The Quest for Freedom

Prologue
The small lobster scuttled out of its crevice in the rocks. It sensed pollution in the air. Snap, snap, went its red claws, stained with cuts and scars, and rose into the sandy shore. "Hello?" it called, coming closer to the edge of the beach. "I said, hello?" called the lobster again, snapping its claws louder. "Stop," said a fox suddenly. The lobster stared up at the larger creature above him. The fox was pure black, with streaks of red painted on its back. He had amber eyes, and wore a neon bow on his back, explorer shoes on his paws. "Bates...?" said the lobster, backing away. Please, don't pollute the ocean. Please, this is my life you are ending." The fox, now known as Bates, made a half-cough noise, trying to hide a snigger. "Sorry lobster, I can't stop myself after what you've done to me." replied Bates, showing his paw, which had a deep cut on it, but was beginning to crust. He said lobster like it was some disgusting dirty word. "It just starting crusting, but it happened a month ago, you dirty beast." he snarled, getting his bow ready.

The lobster sighed, tears coming out of his eyes. "Fine... Bates, I guess you can do this." he wailed, covering his face. "Say your last words, Azazel." Bates growled. "Please... don't hurt... me." stuttered the lobster. BANG! The bullet went right into the lobster's eye.

Chapter One: Socks
BANG! The words exploded into my face. I woke up, a pool of sweat and dread on my head. It was 9:30 am, and my alarm clock had not rang. Weird, I thought, and got dressed into an old summer shirt, and some torn jeans I had gotten from a yard sale. I didn't wear socks. No one bothered with socks in my neighbourhood, nor my favourite game of all times, Animal Jam. I close my gnarled wood door, staring at the sign that said, 'Audrey's Room'. Audrey. That was my name, and I have never been proud of it. I searched up cute girls names yesterday, and apparently Audrey was on there. I wish my mum hadn't been so ignorant and named a cute name. I've always been a little bit of a tomboy, but we're pushing the subject now. I skip breakfast, and dinner. I only have lunch, which is not a huge portion, which is why I've always been a short and skinny little girl. Ugh, it would've been so much easier to say guy. I walk into my little sister's room. "Wahhhhh, play animal jay play a-jay!!!" she yelled. "Fine, fine." I said, dragging her dramatically to my room and logged on to Animal Jam. "So, what do you wanna do today?" I asked, moving my arctic wolf around. "Please, trade!!!" she replied, riding on her old dinosaur ball. "OK." I replied, looking for the server Aldan. Then I heard the familiar ding of someone entering your den. I sighed and clicked on the den icon, stunned to find my best friend, puppapaw00978 in my den. "Puppy... what ya doing here?" I asked, doing the concerned emote. "I just got hacked! I saw a pure black wolf in my den, when I saw it, it just disappeared! Then I got logged out and my pink long was gone! Help me Audio ty, help me Audio!" she said, doing the cry emote. I felt sad for Puppy (aka Penelope) and decided to help her. "What was the user?" I asked. "paparazzi one." she replied. I searched up Paparazzi1 and it came up. I clicked its den... and then... black.

I found myself sleeping on the keyboard with the computer logged off. My little sister was gone. Mum must've took her for Holiday Activities at her preschool. I turned the computer back on and logged onto Animal Jam. My main account said, The password you have entered does not match our records. That was weird! I tried to do it again, but then it showed the Jammer Security Check. In panic, I went on my spare, jayjayisnotonaj123, my little sister's account, but it was mostly mine. I had helped her get some good rares, like spikes, founders and party hats, and some den betas plus bought her membership. It had expired by now, so I picked her AJ animals to play with. Mysteriously, the animals were all bloody. Sighing, thinking it was just a stupid old glitch, I chose a bloody panda and a bloody wolf. I switched to the bloody panda and clicked Paparrazi1's den. My main account's Animal, Major Sleepy boy was laid on the ground, with blood rolling down it's eyelids, infected wounds and a large scar across its head and several bruises. It was obviously dead. The bloody panda automatically moved towards the arctic wolf, Major Sleepy Boy. Then it turned to a cut scene.

