The Gray Tower (Being Rewritten as The Erstwhile Druid)

Chapter 7.1: Awakening

Tralheim, Day 2201

“No!”

Noelle woke with a start, a mixture of sweat and tears drenching her sheets.

It was the same dream. The one that never ended, the one that followed her through elementary school, middle school, and high school. Even now, it continued, wheels turning like clockwork. It wasn’t a dream after all — it was reality.

“Reality.” Noelle uttered the single word, rolling it along her tongue, a single tear still fresh in her eye. She wiped her arm across her face, leaving a trail of snot and salty liquid.

Did I oversleep? Groggily, Noelle reached for the alarm clock atop her cabinet.

Her hand grasped nothing, the follow-through smacking against a wooden frame. Strange. Maybe she’d tossed the clock aside.

Noelle focused on her surroundings, the hazy fog of sleep receding. A familiar ceiling greeted her. The same one she’d seen before closing her eyes. This was her room in Tralheim.

Tralheim? This ceiling…

Her heart thumped, threatening to burst out of her chest as the beats grew faster. No. This isn’t right.

She’d logged out, the world going black. But why was she still in Tralheim? Right about now, she should have been back in California choking on car exhaust.

Had she really gone to sleep in Tralheim? Before that, there was an even bigger problem. She dreamed. Is that… is that even possible in a game, Noelle thought, bewildered.

She pinched her shoulder. Ow. The pain was sharp. It was different from the injuries she’d sustained against the thugs.

“It feels real,” Noelle said, for good measure repeating herself. “It feels real.” Only one word came to mind.

Ohmygod. I’ve got to contact Luke and Tetsu, she thought. Even if Luke didn’t know anything, Noelle suspected that Tetsu would. The old man had a knack for rooting out information he had no business knowing.

“Noelle Highrose, 0314, open main menu,” Noelle said. Nothing happened. Frowning, Noelle tried again.

“Noelle Highrose, 0314, open main menu,” Noelle repeated, pronouncing each word clearly and distinctly.

She waited a few more seconds. The interface was nowhere to be found.

Was she mistaking her pin code? No, that was impossible. The date, March 14th, was seared into her — the day when that terrible dream first began.

A sharp knock interrupted her reverie. She narrowed her eyes, warily glancing at the door. Reaching under her bed, she drew out her knives and tiptoed toward the entrance.

The knock came again, this time a series of three loud raps. “Noelle, are you okay? Answer me.” It was Luke. Noelle let out a sigh of relief and opened the door.

“Oh thank god, you’re o — ” Luke said, blushing as he glanced in.

“Luke, what’s going on? I couldn’t log out. And I dreamed. Can you even dre — ” Noelle said breathlessly, ripping off each question in a steady stream of words. “What’s wrong?”

Luke’s eyes were stuck to the floor. “Um, Noelle. First, can you put some clothes on?”

Noelle suddenly became self-conscious, aware that she was wearing only her undergarments. She folded her arms around her chest and twisted away from the doorway.

“Keep them off. Don’t listen to the young whippersnapper.” An old man stepped through the door, pushing Luke aside. “Now, let’s dis — ”

A knife whipped forward, point sinking with ease into the frame of the wooden door. Noelle glared at both men, her second knife poised to teach one of them a lesson. “Tetsu, don’t push it.”

“Ahem, on second thought, we’ll be right outside. Let us know when you’re changed,” Tetsu said.

The door closed behind them, leaving Noelle to her embarrassment.

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