The Key To Combat

Chapter 7

Is it hot in here? I can't be the only one in here feeling this heat. I fan myself and look around. Usually it's extra hot because of all the bodies that pile up in here. Which is understandable because this town is popular for its hot temperatures and everyone wants to get a sweet ice cold drink to cool off. I still don't understand why my parents wanted to live in Miladirow. It's so hard to get a drink on the hot days but today, the restaurant has less than ten people in it. It seems like the weather is only affecting me. I raise my hand to my forehead and it's so hot it startles me making me jump and wobble in my chair. I don't know how it's possible but it feels like my head is a pot of boiling water and I'm being heated on the highest temperature. Is this safe? I look over to the employee behind the counter who is placing my drink on a tray and setting it down. I walk over to get it hoping maybe it will cool me down. I grab the smoothie but the plastic starts to melt so I let go. How can this be happening? Something doesn't feel right. I stumble forwards getting dizzy. I whip my hands in front of me grabbing onto the counter. The employee rushes over to me and grabs my hand. "hey, are you okay?" he asks concerned. I go to answer but nothing comes out. Wait. How can he touch my hands without screaming in pain? It must be like a fever, no one feels how hot it really is or makes you feel inside. I don't know though. This isn't some regular fever, I think I might be at lava temperature. The room is starting to spin and my vision is becoming blurry. His voice starts to fade. "do you need me to call...." Suddenly, I'm at S.O.C.S where I lay in a simulator bed next to Anna and Kyscin. I'm standing outside of the room looking in. I blink to try and correct my vision but it's still blurry. I look up and see Diane adjusting wires and buttons connected to mine, Anna and Kyscins Simulators. The wires are sparking and she's panicking. I look to my right and I see Anna but shes fading in and out like a broken projector screen. She looks at me and tries to touch her forehead and squeels from the pain. Diane looks over to Martin and demands something from him. Martin says something that worries Diane. She ponders his words for a moment and then holds her right hand out towards him. Martin hands her what looks like a plug with a short wire. She replaces the red plug connecting mine, Anna and Kyscins simulator machines with the yellow one in her hand. I look over and see Kyscin fading in and out like a broken prejector screen. He looks from Diane to me in disbelief. Kyscin reaches out his hand to touch me but abruptly disappears. I'm no longer at the university. I look around and everything in the town is the same but I feel like I'm in a whole new world. Why were we on beds connected to wires? Simulators to be exact. Is that why I've been feeling so out of place? That must be why everyone is acting weird. Well I finally got some answers but now I have even more questions. How do I win? If I fought Kyscin because I was honest, Lynn because I was brave, Who do I fight next and what will I have to prove this time? "RHI," I call as I raise my hand up near my face. "Wavina!" she says happily. "you seem chipper." I say smiling. I love to see my little sister happy. I know it's not my real sister but this is the closest I can get to her. This hologram of Keivy seems to be the only real thing right now. "Well, how can I be bummed while talking to my big sister?" She compliments. She smiles and I cant hold back my smile. Hearing her say that makes me sad because if I were back at home, we'd be talking and laughing for hours about anything and everything. I need to end this so I can be with my real sister. "And I really wish I had more time to talk but I need you to tell me what my next battle is." I demand. If I can figure out what my next challenge is maybe I can figure out who I need to talk to, to unleash the demon and the charm. "I'm sorry Wavina, I can't tell you that." she says with a sombre tone. Damn it! What am I going to do? I can't just sit in this thing waiting for the demon to come to me... but I guess I have no choice, do I? "Shit." I I say shaking my head. I only got to page twenty two in the book about RHI tech. "I'm really sorry Wavi." she conforts. The truth is I actually believe her. Not my sister. I'm starting to think technology ain't so bad. Despite almost frying my brain, it's pretty worth while. "No worries. Can you direct me to 'Sweet fruits'?" I quiz. "That I can do, around the corner." "thank you." I say sincerely. As I turn the corner I hear music and loud noises. I wonder where it's coming from. I continue up the street and as I get closer to 'Sweet Fruits' I figure out it's coming from inside the restaurant. I open