I've always been in fandom spaces ever since I was 12. One day I was browsing the internet, looking on TikTok, watching animated memes, and just genuinely watching content about all of the fandoms I was in. I had gotten quite bored over the past couple of weeks. I mean, it's winter anyway, why not rejoin some of my fandoms that I used to be in? So I did just that, but I wanted a little bit more. I loved role-playing, I was bored, so I decided to do some research and try and figure out how to get powers, mainly for fun since I was bored, and it worked by accident. I didn't expect that these things, these fictional characters, that these universes would even be real, so I could travel through the Doctor Who universe.
Honestly, it's insane. Here I am, I woke up in the SCP universe, of course, a dangerous universe. Must be the consequences of my actions, but hey, I'm a teenager, so fate must be creeping upon me. I walked around the halls, honestly quite curious about what I might find, but I have to remind myself to be careful. Something might creep up on me. Right now, I'm in the crowded halls and streets of New York City with nothing but a plush backpack filled with candy and snacks and my cell phone. I got a couple weeks ago. Great! I mean, at least I have both phones with me now. It's better than nothing, but jesus, I don't know what to do. I'm stuck in the middle of a fictional universe. What could go wrong? Right? I sighed, letting the cold wind hit my face, my feet stomping on the ground just a little bit harder than I normally would walk. I'm dressed in generic clothes that I had on me and maybe a few possibly stolen treats. I carefully make it down the halls. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm literally on the street right now, away from my family. I can't possibly believe it, but here I am. Once again, I glance at my phone. It's quite early in the morning, I guess it's because I stayed up last night. I should've gone to bed sooner, but oh well. I carefully make my way down to the side of the street, glancing around, listening to the environmental sounds of people talking, footsteps slapping against the ground like hot pancakes. But I just ignore it. I shove my headphones on and throw a piece of candy in my mouth. I have to figure out, out to even do these things! I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. I quickly make my way around the sidewalk. I mean, I may as well have fun. It's better than being in a porth and cell or something, but if they find out I have this power because I am unfortunately in the SCP universe, they will not hesitate to throw me in a freaking cell. I mean, I literally have the ability to go to any universe I want. I could escape, but for right now, I don't really know too much about this power. It's better for me to keep laying low. I mean, I'm just a teenager. I can't drive. I'm like 13. What am I supposed to do with all of the disdain and hate in my chest? I force myself to grab a drink of water, an unemptied bottle from somebody I don't even know who it belongs to. All I know is it's not open, so I drink out of it and keep walking.
I must have managed to look a bit too horny. Because right off the bat, I could already tell something was up. The first thing I see is a man getting into a van, a van that suspiciously looks like the van that they drive around on the SCP website. I can't help but groan. Great, I mean, it's not like they're looking at me thankfully, but it seems the only way for me to survive in this universe is either to be quiet or to make some noise, and I'm obviously going to go for the option of being quiet for a little bit, but I want to have some fun. Life's too short not to screw up a bit. I listen in on their conversation, slapping one of my headphones off of my ears just to listen, and I hear one of them say: "It seems that we don't have any anomalies to catch. Do you think we should just drive around and get something to eat?"
That other guy shakes his head. "Boring, boring, boring." Honestly, everything seems pretty normal. It's hard to believe I'm in a universe filled with entities on every notch and doorstep. I just quietly compose myself, literally crunching on the lollipop so hard I can feel it almost crack under the pressure. I look at my phone screen, physically revolting in disgust. Yes, I'm going to have to deal with entities now, and unfortunately, the universe will punish me. This is my job and money is... not real ….
The van idled near a curb, its sleek black paint reflecting the neon signs of a nearby 24-hour diner. I kept my head down, the sugary sting of the lollipop still sharp on my tongue. "Boring is good," the second man grumbled, his voice gravelly through the open window. "Boring means no Keter-class breaches on my shift. Boring means I get home without needing a psychological evaluation or a dose of amnestics."I quickened my pace, my heart hammering against my ribs. In this universe, "boring" for them was a death sentence for me. If they realized I was a walking, talking multiverse key—a teenage girl with the power to skip across realities like stones on a pond—they wouldn't just give me a "boring" office job. They'd stick me in a cold, concrete room with a number like SCP-XXXX and a strictly enforced "No Candy" policy.I ducked into a crowded subway station, the smell of damp concrete and old grease hitting me instantly. My phone buzzed in my pocket—the new one, the one that shouldn't even exist here. I pulled it out, glancing at the screen. The GPS was a mess of static and impossible coordinates, flickering between "New York" and places that sounded like they belonged in a Creepypasta forum: The Infinite Ikea, The Smiling Room, The Backrooms."Money is... not real," I whispered to myself, looking at the crumpled dollar bills in my hand. In this universe, currency was just paper. Survival was about staying out of sight. I shoved the headphones back on, cranking up the music to drown out the low-frequency hum that seemed to vibrate through the very air of the station—a hum that felt like it was searching for someone just like me.I wasn't just a teenager anymore. I was an anomaly. And the "fun" part of this adventure was starting to look a lot more like a horror story I used to read at 3:00 AM on a school night.
This is starting to get really annoying. Honestly, I'm hungry now. I look from my phone, pulling it out of my Hello Kitty backpack before texting my cousin. "Hey, bro, wake up. It took him a couple minutes to respond with him saying, 'What's wrong?'" I couldn't help but just close my eyes as I replied, "Yeah, so I'm in a universe and I'm going to explain to you how." I explained everything. It was more like a trick. It was kind of hard to explain, but I did it. I glanced around, looking at the very crowded streets before biting the lollipop entirely and shoving my phone back in the pocket. Kept moving. Eyes sharp. No one could know. Not yet.