I burst through the double doors of West Shire Community College, cursing under my breath. Unable to afford tuition any longer, I dropped out. I got fired from my job two months ago, and I've been scraping together chump change to get by. That, unfortunately, only got me to this point. 

I pulled the straps of my pack tight and held my head in shame as I made my way down the front steps. I could feel everyone staring at me as I passed the growing crowd. Today, you needed a college degree to get an actual job, so when a person failed or dropped out, everyone knew. On the flip side of the coin, if you couldn't afford to pay, no one would stick their neck out for you. Life grew to become very cutthroat.

“Look at him. What a loser,” A female voice called out.

“Yeah, I always knew he would end up flunking,” someone else added on.

I gritted my teeth and bit back the anger welling up inside. I didn’t understand what happened in my life for me to end up here. I guess some people really do peak in high school. I let out a heavy sigh, kept my head down, and made my way through the mob. I walked and walked, unwilling to head home and face my shitty one-room apartment. My stomach growled some time later, so I pulled out my phone to check my digital wallet. It read:

Seraph Lance

Balance: $20

Upcoming Payments:

Rent - $1425.37 ($950.25 past due)

“Fuck,” I muttered.

I really did hit rock bottom, and soon I’d be on the streets with the rest of society’s forgotten miscreants. I quickly checked my surroundings for a nearby restaurant. The only one in sight was a run down hole-in-the-wall pizza shop called Lenny’s Pizza. The sight of the building was beyond repulsive, but beggars can’t be choosers. Crossing the street, I pulled open the rusting door with a loud screech, and a dull ding from a bell that had seen better days. 

A gruff voice called out from the kitchen, “Hello. Be with you in a moment. Welcome to Lenny’s Pizza.” 

I took up residence next to the cracked counter and glanced around the small shop. The tile food that once shone bright white had become dingy and stained. The pale yellow walls were chipped and covered with grease. The lights were dim and one continuously flickered. When I returned my attention to the counter, I nearly shit my pants. A short, fat, balding man stood behind the register. 

“Jesus christ! Announce yourself next time,” I protested.

He shrugged, “My shop. Don’t like it then leave.”

“Fair enough,” I replied.

The man looked me over for a moment, “So you gon just sit here and suck up all my air or what?”

I shook my head, “Sorry. Long day. Can I just get a pepperoni pizza?”

He spoke as he tapped away on the screen in front of him, “That all or you wanna add a drink?”

“No, just the pizza, please.”

He cleared his throat before speaking, “Very well, that'll be eighteen ninety-five.”

I chewed on my bottom lip as I placed my phone near the register. After a second, a loud ding came from both devices, signifying the completed transaction.

“I’ll have that out to you in ten minutes,” he said as he turned to walk back into the kitchen.

 I moved to the far wall and leaned against it while I waited. When the man returned, he placed a large pizza box on the counter.

“Here you go. Enjoy,” he muttered before returning to the kitchen.

I snatched up the box and exited the shop. I wandered my way down to the city park where I hoped to eat in peace. Being midday on a weekday, the park was relatively empty except for a few old couples and some joggers. Taking up residence at one of the many picnic tables, I opened the box and began gorging myself on the greasy food. About half way through my binge eating, my phone began to ring. Annoyed, I pulled the device from my pocket to check the ID. The screen said unknown caller. Rolling my eyes, I declined the call. My phone immediately began ringing again. The ID still said unknown caller.

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“What the fuck?” I questioned before declining the call again.

Once again the phone started ringing. Irritated, I answered.

“Look I don't know who you are or what you want, but I'm not interested,” I hissed.

A female voice came from the other end, “Hey, Seraph. Great to hear from you too.”

I choked on a bite of pizza as I tried to speak, “N-Natalie? Hey how's life been treating you?”

“Well. I'm sorry we haven't spoken in years. I've been caught up with work and stuff ya’ know.” she replied with a hint of genuine sorrow in her voice.

“It's alright. Life's a bitch and we all gotta date her.”

She let out a small laugh, “I see your humor hasn't died.”

I shrugged even though she couldn't see me, “Probably the only thing that keeps me going.”

“I hear ya. How's college?” She asked curiously.

My heart sank, and I didn’t have the gall to be honest about how far I've sunk, so I settled for a small lie.

