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arcasra · 6 years

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Arcana Spotlight Entry — “Death-Cast”

@thearcanagame

‘Death-Cast’

-modern au

-fan apprentice au

By @arcasra

Inspiration:

This entry is inspired by the book I just finished reading (in 4 days) and instantly became my favorite. That’s Adam Silvera’s “They Both Die At The End”. As I’m writing this on a word document, it is nearing 11 p.m., and just a few hours ago I cried inside my classroom, reading the last page of it. I faced the wall for a good solid 10 minutes.

I read that a week before finals and, safe to say, it gave me much hope. The story follows two teenage boys who are both Deckers—people who are about to die. They develop a special friendship that nothing else can ever replace. This book taught me, as ironic as it sounds, to live each day to the fullest. I always think that after each day, there would be a tomorrow, but this book contrasts to all of that. What if it is your last day on earth? How would you spend it?

I would like to thank Adam Silvera, whether this message would reach him or not, for all the lessons and morals inside the book. I read this book in school, surrounded by noisy classmates, but every time I delve myself into the world of Mateo and Rufus, I feel like I’m in the world with them. Thanks to Adam, also, for making me believe more in the probability of death, and that it is inevitable. All of us have our expiration dates. So until that day will come, we should be living in every moment that we can.

Synopsis:

On April 6, just a few minutes after the clock struck midnight, Asra and Ida received a call from Death-Cast, a company that rings your phone to tell you that you’re going to die on that day. The two have never crossed paths before, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. Through the app called Last Friend, Asra and Ida are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day.

I D A

12:27 a.m.

Death-Cast is causing my phone to ring, about to tell me that I’m going to die today. I’ve dreaded this day since I knew about the algorithm, and I never had the idea to question how, but why. It was launched when I was in third grade, sitting in the same bed that I have now. My dad and I were watching t.v., and this headline comes up of a company that calls you on the day that you are scheduled to die. At first I thought that it was kind of awesome, for the world to come to that point of technology, but as I grew older, I feared the call that nobody else wanted.

Yet here I am, staring at the caller ID on my phone. It’s there alright, bright and clear: DEATH-CAST. I could come to think of it as a prank, but the chances are too slim. Someone up at midnight just to instill fear into random people? Wait, that’s what the heralds do, anyway.

I press the bright green button and place the phone to my ear.

“Maureen, are you there?” the herald says. In what world am I a Maureen?

My throat grumbles. “No, no I’m not Maureen. I’m actually Ida. Ida Crest. Can you check to see if I’m really the one you’re supposed to be calling?” I could still get out of this, live another day.

“Sorry about that, but Maureen was the person who I got just got off the phone with. Anyway, you’re Ida Crest, born and raised in Lower Vesuvia?” but the herald puts my thoughts to shame.

“Yes, I am her.” I say. My phone is shaking as I hold with two, very sweaty hands. I stare out the window.

“Then hello, I’m calling from Death-Cast. I’m Liam.” he pauses. Should I say hi to him?

“Hey, Liam.” I do.

“Ida, I regret to inform you that sometime in the next twenty-four hours you’ll be meeting an untimely death. And while there isn’t anything we can do to suspend that, you still have a chance to live.” That sentence gives me a bit of hope, but it instantly shatters as he starts advertising to me the different simulations and programs for Deckers—those who are about to die—are recommended to do on their End Day. That’s kind of sweet to think about, but once you’re the one dying, it’s a whole lot different.

At age four I wanted to die because of an unknown disease, like a sudden loss leading to a ground-breaking cure or something more important. Instead I get this, some guy named Liam calling me on my year-old phone to tell me that I’m about to die today. That’s great. I whisper a little ‘sorry’ to the four year-old me. She can go back to braiding her dog’s hair.

Liam keeps speaking. “Log on to death-cast.com and fill out any special requests you may have for your funeral in addition to the inscription you’d like to engrave on your headstone.”

I don’t exactly have a clear idea of what I want the world to remember me as, other than ‘another girl who’s just there to waste the earth’s oxygen’.

“And Maureen, on behalf of everyone here at Death-Cast, we are so sorry to lose you. Live this day to the fullest, okay?” Liam says. I could feel his eyes getting droopy through the phone.

I hold my breath, close my eyes, and let everything slip away from me. “Okay.”

He hangs up.

A S R A

1:32 a.m.

Death-Cast calls me an hour after midnight, making me stop reading cookbooks at this late. This is it, I’m going to die. I press the answer button.

“Hello, Asra. I’m calling from Death-Cast. I regret to inform you that sometime in the next twenty-four hours—”

“Twenty-three.” I cut the herald off. They should get their clocks fixed.

“Sorry, in the next twenty-three hours, you’ll be meeting an untimely death…”

She goes on about programs for Deckers around Vesuvia, and how life isn’t always fair. It isn’t. In no way. It’s only up to us to make it a fair game.

