Journey Through Yourself

(if: $time < 3)[It's 8:32 A.M. You nervously walk through a door into a rather small but packed waiting room. You hear the small drone of a TV with the latest sportsball game on. You sit down in one of the few open seats, which is right next to an elderly woman. Since there's a lot of people in queue, you may as well try to kill some time. You decide to: [[Watch the latest sportsball game.->Sportsball Game]] [[Browse the interwebs->Interwebs]] [[Make small talk.->Small Talk]]] (else:)[It's now 12:57 A.M. Finally you hear your name called. [[Get up and head into the other room.->Psychiatrist Room]]]

You step into a small but cozily decorated room. There is a man sitting in a chair. Psychiatrist: Please, take a seat. You take a seat on the leather sofar. Psychiatrist: So a lot has been bothering you lately? *You discuss what has been bothering you* Ah, I see. You've been having a lot of anxiety lately, and you feel like nobodies cares about you. Hmm... *He gets up and ponders for a minute* Maybe it's time you took a deeper look into yourself... Step over here, why don't you? [[Step Over There->The Room]] [[Uhh... Do NOT Step Over There]]

C'mon, there's no reason to be scared, this will be beneficial, trust me. [[Reluctantly step in the Room->The Room]]

It's time for you to enter... the brain tumbler. This device will allow you to enter your own mind and see what has been bothering you. [[Get Hooked Up to the Device->The Device]]

You sit down in a large chair. The psychiatrist hooks up a large helmet go to your head. Psychiatrist: Are you ready to travel into your inner psyche? [[YES->Confidence]] [[NO->Are You Sure?]]

Oops, I think it's too late now to back out now! The machine activates. You feel a strange sensation in your head and [[black out->Strange Field]].

You wake up and in front of you see a gray, overcast sky. You get up and realize you're in a large, sprawling field. Across the horizon you see two structures. You spot an old house that looks like it hasn't been touched in years. Even further out a there is a ginormous building looming over it. [[You head towards the old looking house.->Old House]] [[You head towards the gargantuan building.->School]]

You go up to the old, tattered house. As you get closer you realize the house is the one you once lived in as a child. You haven't been there since you moved out when you went to college. As you approach the house the front door slowly creaks open. You decide to... [[Enter the house.->Living Room]] [[Head towards the building.->School]]

You walk up to the ginormous building and recognize it as a distorted and warped version of the school you attended as a child. [[Approach the entrance.->Entrance]] [[Head towards the Old House.->Old House]]

Alright! I'm liking your confidence! Get ready to have your mind... uhhh... entered... ...by yourself. The machine activates. You feel a strange sensation in your head and [[black out.->Strange Field]]

You approach the entrance. (if: $supplies is true)[WIth your school supplies in tow, you [[enter the school.->Wayside Hall]].] (else:)[A mysterious voice echoes from the class. If you plan on entering *MY* class, you better have some school supplies!] [[Go around to the back of the school.->Back of School]] [[Back away from the entrance.->School]]

You enter what appears to be the living room and the door closes behind you. In front of you see a younger version of yourself sprawled out on the couch and watching your old favorite cartoon. In another room, you hear what sounds like your parents arguing. Mom: Dear, can you come in here for a second? Your younger self gets up and nervously goes into the kitchen. The memory finishes and you see that the [[TV is still on->TV]]. [[Follow yourself into the kicthen.->Kitchen]]

Upon coming to the back of the school, you find a large dumpster. Do you dare to dive in? [[YES]] [[Uh... No? I should go back to the entrance.->Entrance]]

You enter the kitchen. Your once younger self now looks like you in highschool. Despite the significant height increase, your mother and father tower over you. Mom: Dear, your father and I have been discussing something, and- Dad: Your grades have been abysmal! What the hell, you said you would bring them up! You: I-I'm working on it... Dad: You've been working on *it* for three months! We're taking away your interweb priveliges. You: NO! PLEASE, please don't, that's where I talk to all my friends... Dad: Well maybe you should have thought of that before you decided to tank your grades. Your younger self furiously storms out of the room. After the memory ends, you see that the [[refrigerator is open.-> Fridge]]

You enter through the door and suddenly you begin to fall sideways. You end up landing on the wall of a classroom. When you look up, you see yourself with some former peers chatting in class. Maya: Hey, do you want to head with me and James to the mall tomorrow? You: Sorry, I can't, my dad doesn't let me go out on my own... Maya: Jesus, still? He's a real jackass you know. You: Yeah, I know, but ever since my mom passed away, he's been even stricter with me. I get he's probably trying to "protect me", but it feels like he can be really controlling a lot of the time. The memory fades, so you exit [[through the doorway->Wayside Hall]]. (set: $count += 1)

You decide to swan-dive into the dumpster, only to hit your head on a heap of large [[textbooks->Textbooks]].

