DING… DING… DING…
The bell ringing woke me from my haze as it signalled the end of class – something I should have probably paid attention to. It couldn’t be helped, I had something else on my mind and was excited to get home. At least it’s history, so I can just read up on it later.
A small smile surfaced as I saw the teacher curse under her breath. She was always so paranoid about time, always working on an optimised schedule and never letting anyone or anything disrupt it.
I was late for her class once, and it was the scariest experience of my high-school career. She never said anything, but the look she shot me was enough to give me the perfect attendance award. Quite an achievement, considering that it’s me we’re talking about.
“You may leave,” the teacher said with a defeated sigh. The only good thing about her timeliness was that it applied here too.
I slid my books into my bag and finished packing up quickly.
As I zipped up my backpack, an androgynous voice resounded from next to me, “1.7 seconds. That’s a new record!”
I grinned triumphantly at my best friend as I grabbed the strap. A mischievous smile greeted me in return.
At least, I think ‘he’ is the right pronoun. Sam is the most androgynous person I’ve ever met. It’s so bad that he became known as “Genderless” and is considered to be the school’s seventh mystery.
“Miss Grove, I want a two-thousand-word essay about paying attention,” said the bitch as she stepped back into the classroom, swiftly pouring a tub of ice water on my weekend plans.
“Ha?!” I yelped in horror and shock as my body stopped moving.
“I expect to find it on my desk first thing in the morning,” said Miss Bitch, I hoped she was joking despite the serious tone, “and don’t hide it like you did last time. If I have to look for it, you’ll come back for a thirty-six-hour weekend detention session.”
I felt my jaw drop in disbelief. Snapping my mouth shut angrily, I shouted, “You can’t-”
“I can,” interrupted Ms Bitch in a matter-of-fact tone, “and I will.” Her words were followed by a glare that would cow even the most seasoned veterans into submission.
I nodded vigorously, knowing that my life depended on the mighty Asura acknowledging my surrender.
The Asura smirked triumphantly and turned to leave. I began to breathe again, only now realising that I had stopped doing so. She acknowledged my surrender, and now I’m free to live another day.
“Ash, let’s go,” Sam called to me, snapping me out of my fear-induced daze.
“Ah, yeah,” I agreed absently.
I swung my bag over one shoulder and tailed Sam out the classroom. As we walked down the hallway I caught up with her – I mean him – and we walked side-by-side.
“So,” started Sam, “care to tell me why you’ve been so distracted all day?”
Averting my gaze playfully, I began to whistle. Or rather, tried to, the skill still eludes me.
Sam grinned mischievously and asked, “Does it, perhaps, have something to do with why you want me to come over until Monday?”
‘She’ was spot on, but I wanted to continue the play and mess with her. I looked back and tried to change the topic, “So I see that today you’re wearing… both?”
Pants. Skirt. You can choose only one. What happened to common sense?
“This is why I said you were ‘distracted all day’, took you seven hours to notice,” ‘he’ said pointedly.
I sighed at my friend’s antics, giving up on convincing ‘him’ to follow something as foolish as common sense. Still, I’m curious about how she ended up wearing both.
“Why though?” I asked, prouder of successfully changing the topic than curious about the new topic.
“Couldn’t make up my mind,” admitted Sam nonchalantly, “so I just took both.”
“Well,” I said with a smirk, “You’re wearing the boy’s tie, so you’re predominantly male today.”
“Suck it, bitch!” he/she shouted as she/he pulled up the pants’ hem to reveal leggings.
I facepalmed as per the appropriate response. We were probably getting plenty of attention from the surrounding members of the go-home club, but I’ve long since become accustomed to the stares. Hanging out with Sam tends to have that effect – I’m talking about both drawing attention and building resistance to it.
“Anyway!” shouted Sam, “Back to the main topic, you still haven’t told me why I have to come over for the entire weekend.”
“You’ll see,” I said, trying to sound as mysterious as possible.
“Perhaps,” ‘he’ said indignantly, “but I still want to hear about it first.”
“Want,” I said like a wise wizard, “not need.”
“Just tell me, or I won’t come,” ‘he’ said flatly, though I felt the playfulness hidden in his voice.
“Fine, fine, I’ll tell you,” I said in a begrudging tone that was probably as real as my mom’s F-cups… Which means ‘completely natural, even though nobody would believe it’.
“Haha, I win!” exclaimed Sam.
“… My dad got his hands on a fresh World Core,” I whispered so that only Sam would hear me.
