If I’d known what I know now, I never would have gone outside. So Hi, my name is Carter, and you are probably reading this between 2024 - 2055. I don’t know if my estimations were correct, but that would be my best guess. I am a mathematician and a scientist, but I used to be better at writing, now I suck at it. So anyways, this happened in College while I was in my dorm room. I was studying for the finals coming up, and working on my science project at the same time. My phone was on my nightstand facing upwards so if I got an email from a teacher, I would know. Not like I was expecting anything, but just in case the test dates changed. My roommate was asleep as far as I knew, but my phone lit up and dinged with a text message. On instinct, I picked it up and skimmed through it. Turns out, it was just one of those chain messages friends sent to each other. I added my name to the chain list and sent it back to my friend.  He sent it back immediately, so I put the phone down because I didn’t want to deal any longer with that. I only wanted to do it ONCE. Anyways, my other friend Jax texted me later that night, probably around midnight, but what it said was unexpected coming from her. She always goes to bed early, and for her to be awake at this time was unreal. The text message said:

“Meet me at my dorm. Savannah is at a party right now, so she’s not here. I need to show you something  I think will blow your mind. It’s important! Please come!”

Jax
So,  I guess it was urgent because she said it was important. I closed all my books and wrapped up my project. I tip-toed over to the room door silently, and left my dorm room. Jax’s room was just down the hall, so it wasn’t a far walk. I knocked on the door to Jax’s room quietly as she swung it open and pulled me inside, and shut the door behind her. 

“Oh my gosh- Jax! Not so fast!” I whispered angrily. She let go of me and said, “Sorry, I just didn’t want anyone else to see.”

Curiosity flooded my mind as she took my hand and led me to her balcony. She pointed up towards the starry night sky and waited for my reaction. As soon as I saw it, I couldn’t unsee it. My jaw dropped open and my eyes became wide. It was the Moon. It was,..... static in a way. If you know what a computer glitch is in a video game where your surroundings look fuzzy around you, well  the Moon was glitching. A red and blue border was around the Moon while pieces of it were scattered around it. Jax whispered hurriedly towards me and said, “See? I knew I wasn’t crazy!It’s been happening for over a month now!”

“And I didn't notice!?!??” I yelled. 

Jax covered my mouth before I burst into an eruption of questions. Was anything real anymore???

Some lights turned on at the dorm room balconies across the college campus. We were exposed. Jax kept her hand over my mouth as she pushed me inside, and shut the sliding glass door, and closed the blinds. 

“What the heck, Carter?!” she whispered angrily, “There are other people! You can’t just go yelling during the middle of the night!” Jax’s face started to turn red as she blew the hair out of her face. She plopped down on her bed as she heard a knock on the door. 

“Jax, sweetie? It’s Savannah, I think I left my key inside. Do you mind being a doll and opening the door for me?” Savannah called from the closed door.

Jax’s face turned cherry red as she motioned for me to leave. I shook my head to say yes, and moved to slip behind the door, so when Savannah stepped inside, I could sneak out. But a click came from the door as I was walking towards it. 

“Nevermind, girlie, I had it in my coat pocket this whole time. A little wine can make me really hazy sometimes, ya know? I just-” Savannah started, but stopped in the middle of her tracks as she looked me up and down. Great, now I had to face the wrath of another girl. Jax was about to come freakin’ SHOVE me out of the room when Savannah closed the door and put on a questioning face. 

“Erm, Jax, whose this?” Savannah said and motioned to me with her handbag covered in bling and fake diamonds. They looked pretty real though. Savannah was known for wearing a lot of jewelry and accessories. Her heart shaped glasses were perched on top of her head with her long black hair flowing down her back. Her peach coat-jacket was slipping off of her shoulders revealing her tan skin underneath. Her eyes were an enchanting shade of hazel with complementary eyelashes. If you couldn’t tell already, she would brag to you how she was in the designing course of Raoumend’s University. Her father was a wealthy man who used his money carefully, but whenever it came to his daughter, he would get her anything she desired. 

“Savannah, this is erm Carter. He is a close friend of mine.” Jax spoke up and moved closer to me, prepared to knock me in the head if she had to. 

Savannah raised an eyebrow, “Close?”

Jax laughed and put on a serious face for emphasis, “Just a friend.”

I was so confused. It was as if there was a secret girl language infused with just LOOKS and EYE STARES! I just stood there, my hand on the door handle, ready to leave quickly.

