Virtual Reality ✔

A Different Type of Game

I awoke at once and fought the urge to scream. My breath was quick and sweat had formed all over my body. I took a long, deep breath. It was only a dream, I told myself solemnly. Although I wasn't with The Monsters physically, they stayed with me. It was only when I'd started to forget about them that my subconscious took it upon itself to remind me of all the wrongs they had done. Of all the wrongs I expected they continued to do and would willingly pass on to whomever else they could taint.

After I had managed to get ahold of myself and go through the familiar emotions I experienced after these horrid dreams, I then got myself around. It seemed as though everybody was awake because nobody had been in their rooms. I walked out into the living area and saw my assumption was proven correct, because apparently I was the only one who hadn't adapted to our new schedule.

"She's awake!" Said Amberline in a cheerful voice. I was glad to see that she was starting to be herself, if not in public, at least around us.

"Finally," joked Duncan. "Can we open the letter now?" he asked in an anxious manner. Shocked, I looked to the table and saw the envelope sitting there.

"I've been asleep that long?" I asked, incredulous by how late it must have been. I had assumed that the letters would arrive at the same time everyday, and that the people in charge would have had some sort of organized system.

"We would've woken you, but you seemed deep in sleep," said Victoria dismissively. Little did they know, I would've liked to have been woken up. They all started to gather around the marble counter, I handed them the letter and saw that Parker had left his half eaten sandwich there overnight. I couldn't tell if I was upset or relieved. Either because he ate some of it or because he hadn't eaten it all. My concern for him seemed to grow constantly.

"I'll read it today," offered Parker. Nobody protested so he took it upon himself to open the envelope and read it. I noticed that he had dark lines under his eyes, signaling a lack of sleep last night. I was willing to bet that everyone else thought that those circles were caused by stress, but I knew the truth. "Today, the competition is going to be a little different," Parker had started reading. "You won't be fighting against any other teams, but instead you'll fight the computer. There will be no limits on life, but your damage will be recorded. Points will be given based upon effectiveness, level of success, how quickly you finish, and the condition your team is in at the end. This competition will be called Importance to The Story and the goal of the competition will be revealed to you in the lobby. Meet us there, same as last time. Good luck, gamers."

"It seems like they're starting to use different types of games," commented Amberline, still looking at the letter intensely.

"Not all games are the same," Victoria explained, looking grim. We had no idea the difficulty they's set us in, but knowing Victoria I'd safely assumed that wasn't her concern. Just taking a random guess, I thought her fear came from not knowing. Not knowing what we'd face, experience, and have to do. She was the kind of person who liked to be the best, and it probably made her feel nauseas not being able to prepare. She wasn't able to prepare herself mentally and strategize.

We noted how late it was getting and decided we'd rather be early. Not wanting a repeat of last time, we dispersed and started getting around. Before it was my turn to get suited up, Parker approached me in the living space. Amberline, Victoria, and Duncan were all in separate rooms while Parker and I offered to wait until they finished.

"Hey," he said. I could tell he had wanted to talk but felt it would've been inappropriate to start without proper greeting. He held his arm and looked anywhere except my eyes. He reminded me of a child who knew he had done something wrong.

"Hey," I replied, waiting for what he wanted to talk about. I waited in silence as he looked around and finally got the courage to speak up.

"I'm sorry about last night. I wasn't in a good place. I... I," he started to fumble with his words.