SAVE POINT 23
Dormouse
‘Sure, watch the nerd crowd, Dormouse. That's something significant. That's something important. That's pulling your weight in this life-or-death, end-of-the-world situation. Sure.’ ...Why did people think they could always lie to me?
It probably didn't help that I looked like I was fifteen. I was kicked out of an Earth bar once because the bouncer didn't believe my ID; shit like this just happened to me on the regular. I guessed I should be used to it by now.
...At least I was with Mimi; if I had to be that annoying, glass-half-full person, that was one positive. I glanced over at the girl, and couldn't help but notice her smooth jawline, the steel in those eyes and that adorable, freckled nose. The wind kicked up the chin-length ends of her brown hair, and she pushed them away from her lips with a calculated finger. God, I got the flutters when I looked at her. It was like I was thirteen again. My heart was all jumpy and my palms started to sweat. I'd been in my head too much about it lately. ...Maybe a little in my pants too. I'd tried to get a grip on it, but—
"Dormouse," her voice was firm, but she laid a soft hand on my arm.
See, she'd do things like that! Shivers traced up and down my skin where she touched. Get a grip, Dormouse, I lectured myself. This wasn't kindergarten, and I’d been touched by a girl before. …Why was it doing things like this to me?
"We obviously should close the portal so more of the crowd can't get through," the girl continued, "We could use that guy's help from before—the one with the dreadlocks. He seems like some type of leader to them. Do you know where he is?"
Did I know where my LUNGS were?! Focus.
[System Query: Would You Like to Flirt with MIMI, PORTAL GUARD 17? Use 30 Swag Points to Flirt?]
[Yes, Flirt] [No, Thank You]
No. Focus. I hurriedly slapped the Swag Points prompt out of view and took a sharp breath in, my eyes scanning the jumbled herd of people stretching before the two of us. It was like playing iSpy, looking for that damned needle in a haystack, trying to find the man with the dreadlocks. Finally, I spotted him, "There!" I pointed. And I watched Mimi's lips stretch into that familiar, determined line I knew too well as we charged towards him—her, hands on hips, me, trying to remember my Warden training and look like I had some backbone of authority here.
The grimy, surfer dude with the blonde dreads strode towards us, both hands in his jean pockets. "Good 'morrow fine sir and lady knight!" he called in a thick, and obviously fake, British accent. I looked around—behind us like he might be talking to someone else, but apparently not. Where did the British accent come from? Just because this was a fantasy game reality didn't mean we were all either Old English or Scottish...
"Hey, listen, bud, we gotta shut down the Trading Portal," I called to him, not wanting to prolong what would most likely be a bunch of small talk and pleasantries if I let him continue.
"Aw, man, you guys!"—both his shoulders and his accent dropped—"We were just starting to have fun!"
His sun-wrinkled face scrunched up. Was he aware just how thoroughly he resembled a five year old right now?
"Well, can you have fun in another dimension, because this one can't support an extra 5,000 Gamers," Mimi snorted, striding towards the abandoned gas station as the crowd parted before her, gaping at us. "And do us all a favor and burn that book when you get back to reality. No offense, but we have enough to deal with without swarms of people dimension hopping."
God, I loved it when Mimi was being a hardass. It somehow made her sweet side that much sweeter. I trailed behind her like the puppy dog I really didn't want to be, ducking my head a little. How could we possibly get all of these people to willingly jump back into the portal and out of our world? If she could do it, I'd certainly like to see it. What I did see, however, was the typical system alert for the Trading Portal:
[System Alert: You Are Within 15 Feet Of A Portal. Please Prepare For Transport. If You Are Not Preparing For Transport, Please Maintain Distance So No Accidents Occur.]
Mimi already had her tools out by the time I swung open the glass, storefront door which was smeared with dirt rather than clear in any amount. I knew the toolbelt was standard issue for Portal Guards, but there was nothing standard about the quick way her fingers used the screwdriver to unhinge the emergency cover on the side of the portal pillar device; that was pure skill that could only come with time and experience.
"Need help?" I offered, dragging one foot back and forth across the linoleum floor with a swishing sound just for something to do. "I'm probably not as quick as you with the anatomy of these rigs, but I know a thing or two about—"
"Hit that lever, will you?" The girl absentmindedly gestured to a black pull lever on the opposite wall I would have never even seen; it blended seamlessly with the painted, black stripe that extended horizontally around the entire wall.
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"I got ya." Before I could say anything else, Mr. Dreadlocks joker stepped through the door and towards the lever. With one sweeping heave, he yanked it downward but—
But it stuck.
[System Alert: Trading Portal Lever Jammed. Please Remove Debris And Retry.]
With a frown and a grumble, he leaned his weight into it, "Damn thing won't—"
There was a snapping sound. And, then, the guy turned, a vacant expression covering his face and a black, broken handle in the palm of his open hand as a description of his handiwork flashed in front of his face:
[System Alert: Trading Portal Lever Broken.]
He looked at the jagged piece of plastic, shrugging, "Well, we tried—"
"Are you kidding me?!" Mimi stormed, her eyes a frustrated furious that looked like it might break in half at any given moment, "That's the only way to disengage the transfer unit—"
She stopped when she saw that her tirade was sorely lost on the guy who was far too busy inspecting whatever appeared to have dribbled down the front of his t-shirt at some prior point.
