I woke up. It was a warm, summer day. The bees were a buzzing, the birds were a singing, and I spent my day, as I always have, lazing on the couch. My Mother and ‘Father’ have already left the house. They wave at me, their marks staring back at me. Everyone has a mark. Since the day they were born, there had been a mark on everyone’s wrist. I, a slothful shut in, was born without a mark, which made everyone seem me as a failure. At least, everyone but my parents. They, through some twisted hope, thought that I would find someone. But deep down, we all know that they are wrong. So, I sit, wasting my days away playing Dive-in VR games; My only escape from the cold reality. As I log in to my favorite game, a new release known as “Atronarch Online,” I feel the same boredom creeping through my heart. I spawn, my familiar avatar manifesting around me. Soon, I hear crying. I’m not sure where from, it seems to come from all around me, comforting me, drawing me in to despair. I look around, and I see a young lady, around her early teenage years, crying with her head in her hands, wailing her heart out. I walk over to her, and say “Hey, are you alright? What happened?” And try to comfort her. She looks at me and says, “My mark.. *sniff* It’s not there! *sniff* Just yesterday, I was hanging with Abby, and Ellie, and Lilly, and then.. and then.. it was gone! *sniff* I’ll never find a friend!”