After a few steps, I realised Sam was no longer next to me, so I turned to look for ‘him’. Sam was frozen mid-stride, staring at me with ‘his’ mouth wide open.
That didn’t last for long though, ‘he’ snapped out of it and quickly caught up to me.
“Really?” Sam asked in doubt.
“Yep,” I replied casually as if it was only natural.
Sam scrunched ‘his’ eyebrows for a moment and asked, “How?”
“Well,” I said, “Do you remember what my dad does for a living?”
“He was a programmer of some kind, right?” Sam asked, seeking confirmation.
“Can’t we just skip this?” I asked tiredly, now eager to spill the beans.
“NO!” shouted Sam defiantly.
I sighed and playfully said, “Fine, we’ll do it your way⁓.”
“You started it, so it’s technically your way,” retorted Sam.
“Whatever,” I said as I rolled my eyes, “Do you still remember who my dad works for?”
“Uhhh…” ‘he’ hesitated, “Nexus Networks?”
“Correct!” I tried to imitate a game show host, “And who can tell me what Nexus Networks is most famous for?”
Sam grinned knowingly, but we were interrupted before she could answer.
“BZZZT!” voiced the ginger approaching from the left, while imitating a buzzer, “World Cores!”
“Correct!” I exclaimed, “Congratulations contestant Ryan, you have earned five points!”
“Hey Ryan,” waved Sam in a light greeting.
“Wassup dude…ette?” he greeted back, becoming confused by Sam’s attire halfway through.
“An indecisive morning,” I explained, “apparently.”
“I… see…” he said cautiously, silence ensued as it sunk in.
I suppose now is a good time to mention that Sam and I come from very different cliques. When we’re not together, Sam hangs out with the nerds, while I hang out with the, let’s say, fun guys. That said, our social circles merged at some point, probably because of me and Sam. It’s been over a year, and people still ask Sam if it really happened.
Ryan is from my side of the ‘family’; he’s a delinquent through and through. He’s fiercely loyal though, and stands up for his buds no matter what. I’ve always liked that about him. His temper can be quite problematic though, often sending him into an unstoppable rampage. Strangely enough, he never gets angry for himself, only for others.
On the other hand, the quiet glasses girl two steps behind us, Jessica, comes from Sam’s side of the family. She’s a nerd to the core, a complete bookworm and trivia fanatic. Whenever one of us has a random thought she will explain it to us – it’s the only time she ever really talks. We avoid letting that happen though, her response to ‘what is quantum computing?’ was rather traumatic for the delinquents. Even now, she’s clutching several books tightly to her chest… isn’t that a university textbook? Eh, whatever.
On a side note, I remember Ryan saying something about a girlfriend earlier this week. Now that it’s on my mind, I can’t help myself.
“Oh yeah,” I said stiffly, failing my attempt to change the topic naturally.
“Hmmm?” he grunted in response, apparently having missed my botch up.
I began my approach, “The other day you mentioned a girlfriend…”
‘Success! Zone reached!’ I thought, only to hear Sam snort beside me.
‘Shit, incoming fire, take cover!’ I thought before saying, “I wasn’t really paying attention at the time, can ya’ give me a quick recap?”
“I was actually dodging the topic at the time,” he said shyly, “so it’s no surprise you can’t remember the details – I didn’t give you any.”
I smiled wryly and said, “I don’t suppose that means you’re more willing to tell us now?”
He smiled back at me defiantly and declared, “You ain’t getting nothing outta me!”
“Double negative!” chimed Sam playfully, “That actually means ‘You are getting something outta me’!”
Unwilling to accept the logical case made by Sam, Ryan denied it, “It won’t work like that!”
“It’s okay,” said an unexpected participant, Jessica, calming Ryan down surprisingly fast. “They deserve to know,” she said as she stepped up to Ryan.
Taking me completely by surprise, Jessica lowered a hand from her books and gently grabbed Ryan’s hand. She blushed shyly as their fingers entwined.
“I s’pose you’re right,” he conceded as his cheeks reddened.
I stared at the couple in shock, then after a few seconds, I turned to Sam so that I could share my disbelief. The look Sam gave me was the epitome of ‘Seriously bro?’
“What’s with that look? Did you already know about it or something?” I asked Sam dubiously.
“No,” said Sam, “but you’d have to be practically blind to have not seen it coming.”
Bullshit. There’s no way you could have expected those two to become a couple. They’re polar opposites!
“It was so obvious,” Sam said tiredly, “Ryan always asked Jessica for help, even when he wasn’t in trouble. She also offered him help when he didn’t need it. They were finding every excuse to spend more time together. What surprises me, is that it took this long.”