“Oh, you know, tedious and tiring. Working myself to the bone.”

“Sounds like the dream,” she said before taking a brief pause, “Hey, can I ask a favor? It's okay if you say no, but I'd really appreciate…”

“Sure. What's up?” I answered, cutting her off.

“Come by my place around five and I'll explain. I'll text you the address, but I've gotta run and get ready for my next stream. See you soon Seraph!” she said before hanging up.

“Yeah, you too,” I said to no one.

It felt strange that Natalie would be reaching out to me after all these years. We used to be great friends until her streaming career took off. Then she disappeared from my life entirely. I wonder what she could want with me? My phone buzzed, and I checked the message. Natalie sent me her address and added on a note for me to hurry. I looked down at the rest of my unfinished pizza, my appetite no longer present.

“Sorry, you greasy, delicious treat. Lunchtime is over,” I said as I got up and dropped the remainder into a nearby trash bin.

I quickly input the address into my phone’s GPS and set off for Natalie’s house.

Natalie lived across town in the northern district where all the wealthy citizens of Shire resided. It felt wrong for me to even enter the district. The stark contrast between me and all the people I passed by drove me deeper into my slump. I always dreamed of living in a neighborhood like this, but that became more than far fetched.

When I finally arrived at the location, I found myself outside of a large wrought iron gate. Just outside the gate sat an intercom that allowed for communication to the two story house within the compound. Swallowing the fear and anxiety welling up inside, I walked up to the device and pressed the call button. It rang for two seconds before I heard a buzz, and the gate began to slowly open. When there was a large enough gap, I slid through and followed the paved path up to the front door. I didn't have a chance to knock before the door swung wide to reveal an excited Natalie.

 She wrapped me in a tight hug before stepping back and saying, “Oh my god, it's so good to see you.”

I let out a nervous laugh and said, “Yeah you too. So, uh, what did you call me over for?”

“Come on, I'll show you,” she said with a wide grin before taking my hand and leading me into the house.

I followed in silence as she led me up the stairs and into a sky blue room full of monitors. On one of them was an active stream of someone playing some sort of first person shooter. Natalie walked over to the desk and sat down in a very comfortable looking gaming chair. She started clicking around on one of the screens pulling up a new window. She looked over at me curiously.

“Pull up a seat Seraph,” she said gesturing to another chair in the corner of the room.

“Oh okay sorry,” I muttered as I retrieved the chair, rolling it across the hardwood floor.

I pulled up right beside her, and she now had a paused video on screen.

She turned and looked at me, “Alright before I show you this, I have some questions.”

“Okay?” I replied, my eyebrow raised.

“How often do you play videogames?” She asked instantly.

“Uh, rarely ever. Why?”

“Damnit, okay,” she huffed, “Have played any virtual reality games?”

“Never. Nat, what is this about?” I asked.

She sighed and asked, “Have you heard of Dead Zone Online?”

I nodded, “I think so. Isn't it that game that's supposed to be extremely realistic?”

Her eyes lit up, “Yes! That's the one.”

“Okay, yeah. What about it?”

“So the game devs are doing something special for this new update. It's supposed to be something of a beta test before the big release in three weeks.”

I cocked my head, “How does this involve me?”

She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before she spoke, “Well the game world is divided into seven competing factions. From each faction the devs have selected the top streamer to do this beta test. However, each streamer must have a squad of seven people in order to qualify for the event. I currently have six.”

My eyes grew wide as realization hit me, “Woah, woah, woah. You want me to play this game and be in your squad. Absolutely not! I'll make a fool out of both of us. On top of that I don't even have the money for anything virtual reality related.”

“You can use one of mine, and don't worry I can help get you up to speed over the next two weeks,” she said, her voice full of hope.

I stood up, “I'm sorry Nat I don't think I can help you.”

I started to leave, but what she said next stopped me in my tracks.

“There's a cash prize of one point four million for the squad that wins. That's two hundred thousand per person. On top of that all participants have to stream during the entirety of the event, so you could even build a platform as a streamer,” her voice filled my ears with an offer I couldn't pass up.

I turned to face her, “Are you sure you can get me ready in time?”

She smiled brightly, “Absolutely!”

“Alright, when do we start?”