A few days on from the disaster of the monthly release, and things amongst the NPC’s hadn’t improved all that much. In fact, it might be that bit worse… Some had begun to take sides – either they’re with Edwin and it was a mistake/not his fault, or it was his fault and they’re against him. I never knew there would be this much discomfort with this group, they always seem so happy and a great team, but I guess if you work so closely with a group of people for years and years things can get a bit tense.

I personally have taken the stance to not blame anyone. I don’t know anyone or anything well enough to point fingers and blame names, plus I think it’s just nicer to believe that it was an evil fairy or something. Then no one has to feel guilt or shame or all those other negative emotions.

A back-up item was released in the absence of the Mysterio Blocks. Some kind of glass bottle lamp which looks cute and there were virtually no issues with it which was great. It’s good that the team had a Plan B for the monthly release, otherwise it would have been a lot worse I think. A huge majority of the community are a lot happier than they were which is the main thing, but poor Edwin is still disheartened. Everyone is seeing a lot less of him as he’s been hiding away – and I don’t really blame him as Collette and Veronica have really not been very nice.

However, let us move on to better news. I have designed my first few clothing items for my new boutique which I hope to be opening soon. Plus, I’ve also made a start on a couple of mood boards in order for me to get started on decorating my blank canvas of a Condo! All very exciting and gives me plenty of distraction away from the negativity that’s been floating around. I’ve also had the idea of what if my boutique had some base items, maybe 5-10 pieces that are there long-term, and the rest be pieces that are for a limited time and limited stock. For example, I could release 3 different dresses available for only one week and there only be 150 available for people to buy. I guess it’s kind of like the Zoe’s Club store but not for boxes and the items will be brand new each time. Maybe people will think I’ve copied Zoe with her club store but I’ll pitch it to her first I think and see what she says.

So first things first, I think I might just go see how Edwin is doing. I didn’t see him at all since the morning before yesterday.

*knock* *knock*

“Hey, Edwin? It’s Nereida.”

I waited, but heard no sound from the other side of the door.

“I have coffee?” I said hopefully. “Fresh from Buzz, and I have a vegan something or other…”

I looked at the piece of cake I bought for Edwin. I didn’t understand what the barista said it was but it was vegan.

“It’s some kind of cake?” I expanded on my previous comment.

I heard shuffling from within, which filled me with some hope but it soon quietened down again.

“I just wanted to check in… to see how you’re doing. I-I haven’t seen you much so I just thought I’d be nice?” I leant my head against the closed door.

Suddenly the door opened and I basically fell through the threshold. Lord only knows how I didn’t spill the hot coffee everywhere.

“Uhhh hi.” I grinned at Edwin who looked so solemn standing next to the open door.

I put down the coffee and, what I would, call questionable cake down on a nearby side table.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Fine.” He shrugged. “Th-thanks for the coffee.”

“That’s alright. Do you want to do something today? I have some designs and ideas I’m working on that I could use some help with?” I smiled, offering to get him out of his Condo and doing something that could count as being productive.

“I’m su-sure that th-they’re great but I ha-have stuff to-to do here.” He looked down to the ground, door still wide open.

“Oh yeah.” I was a little disheartened. “Okay. I’ll, um, leave you to it.”

I quickly exited his Condo and vacated the area. I almost felt embarrassed that I even went over, it was probably unwanted and stupid – but I was just being nice. I don’t know. I don’t want to dwell on it too much.

I checked the messages from the group chat on my phone while I walked towards Soho, but there was nothing new to read. The chat has been used sparingly the past couple of days, it’s as if this one hiccup has completely ruined the dynamic of the team – which seems strange as you’d assume the bond between the members would be a strong one. They always gave such a positive vibe as a group, but now I’m here it doesn’t seem like that so much. I guess it’s just to keep up appearances.

“Hey Nereida!”

I heard someone yell from behind me. I turned to see it was Niccolo, waving at me and jogging to catch up with me.

“Heya Niccolo.” I smiled, “What’s up?”

“Nothing really. Glad the terror has died down from our awful release… so I’m going to hit the beach but I saw you walking by and wanted to see how your designs are coming along?”

I was honestly so happy he’d asked about my designs. It showed that he cared, which was really sweet.

“I feel like I’ve finally had a really good start.” I beamed, “Thank you for being interested. I’ve got some sketches on me if you want to see?”

“Yeah sure! Sounds good to me man.”

“Okay, cool.” I said awkwardly, continuing in the direction of the Soho Garden.

“You seem a bit down?”

“No, I’m all good.” I shrugged.

“But…” He wanted me to expand, edging me on to reveal my true feelings because I guess I wasn’t all too convincing.

“But… I guess I’m just disappointed with how people are acting around here. Everyone just seems a bit hostile and kind of unfriendly towards each other.” I watched as a group of girls giggled as they walked past, a few of them waving to Niccolo who winked back at them.

“Not to say people haven’t been nice to me because they have.” I added quickly. “I went to see Edwin this morning to see if he was alright, but he only let me in to shut me out so I guess he’s still not feeling so great.”

“Yeah, Edwin struggles to get through the darker moments in life but he always comes through. I guess it’s harder when there’s so much pressure and things from other people.” Niccolo said, staring at the floor and scratching the back of his neck.

“Do you guys not get on…?” I tentatively asked, “I mean, as a group?”

There was an uncomfortable silence as we reached the park. I sat down on the furthest away table, opening up my bag to pick out my sketchbook.

