Freyr: God of Faeries: Prequel to “The Fate of the World Tree” Series
Page 4
“I know what I said,” his lips pressed together. “Let’s give it a few minutes and then try again.
I dug my toe into the dirt. “Okay.”
“Avery,” he said my name with such command, I had to look at him. He stared at me for a long time, and I stared back at him. “Don’t panic. You’ll be fine,” he offered a tight smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He knew something he wasn’t telling me.
Whatever it was, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
Chapter Nine
“It’s still not working.” I couldn’t hide the terror in my voice. We waited over an hour, but the command still didn’t log us out. I knew something was wrong the moment I landed in the forest alone. Somehow I knew that something was different about this game.
“Mine too.” Caleb spoke through his teeth.
“What are the chances this is just a glitch? Some kind of error in the game?”
“Maybe. But I can’t imagine it would take them this long to fix it if that were the case.”
“You’re saying someone did this on purpose?” My voice shot up an octave. He gave no answer, staring silently through me, which was somehow worse than saying yes.
“Oh no,” I put my hands on either side of my head and started pacing back and forth. “What are we going to do?”
“Well we’re not going to do that,” he nodded to my pacing feet.
“We’re trapped in a virtual world!” I yelled.
“And how is freaking out about it going to help us?” he raised a brow. I rubbed my eyes with my thumb and forefinger.
“I don’t know. But we have to do something.”
“What would you like to do?”
“You’re right. Life is simple, right?” I could hear the hysteria creeping into my voice. “Maybe we should just forget about it and hook up again! Who cares if we’re stuck here as long as we can fulfill our ‘natural desires!’”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” he shook his head. “It could be worse.”
“Worse? How could it be worse? I have a test on Monday.” I continued to pace back and forth, wearing a trail in the ground. Caleb stood across from me, still as a statue. I didn’t care so much about missing my date with Aaron, but I couldn’t afford to skip a whole weekend of studying. Worse, I definitely could not afford to miss that test.
“I could be stuck here with a noob who can’t handle even a second of fear. Oh, wait,” he cocked his head, giving me a knowing look.
“You don’t understand,” I shook my head at him. “You were right before. I’m not a gamer. I only started so I could hang out with my brother, but I have a life I’m supposed to get back to. I’m about to graduate USC!”
“You’re in college?” he asked, his voice calm. He was trying to distract me again.
“Not if I miss that test!”
“Pretty sure they’ll let you retake it when they find out you were trapped in a video game,” he smirked.
“Right. And then I’ll tell him my dog ate my homework.”
“Funny.”
“You don’t know Mr. Vayara,” I looked at him pointedly, “He’s a real hard ass,” I clenched my fists.
“Avery.”
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?” he held his hands out.
“Say my name like you’re talking to a child.”
“Hey,” he said, more forcefully than before. I stopped pacing and looked at him. He walked closer, putting a hand on my shoulder. “I’ve seen this before. It’s a lot like claustrophobia. You don’t feel like you’re in control of your own body.”
“Because I’m not!”
“But you are. It’s just like handling a sword. These are your thoughts controlling you, no one else’s. The virtual world is just an extension of your real self.”
“Has this ever happened to you?” I searched his eyes. The forest was beginning to lighten, and I could see more of their rich brown color.
He smiled, looking down at me fondly. “No. But it’s not uncommon. Take a deep breath, okay?”
I did as he asked, keeping my gaze fixed on him.
“Can you feel your feet on the ground?”
I shifted my weight, feeling the dirt give beneath my shoes. “Yes,” I nodded.
“And my hand on your shoulder?”
“Yes.”
“See? You’re in control. You’re okay.”
“I don’t know about okay,” I raised my eyebrows. The thought of being trapped here indefinitely was still worrisome, but he was right about the claustrophobia. When I accepted that I was in control, the panic receded a little.
“Thank you,” I nodded, taking another deep breath.
“No problem.”
“What do you think we should-” my question was cut off when a terrified scream broke through the night. I jumped at the agonized sound, falling into Caleb’s arms. He held me steady, as his head swung back and forth, trying to figure out where the sound came from. Whoever made that noise was in a lot of pain.
The dread that had been building all day settled ominously in the pit of my stomach. I looked up at Caleb, my hands shaking at my sides.
“I need to find Finn.”
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Mirajane is an urban fantasy romance author who loves to write stories with a bit of spice.
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