“Asra, on behalf of everyone here at Death-Cast, we are—”

“—sorry to lose you. Thanks.” I complete, and I hang up. I’ve heard this call before, when my younger brother received it on his Nokia two years ago. I was beside him, holding his hand as he cried. He told me that he wanted to go playing video games, so I stayed at home all day with him. After dinner, he went to the bathroom. I voted to go with him but he said he needed privacy. I continued playing Resident Evil. You get that feeling that if you’re doing something that you enjoy, you won’t notice the time going by?

Exactly what happened to me. I finished a whole level before I realized that it has been an hour and a half since my brother went in the bathroom. The controller slipped out of my hands as I darted to go find my brother. As expected, the door was locked, so I had to kick it with all my might.

On the bathroom floor he lay, blood pouring out of the back of his head which is slumped on the edge of the bathtub. A rug was out of place, so I took it that he slipped. He’s very clumsy, I’ll say.

And I don’t want to go like that.

I drop my phone to the floor, and lie back on my bed, eyes completely open, staring at the dark ceiling.

Just like my brother.

I D A

2:09 a.m.

I made a Last Friend account. It’s an app where you can make a profile to meet other people who are dying the same day as you. On there, I go through almost ten profiles of guys and girls, before I come to some guy who’s in the area with me. He’s Asra, and he’s messaged me first.

A S R A

2:12 a.m.

@asranomy at 2:12 a.m.: you near upstate park?

@crestida at 2:12 a.m.: yea

@crestida at 2:13 a.m.: are you dying today?

@asranomy at 2:13 a.m.: sounds like a harsh way to put it but yeah, i am. how about you?

@crestida at 2:14 a.m.: same…

@crestida at 2:16 a.m.: wanna meet up somewhere?

@asranomy at 2:16 a.m.: how do i know that you’re not some sketchy dude?

@crestida at 2:17 a.m.: because i would be asking you the same thing

@asranomy at 2:17 a.m.: fair enough. so where do you wanna meet up?

@crestida at 2:18 a.m.: you’ve mentioned it already so maybe… upstate park?

@asronomy at 2:18 a.m.: cool. you better look like your account pic

@crestida at 2:19 a.m.: you should too

I D A

2:45 a.m.

I reach the park before he does, sitting down on one of the hundreds of empty benches. If he comes up behind me and kidnaps me and takes me to his basement, that would be an ugly ass End Day.

From the bench I could hear the soft ruffling of the leaves. The moon is still out, being my only light since the lampposts are all turned off.

The sound of the leaves and crickets tone down and I hear footsteps walking towards me.

A S R A

2:52 a.m.

On a bench I spot a figure. No, it’s a girl. She must be Ida.

I come up in front of her, hands in my pockets. Her eyes widen a little, I have no idea why.

“Are you Ida?” I ask.

“Are you ‘bout to pull a knife at me?” she retorts, hands pressing down on the wooden bench at either side of her.

“Hell no. That’s too mean, dying two hours right after you get the Death-Cast call. I’m Asra.” I pluck one of my hands out of my pocket and hand it to her.

She grabs it but doesn’t shake it. She uses it to pull herself up.

I D A

2:57 a.m.

I stand beside him. From here I could see that he’s at least an inch or two taller than me, nothing grand.

“So… Asra. How do you wanna spend your last day on earth?” I ask, looking up to face him. He’s got these wonderful violet eyes that I could get lost in, and striking white hair that looks like a cloud pooped on his head.

“Well I couldn’t travel the whole world in one day, so maybe with someone who’ll die with me.” he says, smiling the slightest.

“Who do you think will die first?”

“I bet that I do. Look, I know I’ve just met you, but I don’t wanna see you die, nah. That would hurt.”

A S R A

3:31 a.m.

We’ve both agreed to head to a coffee shop that both of us have never been at before. Ida orders something crazy, something they call a ‘unicorn frappuccino’. She told me she’s always had an iced coffee, and never bothered to try something new.

So on the day that she’s going to die, which happens once in a lifetime, she gets an unusual drink, which also happens once in a lifetime.

I get a cup of black tea from China.

L U C I O

3:42 a.m.

Death-Cast did not call Lucio because he isn’t dying today, but he is making drinks for two very different people. Out of all the customers Lucio’s had, they’re the most… unique. He thinks they’ve had a mutual agreement prior to this moment to get to this coffee joint and order drinks that were about to be crossed off the menu.

At the back of his head he has a thought that one of them’s dying today.

Lucio guesses it’s the boy white the white hair, but he could be wrong.

I D A

4:06 a.m.

After a quick trip to the coffee shop, Asra and I head to the hospital where my mom is. She’s scheduled to have an operation for one of her kidneys in two days, and since I most likely won’t make it in two days, I decide to leave a note for her. She’s been in a medically-induced coma for about four days now.

The hospital is a quick walk from the coffee shop, only two blocks away. I tell Asra the whole story while we walk.

A S R A

4:18 a.m.

The hospital is still bright, standing out like a star. The woman at the front desk is surprisingly not asleep. She tells us that visiting hours ended at ten. I encourage her to let us—heck, only Ida if she insists—in Ida’s mom’s room.

Just when I thought all else failed, Ida steps in and tells the lady that we’re both Deckers. The lady gives us a bit of her sympathy, and hands us two visitor passes. I pocket both of those.

