Cyber Mortality

Chapter 12:

The sun fills my room at an ungodly hour. I groan and pull my comforter over my head.

"Hey sweetie?" my mother knocks at my door. "I'm going to head into town to do some shopping. There is food in the fridge if you want to eat some breakfast."

"Okay," I reply and wipe the sleep from my eyes. My stomach growls and I head for the kitchen. I pour myself a bowl of cereal and chew it slowly while looking over the messages on my watch. One from Flint draws my attention and I bring it up.

'Don't hurt him' glares up at me like a firework to the face.

'What do you mean?' I type back and after only a moment he responds.

'You kissed.'

'It was just a drunk kiss. I'm sure he understands that' A knock sounds at the front door and I groan. Who could it be? I glance at my reflection in the microwave and decide I don't look too terrible. I pull the door open and find Nyle standing outside.

"Uh, hi," he waves. "Good morning."

"What's up?" I inquire and catch him staring at my PJs.

"I was wondering if you would want to do something today? Not in the game?" he asks.

"Sure," I nod. "Where's Flint?"

"He's working today so I thought I would show you a few more places in town," he smiles nervously.

"Okay," I smile. "Just let me get ready. You can come in and wait if you want."

"Alright," he comes inside and pops his shoes off before plopping onto the couch. "I'll just wait here."

"I'll be as fast as I can," I reply and head up the stairs to my room. I quickly shower and towel off my hair as best as I can. I tug on a pair of skinny jeans and a t-shirt before dashing down the stairs to meet Nyle.

"Ready?" he asks when I appear.

"Yup!" I laugh and tug on my shoes. "Where are we going?"

"I was thinking we could go to the aquarium if that sounds okay to you?" he inquires.

"That sounds amazing," I grin. "I hope they have sea turtles!"

"They do," he nods. "They're currently working on a breeding program to try to raise the sea turtle population back up."

"So there might be babies?" my eyes widen.

"It's a possibility," he shrugs.

"Let's go!" I grab his hand and drag him out the door. "I wanna see me some turtles!"

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"Whoa!" my eyes go big as saucers as we watch a giant jellyfish swirl about in a tank. "It's huge!"

"One of the last of it's kind," Nyle smiles sadly. "Crazy isn't it?"

"Wow, that is crazy," I nod and move to the next exhibit. "Holy shit! Penguins!" I scream with delight but quickly cover my mouth when I see a mother shooting me a disapproving look. "You didn't tell me there would be penguins here," I whisper to Nyle.

"Well, I am actually surprised they still have them out here," Nyle gazes at the small black and white birds mingling. "Last I heard these are seven of the last fifty Emperor penguins on the planet."

"What?" I gaze at them. "How do you know so much about animals?"

"They're interesting," he shrugs. "It is just too bad that so many species are going extinct."

"I never realized that so many were," I reply. "I mostly just read books and don't pay attention to the news much."

"Yeah Flint doesn't really pay attention to the news either," Nyle laughs. "He mostly just plays the game and works. He is always worrying about getting things done."

"I'm surprised he let me join your team," I smirk.

"You've been a valuable member," Nyle winks.

"I haven't exactly done much yet," I grin. "It's only been a few days."

"Well thanks to you we have enough members to join the tournament," he grins. "Now we just need those crystals."

"How do we find more?" I inquire.

"It depends," he shrugs. "Sometimes you can mine them. Other times you get them on jobs or quests. Some people even resort to stealing them from other players. People like the Black Viper gang."

"They don't sound very nice," I frown.

"They're not. Gangs like them make the game difficult," Nyle shakes his head. "But I don't feel bad about beating them up since they treat people poorly."

"How many other gangs are there?"

"Not many," he scratches his chin. "Black Viper is the most notable."

"Well I hope we don't have to run into them too much," I sigh.

"Who knows," Nyle chuckles. "They will probably compete in the tournament."

"They're allowed to?" I question.

"Of course," he nods. "Anyone is allowed to. They just have to have the two entry requirements."

"Well if we do see the Black Vipers, I hope we crush them."