(if: $books is 3)[You decide that's enough dumpster diving for now and head back [[to the entrance->Entrance]].] (else:)[You see multiple textbooks titled [[AP European History]], [[Honors Chemistry]], and [[AP Statistics]].]

Flipping through it reveals it contains all of the incredibly important nuance of European trade deals and civil wars your mind had carelessly thrown out. Read other [[Textbooks]]. (set: $books += 1)

There's an episode of one of your favorite cartoons playing. It was one you had to sneak to the TV late at night to watch. [[Keep Watching->More TV]] [[That's enough TV for now->Kitchen]]

You check the fridge and notice inside a mysterious passageway that leads to [[your room.->Bedroom]].

You enter your bedroom. Inside the room you see an even older version of yourself packing many bags. Your dad walks in and sits down on your bed. Dad: Hey, I know you're busy packing, we just wanted to say that we're going to miss you. You: Yeah, I figured... Dad: Feel free to call whenever you want, kiddo! Your younger self gets up with their bags, and leaves in silence. The memory fades. In the corner you spot your old backpack with your school supplies in it. You decide to take it with you. (set: $supplies to true) [[Time to go to class.->School]]

You continue to watch TV. Now, it's airing one of your favorite animes. [[That's enough TV for now->Kitchen]]

Upon entering the school, you immediately fall down from the doorway and land on a flight of stairs that goes... well you can't really tell. The hallway is a twisted labyrinth of stairways, lockers, and [[classrooms->Wayside Classroom]] which all twist around eachother. (if: $count is 2)[At the end of the long hall, you see a large door labeled [[Principal's Office]].]

You enter the principal's office. There you see you and your father sitting down in front od the principal's desk. Principal: Your child has been acting rather unruly lately. Dad: Yeah, they've been getting into a lot of trouble at home was well. You: Maybe if youu weren't such an asshole, we wouldn't be here! Suddenly, the world around you starts to fall apart, and everything begins to [[fade->Back in the real world]].

Psychiatrist: Are you sure? This could be a once in a lifetime opportunity! You would get to travel deep into your own psyche and examine what's been bothering you. [[Reluctantly Agree.->Confidence]] [[Decline.->No Choice]]

Psychiatrist: Sorry about that, we had to pull you out earlier than expected. This is pretty new tech after all, so there's still some kinks. More importantly, [[how was it in the Brain Tumbler?->Explanation]]

You describe your experience to the Psychiatrist. Psychiatrist: Hmm, very interesting indeed. Welp, unfortunately that's all the time I'm allotted, I hope you enjoyed your visit. [[Exit Building]]

You exit the Psychiatrist's office feeling a sense of unfinished business. You decide it's time to have a talk with your old man.

Flipping through its contents reveal all of the incredibly interesting high school chemistry factoids you had forgotten. Only one had remained with you through thick and thin, and it was about a certain powerhouse of the cell. Read other [[Textbooks]]. (set: $books += 1)

Fipping through the book's contents, all of the fond memories figuring out populus polls flows back into you. Read other [[Textbooks]]. (set: $books += 1)

You look up at the telescreen showing the latest sportsball game. You see that a player picks up the puck with his net and launches it through the hoop into the touchdown field. [[Stop Watching.->Waiting Room]] (set: $time += 1)

You're curious about what the hottest buzz is on the interwebs. When you open up your oPhone 57, you are literally hit with a pop-up ad advertising the oPhone 109. You rub your face to try and soothe the pain. You always forget not to open up your phone too close to your face. While scrolling through MyBook, you spot a headline which reads, "Tired of feeling shitty about your miserable life! Then you should come to one of our many Brain Tumbler clinics!" After scrolling for a little while longer, you notice your battery level is pretty low. [[Turn off your oPhone.->Waiting Room]] (set: $time += 1)

You decide to try making small talk to the kind looking elderly woman next to you. You nervously turn towards her and... [[Compliment her on her lovely outfit.->Old Lady]] [[Ask her how her day is going.->Old Lady]] [[Decide it's best to leave her alone.->Waiting Room]]

Elderly Woman: Excuse me, I don't remember asking to be rudely interrogated right now. I'll have you know that my cousin served on the front of the backlines in World War III.XI, and I won't have some young entitled brat egg me on about my own personal life! You know you have quite the nerve sticking your nose... You begin to doze off to the woman's ramblings. Elderly Woman: ...and then *I* said, "That's exactly what I said!" The woman drones on for what feels like an eternity. Elderly Woman: And in conclusion, that's why I think people who voted for free healthcare deserve to be exiled to Moon Prison. You didn't hear most of that conversation, but it feels like you aged about 500 years. [[Turn away from the woman.->Waiting Room]] (set: $time += 1)