“W-when d-did you figure it o-out?” stuttered an embarrassed Jessica.
Meanwhile, my mouth was flapping open and closed like a goldfish as I searched for a way to refute it. She was right, it was obvious, how did I not notice?
“Well,” started Sam, “I suspected something was going on quite a while ago, but it only clicked when I saw the longing gazes you exchanged… at the start of the winter holiday.”
“Hah?” gasped Ryan, “But that was last year… like eight months ago!”
“Nine and a half,” corrected Sam, “That’s why I was surprised it only happened now. You two have been trying to figure out how to ask each other out for longer than most relationships even last.”
Nine months!? Crap, that’s a long time… And I didn’t notice? I feel like an idiot.
“Caty incoming, four o’clock” warned Sam after glancing back, “T-minus three… two… one…”
I heard rapidly approaching footsteps as Sam counted down. At the very last moment, I twirled around with a back step and caught a superman punch in my palm. Using the attacker’s momentum against them, I spun around and pulled them into a downwards corkscrew before throwing them into the pavement.
My attacker crashed into the ground and tumbled into the bushes adorning the school gate. She popped back onto her feet like lightning, if you didn’t watch her crash then probably would have missed everything.
“Nice moves!” she yelled approvingly as she gave me an enthusiastic thumbs-up. The only evidence of our violent exchange were the leaves stuck in her fiery red hair.
Caty is a brawler, she loves to fight close and personal. Her dad taught her military hand-to-hand combat, and they spar quite often.
You might assume she’d be a delinquent with that kind of disposition, but she avoided us like the plague at first. Actually, she avoided people in general. She didn’t connect with the rougher elements because she was scared of the friction her passion, robotics, would create.
Her forceful personality would have also been problematic among those with similar passions, the nerds. This created a vicious cycle where she had nowhere to go… until our group formed, that is. She bridged the gap between my subordinates and Sam’s dependants, allowing their relationships to evolve from basic cooperation to proper friendship.
“Any damage?!” I called out.
“Just a few scrapes, nothing much,” she said as she approached, dusting herself off but missing her hair as she did so.
“Really? Looks bad,” said Jessica worriedly.
“Meh,” grunted Caty, “had worse.”
She is, of course, referring to the scar I gave her when we first met. That fucker started at her chin and claimed an earlobe. Ahhh, now that was a fight to remember. She’s been trying to claim victory ever since and not once has she succeeded.
“Much worse,” I confirmed with a smug grin.
“I’ll get you someday!” she said with determination.
“Doubtful,” I snorted, “You should just give up now and settle down with a nice guy somewhere.”
And I mean it; Caty is an attractive girl, she should have no trouble finding a guy. Some might find the injury off-putting, but I think it works well with her sharp features – it gives her a powerful and independent vibe. Overall, I think the scar compliments her striking looks quite well. The only problem with her finding a guy…
“Oh, come on Ash,” she moaned. “You know I’m into girls,” she said suggestively and winked at me.
Yep, she’s gay. Well, at least I have a fallback plan if I can’t catch a guy for myself.
In truth, I wouldn’t mind going out with her if she seriously asked me out, but I’m not looking for a partner at the moment. Also, I’m quite happy with where our relationship is right now; I’d rather not change things unnecessarily.
“I am well aware of that fact,” I said, “Next time you go after my ass I’ll… I’ll make that scar symmetrical!”
Well, that came out poorly, as evidenced by the muffled giggles around me. And it sounded so cool in my head⁓
After they stopped laughing at me, I broke the silence and said, “I see we still have a few members missing.”
“Ah,” started Caty, “Richard and Robin got caught by the teachers, and James is trying to talk them out of it... Said they’d catch up later.”
“Alright,” I consented, “but that still leaves Skye unaccounted for…”
“She sent me a message earlier,” said Sam, “Family business, she’ll meet up with us at your place after settling things.”
“Is this another ‘your friends are a bad influence!’ thing?” I asked tiredly.
“Doesn’t sound like it,” Sam replied.
“Oh well,” I sighed, “at least everyone has confirmed they’re coming.”
“Ya did say ‘You’ll regret it if you skip it’ after all,” interjected Ryan with a wry smile.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
“Ah-huh,” grunted Caty in agreement, “Though personally, I’d still like more information than ‘Come to my house this weekend. The whole weekend, Friday to Monday morning (Bring clothes!). You’ll regret it if you skip it!’… I mean like, I’d never miss a chance to be with you, but I wanna know what’s going on.”