the door and I immediately drop my jaw. The store is as packed as it is in the real world. I can't be back home, the trees are still orange. How is this possible? Sweet fruits has been almost empty for the past two days. This can't be right. If I'm in a place where 'Sweet Fruits' is full, what does that mean for my battles? What else has changed? What do I do now since this world is no longer the same? I walk over to the counter, dogding bodies. I stop at the counter and look to my left, seeing Lynn walk towards me. "Hey wavi." she says with a smile? Huh? What did she just call me? She has never called me that before. I knew something was up. If Lynn is acting like my friend I'm definitely not in the same place I was an hour ago. She hates me, I hate her. WE HATE EACH OTHER. Seeing her be nice to me is so freaky. This is definitely not where I need to be. But how do I get where I need to be is the question. "Since when do you call me Wavi?" I inquire. "I've always called you Wavi." she says. She raises her hand and puts it on my forehead. "Are you okay?" she asks worried. I swat her hand away and look at her pensively. "I'm fine." I reply. I look at her as if she's lost it but she just smiles. In a simulation I know that these people are in my mind and they don't feel anything or control what they do. They are like robots, programmed to get me to my battles. So it's no use believeing they'll react to my changing emotions. Lynn looks to her right, behind me in the corner of the room and I signal the cashier. "So... Anna has something she wants to tell you. You should go talk to her." She insists. She looks back at me with a big smile. "Umm, maybe later, I'm really thirsty and it's so hot in here." I say qucikly, fanning myself. "No. I think you should do it now." she demands, grabbing my arm. I pull away. "Whatever she needs to tell me can wait." I say. I turn to look at the cashier who is making her way over. "hi, Can a get a large mango banana with extra syrup, please?" I ask. "Coming right up." the cashier says sweetly. She walks towards the ice machine and begins to make my drink. "She told me it's urgent." Lynn snaps. I look at her. "What is the matter with you?" I ask. She's scaring me. Her eyes are starting to look like my mothers did when I mentioned morphing. Dark and angry. I take a step back and I hear the bell at the top of the entrance door ding. Lynn whips her head to the door and takes a deep breath. "nothing." she says with a smile. Okay creepy. I'm so over this all this personality swapping. Now it's like they swap right before my eyes. This is getting crazier and scarier than when I first woke up in this weird place. I didn't know what was going on then but I sure do now. I don't know how our simulators got ruined or why but I need to get back to where I need to be so I can get out of this creepy place. I look over to the door to see who she's watching but whoever it was, they're gone. I turn to face the counter and pull out some change from my pocket as the lady walks over with my drink. Kyscin walks over and Lynn marches out of the store. We both watch her make her dramatic exit. I turn back around and I put the three dollars in the workers hand and take my smoothie. "what's up with her?" he asks. "I honestly, have no idea." I say truthfully. I really wish I did have a clue. At this point, I don't even want to begin to try and figure this all out, I'll just end up making myself mad. If I don't try to understand it maybe it wont be so hard to figure out. I walk over to the empty table in front of me and sit down. Kyscin joins me setting his drink down in front of him. "Lynn storming out isn't even the strangest thing that just happened." I say. "Lynn is always strange." he quips. I can't hold back my laugh and Kyscin smiles. "I know, but this was way strange. She called me Wavi" I say. He looks up at me and I can see he's perplexed. "Really?" he inquires. I look at him and nod me head. "Not Wavina. Wavi. the only people who call me Wavi are my parents, Anna, and.." I stop and look up at him, looking at me. "Me" He says finishing my sentence. He smiles and I definitely know this time he is for sure flirting with me. I want so badly to smile back and make this a moment to remember but, he's not real. I want so badly for him to be real, for ths moment to be real. I wish we could be like this in reality but whenever he's around me it's like he forgets how to speak. He seems like such a talker when he's with his friends, why can't he be like that with me? Do we not have anything in common? You would think a bunch of combat lovers would have more than enough to chat about. I'm so confused when it comes to Kyscin because I'll catch him admiring me, or he'll say something with an alterior meaning. He's so mysterious. That's actually one of