Codename: Angelus

Chapter 9 - Play the game

“Mitosis is the process by which a cell, which has previously replicated each of its chromosomes, separates the chromosomes in its cell nucleus into two identical sets of chromosomes, each set in its own new

nucleus. It is a form of nuclear division. It is generally followed

immediately by cytokinesis, which divides the nuclei, cytoplasm, organelles and cell membrane into two cells containing roughly equal shares of these cellular components.”

Camilla couldn’t focus. She scribbled abstent-mindedly on her Pad.

“Mitosis and cytokinesis together define the mitotic phase of the cell cycle — the division of the mother cell into two daughter cells, genetically identical to each other and to their parent cell.”

The teacher’s speech on mitosis sounded like blah blah blah to her hears.

She was lost in thought. About who she really was and what she found out. Even though Michael was sitting right next to her, it didn’t really comfort her. She missed home. She was thinking bout mom, dad and her cat Pixie. Michael told her the time flow was different inside the game — but what if their familis noticed they were missing? Were they looking for them now? Did they call the Police?

“Mitosis occurs only in eukaryotic cells and the process varies in different species. For example, animals undergo an "open" mitosis, where the nuclear envelope breaks down before the chromosomes separate, while fungi undergo a "closed" mitosis, where chromosomes divide within an intact cell nucleus.”

More blah blah blah from the teacher. How was she supposed to focus on her lessons now that she knew there was a real school to go back to and that she might have just missed the Math test slated for Monday?

Which day of the week was it? How long had she really been inside the game? It was no dream. It was a *nightmare*. Her head hurt.

“Prokaryotic cells, which lack a nucleus, divide by a process called binary.”

How long that stupid lesson was going to last? She raised her hand.

“Uhm — I’m not feeling well. Can I go to the nurse’s office?”

Michael cast her a worried look.

“I should walk her there” he said.

“All right.”

The teacher let them leave, just like that — and carried on with her lesson.

“We should be grateful NPCs don’t behave like real people” Michael said.

“Yeah.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, really, just — my head’s spinning, you know?”

“Yeah. Actually, I thought you’d stayed home.”

“It doesn’t really make a difference, now, does it? There’s no one there, either.”

“You’re living alone?”

“Yeah. It would have been too much of a hassle to insert me into a family. Remember? I come from the Angelus layer. I wonder if my friends from that layer are kids like us or NPCs?”

“Well, some of them are bound to be beta testers. I’d reckon some of them were placed on that layer, while others on this one. It’s likely the Lost are the only ones who *fell* into an even deeper layer.”

“I miss mom and dad. I feel horrible when I think of them.”

“I miss my family, too, Milla. And my sister is out there, somewhere, on another layer of reality, alone and stranded but — there’s nothing we can do. We need more info. I don’t want to end up Lost.”