Break the Cycle

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! *sigh* Monday... again... [[Hit the snooze button|snooze]] [[Get up|outofbed]]

//**Mother:** "$name!! **WAKE UP!!** You are going to be late for school!"// "Ok, ok, I'm up..." [[Get out of bed|outofbed]] {(set:$stayedinbed to true) (set:$sloth to it + 1)}

I guess I should prepare for school... *sigh* (unless: $ate)[[[Eat breakfast|breakfast]].] (unless: $shower)[[[Shower|shower]].] [[Grab my bag, and prepare to leave|leave]].

You activate the snooze (either: "You drift off to sleep again.", "You try to go back to sleep, without much success.", "You lie staring into the ceiling, contemplating the horrible day that awaits you.") BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! { (set:$snooze to it + 1) (set:$sloth to it + 1) (set:$snoozed to true) (if: $snooze < 3)[[[Hit the snooze button|snooze]].] (else:)[[[Hit the snooze button|wokenup]]] } [[Get up|outofbed]]

I **hate** Sunday evenings! Only bullies and boring teachers await me at school tomorrow... As they have for every week for as far as I can remember. I'm **tired** of the constant pain in my stomach! I'm **tired** of being beaten up. I'm **tired** of the boring lessons. I'm ***tired***, ***tired***, ***tired*** of living like this! *sigh* [[I guess I should go to bed now...|monday]] (set: $name to (prompt: "What is the name of the your game character:", "Max")) (set:$ate to false) (set:$shower to false) (set:$snoozed to false) (set:$snooze to 0) (set:$stayedinbed to false) (set:$run to false) (set:$fight to false) (set:$resigned to false) (set:$protested to false) (set:$defiance to 0) (set:$evasion to 0) (set:$sloth to 2)

All we have, is oatmeal and a bit of milk... [[Eat some oatmeat with milk|outofbed]] [[Cook and eat some porridge|outofbed]] {(set:$ate to true) (set:$sloth to it - 1)}

You take a nice shower, relaxing for a bit, and trying not to think about the day ahead of you. [[Dry off yourself, and get dressed|outofbed]]. {(set:$shower to true) (set:$sloth to it - 1)}

Okay, I'm as ready for school as I'm gonna be... [[Go to school|toschool]]

Now I just need to get all the way to school, without running into Ben and his cronies. I wonder where they are gonna ambush me today... [[Take the direct route to school. If they are waiting here again, then so be it!|direct]] [[Take a detour through the park, hopefully evading Ben.|park]]

They caught me here last Friday, but this is the most direct way to school. If they are waiting for mere here again, then so be it... {(set:$defiance to it + 1)} (display: "ambush")

Last Friday they caught me taking the direct route. I should try to evade them, by taking the longer route through the park. {(set:$evasion to it + 1)} (display: "ambush")

**Oh no!** It's Ben and his drones! { (unless: $shower)[(set:$insult to (either: "smelly", "disgusting", "dirty"))] (else:)[(set:$insult to (either: "pathetic", "weak", "worthless"))]} //**Ben:** "Hello there $name! We have been waiting for you... You may have gotten away last Friday, but **this** time we're gonna teach you a proper lesson, you $insult (either: "loser", "worm", "waste of space")!"// [[Try to run away!|run]] [[Try to fight them off!|fight]]

There's no way that you can fight off Ben, let alone both Ben and his friends. You make a run for it! Unfortunately, there are just too many of them. They catch up with you, and tackle you to the ground. Then, while two of his friends hold you down, Ben hits you repeatedly. //**Ben:** "Look, now you've made us late for class. **laughs** See you on your way home, worm!"// And with that, they finally walk off, in the direction of the school. [[Stagger to your feet, and try to reach the school before your first lesson|school]] {(set:$run to true) (set:$evasion to it + 1)}

Screaming in rage, you grab a small rock from the ground, and charge Ben and his sycophants. Ben seems taken aback for a moment, but then he laughs: //**Ben:** "**GET HIM!**"// You manage to get in a few good hits, but unfortunately, there are just too many of them. As two of his friends hold you down, Ben hits you repeatedly, and then kicks you in the ribs for good measure. //**Ben:** "**grunts** See what you did, you bastard! You have made us late for class. **laughs** See you on your way home, weakling!"// And with that, they finally run off, in the direction of the school. [[Stagger to your feet, and try to reach the school before your first lesson|school]] {(set:$fight to true) (set:$defiance to it + 1)}

*oww!* I can... barely move... Oh **great!**... I'm late for Biology. Mr. Williams is the worst. *sigh* Not much to do about that at this point... [[Go to class|biology]]

//**Mr. Williams:** "Ah, mr. $name! How **nice** of you to join us at last! I dare say that you look even worse than last Friday! As this is the second time you have arrived at my class covered in dirt and grime, I shall have to penalize you. Does anyone have an idea for a proper punishment for mr. $name? ... yes, Ben?"// //**Ben:** "Why not let him write a report on the importance of proper hygiene mr. Williams, sir?"// //**Mr. Williams:** "An excellent idea! Mr. $name, that will be your punishment. You'll deliver the report tomorrow! Now **sit down** and **listen!!**"// [[Stoically accept the punishment...|accept]] [[Angrily protest the unfairness of the punishment!|protest]]

You sit down in resignation, refusing to give mr. Williams the satisfaction of reacting to his unfair punishment. With a final smirk in your direction, he starts to drone on and on about today's lesson, "the migratory habits of swallows". As you contemplate how you will get home from school without being beaten up again, you suddenly notice a strange circle of colored light hovering in the air. Nobody else seems to have noticed it. [[Touch the circle|mirrorworld]] {(set:$evasion to it + 1)}

