ALT An Excerpt from The Charli Project (Working Title) Coming 2028... hopefully

ALT CHARLI TRUDGED AROUND the streets of the Metropolis with a backpack slung over her shoulder. The weather was just right for an evening out in the city; it wasn’t too hot that she would die from the humidity, nor were there heavy rains that would sweep her away. It was on those nights that she pursued her journey of self-discovery. She didn’t know where the destination was or what it was like, but she couldn’t just sit around and watch her life disappear with each passing day. She knew that the Author wasn’t coming back soon to fix any of this. Those who still put their hope in her return were like stupid kids who believed in Santa Claus. In reality, it was the Persona’s choices that perplexed her. With all the power she had, Charli often asked herself why the Persona had to stop at making the Metropolis safe when it could be fun, too. The important Archivist people might claim that Metropolitans could be whoever and do whatever they wanted, but looking around,

ALT Charli knew that her choices were limited. She didn’t want to graduate from college just to become a cog in the capitalist machine. Plus marriage? Kids? She didn’t want anything to do with those, either. She dropped her bag by a big empty wall. It was on the side of one of those high-end condominiums that seemed to be popping up everywhere. And it was gray, too, which was the worst part. Things should have been easier for her now that Metropolis was stable, which meant she had no right to complain about the life she already had. However, she had an uncontrollable itch that wouldn’t go away, and she needed to find a way to satisfy it somehow. Painting on gray walls—adding color to the world—was the solution Charli had found.