I grinned playfully and cooed, “I’ll keep it a surprise for now⁓”
“I have an insight already,” said Sam with an evil smirk.
My eyes went wide open, and I silently mouthed ‘Noooooo!’ with false shock.
“Ash’s dad,” she started, pausing for dramatic effect, “obtained a fresh World Core!”
After a few steps, Sam and I realised the others had fallen behind. We turned around to find our friends, and they all stood frozen in shock with open mouths.
“This is kinda fun,” muttered Sam.
“Right?” I agreed playfully.
A few seconds later, the dazed trio came to their senses. They hurried up to us filled with questions, but I interrupted them before they could ask anything.
“Save your questions for later,” I said with annoyance, “My dad will fill you in once we’ve all gathered, let’s not make him repeat himself.”
Everyone begrudgingly agreed as a variety of accepting words and gestures echoed around me.
Unable to focus on anything else or ask questions, the rest of the group watched me inquisitively as we walked on in silence.
Fortunately, the awkward silence was quickly disrupted as a black limousine rolled up next to us and matched our pace. The tinted window lowered to reveal a gorgeous blonde girl wearing a dress that accentuated her generous E-cup rack. Her lips parted into a toothy grin, flashing pearly white teeth as she called, “Need a ride?!”
Oh, the benefits of having super-rich friends!
“Count me in!” I yelled.
She said something to the driver, and the limo stopped. You know, like, right there, not giving a damn about blocking other cars or being in the middle of nowhere. Being escorted by armoured SUVs tends to let you do that without recourse.
An old butler with grey hair stepped out and gracefully opened the door for us, but I ignored him and leapt into the limo.
“Skye!” I shouted excitedly and abruptly hugged the blonde.
“Ashie!” she yelled, earning herself a slap on the back. A hard one. “Whyyyy?!” she complained.
“I told you not to call me that,” I growled.
“Uuuu…” she whined tearily.
I almost felt bad when I realised that her dress had an open back and there was a bright red mark, but she deserved it.
Skye is a bit of an anomaly in our group. She belonged to the popular clique once upon a time. Pretty, sociable, and rich… everything needed to be considered ‘popular’ and then some.
I can’t remember how she first got involved with us, but I remember her saying something about us being ‘real’ when we asked. The other popular kids threatened to stop talking to her over it, but Skye told them off, she cut ties there and then.
“That’s gonna sting,” Sam commented as ‘he’ stepped into the vehicle.
I turned back to the rest of the group climbing into the limo as I let go of Skye. It took a few seconds and a variety of cautionary and apologetic grunts for everyone to get in.
The first thing spoken was, despite expectations, not someone checking for stragglers.
“Took you guys long enough,” said Skye cheerily as she glanced between Ryan and Jessica.
HOW!? They aren’t even sitting next to each other! Is she clairvoyant or something? Is this a standard skill for a popular kid?
“Whether or not they’re sitting next to each other is irrelevant,” snorted Skye, “They changed their statuses to each other's names and added a bunch of hearts, it’s cute. And, yes, this is a standard skill.”
“When did they do that?” I asked, but suddenly realised there was a more pressing issue to ask, “Wait, I said that out loud?”
Everyone nodded.
Uuuu…
“Is… this everyone?” Skye asked with a little confusion.
“Yea, the others said they’d catch up later,” said Sam, “Last time I checked, they were still stuck in school.”
“I see…” muttered Skye before sliding open the small window to the driver’s section, “Benjamin.”
“Yes, Milady?” asked a blonde butler as he appeared through the window, leaning in from the passenger seat.
“Please send a car to for the rest of my friends,” Skye said commandingly.
“At once, Milady!” responded the butler.
When we first hung out with Skye, we found their level of detail rather questionable, but her serv- I mean attendants, have never failed to deliver… Or maybe they have, and that’s why she has a different one each time I see them.
And no, I don’t mean that she has different people following her every day, I mean ‘each time I see them’...
“Ah!” muttered Skye in realisation before she opened the window again, “Maribelle.”
“Yes, Milady?” asked a brunette maid as she appeared through the window, leaning in from the passenger seat.
Wasn’t it a blonde guy sitting there?
“Please retrieve my virtual dive gear,” Skye said.
“At once, Milady!” responded the maid.
“Yuki. Please take us directly to Ash’s house,” Skye continued before closing the window.
“Yes, Milady!” came a woman’s voice from the driver’s side.
Wait… what happened to the old guy that opened the door for us?
Skye closed the window and said to me, “Everything is sorted, we can go to your place without worrying.”
“Alright,” I nodded in response.
