The crazy things we do for love (Completed| Book 2)

5. Game over

Sana hurried home and logged onto her game. She was in the game. The first thing she did was walk around Yoda and scrutinize her head to toe.

'What are you looking at?' Yoda stared at her.

'Nothing,' said Sana, smiling as she was amused that Yoda looked like she was curious.

'You're so weird sometimes.'

'Since you communicate so well, we can be friends. Friends?' Sana extended her hand. Yoda deferred as if she was thinking.

'If you don't say yes, I am not going to play this game. I won't return anymore,' Sana added.

'No!' Yoda blurted out, 'I accept your friendship,' she said and grabbed Sana's hand.

Sana jumped when she felt a hand grab her for real so she quickly look off her game visor and looked around the room. There was no one. Who grabbed her hand then? Surely, it couldn't be Yoda. She only controlled the actions of her avatar. She couldn't feel what was happening in the virtual world unless she wore a data glove and right now she wasn't wearing one.

'Was it my imagination?' Sana thought as she put her visor back on. She was spooked.

Anyhow, Sana became friends with Yoda. Everyday Sana learned something new about her and everyday she would be amazed. Yoda had distinct likes and dislikes. She had opinions on things of her own. She smiled over Sana's jokes, her silliness and funny stories, and she showed concern over Sana's worries.

Meanwhile, Peter Sam Collins, a family friend had come to Japan from America in the hope of establishing relation with the Minatozakis through a marriage. Sana didn't like him at all. He tried to get close to her, which she only found repulsive. According to Sana, he was creepy and perverted. Sana's father, however, adored Peter and thought high of him. That made him pay no heed to Sana's protest against marriage. She was her father's daughter too. She paid no heed to Peter's courting nor take her father seriously.

Eventually Sana progressed in the Lost Princess. So did her friendship with Yoda. Each level was upgraded in difficulty but Sana had no problem because Yoda was with her. She was five levels away from cracking the game when something weird happened. She felt pain when her avatar got hit in the game.

'What the fuck?' she was startled.
She took off her visor and violently pulled off the ear clip. She grabbed her shoulder where she felt pain earlier but now there was no pain. She was spooked because it wasn't haptic interface. She was wearing no gadget that could make her shoulder feel anything on it.

'What is going on?' she wondered. 'Something is not right.' She put the visor back on doubtfully.

'Listen to me, Sana,' Yoda said. 'It's part of the game. You might feel pain if you get hurt in the game. It...'

'What? What kind of game hurts people?'

'No. No, it doesn't hurt you. It actually tricks you to think you're hurt.'

'I play to have fun. Not to get hurt,' Sana retorted.

'You always asked why the ECG reader in your visor is so sensitive. Well that's because it is matched with a high-end program used for this game. It tricks your brain to think that you're hurt but actually you are not. You're not gonna feel anything when you take off the visor.'

'I don't want my brain to be "tricked" that I'm hurt,' Sana said, air-quoting.

'Please, Sana. Play this game till the end,' Yoda pleaded.

'I don't want to!'

'Please, Sana. I exist only because you play this game. If you stop, I don't exist anymore,' she looked at Sana with her sad puppy eyes. She grabbed Sana's hand pleading. Sana was spooked and every hair on her body raised on its end because she could feel Yoda touching her hand. She was affected by her words.