But I understood Mimi's panic. She meant the portal was locked in a closed status. We couldn't get anyone out. The nerds were stuck here. ...And we'd basically done the OPPOSITE of what Rosabella had asked us to. Dragon's shit.
"Can't you use a wrench to turn it like the lever would?" I asked, trying to be helpful and feeling like I was failing by the looks of her teeth-grinding expression.
"No, Dormouse. I'd risk hitting the enabler and frying the entire rationing circuit."
I had no idea what any of that meant except that it was bringing annoyed tears to her eyes. Didn't sound too good—
The bell on the convenience store door tinkled weakly. "Excuse me—"
A girl's timid voice? And giggling? Right behind me? I whirled to find two girls tittering to each other and sinking away from me like they'd rather blend in with the wall.
"Oh my God, he's so cute—" one whispered, “Even cuter than I’d thought in the book.”
"He's looking at us, act normal!" the other demanded.
Wait...were they... Were they talking about...me? I spun only to find the dreadlocks guy blinking in my direction and Mimi's annoyed stare. There was no one else here...
"We read about you in the book, Dormouse," the first one—a sticky girl with ringlets down to her waist—ventured, toying with her hair, "You were the only one who was nice to Rosabella at first. You wear your heart on your sleeve—"
"Will you sign our books?"
They shoved paperbacks at me—identical books with a fiery dragon on the front.
While I gaped.
Openly.
At their interested faces, batting eyelashes and expectant lips and at the corresponding system prompt that popped into view:
[System Query: Would You Like to Flirt with TanyaGetInURPants#100 UNIDENTIFIED CLASS UNIDENTIFIED LEVEL? Use 30 Baddie Points to Flirt?]
[Yes, Flirt] [No, Thank You]
H-o-l-y shit. This was really happening? This wasn't a dream? I didn't just fall asleep propped up somewhere or vividly imagine this in the middle of something else I was supposed to be doing? I couldn't have. I'd only ever seen this book once before. Should I flirt with them? YES…I meant no. Of course not, bad idea—definitely not flirting with girls who looked like they could chew me up and spit me out. Her username only seemed like further confirmation…
No, System.
I batted the words away like an annoying dog. But had that been the right move? I shakily took the pen and books from them.
"Can you sign it with a heart?" the first girl wanted to know.
My mouth had never been drier as I scribbled my name of the first pages and extended the books awkwardly back. And they hugged them to their abundant chests like I was a rockstar and had just given them each a one-hundred-dollar bill as they giggled and slid back out the door.
And left me there.
Frozen and staring. That and scratching my head. What the—
The blonde-haired, dreadlocks, surfer bro spoke suddenly at my shoulder, his loud voice startling. "That second one's BettyBoop69. Sure you don't want to talk further to her, if you know what I mean?" He raised a cocked eyebrow which had me blushing rainbows.
"If you two are done with whatever that was," Mimi huffed, "I could use a little help here."
I turned to see that the petite girl attempting to lift the portal column by herself. Her face strained from the weight of it. I rushed to her aid—although, let's be honest, I wasn’t exactly Arnold Schwarzenegger. With all three of our hands on it (surfer bro included), we heaved it to the side.
"There, now, no one will try to use it," Mimi started, brushing her hands off on her body armor. But that's right when the air wavered, glowing a vivid, turquoise blue and—
I tried not to begin instantaneously hyperventilating, but it was nearly impossible because—
Maude materialized.
The blonde girl I'd had a crush on for forever.
Right next to Mimi.
And I was staring at the two girls who were definitely the downfall of me. Here. Both in the same room. Was this place getting smaller—the air thicker? The walls and empty shelves closing in?
The two girls smiled at each other. Maude threw a crackling walkie talkie to Mimi who caught it swiftly. "You gotta keep up on the chatter. The channel is lit about the activity through this portal. Something like 5,300 persons transferring—" the blonde girl rushed.
"5,280," surfer bro corrected.
Maude looked the man up and down; her expression settled on ‘definitely unimpressed’—probably 'cause he looked like he smelled. Her plucked, right eyebrow arched in disgust, "Who is this guy?"
"I honestly don't remember," Mimi hissed under her breath, but I guessed he’d heard because he stepped forward with a low bow.
"DANKFanboi_420 at your service, my illustrious muse," the man's eyes were all but eating up the blonde's curvaceous frame.
Maude’s lips puckered in distaste as she flipped her straight hair over one shoulder. "Ew," she mouthed.
"Well, the adjuster hinge broke," Mimi filled her in quickly, "So, unfortunately, people can still come through the portal, but I can't send them back through from this side. We'll have to use the Northern Portal to herd them back through, but that's a few days walk, at least—probably more with a crowd this size—so...
"Assuming they'll go." I interrupted the girls' conversation with that awkward statement and what was supposed to be a half-laugh but came out more of a hiccup.
They both stared at me.
"If you're looking for info on the group, I could show you all around," Fanboi offered with a shrug—probably the most helpful thing he'd ever offered.
Mimi nodded, "Okay."
"Hey, also, I have brownies. Want one?" He held out a handful of mostly-smashed, brown, confectionary treats wrapped in clear, cling wrap which had apparently been surviving in his pocket—hence the smash.
And I was suddenly very hungry.
I nodded and watched him peel a brownie out of the wrapping.
And I shoved the chocolate sensation in my mouth to avoid shoving my foot there.
Again.
As I, and my two crushes who really shouldn't be best friends, trailed out behind him.