Virtual Reality ✔

Bonus Chapter

I woke up, rubbing my eyes, and unconsciously started looking to my trophy. It has been a month since my team and I won the competition we'd entered. We all started school within that month, and I was pleased to find out all of them, except Dean and Nikki, went to my school. I could only hope they got together by now, for Dean's sake. I got up and went straight to the bathroom where I showered, got dressed, did my hair, and other routine things. I was going to be on a talk show today with the rest of D2, I figured it was best to look presentable.

After I had gotten ready I walked down the stairs to find my mom in the kitchen reading a magazine. She put it down and smiled at me when I walked over to her. "How's my little winner?" she asked.

"Mom, you don't have to call me that every day," I told her, feeling rather exasperated. Every morning since I won I would walk downstairs and she'd greet me that way. I couldn't blame her though, I still woke up every morning and said hello to my trophy. I made sure it didn't get any smudges or scratches while I was asleep. I'd gained a significant amount of subscribers since winning, too, and I couldn't help but be full of disbelief every time I'd hit a milestone in my gaming career.

"Let me have pride for my own daughter, won't you?" she said with a wide grin as I grabbed the toast she'd already prepared for me.

"okay," I said. We finished breakfast together and got into the car. We drove for about an hour to where our interview would take place. When we arrived she dropped me off and started heading to the seating area.

My team had already arrived and I met Duncan with a warm embrace, he pressed a small kiss against my cheek, and only then did I acknowledge the rest of my team. We talked for a good thirty minutes before we were rushed to a cheering stage. We all sat tightly together on a couch across from our interviewer.

"Welcome, everyone. How has your day been?" he asked cheerfully. We all agreed it had been good before he started to explain how this would go. "I will be asking you all one question and you'll answer it to the best of your abilities. The first question goes to Duncan. We know you're a very family oriented person. What was it like being away from your family for so long?"

"It was hard," he replied honestly. "As it would be for anyone. But overall it was a fun experience."

"The next question is for Victoria. What was it like winning after what seemed like a major losing streak for you?" Our interviewer started to remind me of the people in charge, saying as little as possible in order to get what needed to be done over with.

"Just think about it, how do you think it felt?" she asked in reply.

The interviewer smiled and said, "I reckon it had to feel pretty great." Victoria nodded and made a sarcastic remark. I hoped the interviewer knew she'd been joking, but I hadn't been able to intervene when he said, "the next question we have is for Dean. How did it feel when you were reassigned to the team in first place?"

"I didn't feel like it was fair," he said. "At first I thought they'd give me a hard time, and I was more than willing to go talk to the authorities. But they said I was fine, and eventually the choice seemed right."

"The choice let you win," the interviewer commented. Dean nodded and then the interviewer went to the next question. "This one's for Amberline. What was the best part of the competition for you?"

"The friends I made, and the fun I had." She was nervous to be on television again, I could tell. Her words were short and choppy, and she fidgeted with her hands when the attention was put on her.

"This group of people seems like a good group of friends," he replied. Amberline nodded and the interviewer had nothing else to do but move on. We weren't exactly giving him much to work with. "So, Grace. How did the whole thing feel for you?"

I had to take a moment to think. My question had been very vague, and I didn't quite know how to answer it at first. "There was a lot going on around me. Everyone had their own little barriers and I found myself trying to figure them out," I was going to say more until he interrupted me. I could tell he wasn't a fan of us, and was just doing this because the higher ups told him to.

"Alright, Parker, this is one I'm sure everyone wants to know. Do you still hold a grudge on Jasper?" he asked.

Almost instantly Parker replied, "no."

"Really?" asked the interviewer, as if he couldn't fathom not being mad at Jasper. Jasper was in the crowd, I knew. He waved to us before the "interview" started.

"Yes, really. He's not all that bad outside the game." I stuck to the peace agreement Jasper had suggested and we all had annual gaming sessions together once a week. I agreed with Parker, Jasper was different. This was the first time I've ever wholeheartedly believed Duncan's theory about the wildcards.

The rest of the interview went by smoothly, then we answered a bunch of questions in the audience. They were far more interested in our answers than our interviewer was. After the event, we all went out to lunch and caught up on everything outside the games we played together. It was nice to have a group this tight, and I was glad we'd all went through the long process of applying for the game, because if we hadn't, we couldn't be sure things would have turned out the way they had.

A/N I can officially mark this story complete on Wattpad! So, this was a short chapter I used as an excuse to write for my characters one last time. The story will be under construction now, especially the beginning chapters.

Special thanks to chaitialatte and GoldenPen_ for the support in this story.