The house was silent. A young girl, almost fifteen years of age, stared with a mix of dread and hope at the school brochure before her. Another new school... maybe this time I'll finally get to finish a year, she thought to herself, sadly reminiscing on all the places she had been dragged around to by her mother, the diplomat. They had never stayed in one place for more than a few months. Her mother had promised that this time they wouldn't be going anywhere for a while, but then, she had promised that several times over. Yet there was a weariness to the words this time, as if her mother was also tired of moving around. I hope that's true.
Briefly, she thought of the little boy she had met when she was seven years old. They had met at a playground, and had played together for nearly a week before both of them finally had to go. If only I could have that friend again... I wonder what happened to him, she wondered, almost crying. This time, however, her mother had also done something nice as an apology. She had gotten her daughter the Dream Machine, a revolutionary virtual-reality interface, along with its flagship software, a video game that was even now delivering on its promise to break new ground and explore new frontiers on that front. There were many reports of users claiming that the immersion was such that the fantasy world was nearly indistinguishable from reality in terms of sensation.
“Honey? I need to go and check things at the office; I'll be back before midnight.” her mother's voice called. The young girl made no reply. A moment later, the sound of the door shutting was heard, and a car then started up outside.
The young lady then went to take a shower, after which she laid upon the bed in her towel for several long minutes, nearly crying before taking a deep breath and putting the towel in the laundry to get a nightgown. When this had been put on, she started up the tower for the Dream Machine; she had installed the game yesterday, but had not gotten to play it. With a smile, she laid back upon the bed, and put the helmet interface on, activating it to transport herself to the world of fantasy.
She loaded up in a nondescript apartment. This perplexed her until she realized it was not the game itself but a character creation room. That makes sense, she thought to herself.
Male or Female, the first option read.
Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
Female, obviously, she pressed the option with amusement. Hmm... I guess some guys might do the same... and maybe some girls even choose to be a boy... not sure I'd understand them, especially the boys, but in the end it's a fantasy, I guess. Go for it, boys! She smirked, and then saw a long list of options for race. She choose Wood Elf. For a name, she choose Ariana, which had an otherworldly feel to her. This was her first game, but she loved fantasy, and had formed a strong idea of what to be when the game came along.
A Wood Elf Mage, or any kind of Elf, really; but the Wood Elf seemed like the best fit for her. A magic-user attuned to nature, supporting her friends and devastating her opponents. That was the kind of character she hoped to create.
I hope I meet someone nice, she thought to herself as she adjusted the options so that the character looked a bit more like herself. Hmm... the hair isn't quite right... I'll have to adjust it later, she mused, and then pressed the accept panel to start the introductory cinematic, which impressed her, to say the least. A choice of doors came up.
Of course I want to be on the good kingdom's side--I'm an Elf! She thought indignantly, walking through that door with confidence and finding herself in the quaint market square of a woodland village populated by Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and a myriad of other fantasy beings.
This... is... amazing!! Ariana thought to herself. She found the panel for her inventory, and saw that she had five-hundred gold to start
with in her wallet, one of the side panels for inventory.
I wonder if that's a lot or a little, she wondered, and then saw another player, this one male, without a shirt on. Ah--!! Ariana pondered for a moment. She then ran to a nearby tavern and inn, paying for a room and heading upstairs. She hadn't noticed it was a double room. Once inside, she went into a smaller room off to the side of the main room, and checked.
W-well then, she thought bemusedly at her reflection, then decided it didn't matter too much. She began adjusting her hair, not noticing that the room's main door had again been opened and shut. Once she was satisfied with her look, Ariana smiled, and headed back out into the main room.
She didn't know it at the time, but it was a moment that she would forever remember as the night that changed her life.