by H. D. Gordon
I watched as the teen with the helmet moved through a virtual battlefield, and laughed as I blinked when an enemy player threw a flash-bang grenade. He died three times in gory virtual glory before taking the helmet off and handing it to me.
I looked over at Sam. “You’re kidding me, right?”
She looked confused. “You don’t want to try?”
“Hell yeah I want to try!”
She laughed at this, pushing her glasses up her nose, which I was beginning to recognize as a habit of hers. Taking the helmet from my hands, she slid it over my head. “You should try zombie mode,” she said, her voice muffled now.
I jumped a bit when an array of weapons popped up as if floating in the air before me. I ran my hands over them, wondering at the way the virtual hand was identical to my real one. Choosing a Samurai sword—the weight of which I could actually feel in my hand—I adopted a fighter’s stance, and realized that I was grinning like the biggest dork in the universe. And I couldn’t care less.
“What now?” I asked, but was answered when the world around me transformed into a dystopian setting. With amazement, I gathered that it was a post-apocalyptic version of Grant City, complete with dilapidated buildings, abandoned vehicles… and a terrifying hoard of virtual zombies.
I raised the sword over my head and let out the stupidest of rebel yells, charging into the fray with blade blazing. The small space in the booth made for tight fighting quarters, which was no problem with my superior reflexes and agility.
Without going into too much morbid detail, I basically kicked ass. My training and natural ability came in more than handy, and there were several times I heard Sam gasp, no doubt due to my awesomeness. A small part of me whispered that I was being foolish, exhibiting my abilities in such a way, but I was having too much fun to care.
And I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had fun.
Besides, what harm was there? When humans saw things that were out of the ordinary they just explained them away…
Right?
Chapter 4
When I was done ridding the world of flesh-eaters like a friggin’ boss, I was slightly damp and exhilarated. Wielding the Samurai sword had been a workout, and I was a little ashamed to admit that since being banished from the Brokers, I’d let myself get a bit lazy.
I rolled my neck as I took off the helmet, and saw that Sam’s jaw was hanging open, her eyebrows touching the ceiling. “Dude,” she said, “who the hell taught you that, Mr. Miagi?”
“What?” I said. “That? That was nothing.” I wiped a hand over my head and made a stupidly pompous face that made Sam laugh. Finally, I thought, someone who got my humor. There was fewer of the sort than I was sure there should be.
“Seriously,” she said, “we should just be best friends.”
I grinned, holding the helmet and controls out to her. “Wanna try?”
“After watching you Karate Kid your way through those zombies?” She shook her head. “I’ll look like Seth Rogan standing shirtless next to Zac Efron’s abs in that movie. I’ll pass.”
I nodded, raising my eyebrows like a smug jackass, and we both exited the booth laughing.
The giggles dried up instantly in my throat when I saw all the people in line outside the booth staring at me with slightly awed looks on their faces. When they erupted into claps and cheers, my stomach twisted.
“Look,” Sam said, pointing at a big screen to our left. “They project the gameplay. Sweet ass sweet!”
I cringed internally as a virtual me expertly slayed zombies on the screen. The computer had made a montage of my best moves, and I chastised myself for not listening to that little voice in my head that had known displaying my abilities was a bad idea.
Nodding and thanking my newfound nerd admirers, I took Sam’s arm and began pulling her away, anxious to get out of there. “Is there any food around here?” I asked, changing the subject. “I’m starved.”
“Sure,” Sam said. “And, even better, these badges entitle us to free food.”
I couldn’t help a smile at that. I had strong morals in the sense of not harming others, but as a 17-year-old cast out into the world on my own, I had few qualms about taking the things I needed to survive.
“You’re a goddess, Sam Shy,” I said, my stomach grumbling. Due to my financial situation, my meals had been sporadic over the past month.
Sam’s cheeks flushed again. “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me, Aria Fae.”
The good vibes coming off her lightened my mood again, and we found an area where food was being served. There were tables and chairs in the middle of the small food court, and people were eating and chatting, no doubt discussing all the amazements already witnessed today.
Sam spotted a couple leaving a table and rushed over to it, taking a seat. Looking up at me, she said, “Want to go get the food while I save the spot?” she asked. “Or I could go and you can wait.”
I shrugged. “I can grab it. What do you want?”
Sam told me her order.
“And all I do is show them the badge and it’s free?” I asked.
