Hooked

by DeAnna Browne

  “If you show up high to class again, you’re gone.”

  “I understand.”

  “And, Ariana,” Dr. Coleman added. “Did you mean to jump down off the rocks? Even if the pain is muted, it is there to keep you safe.”

  “The jump wasn’t that far. It didn’t hurt.” A brief look of confusion crossed Dr. Coleman’s face, but Ari dismissed it, getting out of there as fast as she could.

  CHAPTER 8

  Ari walked around the school grounds aimlessly. Her thoughts meandered, trying to see how she felt about Garrett’s actions. He drugged her and, on every account, that was wrong. On the other hand, she experienced a VR for the first time without the stress and panic that drove her to flee. Being tabbed every day at school was not an option though. Mr. Coleman’s threats made that clear. He didn’t have the patience for hand-holding or incompetence—his words at their first class.

  Finally, thirst steered her towards a drink machine, and she grabbed a coffee to help sober her up. It probably had as much sugar as coffee, but it would help. She found a nearby bench, and as soon as she sat down her HUB vibrated. It was a message from Garrett.

  How did it go?

  Still deciding whether or not to kill you for drugging me.

  WRU?

  It took Ari, a moment to reply, unsure if she wanted to meet him. Finally, she opened her satellite location to Garrett.

  See u there soon.

  While on her HUB, she sent a message to her brother, but she knew better than to wait for a quick reply. As the high wore off, her thoughts finally calmed down, so she pulled up some assigned reading for class. She didn’t make it past chapter one before someone plopped down on the bench next to her. Garrett wore his silver work uniform. An odd smell radiated off him, a mix between smoke and sugar.

  “That bad, huh?” He leaned over and nudged her with his shoulder.

  She clicked off the device and looked up.

  Garrett wore a wary expression, his shoulders tight as if preparing for an incoming punch. Ari decided that the glimmer of innocent mischief in his eyes was just that, innocent and meaning to be helpful.

  “If you ever try anything like that again, I’ll hurt you. Bad.” Ari glowered at him. “That being said, it was my best trip through the virtuals.”

  Ari proceeded to tell Garrett about the virtual and Dr. Coleman’s threat.

  “Somehow I have to figure out how to do this sober in three days or I’m a goner.” She leaned her head back against the bench. The cloudy sky darkened.

  Garrett leaned back as well, his arms barely touching her. “I can’t believe you’ve never been to the ocean.”

  “Really?” Ari straightened up. “That’s what you got out of that story? I have bigger issues than my lack of traveling.”

  “I’m serious.” His gaze remained sky bound. “I wish I could have seen that.”

  “If I’m around long enough, maybe you can, but let’s see if I survive to next week.” She checked her HUB again; no message from Marco.

  He pushed himself up. “That’s easy, I’ll help you.”

  “No drugs. He’ll fail me.”

  “You’re right. Today was only supposed to show you that you can do it.” Garrett leaned in close to Ari and pushed back a strand of hair that had fallen into her face. It felt intimate, even though he barely touched her.

  Glancing up, Ari spotted Reed nearby, talking with a black phone in his ear. Once he noticed her, he faltered for a moment, his brow furrowing. She waved slightly.

  “Hey, Reed.” Garrett leaned back next to Ari.

  Reed regained his composure, gave a forced smile, and headed off, continuing his conversation with someone in his ear.

  “Careful,” Ari said as Garrett accidentally knocked over the remains of her coffee. She wiped at it with a napkin. “What is this master plan of yours that doesn’t involve drugs?”

  “We’ll go to the lab tonight to practice.”

  “You have access to the lab at night?”

  His eyes sparkled with mischief. “Yes, one of the perks of working there.”

  “Is anyone else there?”

  “Depends who I let in.” Back came Garrett’s mischievous smile. “Being a third-year manager has its advantages. Meet me out front at midnight.”

  “What about my HUB? Wouldn’t the school realize I’m not sleeping or even in bed?” The electronic device strapped to her wrist kept constant tabs on Ari. She found the health alerts quite annoying and had to disable them, like she didn’t already know her heart rate and stress levels were through the roof.

