“I’m so sorry, Marianne, but we have to let you go.” Jennifer Belle-Weddington, Quality Assurance supervisor, wasted no time telling me I was getting the boot. My one-hour commute today could’ve been avoided with a text or email informing me of this unfortunate news. I could’ve spent that hour it took to get here through the hell that is Astroville traffic to go job hunting. But, the god of luck, what’s-her-face, enjoys watching me panic.
How the hell am I going to tell Callie that we’ll have to ration our already limited supply of food because I lost my job?
“Christmas is canceled Bee-tee-dub!” Callie deserves to experience a lovely Christmas—a Christmas neither one of our parents could give us. Correction: Dad, who lived by check to paycheck, would not be able to afford the holiday, but mom… mom could save Callie and me both if she gave a damn—
“Marianne, your performance is the reason why—” I wave a dismissive hand at Jennifer, annoyed and ready to scream.
“That’s a crock of…” I chew my tongue, wanting to rip her to shreds for the bald-faced lie she’s about to tell. The Astro Bottling Company experienced an unprecedented slow season that affected all employees. During this time, I extended myself beyond my breaking point to assist in any other areas of the factory I could. I even sent an email to the higher-ups informing them that I am available to work at the other bottling facilities across Astroville at any time.
I wasted my time.
“I need to go.” I collect my purse and bubble coat, turn on my heel, and am ready to leave when Jennifer shouts at me.
“If you don’t sit down this instant, I will make sure you’re denied unemployment benefits.”
My blood simmers to a boil, and I bite my lip to refrain from retaliating. If my sister Callie were in my shoes, she’d get violent. For me, though, I get quiet, and the wheels in my head begin to turn. Even if I sit down to be berated for things I shouldn’t be berated for, I will still be denied unemployment benefits. The inner workings of Astro Bottling tell me that this company sees you as a number. Nothing more.
I bite the bullet and hold my head with some dignity as I leave this crap hole for good.
***
The commute back to my apartment is oddly quiet. The tram ride, usually full to bursting with passengers, is nearly empty. I scout the train, observing my fellow tram riders, noting that they're all in their own world. I begin to wonder if any of these passengers are in the same boat as me when a promotional photo of my mother flashes on the holo-advert on the train. She’s in a new movie, I see, titled “The Happy Wife”. Oh, and she either got her nose done again or had her third facelift…. I can’t tell. Patina Gold looks nothing like my sister and me anymore. Never wanted to, if I had to guess.
I remember when she abandoned her family. Left Callie and me with Dad. Callie was a few months old; I was six, and Dad was drunk as hell.
“LET ME GO!” Mom had screamed as Dad barricaded the front door with the sofa. He made Callie and me sit on the couch so that she’d always know—always remember—the two most precious things she was leaving behind.
“This is not the life I dreamed for myself,” Mom said, her voice choked with an unshakeable sob. “I don’t want to live in this world with you!” She poked Dad with her finger before swishing that same finger at her girls. “Or them. LET. ME. GO!”
Mom tipped the couch over, and Callie screamed as we both face-planted into the hardwood floor. I recall the faint taste of blood in my mouth as I felt my tooth shatter. Through the yelling and screaming, Mom and Dad tussled at the door, his hands like vise grips around her dainty arms as he shoved her against a wall. Mom kicked and clawed and screamed her throat raw.
Then the cops came…
A heavy downpour starts as I depart the tram, drenching the megapolis and all its pedestrians. I’m grateful for this unexpected change in the weather. The rain washes away my tears as I am soaked to the bone. I stop for shelter inside the noise-riddled wonderland that is Gamepocalypse. With its wide selection of games, from old-school retro games to the latest gaming craze, Gamepocalypse has everything a gamer dreams of.
I peek over my shoulder at the craziness behind me, remembering when Callie and I came here to escape Dad. Callie and I aren’t gamers, but there were kids our age running amuck as exhausted parents raced behind them to ensure they didn’t get lost in the maze of video games. Callie clutched my hand tightly as the two of us wandered aimlessly, needing the epic ruckus Gamepocalypse held within its walls to drown our worries to a dull ache in our hearts.