She smiled, nodded.
Blown away by this, and wondering not for the first time just how much the VIP badge was worth, I got in line at a place making fresh sandwiches, my stomach growling again at the sight of all the cuisine. I felt like a raccoon that’d found its way into a well-stocked refrigerator.
There were three people in front of me, and I looked around at the convention center, deciding all in all, I was pleased with the day’s events.
Then again, the day had really only just begun.
As I stood in line, I heard a slight buzzing, my strong senses alerting me just before a metal ball the size of a walnut came whizzing by me at a pace great enough to knock someone’s teeth out.
As it turned out, I’m pretty sure it would have done just that had I not acted.
I didn’t have time to consider the action. Without thinking, my hand shot out and caught the metal ball out of the air, the thing smacking into my palm hard enough to sting. The woman whose grill I’d just saved from total destruction stood wide-eyed, her hand clutched at her throat.
My hand, still holding the metal ball, hung in the air two inches from her face. I realized people were looking and dropped it fast, looking down at the thing I was holding.
“Good God,” said the woman. “That thing was coming so fast!” She glanced around, suddenly angry. “I should sue. Where’d that… that death ball come from?”
I shrugged, though I knew exactly the direction it had come from, and bit back a little chuckle at the name she’d given it. She was right that she could’ve been badly injured, but she hadn’t been, so I thought she should chill.
She stalked off without saying thank you, mumbling about not wanting to come here in the first place. I sighed, pushing the negative vibes she’d let off away from me with conscious effort. This was a reason I was never fond of crowds; there was always bound to be some steamed up kettles amidst the pots and pans.
Looking in the direction the ball had come from, I saw a young man with a sheepish look on his face. He gave a small wave as our gazes met. My eyes narrowed, and I held up the metal ball, my eyebrows rising in question. He nodded. I exited the line I’d been waiting in and went over to him.
When I reached him, I was taken aback by how handsome he was. He had striking blue eyes and stylishly messy hair that was a luxurious brown. His clothes were crisp and expensive; a dark blue collared shirt and khakis that suggested private school. A watch was on his wrist that probably cost more money than had ever crossed my hands in my entire life.
I was instantly both attracted to and distrusted him.
I held up the metal ball. “This yours?” I asked.
He grinned, and I wondered why the hell his teeth had to be so white and straight. Taking the ball from me, he said, “Why, yes, it is.”
“You could’ve knocked that lady’s teeth out. You should hold
onto it a little better.” I turned to go, not trusting the way my stomach seemed to be fluttering.
He reached out and touched my arm. “Wait,” he said. “What’s your name?”
I swallowed, feeling dorky all of a sudden for no reason. “Aria,” I said, turning back.
He grinned again, and I saw that there were dimples in his cheeks. Holding out his hand, he said, “Hi, Aria. I’m Caleb. It’s nice to meet you… and thank you for keeping my ball from hitting that lady in the face.”
I shook my head, not liking that he was joking about what had happened, or the fact that he was cute while doing it. “What is it?” I asked, nodding at the ball.
His face lit up and he held it up between his fingers. “A drone, of course,” he said. “Self-navigating… or at least, it was supposed to be.”
“You made it?”
He shrugged, and the humility was endearing. After studying me in a way that I was sure was making my cheeks pink, he said, “My father’s having a showcase later. You could come check it out. It’s at the end of Row A at four o’clock, big green tent. Can’t miss it.”
“Oh… uh… cool,” I said, and sounded anything but. I tended to lose my abilities of speech in the presence of appealing members of the opposite sex.
But, luckily, this made his smile broaden, and he held the metal-drone-ball out to me. “Here,” he said. “Keep it. So you don’t forget me.”
I took the ball and was getting ready to come out with what I hoped would be some really clever line when Sam came up to us. “Hey, everything okay?” she asked me, her eyes flicking over to Caleb. I didn’t miss that this made her cheeks flush as well.
I nodded. “Yep.”
“Hey,” Caleb said, “you’re the girl from Grant City High who won the Tech Award last year, aren’t you? You were a freshman.”
Sam’s cheeks were practically afire now, and my heart sank a bit. Of course my newly professed ‘best friend’ would have a crush on Mr. Perfect. Now that I thought about it, something told me that all the young ladies in Grant City probably had a crush on this guy.