  “You have to break into your HUB and put it into a loop.” He reached for her wrist and pointed to a small crease in the edge of the screen. “You can pry the screen open from there and I’ll send you the schematics for the rest. You switch one wire. Use tweezers or pliers and change it back when you’re back in your room. It’s pretty simple. Everyone does it. Don’t worry.”

  Don’t worry. Really? Anyone who knew Ari, knew that those two words were impossible for her, but she had to try. First week at school, and she was moving on from tabbing to sneaking out. The school security guards might get the chance to kick her out before Coleman did.

  After saying goodbye, she headed back to her dorm, hoping to get through some homework. In the dorm room, Tessa wore her head phones, engrossed in her game, like the example of a perfect VR student. She probably had a waiting list for her game’s release.

  Ari dropped her bag and fell on her bed. Tessa logged out of her computer and grabbed a soda from their fridge.

  “Hey, roomy.” Tessa leaned back in her chair and kicked up her black boots that probably held more tech than Ari’s HUB. “I didn’t see you in the virtuals today when I awoke. Did you freak out again and I missed it?”

  Ari gave a dry chuckle. Laughing was always better than crying. “No.”

  Tessa didn’t bother holding back her belch. “Oh, well that’s good. Right?”

  “Yeah, I guess. What are you working on?” Ari motioned to Tessa’s computer.

  “A new planet in the Pultzer Galaxy was causing a few glitches.”

  “A few glitches ... that sounds like me.”

  Tessa laughed. “Don’t worry about it. This program is full of geeks hoping to be at the forefront of virtual programming. You’re an alien to them. The only decent girls they come into contact with are in virtuals, and most of those are just overly sexualized versions the guys dreamed up. There are only five girls in this program. Remember?”

  Tessa took a drink. “And it’s all about pecking order here. The first week is spent finding out who has sold what and to whom, and you are a virgin.”

  “Virgin?” Ari knew they weren’t talking about her sexual experience, though if they were, Tessa would be right. She didn’t even date a lot at her last school.

  “A virgin to programming and going inside your first creation. Granted, the pervs here use that term in other ways.”

  “Ewwww.” Ari shook her head in disgust.

  Tessa laughed at her again, lifting her head back and putting a hand on her belly. Most people, especially rich people, would have taken care of that little extra fat with a few simple procedures. But Tessa was definitely not status quo. Ari liked that about her.

  Tessa pushed back a few strands of hair escaping the knot on top of her head. “Sorry, I know the mental image is a little much. I hate using the open lab for that reason.”

  “They don’t do that there, do they?”

  “The techs monitor all the virtuals, but kids always try.”

  “Nice,” she replied sarcastically. Ari grabbed her leather bag and pulled out her tablet to read.

  Tessa stared at the electronic notebook. “Is that the Azio 7.1? Where did you get that?”

  “From the tech store.”

  “I didn’t think they had anything past a 6.5 here for students. I might have to grab one. I don’t like teachers accessing my custom one, especially with my gaming contacts on it. How did
you get one?”

  “A friend,” Ari replied not sure how to quantify her relationship with Garrett. Friend felt safe.

  Ari didn’t know why she asked her next question. Maybe it was the easy grin on Tessa’s face, or maybe pure desperation. “Tessa, would you ever be willing to tutor me?”

  Tessa narrowed her eyes, lined with heavy black eyeliner and mascara. “Do I look like a tutor?” She shook out her colored hair, edgy techy clothes, and a dark green shirt that read: “My other body has wings and claws.”

  Ari motioned to her own dark hair, that unlike most people, she constantly wore down to hide her port, her homemade clothes, and shoes that had glued back together more than once, making her stand out amid her classmates. “Do I look like a virtual programmer?”

  CHAPTER 9

  Ari set an alarm for her meeting with Garrett and then pulled up some reading on her tablet. She stayed awake until Tessa dropped off and then got to work on her HUB. After reading the instructions, it took her about thirty minutes to get it set. Granted, wiping her nervous sweaty hands every couple of minutes didn’t help.

