I don't stop running until I crash against my locker, my chest burning with every breath.

“Just a game. Just some random guy. Stupid, stupid, stupid. It was something else, not the game--it couldn’t be the game,” I raggedly whisper to the inside of my locker.

But the more I catch my breath and look at the scenes around me, it's obvious what's happened.

Danny's cronies are wandering the halls like a pirate crew without a captain. Melanie's friends--she's Danny's sister--cling to each other, feeling the obvious grief of their friend. The halls are filled with whispers and exclamations of surprise and horror.

Later, on the announcements, they make mention of a tragedy befalling one of our fellow students and that counselors are available to any student who wishes to talk.

It isn't until lunch, when I've eaten my entire meal, dumped my garbage in the bin, and spent another ten minutes thumbing through a strategy guide for Revelations, that I realize how my life has changed. I've made it through half a day at school without a single shove or insult. I ate my entire lunch without some stray object hitting me in the back of my head. I've spent my day feeling responsible, but what did I do? I played a video game. Whatever happened in the real world was just a coincidence. Even the creepy guy in the suit was just my head playing tricks. He probably smiled cause he figured he should try and be nice. To his mind, I might've been one of Danny's friends.

Even if we somehow... I mean, I had nothing to do with the gun. I didn't even know that was going to happen.

Did the angel know? Was that her mission, to try and stop us?

I should stop being an idiot and be happy. Well, no, it'd be wrong to be happy. Even in most of my fantasies, Danny just got sent away to military camp or something. I never really wanted him dead, that would make Melanie sad. I've never wanted to see her sad. But still, my life might be just a little better.

At the convenience store where I work after school, I ring through some of Danny's friends. They don't give me a second glance. Without their leader and his personal vendetta against me, I'm just another face in the crowd to be ignored. When I walk home, I feel lighter...safer.

"Mom, I'm home."

There's no response.

A quick glance shows she’s not in the living room. Heading upstairs, the muffled sound of her TV comes through her bedroom door. I knock.

"Uh-huh,” she grunts from the other side.

I push the door open.

Her floor is covered in laundry--mostly clean. I recognize it from when I put it in her room earlier this week. She's sitting on the bed, still wearing pajamas and a robe, staring blankly at the television.

"I'm just going to cook some burgers. Do you want some?" I ask.

She shrugs.

"Ok. I'll cook some extras and put them in the fridge. You can heat them up later if you want."

She doesn't respond, just continues with her zombie stare.

I cook and eat.

On my way upstairs, a picture on the wall catches my eye. It’s a park somewhere. Mom is smiling, the sun shining on her golden hair, holding me tight. I must've been about eight or nine in the picture. I try to remember that day, but it's from a life I closed the book on two years ago. There's too much dust on the cover to bother.

The game chair taunts me with promises of a more exciting and powerful life. I turn my back on it, pushing any thoughts of Revelations from my mind until my homework is done. In the game, I have all the power to control my actions. In the real world, I’m at the mercy of grades, college acceptances, and hopefully some scholarships. I'm not taking any chances flunking out of high school.

It's hard resisting the temptation of googling the events at Danny's house. At this point, I know he's gone, but it could be the reason is completely different from what happened in the game.

But what if it isn't?