“Yeah,” Sam said, pushing her glasses up her nose and staring at him in a way that would become uncomfortable if she kept it up much longer. At least I wasn’t the only one who turned into a dumbass whenever hot guys were near.
He held out his hand to her. “Caleb Cross. Nice to meet you.”
Sam gripped his hand and shook it in a near daze. “I know who you are,” she blurted, and I cringed for her. “I mean, I know of you,” she corrected. “Of course… um, you know, because of your dad… or whatever.”
Even though I’d known Sam less than a day, I felt compelled to save her from the plane crash that was her flirting. I broke the awkward silence that fell. “Well, great talk. See ya around, Caleb.”
“Four o’clock,” he said. “Green tent. Don’t forget.”
Sam craned her neck to look at him while I pulled her away. When we were out of earshot, she said, “Oh. Em. Gee. That was Caleb Cross!”
I nodded. “That’s what he said.”
“His dad owns, like, half of Grant City.” She sighed. “The Cross Corporation is a world leader in bioengineering, among other things… and he’s so beautiful.”
I nodded again. I had noticed that also.
“What was he saying about a green tent?”
“His dad is doing some sort of demo later,” I said.
“What? And he invited you? Then we have to go!”
“Is it a big deal or something?”
Sam shook her head and smiled, linking her arm through mine. “Dude, when Caleb Cross invites you somewhere, you don’t ask questions, you just go.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like a cult leader.”
She laughed. “You’re a strange girl, Aria Fae.”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “That’s what they tell me.”
Chapter 5
We got food at last, and I did my best not to consume it like a starving hyena, as I had a rule to only do so when in private. When Sam wasn’t looking, I stuffed some of my sandwich into my pocket for later, as since I’d been kicked out of the Brokers and cut off from their funds, I never really knew where my next meal was coming from.
After we ate, the day went by surprisingly quickly. I continued to marvel at all the advancements in human technology, and actually felt pride toward the half of my blood that wasn’t Fae. Being a Halfling had always left me conflicted over my lineage, and it would be a lie to say that there hadn’t been days when I’d cursed my mother for having made me.
Of course, thinking of that just now was putting a damper on my mood, so I pushed the thought out of my head. I asked Sam if she wanted to go outside and grab some air. As much as I loved the exposition, it would be good to get some open space, take a break from the crowd.
She agreed, and we went out to do just that. Despite the city air being rank in comparison to the fresh sea air I’d grown accustomed to in Blue Hook, it was still refreshing.
Sam and I stood beside the enormous Convention Center. When she pulled out a cigarette and stuck it in her mouth, I raised an eyebrow.
Before lighting it, she looked at me over her glasses. “What?” she said. “Don’t judge, okay?”
I gave a shrug. “I wasn’t.”
“Pfft,” she said, lighting the cigarette. “You were too.”
“Well, what’re you, like, fifteen?” I asked. I didn’t mean to sound rude, I was just realizing I’d spent all day with her and didn’t even know how old she was.
She took a drag and blew out the smoke, courteously away from me. “Let me get this straight, Aria Fae,” she said, her voice neutral, for which I liked her more. “You’re totally cool with me hijacking the school computer system, playing hooky, going to an exposition with stolen badges, but the cigarette… the cigarette is where you draw the line?” She paused. “And, yes, I’m fifteen, by the way.”
I felt a slow smile come to my lips. “You may have a point,” I said, and we both laughed.
When we sobered, I said, “But, still, that shit’ll kill you.”
Sam took one last drag and put out the cigarette, replacing the butt in her pocket, for which I nodded approvingly. “I know,” she said. “Which is why I’ll quit before I get old. I just have… a lot going on right now, and I’m dealing.”
I held the door for her as we made our way back inside. “I hear that, homie,” I said.
This made her smile. She checked her watch. “It’s almost four,” she said, smile growing. “We gotta go watch Caleb’s dad’s showcase.” She waggled her eyebrows.
I chuckled. “You’re kind of a dork, you know that?”
“Why? Because I don’t have nun-chuck skills like you?” She smirked. “And I prefer nerd.”
“You and me are gonna get along just fine,” I said.
She blinked at me. “It’s ‘you and I’,” she said. “And we already are.”
“I know. I know that. I was saying that we’re going to keep on getting along just fine.”
She laughed. I laughed. It was great.
And then things got interesting.
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