"The reason that I'm covered in dirt is because Ben and his friends **beat me up on the way to school!** How **dare you** treat me as the person who did something wrong?!" //**Mr. Williams:** "Class, notice how mr. $name is not only a tattletale, he is also plainly displaying his weakness for us all to see. As we all know, it is a biological fact, that hierarchies exist, and that every animal has its natural place in the herd. As mr. $name demonstrates, weakness will ensure that you end up at the bottom of the hierachy, where you can do the least damage to the herd as a whole. Now, mr. $name, you have disrupted my lesson long enough. So kindly **sit down** and keep your mouth shut!"// At that, he starts to drone on and on about today's lesson, "the migratory habits of swallows". As you contemplate how you will get home from school without being beaten up again, you suddenly notice a strange circle of colored light hovering in the air. Nobody else seems to have noticed it. [[Touch the circle|mirrorworld]] {(set:$defiance to it + 1)}

As you reach out to touch the strange shimmering circle, you are overcome by a wave of dizziness. In a flash of light you are suddenly... elsewhere. *Ugh* what happened?? I seem to be floating through some kind of... purple mist?! Perhaps I've finally snapped... Hmm... I'm sorrounded by a (link-reveal: "strange noise.")[ It sounds like... some kind of voice? Perhaps I should [[listen more closely|voice]]]

//**Unknown voice:** "$name - your pain and frustration calls to me. Who, and what, I am is irrelevant. I have brought you here to make you an offer: I am willing to offer you the power of this place, so that you can take control of your own destiny. However, you will have to shape the energies youself, from your experiences this day. **Choose!**"// {(if: $defiance > 2)[[[My anger shall shape this place to **my** will! Here I shall **crush** my tormentors once and for all!|anger]]] (else:)[I have not been confrontational enough to use the power to directly interact with my tormentors.]} {(if: $evasion > 2)[[[All day, I've been trying to escape or ignore my tormenters! I'm **tired** of running! I shall go to a different place, where I can finally live out the rest of my life in bliss!|bliss]]] (else:)[There is energy here which reponds to my trying to avoid direct conflict, but I cannot get a clear grasp on it.]} {(if: $sloth > 5)[[[I'm so tired... I don't even have the energy to get out of bed in the morning, or go through my daily routine. I'll lie down here... stay here in eternal oblivion, and I shall finally have peace...|refuge]]] (else:)[I do not feel like just giving up!]} [[No thanks! I'm outta here!|none]]

You pull the energies to you, harshly shaping them into tools of pain. Then, by the force of your will alone, you pull mr. Williams, Ben and his henchmen through the veil. You deal with Ben and his cronies first. They put up a decent fight against the horrors you summon from their mind. But in the end, they succumb. After all - this is **your** world, and here, it is **they** who are powerless! With the bullies out of the way, you turn your full attention on mr. Williams, who have been watching in horror. As he slowly backs away he pleads: //"please, $name, please, don't hurt me!"// You smile coldly: "What's the matter, Williams? This is basic biology after all; the weak are **pushed** to the bottom of the hiearchy, where they **belong**!" With a cold chuckle, you unleash the full extent of your pent-up rage on the man who was supposed to protect you all these months. His pleading quickly fades to a maniacal babbling. Your torment has finally ended. Theirs, however, has only just begun(link-reveal: ".")[ //**Reporter:** "Can you tell us what happened here today?" **Policeman**: "I will be brief: A teacher and a few students succumbed to a so far unidentified illness. They have been brought to the hospital, and are currently in isolation. They seem to have entered some kind of convulsive coma, and the doctors are working hard on finding a cure. However, there have been no futher incidents, so I can assure you, and the population at large, that we have the situation under control!"// [[The end|end]]]

You pull the energies to you, shaping them into a beautiful landscape. Then you sculpt an impressive mansion for yourself, and add fruits and other vegetation for food and decoration. As the months pass, and your mastery of the energies increases, you start to feel the existance of other kids, who live an agonizing existence in your old world. You decide to free them, by bringing them to your new utopia. You live out the rest of your life in bliss, inhabiting the world of your dreams(link-reveal: ".")[ //**Mother:** "What happened to $name?!" **Policeman**: "I am afraid that we still don't know. He simply vanished from school one day, apparently in the middle of class, but nobody remembers seeing him leave. We have even questioned his teacher, a mr. Williams, who was apparently fired after the incident, but with no result. I am truly sorry. I wish that I had better news for you ma'am..."// [[The end|end]]]

You pull the energies to you, shaping them into a shroud which gradually envelops you completely. As you gradually lose consciousness, your last thoughts are of bliss(link-reveal: ".")[ //**Mother:** "What happened to $name?!" **Doctor**: "I am afraid that we do not know. It seems that he has slipped into a catatonic state. We did identify several bruises on his body, as well as a few fractures. According to witnesses, he was beaten by a group of his class mates earlier today, who are now being questioned by Social Services. But I am afraid I cannot say when your son will wake again. Or even if he will. I am sorry..."// [[The end|end]]]

//**Unknown voice:** "As you wish, $name... You have wasted your chance, and I shall return you to your dreary existence!"// And with that, you are back in your seat. The rest of the day goes pretty much as expected; more taunts, more boredom, more misery, and at the end of the day, Ben and his friends chuck you into the small pond at the park. And as you are abruptly woken up by your alarm clock the next morning, a single thought dominates your mind: "*sigh* Tuesday... again..." [[**The end**|end]]

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