“Okay,” said Skye as she turned away from me, “that’s enough Caty, get away from there and let the lovebirds be together.”
“Muu…” pouted Caty. She puffed out her cheeks. It was almost cute, but her scar…
Scratch that, it’s pretty cute despite the scar.
“Caty…” said Skye pointedly, but Caty didn’t move.
Skye sighed and said, “Look, I know the couple upsets you, but you’re acting like a child.”
“You don’t understand,” sulked Caty.
“Caty,” said Skye calmly, but a hint of anger had leaked into her voice, “Don’t be jealous of the couple. Five people have confessed to you in the last month.”
Really? I didn’t hear about that.
“T-that's…” stuttered Caty in a trembling voice while sending glances my way, “I-I’m not into guys!”
“Yeah, that excuse is not going to work,” said Skye flatly, “three of them were girls.”
Caty squirmed around in her seat. But these chairs are so soft, they’re high-class luxury items, how can she possibly be uncomfortable?
Caty looked at me and weakly said, “Ash, I…”
“Quiet down and get over here! Ash, move up for Caty!” barked Skye.
“Huh? OK…” I consented and shifted over.
Caty looked confused, but slowly made her way over anyway.
While Caty approached, Skye leant into me and whispered, “She’s a keeper.”
I looked at Skye with a raised eyebrow, a little confused, as I made myself comfortable again.
As Caty reached us, the limo started moving sooner than expected and made Caty fall towards me.
My reflexes are brilliant, so it was easy to grab Caty’s shoulders, spin her around, and throw her into the space between Skye and me.
Caty sat upright, looking forwards blankly with her hands balled up in front of her chest, replaying the last few moments in her mind in an attempt to understand what just happened.
I feel like Skye clicked her tongue, but it was probably just my imagination.
“So, what do you think of the unlikely couple?” I asked Skye.
“Can you really use the term ‘unlikely couple’, Miss Grove?” remarked Sam sarcastically.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I snorted.
Sam sighed and said, “Have you seen your own parents?”
“That’s a pairing that never fails to amuse me,” commented Skye wistfully.
“... I like your mom,” muttered Caty softly.
“Well, that’s the end of this conversation,” interrupted Skye, “we have arrived.”
Almost immediately after that, the door swung open and a suave middle-aged butler with brown hair said, “We have arrived. Milady, this way please.”
“Thank you, Adrian,” said Skye courteously as she stepped out.
The rest of us followed in single file and ended up in a cluster on my driveway. The bricks were hot from the day’s sun, making the water feature built up against the wall look rather enticing to play in.
My house is nothing spectacular, just a cosy two-story home with a rustic vibe, but my parents are pretty well-off… nothing compared to Skye’s family, but we have enough garden space for a small sports field.
The garden is full of plants and trees, making it a mini-forest with a clearing in front of the house. My parents like the view and I like running around through the trees. It was a great place to play as a kid, and Sam would probably agree.
“Should I quickly fetch my gear?” asked Sam.
“Yeah,” I said, “See you inside. We’ll go on ahead.”
“See you,” said Sam with a casual wave as he walked towards the water feature.
He climbed up the water feature and hopped over the wall into his garden with practised movements. Meanwhile, we were just reaching the front door. A car rolled into the driveway while I was busy fiddling with the keys.
I glanced back at the sleek silver Mercedes and muttered, “Mom’s home.”
Sure enough, a beautiful woman stepped out the garage and flicked her snow-white hair back. Her wide hips swayed seductively as she sauntered towards us. With each clack of her red high heels, her bountiful bosom jiggled enticingly. Connecting it all was a waist so thin you’d doubt it could withstand the burden of her perky F-cups.
The white hair is apparently a genetic mutation, one that’s more ‘recent’ than ‘rare’. The first recorded case of natural white hair occurred less than two hundred years ago, and the mutation can be tracked to a single ancestor.
Strangely, that ancestor is not recorded in any official databases, but her steps could be clearly traced through social media archives. She appeared and left the genes all over the show, I have no idea how she did that while being a woman, but it’s not something I’ll ever think about much. What was her name again... Tima? Tama? Something like that.
Anyway, this white hair is a trait that I inherited… sorta. Usually, the hair is white from birth if the gene is present and active, but mine was raven black until I was thirteen.
When my hair first started growing out white we suspected it was genetic, but there were no known cases of it kicking in after birth, so we attributed it to Marie Antoinette syndrome. A few years later, I had some blood tests done and we discovered that it really was the gene, and mine was abnormally active.