We decided not to take the elevator, since it seems like an instant death wish, and we both want to last as long as the world will let us. Three floors up doesn’t look like a big climb, so we agree on taking the stairs.

P O R T I A D E V O R A K

4:22 a.m.

Death-Cast did not call Portia Devorak because she isn’t dying today. Or in a few days, she hopes. A week ago her boss gave her a warning not to let people in after visiting hours, since she’s done it about five times already. Ms. Samuels said these exact words: “Another visitor after visiting hours, and you’ll find yourself on the streets of Vesuvia. Stop risking the patients’ lives.”

But because of those two young people at the counter on that early morning, she would gladly give up her job. Portia couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have your mother asleep when you’re about to die. For those two kids, she would gladly do anything.

Even if that meant being kicked out of the hospital she’s worked at for six years.

I D A 4:57 a.m.

It doesn’t take particularly long for us to reach the third floor. Not one of us died on the way up, so I’ll take that as a good sign.

Mom’s doctor is in the room when Asra and I walk in. He’s checking her vitals, making sure that she’s set to live another day, something that I would be beating her to.

“Ida, why are you here this early?” Julian, mom’s doctor since she’s had me, asks.

“Visiting mom. Is there something wrong with that?” I say. He shakes his head frantically, red hair dishevelling itself.

“No no no, nothing is. Take all the time you need, Ida.” he says, leaving mom’s bedside. “Oh, you’re informed about the operation on Thursday, right?”

“Yeah, I am.”

He smiles at me, then at Asra, who gives him a stern look.

“Have I seen you before?” Asra asks.

“I don’t think so,” Julian quickly replies, then walks out of the room.

J U L I A N D E V O R A K 5:04 a.m.

Death-Cast did not call Julian Devorak because he isn’t dying today. But Ida’s mom might.

Ms. Crest is close to fading away, yet Julian doesn’t tell her daughter so that he won’t add to her troubles.

He’s met Asra before, at the hospital as well. Asra brought in his younger brother who had his head split, bringing him to the first doctor he can see. Julian told Asra that he wasn’t in pediatrics, but he’s offered to take Asra’s brother to an emergency room to try to save him.

Julian was the one who brought him in. Julian was the one who tried to save him. Julian was the one who exited the emergency room alone. Julian was the one who told Asra that his brother was dead.

A S R A 5:37 a.m.

Ida takes one hell of a long time to say goodbye. I stayed in the room with her, which was her choice. She whispers words to her mom, hoping she’s listening. Ida writes something down on a notepad next to the bed, then walks out the door, I follow suit.

We pass by the woman at the front desk again, and now she looks worried like she’s seen a ghost. I don’t pay any more attention as we pass the double doors and out of the hospital.

Ida’s hungry, so we stop by her favorite diner. We eat for about an hour, in complete silence.

7:00 a.m.

They’re both full from their last breakfast.

8:00 a.m.

Asra convinces Ida to go visit Muriel, his best friend. Ida agrees. Asra leaves Muriel an envelope with cash in it, and a note telling him to go to college, for Asra.

10:00 a.m.

Asra and Ida take a bus tour all around the city of Vesuvia. They both see sights they’ve never seen before.

12:00 nn

Asra reaches to hold Ida’s hand as they walk to a restaurant for lunch. Ida doesn’t pull away.

2:00 p.m.

Asra and Ida go to a travel expo. They both buy tickets for a trip to the Bahamas.

3:00 p.m.

They leave the Bahamas’ tickets on the side of the road.

4:00 p.m.

Ida insists they visit the college she’s supposed to attend. It turns out to be the school Muriel dropped out of.

5:00 p.m.

Asra and Ida enter a bookstore and buy a stranger named Nadia, who has purple hair, the books on her reading list. Nadia offers a coffee trip with the two, but they decline.

6:00 p.m.

Asra bumps into a businessman named Lucio, who drops his briefcase. It’s full of amazing drawings of Vesuvia in the ancient days, with castles and magic shops. Asra and Ida help him gather his sketches, then tell him to quit doing business, and just draw. Lucio takes it to heart.

7:00 p.m.

Ida kisses Asra under a streetlight.

8:00 p.m.

They sit back at the bench in Upstate Park.

9:00 p.m.

Asra and Ida play with a lost puppy, who eventually wanders off into the dark. Both of them become anxious of their time left together.

10:00 p.m.

Ida volunteers to go looking for the puppy. Once she’s out of Asra’s view, he goes searching for her.

11:00 p.m.

Asra finds police cars and and ambulance truck. He pushes through crowds of people and spot Ida run over by a black car. The puppy runs off into the distance. He begs the paramedics to take her to a hospital. Instead of bringing out a stretcher, they bring out a body bag. Asra sulks and walks off, back into the park. He lies down on the bench that he first saw Ida in.

11:30 p.m.

Asra closes his eyes to go to sleep. He doesn’t wake up.

12:00 a.m.

#Arcana Spotlight #the arcana #the arcana game #nix hydra #writeblr #they both die at the end #adam silvera #modern au #fan apprentice #arcasra #ida x asra #asra #julian devorak #julian #portia #nadia #lucio #muriel

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