The bloody panda walked closer to the arctic wolf, moaning. The panda began staring at Major Sleepy Boy. Just staring, nothing else. It suddenly began moving, towards his right leg. There was a small, turquoise, candy-cane sock attached to it's fur. I peered closer at it. How did the sock even get there? I never even had socks in Animal Jam! Well, I did, but then I traded it for some rims, but... still, how? Questions revolved round my head, but I let the story go on and on. Suddenly, a pure black wolf entered the den. It seemed to have no eyes; it was like it came straight from the dead.

"What are you doing here?" my panda automatically said. "Getting ready for the big death day." he whispered, holding 3 rims in his paw. I paused the cut scene, the screen frozen. Now I understood. I traded my socks to a black wolf... and his name... Paparazzi1. I played the cut scene again. Now the bloody panda was screaming, I could hear it, but the black wolf just yelled "DEATH DAY!" scornfully and dragged the bloody panda away. Since that day, I've always collected socks and wore them, in Animal Jam and real life.

Chapter Two: Gone
When I woke up this morning, I put on some black bunny socks I had found at the back of the wardrobe, and a nice marigold skirt, plus a purple hoodie jacket over a blue summer shirt. I decided it was time to change. So I walked downstairs and opened the fridge, later being attacked by my sister. "Yes?" I said, not making eye contact with her and spooning myself some cornflakes. My sister stared at me, looking into my sanity with her bright malachite eyes. "Are you going to play a-jay today?" she whispered into my ear, careful not to inform mum in the corner, who was busy sitting in front of the TV listening to some talk-show.

"Of course," I said, putting my cereal bowl into the dishwasher, bolting upstairs, my little sister following shortly behind me. I entered my bedroom, and my sister later dashed in. "Shut the door." I said firmly, pointing at the wooden door. My sister sighed and clutched the doorknob tightly in her hands before finally swinging the door shut.

"Finally," I muttered, logging onto my computer and going onto Animal Jam. My sister got a fluffy bean bag out from the corner and dragged it towards the computer and sat on it, staring at the computer, as if it was going to grow legs and run away. I tried logging onto my account again. It repeatedly spammed me with red messages saying The password you entered does not match our records, but then I remembered the black wolf called Paparazzi1 who dragged my sister's bloody panda away and my arctic wolf, and said something about 'death day'. What on earth was that?

I tried logging onto my account again, but then it showed up with the Jammer Security Check. My sister saw this and laughed unpleasantly, leaving a horrific stain in my brain which I will never forget. "You forgot your word-pass? Dory!!!" she yelled, laughing. I glared at her. "No, I didn't." I replied bitterly. "It must be some bug or something, so I'm going to have to log onto your account."

My sister gasped and frowned. "No," she replied. "That's my account!" I glared at her. "Fine!" I yelled, pushing her out of my bedroom, and slamming the door on her. I heard crying later on, and mum storming upstairs.

"Well, at least I can play Animal Jam now." I muttered, locking my door, and logging onto Animal Jam on my sister's account. I spawned in Coral Canyons and I was the bloody wolf. I checked Paparazzi1's username, but their animal just showed a black silhouette of a tiger, but the person's den was locked. I checked my Youtube notifications, and it said, PuppyAJ has posted a new video. My buddy, puppapaw00978, had a channel. It was called, 'How to summon Paparazzi1: TIPS FOR CURIOUS PLAYERS!'

Curiously, I clicked on the video. It showed a picture of Puppy's Animal Jam animal, a lynx. She typed in chat, 'Hey Guys! Today we'll be telling you about the mysterious Paparazzi Won!" She searched up the username. She also got the silhouette of a tiger. 'You see, it usually shows the tiger. But sometimes, it shows a black wolf!' I listened curiously, leaning at the edge of my seat. The video went on. 'So, this is what you have to do! Go to Crystal Sands, and click the crab scuttling underneath the aquarium twice. If you haven't clicked that before for your journey book, this won't work.' I grinned. I had completed every single journey book page.