  By the time she finished rewiring her HUB, her alarm went off. Her stomach churned with nervous energy. She pulled on a dark hooded jacket. Once she stepped outside her dorm, the crisp night sky set Ari on edge. The idea of sneaking into school property sent fear, and a bit of excitement, coursing through her veins like caffeine. The last time she’d snuck out her brother had urged her to do it.

  When she’d began her eighth year of training, the other kids at school had often harassed her for her fear of VR. Ari had already missed out on birthday parties and games, but some bullies never let up. Marco fought them for a while, but he thought Ari needed to get her own revenge.

  Trying to help, Marco had hacked social parties and retrieved pictures of kids in compromising situations. Having printed the pictures in poster size, Ari and Marco posted them all over the school campus. The administrators probably knew who had done it, but Ari never heard about it. Apparently, they thought some people needed to be held responsible for their actions. Hopefully, tonight would be as successful.

  Ari continued out into the night. The dim security lights gave an eerie feeling to the silent campus. She walked in the shadows alongside the path to the student lab, the silver buildings turning into menacing mountains, looming over her like robotic monsters with so much power silently sleeping.

  A slight tune traveled down the darkened path. She wrapped her arms around herself, fighting against the chill. Garrett’s dark figure leaned against a tree, whistling his melody.

  “Hi,” she said, grateful to see him.

  Dressed in dark colors, he casually pushed himself off the tree. Even his hair was black as night.

  “You changed your hair.” No wonder Ari hadn’t seen him near the tree.

  “Yeah, I thought it fit in with the whole sneaking around thing. This will be fun.”

  “If you think hanging around a phobic girl who may burst into hysterics any minute sounds like fun.” As much as Ari wanted to agree with him and to enjoy the night, in the back of her mind remained a nagging reminder of what lay ahead.

  He gently picked up a piece of her hair and twirled it around his fingers. Her stomach fluttered at his closeness. She wondered if he was trying to distract her on purpose.

  The simple gray tech building stood behind the student union, where Ari first met Garrett. He used an electronic card to unlock the door, and the gray glass door slid open in a silent rush of air.

  “Won’t someone realize we came? You know cameras, data records or something?” Ari searched the empty room while crossing the threshold.

  “Cameras are never looked at unless there is an unlawful entrance.” Garrett waved the key. He spoke at a normal tone, but the empty building amplified his voice, reverberating in the dark metal cavern. “I will hack into the virtual records to alter the time of use. It’s easier than deleting and that way your teacher can see that you have been practicing.”

  “Can they see everything we do inside?”

  “No, it would take way too much data to record every student’s usage. When it’s open, they have monitors, sort of like Dr. Coleman sets up in class. Tonight, it’s just us.” Garrett inserted his card and entered an electronic code.

  With a swoosh, the door opened. Bright light flooded the room. Blinking repeatedly, Ari glimpsed rows and rows of padded reclined chairs with computer terminals, hooked up next to them. The VRs held an infinite world of possibilities and places to go, if only she could let herself relax.

  “You ready?” He startled her out of her thoughts, standing close enough for her to smell the coffee on his breath. He teasingly traced a path down her arm, which brought her back to the present.

  Pull yourself together. Standing here, alone with a cute boy, a third-year at that, who was trying to help her, overwhelmed her a bit. She stepped back and tried to force a smile.

  “Come sit down.” Garrett took her hand and led her to a nearby chair. His casual touch surprised Ari. She assumed it probably didn’t mean as much to him as it did to her.

  He booted up the system. Staring at her from above, he connected the data port in the back of her neck. She shuddered at the feel of cold steel connecting to her brain.

  “You’re okay.” His free hand swept her hair off her shoulders. “Think of this as a first date. I want to take you out.”

  She should have been flattered. Her gut twisted in so many knots that she didn’t know what to think. He quietly took a seat next to her, plugged himself in, and reached for her hand.

  “I am in control of this virtual. I am the main user and you are set up as a participating spectator. You can always get out on your own, but I can force you out at any time. You’ll be safe.”