“We used to get on great in the beginning.” Niccolo sat down. “Everything was new and exciting. It was so cool.” He smiled, I assumed he was reminiscing about past times. “But lately with the stress of it all, nothing new coming to mind and, I don’t know, maybe it’s all got a bit too much or something. It’s just different. Things don’t seem to be so great between everyone now. Like, for a time I didn’t even notice it but apparently there were disagreements happening for a while and just… it all spiralled. I guess.”

I nodded, listening along to him.

“Sorry, probably a bit too much.” He said, leaning back and taking my sketchbook to browse through.

“No, it’s fine.” I half-smiled, kind of worried about what I’ve walked in to.

If ourWorld is dying, then will I soon be out of a career that has barely started? Surely this team is the back-bone of the whole thing. I just don’t know if I want to be around a negative environment because I don’t want myself to become so… down. I just feel bad. I don’t want to leave, but it doesn’t really make me want to stay if being around this atmosphere is just going to make me feel sad. However, I guess I just have to see if it passes off – at least for the rest of the month. I shouldn’t have to suffer because other people can’t pull it together, but maybe it’s more complicated than that…

“These are a great start.” Niccolo commented on my work. “But maybe you should try stick to one style or colour palette if you want to go for this boutique idea?”

I nodded in agreement with him. “They’re just beginnings of ideas. I just need to narrow which ones I want to expand on to work with for the first collection.”

“I like these two the best.” He pointed out a skirt and a dress from my various sketches. “You’ve got an awesome style. It’s all so good, and I really look forward to seeing it all in stores.”

“Thank you.” I chuckled, sliding the sketchbook to in front of myself. “I’m wanted to talk to Zoe about the boutique idea, as I’m worried some my think I’m copying her Zoe’s Club business because, I suppose, there are qualities that are similar.

“I think you’ll be fine, but a chat with Zoe would be beneficial for you – talking to Zoe is beneficial for everyone to be honest. She’s one of the best.” He tapped on the table before rising from his seat. “I’m going to head to the beach to catch those waves, but I’ll see you around newbie.” He said in jest, winking at me before leaving the peaceful garden.

I began sketching more ideas but a few moments later, a couple of girls entered the garden checking behind them and looking worried to make sure no one was following them. I don’t believe they saw me, or if they did, they didn’t care for my presence.

“I managed to get what you wanted.” One of them started.

She had long blonde hair with a huge black bow and wore ripped jeans with a cropped top. Black boots came up to her knees and a jewelled necklace hung from her neck.

“You did?!” The other was excited, clapping her hands. “How much do I owe you?”

The blonde girl opened her back and reached for an item I was unfamiliar with.

“50mil.” She replied.

“You said 35mil before I thought.” The other girl questioned, a little dejected but still went for her coin machine.

“It took a lot more effort and cost me more than I expected, it was hard to find.” The blonde girl huffed. “It’s hard to go beyond the boundary enough as it is, risky too. I could have been sent away from this place if I got caught.”

I stopped my sketching and concentrated more on their conversation. What is the boundary? Do they mean beyond ourWorld? Because going to downWorld isn’t a crime…

The machine bleeped to signify the completion of the transaction.

“Thanks.” The blonde girl said, still holding on to the unknown object which appeared to be some kind of silver box.

“Hand it over then.” The other demanded, holding out her hand. “If you’re just going to scam me I’ll-“

“You’ll do what?” The blondie scoffed, pausing for a moment before finally handing over the item.

With the exchange over, the girls began to leave. One glaring at me as I quickly avoided eye contact before they both disappeared out of sight. I wanted to resume my sketches, but my mind had emptied from ideas and curiosity of the interaction I had just witnessed filled my brain.

The evening came sooner than I would have liked. I’d spent most of my day sketching and chatting to Zoe, Cammie and Ani about my designs, yet the back of my mind dwelled on the odd exchange I had witnessed earlier. It’d been another day without seeing Edwin around the islands, but everyone else I seemed to at least catch a glimpse of. I didn’t feel very fulfilled after today. It’s unclear whether that was due to my feelings towards the disharmony of the NPC Team or the lack of certain direction of my designs, or just perhaps something else entirely. I just felt a bit empty. Not everything was as I’d dreamed it would be.

Currently, I was sat in Buzz drinking some tea while playing a matching game on my phone in attempt to unwind my mind. It was relatively quiet in the cafe, seats were filled but voices were low and the rain was loud enough to be heard falling on the windows. I just wanted to go to bed really, but Azia had asked to have a quick meeting with me before the day came to an end and this was the only time available to her.

“So, you mentioned something strange today?” Azia appeared from no where with a steaming hot coffee in her hand and a smile on her face. “An odd trade?”

“Yes, hello.” I put my phone down and took a sip of my luke-warm tea. “There was a couple of girls in Soho Garden swapping 50mil coins for an item from ‘beyond the boudary’?”

“What did the item look like?” She enquired.

“Just a small silver trinket box from what I could tell.” I shrugged. “But they were very selective about the whole thing, so I just thought I should let someone know.”

“You were right to text me.” Azia took a huge gulp of her coffee – which seemed like she really needed. “Don’t worry about this further, I’ve got this.” She got up from the seat she’d barely sat down in.

“Is that it?” I tentatively asked.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. I’m serious.” She smiled. “Have a good night Nereida.”

With that, she walked out. I sat and finished my tea, relieved that the burden seemed to have lessened however, my curiosity grew and my mind just became more restless.