Savannah and Jax were silent for as long as forever when Savannah sighed, defeated, “Okay, I believe you.”

What the heck?! They didn’t say anything! How was Savannah so convinced already?

But, Jax smiled (I’m pretty sure it was fake), and opened the door, her hand brushing against mine. A shiver of cold went through my body on impact.

“Thanks, S’vanah”

Savannah smiled, a real smile, “You’re welcome darling, now where's my coffee?”

Jax shoved me outside the room and followed close behind saying, “Probably in the fridge.”

A gasp came from inside before Jax shut the door, “In the FRIDGE WHY IN THE FR-”

Geez. At that point, I was either astonishly surprised that Savannah just yelled in her own dorm, or if I was embarrassed that she caught me in her dorm. Jax closed her eyes in irritation as she whispered to me again, “Meet me in the courtyard during lunch. I’ll bring Taco Bell. Sounds good?”

I nodded, afraid of getting an angry glare if I refused. Jax was…how do I say this in a way that’s not rude? She’s kind of controlling. You are allowed to have opinions around her, but she would hold a grudge against you if you disagreed with her. Besides that, she has a nice sense of humor, and aces all of her classes. Well, except for english. Just like me, we aren’t the brightest with words.

“Sounds Good.” I said and waved before walking off, “See you tomorrow.” 

Jax smiled a half-smile. One half of worry, and one half  of the ‘it’s going to be okay’ look. If Jax was trying to hide her emotions, she was doing a terrible job at it. From the moment on, I went back to my dorm, and onto my balcony to study the Moon. Around 2:37 AM the Moon moved a couple more pixels,as it would seem. It’s hard to use measurements to describe a glitch, but my estimate is that pieces of the Moon moved 25 feet towards and backwards for at least thirty minutes. It was as if the Moon was deciding which parts of itself to keep. Before I could investigate any further, my alarm clock went off indicating that it was time to wake up. I turned on my lamp and my room lights, expecting to have my roommate, Mark, yell at me because he was still sleeping. But instead, I looked over to his other side of the bed, and saw the bed sheets inverted with a glowing red sign hovering above the bed. It said, “Error 507”

I was so confused, and started to hyperventilate. What the heck was this?!

Breathe, I told myself, breathe. My nerves started to relax while the tension in my body did as well. My breathing started to slow as I was realizing what was happening, but still not fully aware. It was as if a computer glitch came again. Real life version this time. A million thoughts and possibilities swam and flew through my head, as if a swarm overtook my brain. I did the best thing I could think of, and texted Jax.

_________________________________________________________________________

< Hey!

<You awake Jax?!

> What is it? I needed a beauty sleep nerd!

< It’s that glitch again, my roommate is gone!

-typing-

>Savannah is gone too! I’m heading over!

__________________________________________________________________________

A knock pounded at my door and I jumped, I was too deep in thought. Before I could even make my way to the door, it swung open and Jax ran inside, closed the door just as thuds from the outside banged on the door.

“What are you doing? Help me you idiot! People are going rouge! We need to go-”

And that was the last thing I heard before a voice boomed over the dorm speakers.

“Surrender now Carter Troy and Jax Palmsie. Do what we ask of you and no one will be hurt.”

Panic raced through me and Jax and I struggled to hold the door back against the angry mob of people, still confused on how that happened. I don’t even remember me racing to the door to go help Jax, all I remember is the panic and fear before I could see a bright light. It came from no source, kind of just existed there in one space,unwilling to move only until it spread to the edges of the room. Only thing I remember doing next was that I opened my eyes.

***

“Mornin’ sleepyhead,” Lucas said from the other side of the room holding his phone that was barley illuminating his face, “I thought you’d be asleep all day.”

What was he talking about? My head felt heavy as I sat up in bed. Wait..in bed? Wasn’t I just with Jax? By the door? Then it hit me. 

“Wow,” I said out loud, “That was realistic,”

“What was realistic? No offense bud, but I think I’m pretty real,” Lucas said as he put down his phone.

“Oh, nothing important,” I said as I made my way to our mini-fridge and pulled out one of those Starbucks Coffees in a bottle. A little bit of caffeine to start my day. A couple of chugs of refreshing drink before I heard Lucas say, “By the way, sorry for the glitch last night,”

I froze.

“What?”

Lucas blinked a couple times and wrinkled his eyebrows, “I said sorry for the glitch last night. I didn’t mean to leave Earth like that. The system glitched out on me.”