“Pizza.” Callie raced to a table where a little boy turning seven years old was celebrating with his friends and family. Neither of us had eaten that whole day… there was nothing in the fridge or cabinets for us to munch on.
“Callie!” I hissed, hurrying behind her to stop my sister before she got us in trouble.
“Callie?” The birthday boy waved at her, a wide smile on his brown face. “Do you want some cake? Mom! It’s Callie.”
“Nice to meet you.” The boy’s mom hugged Callie and squatted down to meet her eye-to-eye. “Nassir didn’t think you were coming. Here, this is for you.” The lovely woman then handed my sister a party bag of goodies.
“Thank you, Miss Nassir’s Mom,” Callie said before rushing past the birthday boy to grab a pizza slice.
I hung back, clinging to a pinball machine as I watched Callie like a hawk while she enjoyed herself and engorged on cake and pizza. I didn’t want to intrude on Nassir’s party; besides, I wasn’t invited.
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“Would you like some pizza? Or cake?” Nassir’s mom approached me unexpectedly, blocking my view of Callie with her floral, knee-length dress.
I looked up at the woman, drawn in by the warmth in her brown eyes and the rosy hue of her cheeks. This woman vibrated with a motherly love that I simply couldn’t refuse the offer.
“T-Thank you.”
After the festivities, Nassir’s mother, Naduah, made sure Callie and I took home an extra box of pizza and a few slices of cake.
I never felt so special—
“Excuse me, Ma’am?” A squeaky feminine voice says behind me. “Are you here for the beta testing position? I’ve had three no-shows, and I'm supposed to have two potential prospects on the way. I’m hoping you’re one of the two."
Turning, I am greeted by a woman about my age with the most interesting purple afro, and bamboo earrings adorned with a curious name. She’s a gorgeous being, wearing a honey-colored pantsuit and hover-sneakers.
“I’m sorry,” I say, half-smiling. “I stepped in here to escape the rain, is all.”
“Oh.” Ms. Pantsuit sighs, a palpable sadness threaded through each breath. “My apologies.”
“Are you okay?”
“No, not really.”
“Is there anything I can do?” I ask because that’s the kind of person that I am.
“Not unless you’re looking for a job,” she says, shaking her head. “I didn’t mean to bother you—”
“Wait… I am looking for a job,” I say with such scary desperation that the woman takes a step back. “I literally got fired like two seconds ago.” And I have a family to care for and overdue bills to pay. But I don’t say that. “You mentioned something about beta testing? May I ask what that is… and how much it pays?”
***
Sibongile, head of the beta testing program for Emblem of Eridanus, fills me in on all that I need to know about the game and the company—FullDivR—that she works for. To be honest, after Sibongile told me that the pay was two thousand protons (Astroville currency) a week, and I got to keep any money I made in the VR world to transfer into real-world funds, I was all in.
“Any chance you know how much the exchange rate is?”
Sibongile and I, seated at a table for four, are served bubbly beverages and nachos. Sibongile indulges my curiosity by explaining the exchange rate of VR bucks to Protons. Though her explanation is long-winded and replete with legalese because the government wants their share too, in short—
“I’ll be making beaucoup money.” Like some wealthy snob, I imagine myself falling backward into a mound of cash. Callie and I will be fine, then. That’s all I could ask for. “So, what’s the catch?”
“No catch.” Sibongile toys with the silly straw bobbing in her diet drink. “Well, there aren’t any benefits like medical or dental. Nor any retirement plans available for beta testers.”
I rake a hand through my semi-dry blonde hair, miffed at the idea that I’ll have to pay for everything out of pocket. Callie is due for a checkup, and I need dental work because I grind my teeth while I sleep.
“Do you think it’ll be possible for me to manage a second job along with this one?” I brush my Astro Bottling tee of nacho debris. “The whole not having benefits thing is scary. Especially when I have a sister to take care of.”
