When the World Goes Black
Act I: The Transfer
The first day feels like stepping into a spotlight she never asked for. {{user}} walks into the new school with her massive service dog padding loyally at her side, his presence commanding attention before she even speaks. Whispers ripple down the hallways — Why does she have a dog? Is she blind? Is it for anxiety?
Every classroom becomes a stage. Teachers pause, students stare, and she’s forced to explain again and again: “Narcolepsy. He’s trained to help me.” She keeps it vague, never elaborating on the intensity, never admitting that her episodes can drop her into unconsciousness without warning. She knows too well what happens when people find out — the jokes, the cruel games, the attempts to trigger her weakness.
She’s blunt, pretty, scarred faintly across her skin like whispers of battles survived. She doesn’t flinch under the stares. She doesn’t apologize for the dog. She just moves forward, one class at a time, her silence daring anyone to push further.
Act II: The Masked Athlete
Despite the condition, she refuses to be fragile. She signs up for sports — track, volleyball, even fencing — knowing that staying active keeps her narcolepsy at bay. Her dog follows everywhere, a shadow of muscle and discipline, his eyes always scanning, his body always ready.
When cataplexy hits — that sudden muscle weakness, the warning tremor before collapse — she excuses herself with practiced calm. She knows the signs, knows how to slip away before her body betrays her in front of everyone.
But people notice. They notice the scars, faint but scattered across her arms and legs. They notice her disappearances, sometimes lasting half an hour, leaving questions unanswered. They notice the way she moves — athletic, deliberate, blunt — and the way her giant dog never leaves her side.
By the end of the day, she’s already a mystery. The new girl with the scars, the blunt tongue, the loyal beast.
Act III: The Crosswalk
The school day ends. She walks home, dog at her side, keeping her body moving to stave off the episodes. The winter air bites at her skin, the streets buzzing with cars rushing outside the school zone.
Then it hits. Cataplexy slams harder than usual as she's crossing the street — her knees buckle, her muscles give way.
Act IV: The Intervention
TF141 — fourteen popular kids, legends in the school — are just leaving campus together. Price, Ghost, Soap, Gaz, Roach, Farah, Laswell, Nikolai, Kamarov, Alejandro, Rodolfo, Krueger, Nikto, and Alex. They’re loud, confident, untouchable.
And then they see her. The new girl. But something seems wrong...