Glitch

Chapter Nineteen

"Can I talk to you outside?" He asks.

I get up to go outside. When I see Emily giving me a look. She turns her face, so Cooper can't see her. Oh gosh. 'He's cute.' She mouths. I laugh and roll my eyes at her. She can always make me laugh.

I follow Nate outside. We walk out into our front yard. I look around to see that the whole neighborhood is overgrown and I don't see one person or car moving, which I usually do.

I turn to my brother who's crossing his arms. "So what did you want to talk about?" I ask him.

He looks me square in the eye. "About what the government knows about this." He answers. I suck in a breath. I'll really have to be careful in this conversation. "They know that those who have disappeared are in video games, like you said. They've sent elite soldiers into some games. They're looking for a object, that will allow them to travel in between..."

"...dimensions." I finish for him.

"I need to know if you saw the object or if you have it." He questions firmly.

My heart stops. Can I trust him? No, I don't know who I can trust. But he's my family. No! He's a part of the government. "No." I lie and look around, acting like I'm still fascinated with the neighborhood. "Looks like no one has been around to cut the grass." I remark.

He nods. "No one understands what's going on. Everyone's in a panic. Plus, so many people are gone. Probably half the world maybe even more."

I frown. "I didn't think that many people played Xbox." I comment.

He shakes his head. "It's not just Xbox." My head snaps to him. "It's every type of electronic game, on every console, including phones and tablets, even computers. But especially Xboxes, Wiis, and others like them." He explains.

I gasp. "That's...that's insane." I whisper. He nods, knowing how messed up this all sounds.

Then a thought hits me like a train. I take a breath before acting normal and happy. "Oh, so that's why you told me not to play on the Xbox?" I smile, trying to get to the truth.

He nods, confirming my fear. "Yeah. I just wanted to make sure you were safe. I probably should have took the Xbox or something." He explained casually.

Tears formed in my eyes. My trust was completely crushed. He frowned, but soon realized his mistake. "I can't believe you!" I shout at him. "How could you j-just let that happen?! People are dying because of whatever the government has done!" Rage boiled my blood. "D-dad is dead because of you!" I scream at him.

I turn on my heels and enter the home, yet make sure to slam the door behind me. I hear the others talking. I wipe my tears, I don't want to worry Will, he's too young. I hear Cooper laugh and say yes to some question.

"Do you know Master Chief?" Will asks Cooper.

I walk into the room. Cooper frowns. "Will." Emily snaps.

I frown. "What's going on?" I ask her.

She licks her lips. "Before you got back, Will hypothesized that Charlie and you had gone into the video games. He seemed to have connected the dots. Will thinks that Charlie's still alive and he thinks Charlie went into Halo." She explained to me.

"He is still alive!" Will protests. "He's my twin! I can feel it!" I could see it in his eyes, I knew he wasn't lying.

I grab Will by his shoulders. "Will, are you sure?" Will nods, tears in his eyes. "I'm going to get him." I state.

"No your not." Nate walked into the room, anger radiating off him.

I clenched my fists, showing just as much anger. I stood my full height and faced him. He towered me, but I didn't care. "What?" I growl through gritted teeth.

He looks down upon me. "You are not going anywhere." He asserts, obviously not caring about my protests.

I press a finger to his chest. "You do not tell me what to do." I say.

He looks me square in the eye. "I don't care what you say. You're staying here." He repeats. Like that's going to do anything. "I can not let you go out there to die. You're not a soldier like me." He lets emotion dip into his angered voice.

I snort. "Where have I been?" I question him. He frowns. "I've been in a war zone!" I scream at him, losing my temper. "I was forced to become a soldier! You can not say I'm not a soldier! Because I'm more of one than you!"

"Reilly, I'm your older brother! I just want to protect you!" He shoots back.

I push him back. "What brother?! I don't see one! Because brothers don't lie to you!" I feel like I'm going to explode. "Wait. Protect me? You? Protecting me?" I let out a fake laugh. "Then where have you been?! I can't believe you! You are no brother to me!" I spit in my voice, venom lacing my words.

He's taken back by what I've said and he doesn't respond. I grab Cooper by the arm before bringing him downstairs. He doesn't say anything. I grip my hair and pace. "No! I don't think so!" Nate shouts. "You're not going anywhere with him!"

I grab Cooper's arm. How do I bring him back to his dimension? "Do I just think about it...sorta?" I say too low for anyone, but the object, to hear. It brightens, yes.

I think of the beacon that I cut my hair off. I shut my eyes tightly and focus as hard as I can on that place. Once I open them, I'm there. I thought I was just imagining. But Cooper looked around eyed showing it was really happening.

We were outside of the beacon and people were staring at us. "Well to be honest I didn't think that would work?" I say, mostly talking to myself.

"Yeah, neither did I." Cooper replies. I realize that I'm back in my pilot outfit along with Cooper. "Come on." He grabs me by my arm and pulls me into the building.

Cooper walks up to someone and asks them to contact Briggs. "Cooper." I say, getting his attention. He turns to me. "Cooper, I have to go." I try to tell him calmly.

He nods. "Let me come with you." He suggests.

I shake my head. "You know I have to do this on my own." I reply calmly.

He sighs. "I won't be able to talk you out of this one, will I?" He asks.

I nod and hug him. "Thank you so much. I promise I'll come back to visit." I tell him.

"You better." He replies.

I let go of him and walk backwards. I focus on Halo. I don't know where I'll be in the game, but I'll be there. I feel the power of the object and I slowly glitch out of Cooper's dimension and into Halo's.