It had been 3 months since Match had seen Pencil, so she was feeling a little empty.
She wandered by herself while doing her most favorite thing in the world: minding her own business (not).

Randomly, she happened to stumble upon GB's underground factory. Match looked around the entrance to see if anyone could spot her. She then went down a few steps to see if she could hear anyone.
Match wanted to steal. Steal what?
Snacks, and anything else of value. Whenever GB sent Tennis Ball out to get test subjects, the subject always came back with a bioengineered Fruit™ or a mechanical knick knack. The best of the bunch was a mechanical bird toy the scientists had made for Tree.

“I don’t care if it isn’t a real bird. I mean honestly, have any of you, ever seen a real bird?” Tree had said.

Match tiptoed down the stairs as fast as she could. The quicker she was out of the factory the better. Golf Ball and Tennis Ball had the means to do serious harm to Match if they caught her, and what better place to do it in the lab?
The matchstick had never heard about anything that would qualify as torture, but she didn’t put them above it.

Now on the floor of the chamber, Match thought she heard someone. She stood still in order to be silent. On closer inspection the sound wasn’t coming from anyone she knew. It sounded more like a recording.
Match was curious of the sound, so she went down the middle corridor. At the end of the hall she stopped to look at a big metal door labeled ‘Everything Locker’. To her left she heard the music louder, so she continued her quest.

That path eventually led to a door to which the music was blasting from. Match took a deep breath before peeking in just a little. The music suddenly stopped. The door opened completely from the other side.
“I’m sorry! I … Oh hey Match,” Pencil said after opening the door, “I thought you were GB,”
“Oh my like, tree! It’s like, you again!” Match was stiff, but not as afraid as before.

“Yep!” Pencil turned to go back into the room, “In the flesh!” she sounded disappointed.
Inside the room was a bed, a desk, and some shelves filled with her things. Match could see a TV that was connected to a strange plastic guitar.
“What are you like, doing?” She asked.
“Playing heckin Rock Band,” Pencil said without looking at Match. She put the plastic guitar strap over her again, “Don’t tell GB ok. She’s gonna be pissed cause I’m supposed to be grounded,” Pencil turned down the TV before unpausing the game.

And while I'm waiting for my time to come
(waiting for my time to come)
I'm gonna get a little shopping done
(get a little shopping done)
I'll get some paper and a staple gun
(a staple guuun)
And put my name in front of every-one...

The game sang in a diligent tone.

“You were like, grounded by GB? Ha! What did you even do?” Match laughed.

I got it made!
I got it down!

“It's none of your business lackstick,” Pencil said focusing on her game.

I am the king! of this goddamn town!
I'm on my own!
I'm on my way -ay -ay
Down Utopia (Utopia!), Utopia Parkway!

Pencil smiled at the guitar's progression in this part of the song. Despite her smile she still felt stressed. To become grounded she had schemed up a plan to turn everyone human. GB and TB didn’t seem to like it one bit.

“Like, what is this room?” Match asked. Pencil looked over to her with intrigue, before looking back at the TV.
“It’s..It’s my bedroom Match,” She said calmly.
“You like, live here?”
Pencil didn’t say anything.

Match saw the S.E.S.C. sitting on Pencil’s desk. While she thought Pencil wasn’t looking, the matchstick tiptoed over to the device. Match was just about to pick it up when Pencil interrupted her.
“I wouldn’t touch that if I were you. You know what it does to people,” Pencil said.
Match slowed her breathing.
She looked over at the S.E.S.C. and then back at Pencil’s backside.

“We can like, change you back-”
“I don’t WANNA go back,” Pencil grumbled. The song ended. Pencil turned around to face Match, the TV now illuminating her back, “You said! ‘change me back,” She snapped, “-You're telling me that you knew it's me! It's me! Right here! And you knew!! And you didn't even look for me!?”
Match thought about what she was going to say.
“But you're like, not the same…”
“I KNOW... I'm not the same Match. I was tired, of being the same. Objects never change. But.. you don't…” Match saw Pencil's eyes dart over to the S.E.S.C.
Match became uneasy…

Pencil looked at Match and the S.E.S.C. She sighed.
“I understand. I- I thought that maybe..” She sighed again, “Match I'm so lonely.. but I get it. A human pencil isn't worth your time. Just get out of here…”
Pencil watched Match walk out of her room. After Match was a little always, Pencil closed the door. She took her guitar off and dove into bed. Taking a deep breath, she played with her hands.

This was just an attempt to comfort herself, but it wasn't working.
Something had come between the 2 of them that made them unable to understand each other. Pencil could see it happening right in front of her, but she still couldn't define it.
Her demons yelled at her after what just happened.

“We NEED more humans! Just grab the stinkin S.E.S.C. and zap them already! You will die alone if you don't,”
A mix of loneliness and something else said.
“Please put the guitar away. GB will see you with it!” self preservation said.
“There are Gushers in the everything locker. I don't care it they're expired,” hunger said.
Pencil decided to just sit there.

“Forget gushers Tiff. Think of the future! Nobody should tell you that you shouldn't zap anyone,”
Pencil lifter her head at this voice. It seemed to be coming from inside the room rather than her own mind.
“Besides, you are the superior species. Are you really going to let yourself be the last of your kind?”
Pencil layed stiff in her bed.
“OH COME ON! SPEAK TO ME! Take back our world! It wasn't meant to be like this forever! You're sitting here under the enemies authority doing nothing! You don't need to listen to them! Listen to somebody who gets it!”
“W-who are you!” Pencil was brave enough to speak.

A neon red silhouette of a girl around the same age as Pencil fazed through the door. Different than the rest of her body, her eyes and mouth could be seen.
Pencil sat up at the sight of this glowing ghost. The ghoul pointed a thumb at itself.
“I am Josie Green, and I'm gonna take back the whole wide world if it's the last thing I ever do!”

Pencil leapt out of bed. The demon was gone, but it seemed she had left the room in a dying scream.