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Before Sierra came along, everything was fine. Every day was nice. After Sierra came along, Victor knew something was different. At first, he didn't like it. After all, everything had been fine and every day had been nice.
But…Well…He liked Sierra. So he dealt with the change. He ignored the strange thoughts he had around her. He pushed past the sick feeling that washed over him when she was close. He accepted that Sierra made everything a little different.
Then one day, he woke up in the chair upstairs and things were more than a little different. He realized he liked Sierra a lot. He had friends- Foxtrot, Echo, Charlie and others- but he liked Sierra more. It seemed mean, picking a favorite. But he didn't care too much about that.
He started spending more time with Sierra. They sat together. They ate together. They talked to eachother. They held hands. He liked holding hands with Sierra. When he drew her pictures, she would smile at him in a way that made his heart pound hard in his chest. He liked that too.
Everything wasn't fine anymore. Every day wasn't just nice. It was perfect. Victor had never realized there was a difference before. "Well, everything's perfect when you're in love, isn't it?" Topher said one day in that strange tone he always used.
Oh. He was in love.
He remembered that the next day, what Topher said. And the day after that. Something about what Topher said made his head feel funny, like he could almost remember something he had forgotten. He started feeling like that around Sierra too. There was something in his mind, just out of reach, just out of sight….
***
He woke up in the chair. "Did I fall asleep?"
"For a little while."
"Should I…" Wait. What the fuck was going on? "Should I go now?" What was he talking about? Go where?
"If you like."
So he stood up anyway and- oh god, that's right. The dollhouse. He had made a deal to stay here five years. …How long had it been?
"Victor?" A man about his age with sandy blonde hair waved a hand in his face. "I said you can go now. So. You know." He waved impatiently towards the door. "…Go."
That's right. He was supposed to leave. Without thinking, he stood and walked out of the office. He stopped just outside the door and looked down from the balcony. There were so many other people…Just walking around, faces blank, minds numb. He was like that most of the time too, wasn't he? Were they like him? Were they here for the same reason he was? But then, he couldn't really remember why he was here. Yet, a resolute feeling still lingered in his hazy mind. He didn't doubt his reason for being here.
And then he saw a girl. Caramel skin and dark eyes, wavy hair. The girl he was in love with, the slow part of his brain reminded him.
…What?! When the hell did that happen? He must've been here for a long time already. But it hadn't been five years yet, had it? He knew that somehow.
She looked up and smiled at him. His heart raced. And then he knew that he was waiting for her too. He was waiting until they both woke up. He could wait five years. He could wait forever.
His head felt heavy. He wasn't going to be conscious much longer. Not really. He'd go back to that mindless state he was usually in. He'd forget himself. Didn't matter. Made time go faster. And Priya would be there too, waiting with him.