  Ari swallowed once and nodded.

  He put pressure on her hand. “The real question is: do you trust me?”

  She hadn’t known Garrett long, but at that moment she was drowning in school and he was the only life preserver. She gripped his hand in return.

  Squeezing her eyes shut amid the darkness, she focused on Garrett’s hand to keep her grounded.

  “Open up, Ari. Come on,” Garret’s playful voice drifted around her, carried on a cool breeze.

  A warm light greeted her. Blinking several times, it took a minute for her vision to adjust. The smell of salt water carried past her on a cool breeze. She glanced down. Garrett’s grip remained tight, tethering her to reality.

  “Look, Ari.” He tugged her forward like a little kid anxious for a surprise.

  Lifting her gaze, an endless expanse of water filled her view. The ocean, but nothing like the ocean she saw before with its cold gray waves. Instead, an exquisite aquamarine sea rose and fell, lapping towards flawless white sand. Palms trees stood to her side, with a netted hammock hanging in between them. Down the beach, a small white house stood with open windows. She turned to find more palm trees and green plants dotting the landscape.

  Its perfect beauty pricked against her neck, where her port should be. “Where are we?”

  He pulled her into the ocean. Garrett had on gray trunks that fell low on his hips, and his chest was bare with lean muscles built into his thin frame. “A small island. I can’t remember the name anymore.”

  The warm water lapped at her ankles, her feet melting into the cool sand. “Wait, I’m not dressed for the—” Before she could finish, she glanced down, and realized she wore a short white sundress with a teal bikini underneath.

  She shivered at the idea of the VR accessing her subconscious to dress her appropriately. Most VRs had a program that allowed the player to choose or change their attire. Pushing down the frantic voice in the back of her mind, she continued to let Garrett guide her out to sea.

  “Did you make this virtual?”

  “No, just an upperclassman I know. I’m only the techie who gets to play with all the fun toys.”

  The warm waves crept up her legs. Despite the beauty,
her nerves unsettled her. She pulled her hand free and crossed her arms.

  He stepped closer. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, everything, this place ... it’s so real, so perfect. Don’t you ever worry that one day you won’t be able to tell reality from fiction? That one day you’ll wake up but not be really sure if you’re awake?”

  “This virtual isn’t that good.” He glanced at Ari. “You must have covered it in your classes, the errors in programming? You have to see them?”

  Ari remembered visiting the carnival with her brother, and how the clown glitched, static covering its face. “I haven’t stayed in one long enough to get a good look.”

  “Well, look.” He pointed to the fish. “See the fish and how they swim, so symmetrical and perfectly timed. Step into their path.”

  As she stepped forward, the fish blinked out of existence for a brief moment, with a short burst of static, then appeared again and continued along their path past her leg.

  He stepped closer to her, blocking the path to several others. “See?”

  She watched for several moments the fish blinking in and out of existence. It was so bizarre when considering they looked so genuine. Reaching down, she stirred the water, watching the fish scatter and the program restart in the same spot.

  “With the obvious errors in this cheap VR, I don’t think you could ever get lost in it.” He rubbed a hand through his hair which stood on end. “Granted, it’s a bit of a buzzkill when I focus on those things. Most of us want to get lost here and be oblivious.”

  A nervous chuckle escaped her lips as she turned in a slow circle, searching deeper into the program. The trees swayed, but the corresponding shadows in the sand didn’t move. The clouds had a similar precision, timed with a warm breeze. Even the sand where they once stood on the beach was smoothed over as if with an air brush. A student must have written this, and not as a sightseeing program.

  With every error, a bit of the stress and anxiety peeled off. She still itched to get out of her virtual skin and take a real breath, but it helped to look at things differently. She had never lasted more than a few minutes in the VR and nobody really cared to help her work through it. One of the disadvantages of attending a poor school had been that her problem was brushed under the rug. With every error, she realized she couldn’t get lost in this fabricated reality. And wasn’t this what her teacher wanted her to do, find the errors?