Josiah Li lives in a flooded world, where global warming has taken its toll and technology is intertwined in every aspect of daily life. To pass the time in between virtual classes, he finally takes the leap to sign up for a popular game, Starlia. H...
Aileen's home is on the outskirts of Seattle, near the rising shores.
I rarely visit, simply because Aileen is embarrassed to have me over. She constantly reminds me how messy and small her apartment is, and I don't think she wants me staring out at the tides and worrying for her. No matter, I park in her guest lot and exit the car with one purpose—to talk about what I just found out. I don't care that night has fallen, or that Aileen is possibly having dinner with her parents. I'm desperate for her company.
I knock on her door on the fifth floor, panting.
Thank God, Aileen is the one who answers. I don't think I have the strength to explain to Aileen's parents why I look like a nervous wreck.
Her eyes widen. "Josiah? What's wrong?"
"Can I come inside?" I'm shocked at how ragged my voice sounds, like I've just finished screaming at a rock concert.
She grabs me by the arm and shuffles me in. I was right. Aileen was having dinner. The apartment smells like orange chicken and chili peppers. Aileen bypasses her parents without a word, and I barely manage a sad wave before we're safe in her bedroom.
Aileen says that her room's messy. But I disagree. To me, it's a work of art—how she color coordinates her books on her three shelves and hangs her clothing from hooks on the wall. There are so many different tones in her bedroom that make it come alive. If I came back from the VRS worlds to this room, I don't think I'd be depressed at all.
I sit on the edge of Aileen's bed. I hold myself together for a few seconds. Then I break down. Tears fall down my cheeks and I sob into my best friend's shoulder. I love her because she doesn't question me any more. She lets me release my emotions, grounding herself so I don't completely push her over with my weight. It feels like a ton of bricks weighs down my chest. I hear the ocean push against the building's foundation outside, and a part of me wants to be swept out far away so I'll never deal with the reality of Nathan's true identity.
"Nathan is Sam Lowe," I say, finally getting it out. "He was using a skin when he was in school. That was why he was so tall and perfect."
Aileen stills. I'm not looking at her directly, but I can already sense her brows drawing together, her processing the bombshell I just dropped. She only knew Sam for half a school year, but she was the one who defended me and made ninth grade tolerable. If anyone else knows about Sam's vices, it's her.
"You're sure?" she says, quietly.
"I'm sure," I say. "Reuben from Dragoon was the one who revealed it, but Nathan pretty much confirmed it with his response."
Aileen gets up abruptly. I almost go tumbling off the side of her bed. She grabs the remote for her VRS and begins tapping rapidly.
Her room morphs into the world of Starlia. I look down, seeing my clothes change from my jeans and t-shirt into my minstrel robes. My harp materializes in my hands, and I'm immediately overtaken by the amount of stimuli surrounding me—Star Town at night time, when the pubs and restaurants are most crowded and players of all levels and backgrounds fraternize in the most popular place in Gloria.
I was pulled to Aileen's spawn point. The VRS is capable enough to manipulate two minds at once, and for now I'm drawn into Aileen's viewpoint. I see her violet armor and broadsword strapped to her back. I see her tap rapidly on her interface. I stand up on the cobblestone path, looking from left to right as if Nathan Lum will pop up from nowhere and bring back memories of being an easy target.
"What are you doing?" I ask, my voice barely louder than a whisper.
"What? No." I reach out and grab her hand, stopping her from pressing commands. "You can't do that. We need to find the most weathering fragments of any other guild."
"If Nathan is the Sam I know," Aileen starts, "then nothing is worth being allied with him. I'm choosing you. You matter to me more than receiving the glory."
I don't let her go. "Aileen, I know how much these fragments mean to you. They represent a new start. They could change your life forever. Please, just hear me out."
Aileen reverses the command on her interface. She crosses her arms. "Josiah, you having to relive trauma just so I can get my hands on some money isn't worth it. My family can find another way to survive."
I shake my head. I want to cry again, but this time for a different reason. I don't want to be a liability—to ruin Aileen's chance for a better life. Maybe I should've sucked it all up and dealt with Nathan on my own. My best friend's loyalty is normally a good thing, but this time it could ruin her.
"This is between me and Nathan," I say. "I'll find some way to figure things out. Maybe we can leave his team and join another group. There are ways around this."
Aileen shakes her head. "He might be planning something to throw you under the bus again. I wouldn't put it past him."
I compare the image I have of Nathan to Sam. It's like comparing red to blue. A lot can happen in a few years. Three years to be exact. "Maybe he changed."
Aileen grits her teeth. "If you're that deep of a jerk, you don't change. I don't trust his new persona. Think about it—if he was really wearing a skin, he's a master of faking it. I just don't want you to get hurt again."
It's not that I don't want to leave the guild. But the pain of leaving hurts more than toughing it out with Nathan. "Trust me. I can fix this. I just need to talk to him."
Aileen looks like I've offered her the job of cleaning toilets for the rest of her life. "I want to come with you."
Sam was a personal enemy of mine. I know having my best friend with me would be comforting, but it won't be right. "I'll confront him alone. I can do this. I'm not the same weakling I was in ninth grade."
"That's the condition," Aileen says, quietly.
"What's the condition?" I ask, a bit lost. I'm also beginning to get a bit dizzy from the stress of the past day.
Aileen presses the log-out button. We're thrown from the world of Starlia back into the quiet of her bedroom. It's a comforting place for me, and I find myself wanting to stay here forever. That sounds infinitely better than confronting Nathan.
"The condition is that he better have one hell of a good reason for being who he was in the past." Aileen sighs, sitting down next to be. In the background, the hum of the VRS lulls me, making me sleepy. "If he doesn't have a good reason, we'll leave the guild immediately."
Aileen speaks so firmly that I don't think anything can convince her otherwise. "Okay. But if he can explain himself, we're staying in Mysteriously."
She's quiet as she curls up on the bed and presses her jaw to her knee. "I don't feel good about this."
I don't respond, but my words hover between us. I know that she can tell exactly what I'm thinking.
Me neither.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Hi reader! Do you agree with Aileen's reaction? I love the bond that Josiah and Aileen have! I have only a few friends like that—we can read each other perfectly. I think it's rare to find someone that you can be completely comfortable with.