Having hair that was half white and half black looked weird, so I got it trimmed, leaving only the tips the original colour. Since then my hair has grown a little longer than I would like it to be, reaching the middle of my back, but the black tips were too cool to get rid of. I wasn’t a keen on dyeing it either.
“Hey mom,” I said as the woman got near.
“Hey sweetie,” she cooed in response.
She is a gorgeous woman, but that’s something I’m used to. What caught my attention was something else entirely.
“You’re home early… So, you did a bunny girl shoot today?” I asked, noting the skintight bodysuit and fishnet leggings.
Sam once told me that ‘he’ would be horrified if ‘his’ mom ever came home in that kind of outfit, but nothing feels off about it when you grow up with it happening almost every day.
My mom is a gravure model, one of the best in fact, so it’s literally her job to dress up in sexy outfits. She stars in pornos from time to time, but she’s as faithful as they come. That’s a line she refuses to cross, and she gets violent when someone else tries to cross it. Apparently, she once had to bite it off to get the message across.
“Bikini warrior, actually,” she corrected me, “but we did a promotional special at the end.”
“Ah,” I muttered in acknowledgement before looking sceptically at my keys.
I’ve tried all of them, twice, but none of them worked, and the door isn’t opening. It should be this golden one with an H on it… I’ll try this key one more time just to be sure.
… Nope.
Maybe it’s already unlocked and is getting stuck? That’s a common problem with wooden doors. I’ll just force it open.
“Uh, sweetie, we changed...” mom said, and suddenly panicking, “WAI-”
SNAP!
Hm? I definitely heard something break, but the door is still standing. Let’s try again.
CRACK!
Still? Again!
POP!
… Since when do doors sound like breakfast?
“Sorry, I missed that. What were you saying?” I asked as I lowered my foot to the ground, slowly resetting my stance after the three-hit barrage.
Mom sighed and tiredly said, “We changed the lock today.”
“Oh…” I muttered.
Oops.
“Here’s your new key… though it’s pointless now,” she sighed while passing a silver key to me.
“Sorry,” I apologised, feeling guilty, “I’ll fix it later.”
In my family, the rule is ‘you break it, you fix it’. You only got into trouble for failing to take responsibility, we’ve worked this way for as long as I can remember.
Over the years, I’ve become quite good at patching up the house, and dad is rather skilled in repairing ‘water’-damaged electronics. Mom, on the other hand, has an incredible knack for convincing Caty to do it - calling in favours is perfectly fine, so why not?
“Don’t worry about it,” mom said, “you’ve got more important things to do this weekend. You won’t have time to do it. I’ll just call some professionals.”
“It’ll be quick,” I said, “ten to fifteen minutes.”
“If you hadn’t managed to rip the entire door frame out the wall, then maybe,” she said with a mixture of amazement and resignation.
Entire door frame?
Crap, that’s a pretty big hole. I thought I had ripped it off the hinges at worst… Let’s leave this one to the professionals⁓
“Come on guys,” I called to my awestruck friends, beckoning them inside as I crossed the rubble.
Maybe ‘sturdier doors’ aren’t as secure a choice as mom believed.
Skye quickly trotted up to me and hesitantly said, “Uh, Ash, you have always challenged my understanding of human limits but this… are you sure you’re human?”
“Um, yes? What else would I be?” I asked, wondering whether she was serious or sarcastic.
“I don’t know…” mumbled Skye, “But, if you’re sure…”
I rolled my eyes and said, “Come on, we’re wasting time.”
My friends quickly followed me inside and through the house to the living room. My father was already there, typing away on his laptop with laser focus.
“Sup dad,” I greeted him.
“Hi, honey,” he returned, “I thought I heard the door being broken down.”
“She managed to rip the entire door frame out the wall,” interjected my mother tiredly.
“That’s… Impressive. Well done, honey,” he said with a hint of pride.
“Don’t praise her for it!” mom retorted, “If anything, you should be scolding her!”
“Heh? Ah, uh, you shouldn’t break down the front door?” he said half-heartedly, pretending to be too distracted by his laptop to pay proper attention.
Mom was keenly aware of his antics and gave him the cold shoulder, crossing her arms and pouting as she turned away.
“Mom,” I said bluntly, “He’s not paying attention, the silent treatment won’t help for a few hours.”
I heard my friends chuckle, but I’m sure they’ll be laughing out loud when they see my mom’s solution.
Mom looked at me and sighed, “You’re right Honey.”
She walked in front of him and stood still for a moment before bending forward. She lightly rested her breasts on the rim of the screen, flaunting her impressive cleavage in his face, and waited silently.
