Chapter Two

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(Picture Above) That's Anika!

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I opened my eyes and yawned. I was having a great dream about Sword Art Online, and it just made me want to play it more. I sat up and peered at my clock. "8:47 AM, Saturday".

Saturday! Finally the weekend is here. Also, Sword Art Online is released today. I'm sure Dawn is already playing on it.

I slid out of bed and put some clothes on. I walked out into the bathroom, brushed my hair and got ready for the day. I walked downstairs, where my dad was sitting at the kitchen table, enjoying some toast. He looked up and beamed at me when I came down.

"Hey pumpkin! Did you sleep alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, how about you?" I replied.

"Good. Go ahead and have some breakfast," he said cheerfully.

As prepared toast for myself, I thought about my dad's mood. He was always happy, but he seemed especially cheerful today. I chuckled at his endless optimism and sat down next to him at the table.

I took a big bite of toast. Miko came downstairs.

"Hey Miko!" I said, spraying toast crumbs everywhere.

I squealed and covered my mouth.

Miko just shook his head and laughed. "Geez, Anika, you're a mess, aren't you."

I nodded and laughed while wiping my mouth.

Miko looked at my dad kind of strange while he made himself cereal. He sat down and asked my dad, "Does she know?"

I looked at them.

"Not yet. Let's tell her now," My dad said excitedly.

My mouth was full of toast, so I couldn't say anything except "Shrelmhmmph?"

"We got you Sword Art Online!" They burst out.

I spit out my toast and choked, "What? Are you serious?"

I sprayed toast everywhere again, but this time I didn't care.

"Yeah," My dad continued, "We got it and the NerveGear so you can play with your friend Dawn. We knew how much you wanted it."

He pulled out a red box. The shiny wrapping gleamed under the light, like a beacon of wonder. To most people, it would've been just a box, but to me, it was a lot more than a box.

Miko nodded and grinned at me. "Maybe you'll let me try it? It sounds really cool!"

"O-of course! I'll let both of you play it whenever you want! Oh my god this is amazing! Thank you so much!" I gushed.

They smiled and laughed.

A thought struck me. "But, wait. Where did you get the money?"

My dad looked at Miko, who replied cheerfully, "I used the money from my job."

That money was for his car and for college. He spent it on me. My heart melted a little and I threw my arms around Miko in a crushing hug.

"Thank you so much guys! I love you!" I cried once I pulled away from the hug.

"Of course, pumpkin. Now I'm sure you can't wait to play it," My dad said.

"Y-yeah," I said sheepishly.

"Go on! Have fun!" Miko cried, clapping me on the back.

I gave them lots of hugs and kisses and I love yous before running up with the precious hardware in my hands. I plopped down on my bed and tore open the box with excited hands. Inside, a perfect shiny NerveGear with the case for Sword Art Online with it. I squealed and slid the NerveGear on my head. It fit perfectly. Suddenly, I remembered Dawn. She was a late sleeper, so I had to go wake her up with the good news. She kept her phone off when she was sleeping, and I didn't want to wait for her to wake up.

I ran downstairs where they were chatting happily at the table. They looked at me. Breathless, I cried, "I'm gonna go tell Dawn!"

They laughed and nodded.

I slipped on my shoes and ran down the streets to Dawn's house. It was three or four streets away, and I was panting and breathless by the time I got there. I rang the doorbell and put my hands on my knees, breathing hard. The door opened.

"Anika! Are you ok?" Dawn's mother asked, concerned.

I looked up at her and beamed, "Hi! Everything's amazing! I got Sword Art Online and I came to tell Dawn! I know she's still asleep but I didn't want her to start the game without me."

Dawn's mother laughed. "Of course, hon. Go ahead and wake her up. It's time she woke up anyways."

"Thank you!" I cried and ran into their house to Dawn's room.

I flung open the door and slammed myself down on Dawn's bed, where she was sound asleep.

"Dawn! Dawn! Wake up!" I yelled.

She sat up and yawned. "Anika? What are you doing here?"

I flung open the blinds, letting bright sunlight in. Dawn groaned and flopped down on the bed.

"Wake up! I got Sword Art Online!" I said.

Dawn sat up quickly and rushed out of bed. "You did?" She asked excitedly.

"Yeah! Now we can play together!" I said.

We jumped around for a bit shouting nonsense until we remembered that we still had to get used to the controls. Dawn had a NerveGear before and was used to the whole virtual reality thing, but this was my first time playing a game like this. The only other video game I owned was a Wii. I ran home after we agreed to meet in the Marketplace in the Town of Beginnings.

I flung open my front door, took off my shoes, thanked my brother and father again, and ran up to my room. The NerveGear was still waiting on my bed for me. Me and Dawn texted a bit before we went in the game.

Now it was time. I slipped on the NerveGear, plugged it into an outlet, and laid down on my bed. My heart beat fast.

"Link Start!"

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