by Anthea Sharp
"Hey." Dylan kept his gaze on the floor, digging his toe into the concrete.
Awkwaaard. "So." Maddy pressed her lips together. Why can't I just talk? She tried again. "I guess we won."
Dylan looked up at her, his brow creasing.
"Power?" Maddy prompted.
"Yeah, I know, it's just . . . Mads. You're math class Maddy."
Maddy’s brows snapped up. "Wait a minute. You know my name?"
It was Dylan's turn to blush. "I mean, yeah. You're in all my classes here." He gave a half smile, his hands buried in his pants pockets.
"Right." They stood there silent for a few beats, the buzz of chatter filtering through the cafeteria. "I hope you don't mind I used your name," Maddy said, rushing through the words before she had a chance to chicken out. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you who I was sooner. I just . . . well, some guys—"
"No. I get it. Some of them can be real jerks, especially to girls." Dylan pushed his glasses back up his nose. "That ending was kinda boss, by the way."
"Thanks. Some last-minute Sacrifice option. I heard it worked."
Dylan smirked. "You shoulda seen it."
"I hear I still can. Hey, you wanna sit down? Amber's saved us some spots, and you can share my food. I don't think I can eat it, anyway."
"You can’t eat, either?" Dylan asked, then broke into a grin. "Too bad the cafeteria doesn’t serve health potion."
Maddy could swear the room had warmed and brightened. "Nah. I'm fine." At Dylan's cocked brow, she added, "Maybe even better than fine."
12
That night, Maddy lay awake, still floating. She'd talked to Dylan. And she'd said words. Coherent words. And things were cool with her and Amber, too. Maddy couldn't believe she'd ever doubted her best friend.
She was just drifting off to sleep when her digiTAB beeped, powering up on its own. Maddy propped herself on her elbows, squinting at the blue glow. How had that gotten into her room? She didn’t remember taking it out of the living room, though maybe after that sacrifice bit . . .
The Power logo appeared in the hologram field, the familiar spaceship crashing into it. Then the hooded figure came out.
"Congratulations, Maddy, usernames Dylan
Maddy stared at the hologram. This had to be a dream. But it was far too vivid, every detail of her room crisp, every sensation alive. "For real?"
"Absolutely real," Trak replied.
Holy crap! This was no NPC character. "Wait, so you're telling me Power was invented by aliens as a test?"
Trak nodded once. "We had to be certain. Do you accept our Power and all that comes with it?"
Maddy sat there, dumbfounded, wondering if she was just dreaming. "For real?"
"More real than you can imagine. Do you accept?"
Did she? "It doesn't come with anything weird, does it? Like turning my skin blue or making my hair fall out? No offense."
"It will not affect your physical appearance. You will experience Powers similar to those you wielded in the game."
A smile tugged at the corners of Maddy's mouth. "Then yes."
"The Zergon race thanks you." The light from the digiTAB brightened until the whole room glowed blue. Images and feelings began to batter her senses.
Growth.
Building.
Learning.
Her heart swelled as she witnessed the Zergons flourish.
Love.
Family.
Destruction.
Maddy took a deep breath as a tear rolled down her cheek, the first of many more to come. She gritted her teeth, the glimpses and impressions continuing to flood her. A tingling sensation started in the tips of her fingers, slowly sliding upwards.
And then everything stopped.
Maddy cracked open an eye, not knowing when she had closed them. Her room was dark again, the digiTAB off, as it should be. Maddy sat up in bed and turned on the lamp on her nightstand. Nothing was out of place, no aliens—hologram or otherwise—to be seen. She stared at her hands, at once feeling both different and the same. But she was tired, too tired to figure it out tonight.
Maddy yawned as she turned the lamp back off and sunk into her bed. Maybe if she slept hard enough she'd dream it all again.
The alarm shrieked, startling Maddy. She flung her hand at the wretched instrument of torture, trying to get to the snooze button. But as her fingers hit the spot where the alarm should've been, a loud thump sounded from across the room, the alarm bell taking on a strangled sound. Maddy sat up, peering across the room, only to find the clock embedded in the wall.
She flexed her hand, remembering, feeling, knowing. She could recreate the game if she wanted. She could travel the universe. She could rule the world.
“Maddy! Time to get up!” Mom yelled from downstairs.
Maddy sighed and flopped back onto her bed.
She just needed to get through high school first.
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Angel Leya focuses on creating clean young adult fiction with a *kiss* of magic.