Yep, as expected, my friends are all laughing out loud, though I didn’t foresee Jessica rolling on the floor.
Within a minute dad had stopped tapping away at his laptop and was directing a captivated stare at the creamy orbs in front of him. He reached out towards the juicy fruits, but they suddenly moved away, breaking his daze.
“Now that I have your attention,” scowled my mother, “Everyone’s arrived. You should start telling them about the plans for this weekend.”
“Not everyone is here,” called Sam as he entered the room, “Three of us got caught up in something and are running late.”
“That’s fine, I’ll fill them in when they get here,” dad said, “If anything, the staggered start times will be good for variety. The second group of teens participating with this core will only join us next weekend, but it’s still a good idea to do some intra-group staggering.”
“So we’ll start immediately?” I asked with slight annoyance.
“I thought you were super excited for this?” dad asked quizzically.
“I am,” I grunted, “The history teacher told me to write a two-thousand-word essay.”
Dad laughed lightly and said, “Oh her, she does like giving that sort of punishment. Don’t worry about it though, I foresaw this keeping you very busy over the weekend, so I organised for some official letters from the company. None of you have to worry about homework, the letters will excuse you from any work or activities given to do over the weekend.”
I nodded solemnly in acknowledgement, but inside, I was doing an embarrassing victory dance.
“Going back a little,” said Skye, “You said we won’t be the only people participating? There is a second group?”
“There are three, actually,” dad corrected her, “Each of the groups will cover a different part of the world’s history. You guys are the first group, you will be known as the ‘Ancients’, and your decisions will shape the very landscape of the world.”
“What about the other groups?” asked Skye, “What will they do?”
“The second group will be known as the ‘Elders’, and they will shape the history of the world… You’ll still be present, but shaping history is mainly their job,” dad said.
Skye continued her line of questioning, “And the last group?”
“They will be the playable races… after they’ve established themselves of course,” dad responded with a wry smile.
Skye nodded to confirm her satisfaction and let him get moving again.
“Well then, let’s get started,” dad said with a welcoming smile, “Everyone, find a seat. Ash, help me hook this up.”
He rose from the couch with his laptop and walked towards the flat screen on the wall, I followed closely behind him. After setting his laptop on the cabinet, he plugged the charger in and pulled out an HDMI cable.
We’ve had enough movie nights for me to know the drill, so I stepped forward to dismount the TV from the wall. Lifting it up off the brackets and away from the wall, I presented the rear input panel to Dad. I held the TV in place while he worked, and put it back on the wall once he was done.
Most TVs have a minimal selection of easily accessible connections on the side, keyword ‘most’. This one doesn’t, I suppose that’s why they were selling it so cheaply, they were probably clearing out unpopular stock.
Anyway, I let dad finish setting up on his side and joined my friends on the couches. There was an open space next on the nearest couch, so I plopped down next to Sam.
“What drinks would everyone like?!” came mom’s voice from the kitchen.
“Hot chocolate!” replied Ryan instantly. Then he noticed Jessica tugging on his shirt and added, “Times two!... And add cold milk!”
How considerate.
“Coke for me!” I yelled.
“Pepsi please!” shouted Sam with a face of challenge.
Really Sam? You’re practically an elitist Coke addict, the last time you drank anything else was months ago!
“I’ll have Tab!” called Caty in a feeble attempt to join the war.
“Sebastian, please prepare a cup of Earl Grey for me,” said Skye in an eloquent voice, somehow managing to drastically raise the tension.
“At once, Milady!” responded the butler.
“What about Skye?!” mom called, “Ah, never mind, the maid is already here!”
Maid? What happened to ‘Sebastian’?
We all sat in silence with me, Sam, Caty, and Skye exchanging glares.
After a few tense moments, a butler appeared and said, “Your tea, Milady.”
“Thank you, Jiles,” responded Skye courteously.
Jiles? What happened to the maid? Wait, didn’t I ponder something very similar
very recently?
“If you mind it, you lose,” muttered Sam nonchalantly.
That’s true, it probably is best to ignore it.
Mom followed just behind the butler with a tray of drinks. Sam and I quickly grabbed our relevant canned cold drinks, but Caty pouted because of the absence of Tab.
“Sorry, we don’t usually buy Tab,” mom apologised, “I brought you a Fanta instead. It’s what you usually ask for, so I figured it was a safe bet.”
“That’s fine,” replied Caty with a smile.
Mom smiled back before turning to dad, “Your coffee, dear.”
