I stepped around the toys that littered the basement floor and then continued to the top of the steps, bag of frozen meatballs in hand. When I reached the kitchen, it was just like a normal, run-of-the-mill night. And it was. Mom was juggling stirring spaghetti sauce in a pot and talking on the phone with our Aunt Alex. My younger sister Gina was doing a silly dance to the kiddie music that blared out of a radio on the table. 8-year-old Jake was reading a little paperback book to Dad, who was just arriving home from work. Neil, who was 12, was playing on a vintage handheld gaming console.
I gave the meatballs to Mom, who nodded a thanks and dumped the bag into the bubbling sauce. For the first time, I noticed my grandma standing in the doorway, holding a tub of her famous chocolate cupcakes. I muttered an awkward hello, then raced back downstairs to avoid any further social interraction.
I logged on to Minecraft, which was my favorite video game. I got on to a server that me and my friends had set up. It seemed that all of my friends were on. Tiff, Aria, Ricki, and Mai were their names. I told them in a chat to add me to their Skype call.
It wasn't long before wwe were all chatting and laughing together like the good friends we were. Suddenly, a notificaton sound was heard from all ends of the call, along with a few startled gasps. Our screen switched from the cave we were mining in to an all black screen with a small popup window in the center.
"Do you guys see this too?" asked Aria, surprise and excitement clear in her voice. As an answer, Mai made an almost-inhuman fangirl squeak.
The popup read that there was an important update that needed to be downloaded right now.
"I hope it doesn't take long," grumbled Tiff.
"Let's all click it together!" suggested Mai, her Brittish accent creeping into her voice as it did when she was nervous or excited.
"One," said Ricki.
"Two..." said Aria.
"THREE!" I yelled. I meant to press the button right then, but my hand slipped, so I pressed it a few seconds later. Through my headset, I heard something fall to the floor with a THUNK. The edges of my vision blackened. In the split second before I hit the ground, I heard a familiar voice.
"Welcome home, sister."
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