'So after you've done that, go to the cave leading to Mt Shiveer, and do every action in this order. Play, dance, hop, sleep, and then sit.' I listened intently, wanting more. 'Now, go to The Lost Temple of Zios, and into Brady Barr's lab. Make a pure white potion, and switch to a panda. Make it pitch black, and make it sit right outside.' I was sure the next step Paparazzi would appear. 'Now, type Paparazzi Won again. It should come up with a black wolf.' Puppy searched their username up, and it showed a black wolf, and it was online. Puppy did the smile emote. 'Now quick! Click on their den!' Puppy clicked on the den, did the shocked emote, and the video ended there. "PUPPY!" I screamed out loud, my mum storming into the room.

"Audrey, I am shocked!" my mum yelled, turning off the computer. I looked at her usually comforting chocolate brown eyes. But now, her eyes seemed to have changed to a vat of blood, which was unsettling. "M-Mum, you don't understand!" I replied, my eyes shining with tears. "P-Puppy, my best friend... s-she's gone!" Mum glared at me menacingly. "Honestly Audrey, I couldn't have imagined worse of you!" Playing this stupid game, you missed lunch and dinner, and it's way past midnight! Hey, girl, I need to see that sheet of homework you've been doing!" she snapped, looking into my homework folder. I gulped. I had forgotten all about homework.

Mum finally pulled out a sheet which said in tiny words, 'Audrey Black's Dinosaur Essay'. Then she stared down the page. Blank. Blank. Mum turned at me and looked at me so hard I could feel her yelling creeping towards. "AUDREY!" she thundered, banging her fist on the desk, making the desk rattle and the computer plug fall. "HOW COULD YOU FORGET ABOUT A PIECE OF PAPER BECAUSE OF A SILLY OLD GAME!" Tears were rolling down my cheeks as I tried to explain. "M-Mum! You don't understand! Animal Jam isn't silly! There's a mass hacker called Paparazzi-wham! My mum struck me across the face, and slammed the door on me, leaving me a soggy mess, a horrible bleeding gash in my cheek and no more Puppy. She was just... Gone. I looked at my window. On the playground, I could barely see it through the fog, I saw a black wolf howling. 'Gone.' he whispered.

Chapter Three: Investigating
The next morning, I was deep in stress. First, I was sure I had lost my best friend Puppy, or, maybe I should say Penelope now that she's... well sort of gone on Animal Jam, but, we're moving on. Secondly, I had school tomorrow, so I had to finish that homework assignment. Third, I had a big mystery to solve on Paparazzi1 on Animal Jam, and so far, I hadn't gotten many useful hints. I woke up extremely early this morning. I wanted to play Animal Jam, as I knew I wouldn't have time. I went on my computer, and went on to Youtube again. I wanted to make note of what to do. I clicked on the video. It had gotten over a million views in a day. I wrote note of each step. Finally, I had gotten a sticky note that looked like this.

'' Tutorial on Paparazzi. By Audrey Black. NO MOTHERS ALLOWED ''

-''Go to Crystal Sands, and click the crab scuttling underneath the aquarium twice. ''

-A''fter you've done that, go to the cave leading to Mt Shiveer, and do every action in this order. Play, dance, hop, sleep, and then sit.''

-''Now, go to The Lost Temple of Zee-os Zios, and into Brady Barr's lab. Make a pure white potion, and switch to a panda. Make it pitch black, and make it sit right outside.''

-''Now, type Paparazzi1 again. It should come up with a black wolf, which will be online. Click on it's den, quick!''

There, all done! I logged onto Animal Jam and didn't bother to choose my username. I knew it wouldn't work, like it did for the past couple days. I went on jayjayisnotaj123,  and spawned as the bloody wolf again. I checked to see if the bloody panda was still there. But it was gone. Then I remembered Death Day. Was yesterday Death Day? I checked Puppy's user. It didn't come up. It was gone. Everything was just... gone. Then I noticed... the animals, everything were gone. It was just me in Jamaa at the moment. But I couldn't get distracted. I had a big job to do.