“Thanks,” dad replied as he focused on his task, “Just put it on the table.”
Mom obliged and gently put the mug on the table before going to deliver the last drinks.
She walked behind the two-seater that Ryan and Jessica chose, but suddenly turned around and put down the tray. She fiddled with something on the tray for a moment before turning back to us and lowering a single, extra-large mug into the lovers’ pink space and casually saying, “Hold this for me.”
“Kay,” Ryan responded automatically, grabbing it on instinct.
With the mug in Ryan’s hands, my mom took the liberty to plop a cutesy, heart-themed, double-straw into the drink.
What’s with that mischievous face?! You’re a grown woman, not a gossiping teen!
“Alright, pay attention everyone!” dad called, “You can ask your questions later. Shall I start by explaining the situation?”
With a glance, I confirmed that everyone was focused on dad and gave him a nod. Mom softly hugged him from behind, and silently enjoyed his warmth. Stupid couple.
He took a deep breath before starting, “In summary, Nexus Networks decided to take their world cores a step further, and they asked several of us, developers, to help. The reason they chose to do that will become clear as I explain the situation.
Nexus Networks produces highly specialised quantum supercomputer units. Initially, they had to construct the units on-site, which made obtaining these units a costly and challenging endeavour. The massive array of highly sensitive components also made transportation risky, and not worth the cost.
Realising the problems with trying to spread his technology, the founder changed his plans from manufacturing to networking. This way he could capitalise on the facilities he had already built, and thus ‘Nexus Networks’ was created.
After some time, their technology progressed, and Nexus Networks created quantum-entangled communication hubs. The new technology allowed limitless and instantaneous data transmission, regardless of distance.
The company quickly gained a monopoly on global networking as they installed public hubs around the world. Their technology quickly evolved enough for private citizens to have hubs installed within their own homes. At this point, the world as a whole relies on Nexus Networks for their networking needs.
No one is sure who started it, but someone suggested using their quantum computers for gaming. More specifically, for MMOs. They theorised that the incredible computing power of their quantum technology could produce much more realistic worlds than anything on the market.
Following that thread, Nexus Networks began developing various things related to this idea. With the help of numerous medical groups, they developed the virtual dive gear, and the returned focus on their computing units allowed them to shrink the technology even further.
Various developments led to the creation of the ‘World Cores’. Modular, transportable units that simulated entire worlds. People could-”
“Dear,” mom interrupted, “We all know this history. Skip to the important parts.”
“Sorry,” dad muttered guiltily before continuing, “Here’s the crux of it all; with their newest advancements, Nexus Networks has decided to visit their roots and do something new with their World Cores. They’ve decided to try and network some World Cores, creating a universe rather than a world.”
My friends all stared at him with wide-eyes after the last part. Up till now, world cores have only ever hosted a singular, isolated, world.
Dad grinned and continued, “You see, the company wants to set up it’s first ‘universe’ using twenty-five cores in total. They also wanted to ensure variety, so they’ve distributed the experimental cores to a selection of very different groups.
Most of the groups are professionals with a lot of experience developing worlds, but they also wanted teams without any experience to participate. That’s why they sent one of the cores to me; they knew I had a daughter in her teens and asked me to form a group of teenagers.
Of course, the usual tools used for building worlds would be beyond you. The company realised this and decided to modify the Terra Nova system for compatible linked-”
*PBBBT!* Half the room spat out their drinks.
By ‘half’, I mean Sam, Ryan, and Jessica. Skye held back at the last moment, so I’ll call it three and a half out of seven.
“The Terra Nova system?!” yelled Sam with a mixture of shock and awe.
“The one where you shape the world predominantly by living in it? Yes,” replied my father smugly, “The physical, magical, and technological laws are locked to certain settings for the sake of synchronicity, but some leeway has been made for variation between worlds. The settings were adjusted to make it versatile but also balanced.
The development of all the worlds will happen over the course of several weekends, but they won’t be anywhere near as busy as this one. You’ll be spending twenty hours a day inside after all.
We’ll begin with at six o’clock with a twelve-hour dive. The system will be running Directed AIs for your avatars and will only simulate isolated and applicable regions, so we can turn the time acceleration up several thousand times despite your conscious presence.
This first session will probably be the most important as it will decide who you and your people are at their core. After the session, I will fully activate the continent. By the next session, much more of the world will be generated and included in the simulation.
Before we start, I’ll explain the various adjustments that have been made to the system for all the external groups like yours. Make yourselves comfortable and gather your wits, you’ll need to consider your options carefully, and the explanations will be long and complicated.”