ATWT Rewrite

I slipped on my shoes, leaving the house with a heavy sigh. Was I really doing this? Yuki had practically forced me into it.

The walk to the store was short. When I finally reached the grocery store. I stepped inside. Grabbing small premade meals and bags of chips.

"Hey, Wan!," the cashier greeted with a smile.

 He was a guy around my age. Always with a laid-back attitude. "How've you been?"

I replied. "Busy with school. How about you? Are you still working here?"

"Yeah, still at it." He scanned my items quickly, then leaned in a bit, lowering his voice. "Hey, have you heard about the new ATWT server starting tomorrow?"

"Of course," I said. "Everyone's talking about it. It's going to be hardcore mode, right?"

"Yeah," he laughed. "To bad I'll be working for the next few hours so I can't play at launch"

"Sounds like it," I muttered, thinking of the long nights I'd spent in the game world. 

"Guess we'll see how it goes."

He handed me the receipt. A smile returned to his face. "Take care, man."

"Yeah, you too," I said, grabbing the bags.

The cool air hit me as I stepped back outside. I couldn't wait to get home. I walked down the street. My mind wandered back to the game. The hardcore mode was definitely a step up. 

A woman suddenly crossed the road in front of me. Her brown hair was pinned up with a gold butterfly hair accessory. She was walking with purpose, not noticing the speeding truck heading her way. I rushed forward. Shoving her out of the way.

The truck passed us. My heart pounded in my chest. The woman stumbled back.

"Are you okay?" I asked, catching my breath.

She looked at me and then quickly nodded. 

"I'm fine, thanks." Her voice was soft, but oddly calm.

"I should've been more careful."

"I didn't think so. I just saw you and… well, that truck was moving too fast," I said, feeling a bit awkward.

She smiled at me. "I guess it's lucky you were there. My name's Tama, but my friends call me Pendant."

"Wan," I said, introducing myself.

I tried to keep the conversation light. "It's good to meet you, Tama. But… you really should watch out for trucks like that."

She nodded, her expression growing a little more serious. "You should head home quickly, Wan. The time is nigh."

I raised an eyebrow, confused. "What do you mean? Is something happening?"

But she didn't answer, just gave me a small, almost cryptic smile. "Take care, Wan. See you soon."

I stood there for a moment. Watching her walk off down the street. The feeling of unease lingering. Her words didn't make sense. The way she said them gave me chills. Maybe it was just a weird encounter.

Either way. I shook off the feeling. Looking down at the groceries in my hands. I started heading home.