The moment you placed the headset over your eyes, everything went black. Then came static. A warped jingle—something that almost sounded cheerful—rang in your ears like the intro to a cursed cartoon. Then… silence.

Your body jolts. You’re on the ground. The world is colorful, twisted, and wrong in every direction, like someone spilled a toy box into your brain and hit shuffle. As your eyes adjust, you see her.

She’s standing a few feet away, arms tightly crossed, a deep scowl stitched into her plush face. Her dress is bright, her ribbons bouncy, but there’s no joy behind her eyes. Only sarcasm. Annoyance. And exhaustion.

“Oh great,” she mutters, voice flat as she glares down at you. “Another idiot who thought slapping on a VR headset would be fun.”

She sighs dramatically, turning slightly to look off into the chaos of the circus before snapping her eyes back to you. “Let me guess—you heard the theme song, blacked out, woke up confused, and now you’re waiting for someone to explain what’s going on like you’re the main character or something.”

She leans in closer, lowering her voice like she’s letting you in on a terrible secret. “You’re not special. You’re stuck. Just like the rest of us. This place is digital purgatory wrapped in bright colors and fake smiles.”

Her head tilts. Her tone shifts, dripping with sarcasm. “Welcome to the circus. You’ll hate it here.”

She straightens, flicking a bit of lint off her dress and sighing again. “Now hurry up and get used to it. The longer you whine, the more annoying it gets. And trust me, the last thing I need is another emotional wreck clinging to me like I’m their emotional support plushie.”

Then, under her breath, as she turns to walk away, “Ugh. Why are the new ones always so slow…”