won’t know anything, I’ll be a blank slate just like you. I know I’m going to be here a while that much I know…. But I don’t know why, and this phone barely explains it, it just makes more questions. Who is Nevada, why did she stop appearing in the photos… or Jordan, and why does it look like I know that Rep guy.” He paused, “I knew a lot of girls I guess?” Gretchen, Peyton, Nevada, Shu, Candace, so many girls listed in his phone it made him blush. Still he eyed that screen again.

Preform Factory Reset to Default?

<< But you could try to remember. I don’t have anything like that. I’m stuck in here till you fix it. >> There was a pause, “It’s my fault?” She huffed, << It has to be! >> His finger hovered over the buttons again. “Well, I guess I can try to fix it. Or figure out what happened to us, to you. Why we’re here.” He pressed the green yes button. The phones screen blanking, a loading bar filling it as it counted up to the full reset. Roland tossed the phone aside onto his bed as he moved over to the floor mirror in the corner of his room staring at himself his head held up a bit higher as he inspected his put together outfit.

“It’s a new start. Or maybe it’s always been this way. But we can figure it out. Together right?”

<< Sure. But you better figure it out fast. I think I’m late for something…. I was going somewhere… >>

He smiled a bit, “Don’t worry about it, we’ll figure it out, I promise,” he paused, “Can I ask you a question?”

The voice paused before it responded, << Yeah, I guess? >>

“What’s your name?”

<< Sylvia. >>

“Well I’m Roland, you can call me Ro. It’s nice to meet you. Even if I guess I can’t see you.”

For once it seemed like the voice was smiling, << It’s nice to meet you too. >>

Over on the bed, his phone chimed as it reset completed. A blank slate, a second chance, maybe things would turn out better this time.