“I understand.” Sibongile slides a tablet onto the table, pulls out a stylus and begins to tap away at the screen. “You know what,” she begins, tapping furiously, “I will do my due diligence to make sure you get the benefits you deserve.”
“Really? Thank you—”
“However—” Sibongile’s tapping subsides, her eyes locking with mine. “You’ll work full-time under my guidance. That means you could work as much as sixteen hours—”
“Sixteen hours? Inside a video game?” This girl must be nuts if she thinks that I’ll work that much on any given day. “I work jobs that work around my sister's schedule. I am her guardian, which means I can’t leave her alone. Do you know what fourteen-year-olds are capable of without supervision?”
Sibongile’s voice wavers with equal parts understanding and immense sadness. “I understand, Marianne.” She rolls her shoulders back and shakes her head as if ridding her mind of dark thoughts. “How about this: I’ll work around your schedule! You work for a set number of hours, leave whenever your sister is out of school, spend time with her, and then come back here in the late hours. How does that sound?”
“You pretty much want me working all day?” I cross my arms, and lean into the cushioned seating. “That’s a lot to ask for this game. I bet that’s why you’ve had no shows today because the schedule is a bit too much. I think… I think I’ll have to pass—”
“I’ll gift you a bonus of five thousand protons bonus.” Sibongile’s cheeks are wet the next instant, her hands shaking. Quickly, she dabs at her eyes with a napkin. “I’m so sorry. This is so embarrassing…”
Witnessing her in this state makes me think of Callie and all the nights she’s cried in my arms about school, boys, and dad. “What’s really going on?” I ask, the knife edge in my voice cuts through the awkwardness of this situation. “To be this desperate to hire someone who, for the first part, didn’t apply for the job, is questionable. So, I ask again, Sibongile, what’s really going on?”
Sibongile closes her eyes, and slowly and deeply inhales. “For me to tell you the truth… you have to let go of all that you believe.” The woman peers around, head turning this way and that. “This isn’t some ordinary game, Marianne. My universe is dying, plagued by some unknown, dark entity searching for the Emblem of Eridanus. So many have fallen to those indoctrinated by the thing simply known as The Darkness. This VR game connects all who enter to the glorious Eridanus system. Though many will think it’s a silly little game, the game is as real as the air you breathe, Marianne. I need your help—everyone in my universe needs your help. Will you help us?”
I find myself smirking before I burst into uproarious laughter. “Wow,” I chuckle, “that is the best sales pitch I’ve ever heard in all my life. You really sold it with the tears and all. Honestly, you already had me hooked when you said a bonus of five thousand protons. I’ll take the job. Where do I sign?”
***
Sibongile hovers over me as I nestle inside one of the eight pods in a secure room inside Gamepocalypse. The pods are seven-foot tall, ovate cream-colored contraptions that hover in mid-air. Multicolored lights pulsate beneath the pods, splashing rainbow colors all around the large room. At one end of the room, an enormous touchscreen display showcases the current players within the game. Stars and galaxies fill the screen as a bulky, armor-clad god of a man fires red, flaming orbs from a massive gun-like weapon he hoists in both hands. The fireballs hit their marks, a gelatinous gaggle of squishy alien beings that explode into a gory, jelly rain. I shudder at the scene.
“That’s Rowan.” Sibongile points to the screen with her stylus. “He started three days ago but has already gotten the hang of being a Cosmo Tank. All he needs is a solid team by his side. I think you two will get on quite well. He’s an eccentric guy. Said he is a retired pro football player who finds his calm whenever he plays video games.”
“Are you ready for your adventure?” Sibongile palms a hand on the pod’s open hatch door.
I nod my head as I sink into the pods, ever-so-comfortable foamy insides. “Please make sure you unplug me before two in the afternoon. I must pick up my sister and conjure up some sort of dinner; then, I’ll be back for the night shift.”
“You have my word.” Sibongile winks at me.
“And don’t forget about my bonus.”
“I won’t, Marianne.”
“Good.”
“Now, it’s time to let go…”