the things I like about him. Real world Kyscin is like the robots in this world. His emotions switch right in front of you, I never know if I should react to them or not. A friendly smile wouldn't hurt. I smile and then quickly realize it's weird and look away. I take a sip of my drink and he does the same with his. "It's a nickname permitted to the people I love not the people I hate. Who does she think she is?" I say angrily. Uh-oh. I was talking so fast I didn't realize I didn't add 'and friends' into that sentence. Maybe he didn't notice. I hear him let out a shy laugh. Great he noticed. How am I going to clean this one up. Wait. Do I have to clean it up? I mean, he's not real. It wont even matter. I'm actually patiently waiting for the moment he turns into a monster and challenges me. Can I fight the same person twice? There are so many questions I would like an answer to. "People you love huh?" he asks cockily. He takes a sip of his drink and looks at me intimately. What do I say? I know he's flirting with me which means I don't have to tell him that, that's not what I meant to save face. But who would I be fooling? Even though he's not real, I bet even he knows it's exactly what I meant. I think I've loved him since the beginning of MCHS. The first time Kyscin and I met was the second day of school. He was wearing a black hooded light blue denim jean jacket, a white V neck T-shirt and light blue jeans to match. He looked like something off of a magazine. I remember it like it was an hour ago. Kyscin and I were thirty feet away from each other but when we locked eyes it felt like we were only a few inches apart. It was like we were on an imaginary treadmill being guided towards each other. Everybody froze and it was just me and Kyscin. He came over to me and Anna and he complimented my hair. We talked for about five minutes enjoying each others company and Anna just stared off, behind Kyscin. Talking to him was so much fun. In just a few moments I found out how funny and down to earth he is. Talking to Kyscin was like drinking a mango banna smoothie from 'Sweet Fruits'. So many of my favourite things in one moment. My favourite fruit, banana in a smoothie at my favourite place with my favorite additive, sugar. I wish I could ask the Kyscin sitting in front of me right now if he felt it too and he could answer like the real one. I have to get ot of here so I can ask the real him. "I- umm." I hesitate. He puts his drink down and grabs my hand. He's so sweet. He knows I'm nervous and I assume he can tell that I'm blushing. My face turns red so easily, I hate it but he's trying to relax me. This robot Kyscin is very human like. He is empathetic and sweet and he's even looking into my eyes like the real Kyscin. But this is a simulation it's not real. This is just one of it's tricks to slow me down. "Look, you're not real." I blurt out. I take my hand back. He's wearing a confused look on his face. Or is it worry? It's more worried than confused but still confused. I shake my head. "You are not real. I know I'm wasting my time saying this because you don't think for yourself just like all the other controlled robots around me. But I need you to stop flirting with me and messing with my head because I have more important things to worry about in this world and I can't be trying to figure out if the man of dreams feels the same way I do. Okay? You're making me go crazy. Just stop!" I exclaim. I can't believe I just blew up at him like that. I hid my feelings for so long because Kyscin kind of broke my heart but it feels so good to let the anger out. I sort of wish he was the real Kyscin right now. Even though this isn't the real Kyscin I still can't believe I just confessed that he's the man of my dreams. I knew I liked him and possibly loved him but the man of my dreams? I now realize that making a promise to yourself to stop feeling is like making a promise to yourself to stop breathing. You have to breath just like you have to feel. Somethings are just inevitable. I wish I could stop feeling. I just want to shake him and ask him why he stopped liking me. I have to go before I break down talking to someone with no emotional capabilities. He's looking at me in disbelief. What doesn't he believe, that I'm going crazy or that he's not real? This simulation is really doing a number on me. Using Kyscin to make me lose my mind. It's like he's extra cute, extra sweet, just extra everything. How did this thing make his expressions so life like? He's even more real than when I seen him yesterday. This is definitely a ploy that my mind is creating to slow me down. I don't think I can endure this anymore, it's too painful. I stand up. "Wavi, ever since I-" he tries. I rush out the door. I don't know where I'm going but I know I can't be there with him any longer.