Utopia

Chapter 2

"SOLD OUT!"

The words rang in my ears as if someone had smashed cymbals right beside them. I flinched.

"Excuse me?" I asked the owner in disbelief. "What do you mean, 'sold out'?"

I was highly offended, but I tried to keep my cool. After the horrible events I had witnessed from the other night, I definitely needed some retail therapy.

It just wasn't working out as expected.

"This is why I buy from the second hand shops." I muttered as the store owner went to haggle with another customer.

I didn't get it. I'd been here since the store opened this morning, waiting for the owner to set out stock. Seeing the item I wanted, I rushed up to it and snatched it off the shelf before rushing up to the store owner to ask how much he wanted for it.

But apparently while I was haggling, another customer called out a price for the item that the store owner accepted. The item was snatched out of my hands and I watched in dismay as the other customer giddily dropped the item into her knapsack and forked over the u-points to the store owner.

I couldn't help but narrow my eyes at her. I swear I've seen that girl around. She always seems to be at the shops at the perfect time, and knows just how to haggle to get what she wants.

And then there's me. I could buy the left over items in the shop, but there's a reason why they were left behind. The store owners are known for leaving over prices junk out in hopes an unsuspecting noob would buy it. I, however, know better.

Gathering my things, I walk back outside, deciding to head to the Market Place where the second hand shops are located.

The Market Place wasn't that far from Utopia Central, which is where I had decided to check out the stores this morning after I had dropped my kids off at their Island training. Glancing at my watch, I mentally noted that I had a few more hours to myself before I needed to pick them up. That was plenty of time to find a good deal at a second hand shop.

For me, at least. I was good at this.

Reaching the top of the closest hill to the Market Place, I shifted my knapsack to grab my handy Super Shop Item Finger out of it. It was basically a hand held computer that linked with the second hand stores and was able to located almost every item you could think of.

Since I was unable to purchase my item new from the store in town, I wondered if I was able to locate it in one of the second hand shops.

To my surprise, the item I wanted showed up after several refreshes, in the alphabetical section of the shops labeled with 'K'.

Tossing my Super Shop Item Finder quickly back into my knapsack, I dashed down the hill and in between the closely packed little shops, kicking up dust along the pathway before I reached the shop I needed. It didn't take me long; I practically knew the layout of the Market Place like I knew the pin to enter my u-home.

But what I didn't expect was to see the glint of ice on the shop as I approached it.

As my steps slowed, I swore I still heard the pounding of my feet against the dirt – and then I realized that sound was just my heart beating against my chest.

"Oh."

I stared at the shop in disbelief. I'd come here to forget about what I'd seen last night, but it seemed I couldn't get away from it.

"The owner of this shop has been frozen."

The words scrolled across the top of the shop as if it was a warning to all not to come any closer.

I didn't even touch the shop, lest this was a disease I could catch.

In all of my time of being on this planet, I'd never come across so much... horror.

"Where is my board game!?" I heard a dark voice bellow behind me.

Spinning, I looked into the dark purple eyes of a strikingly beautiful fairy. Her wing span spread out several feet, and dark smoke curled about her feet.

I swallowed, temporarily forgetting about the frozen shop.

A fairy errand! How exciting! What a blessing! Maybe the leaders knew of my distress and were trying to make my day better. I smiled.

"Yes ma'am. I'll get-"

"Hurry up before I turn you into a toad!" she threatened before disappearing.

I couldn't keep the smile from my face, even after hearing her idle threat.

Toad! Ha! Everyone knew that fairy's only granted blessings to the planets occupants.

Board game, board game, board game...

Not wanting to head back to town just to pay an overpriced amount for something I could get much cheaper in the second hand shops, I ran directly to the store that was known to house many of the needed items for fairy errands.

And for a moment the distress I felt melted away.

That was until I felt the light touch of airy fingers on my arm.

My breath hitched, and I spun around, coming face to face with an unidentifiable, shadowy figure.

I swallowed nervously, forcing myself to ask, "Who are you?" My voice barely even came out in a whisper.

It seemed that the shadowy figure smiled at me, although I couldn't tell for sure.

I did know, however, that if the figure was at all smiling, it most certainly wasn't pleasant.

"A virus." The shadow answered; and then I realized that all the items I'd been carrying in my knapsack were gone.

Before I could do anything about it, the shadow disappeared.

I'd been hacked!