Virtual Paradise

Chapter One

   I kicked the comforter off of my body in a furious manor, then stomped over to my desk and swiped right on my phone screen to turn off the alarm. I'll have to change the ringtone later today, I thought to myself.

   I glanced over at the mirror that hung on the wall above the desk and sighed. Placing my phone back down on the desk, I walked to the bathroom and brushed my teeth and hair. Taking three strands of hair on one side of my face, I braided them, then repeated on the other side.

   I applied a bit of concealer under my eyes to hide the proof that I'd barely slept for the past two days. Just the usual Monday morning.

   I approached the window and opened it, breathing in the crisp, cold, winter air. I can't wait for the release of Virtual Paradise!

   Just before leaving, I walked to the bedroom directly across from mine. I lightly shook the girl sleeping there and said in a hushed voice, "One, wake up."

   The girl slowly rose and rubbed her eyes. "I'm leaving for school. Lock the door for now," I ordered. One, my little sister, mumbled a "'Kay," and slid out of the bed. After throwing on a snow coat, I grabbed my backpack and phone on the way out of the door, then dashed down the stairs of my apartment building. At the bottom floor, I stopped at a sight that caught my eye.

   Two blond kids, one boy and one girl, stood shivering outside of a door. I wanted to approach them out of instinct because they were out in the cold alone, but refrained from doing so when a tall woman with blonde hair and blue eyes stepped outside the door. The boy glanced at the woman and snatched the bow out of his sister's hair. He then placed the bow on his own head and said in a high pitched voice, "Look at me, I'm Rin! I'm creepy and-" the boy was cut off when the girl elbowed him and barked back, "Shut up, Len! You're so stupid!"

   She yanked the bow out of his hands as the boy cried, "Mom! Rin called me stupid!" The blonde woman said nothing, but fixed the bow back into the blonde girl's hair. To my surprise, she then smacked the two on the back of their heads, shouting, "It's too early for this." This caused me to struggle at restraining a laugh.

   I seemed to have stood there for longer than I had planned, for the blonde woman glanced at me and waved with a, "How are you today?"

   I gave a quick, "I'm fine, thanks," and walked away, flustered and embarrassed.

   Once I was out of the complex, I stopped and sighed. I thought about how One and I used to have little squabbles like the two blonde siblings when we were younger. The two of us tried to be more mature ever since our parents started going on business trips more often. Our parents had to be able to trust us to be responsible enough to not burn the house down, so we stopped fighting over the little things.

   I continued to walk and stopped at an abandoned ally. I hesitated but reluctantly walked through it anyways. It was tight but big enough for me to fit through. Once I emerged out of the ally, I looked around and spotted the building.

   There was a small café with glass windows and two tables in front, shielded from the snow by umbrellas. A sign that read 'Closed' hung on the door but I walked in anyways.

   "Meiko?" I called out. "Who do you think you are? Walking into my coffee shop before it's even open? Can't you read the sign?" A cold voice replied.

   A tall woman with short brown hair walked out from behind the curtain that hung behind the counter. Although her voice sounded harsh, she held a bright smile on her face. "Good morning, Lia."

   I gave a small smile and a, "Morning," back. I sat down at a booth near the back of the dimly lit café and pulled my laptop out of my backpack. "So what are you working on now?" Meiko queried.

   "We're doing this project in my literature class. We have to write a report about how technology has affected teenagers. For my report, I interviewed my little sister because her and I are both huge gamers," I filled her in.

   "How coincidental. What's that new game everybody's talking about?" Meiko asked. I smiled and answered, "That would be Virtual Paradise. It's an MMORPG where you can team up with your friends and fight monsters and-"

   Meiko cut me off with a sigh and said, "All the young kids will know what you're talking about." I giggled and started to daydream about the new game.

   A girl with long, teal pigtails walked into the café and I rushed to close my laptop and placed it on the seat. I jumped up and approached her. "Um, hi!" I started nervously.

   "Is the toasted hot chocolate peppermint mocha still in?" The girl asked quietly.

   I nodded and said, "You're in luck, it's exclusive this month." The girl smiled, then narrowed her eyes and studied me. "You're Lia, right?"

   I frowned a bit and answered, "Yes, have we met before?"

   "I've seen you around school. My name is Saki!" The girl exclaimed. I swung my hands over my mouth and my voice was slightly muffled when I said, "I'm so sorry! I don't really pay attention to people at school so I'd never know."

   Saki smiled and assured, "It's no trouble. I've seen you around here and there but come to think of it, I've never seen you talking to anyone before." Saki paused before adding, "Don't you have any friends?"

   I hesitated and wondered if I should answer truthfully, but before I had to decide, Meiko entered the room with Saki's drink and handed it to her.

   As she accepted the drink, Saki said, "Thanks," and handed Meiko the money.

   I called, "Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year," as Saki headed towards the door. Before leaving she chirped, "I hope to see you again!"

   Once Saki closed the door, Meiko mumbled, "Ah, young love." I hit her playfully and replied, "I'm not that kind of girl! We just met!" Meiko laughed and muttered, "You'll find the right guy soon enough, Lia." I gave a small shrug and whispered, "Maybe."