Chapter 1.3 The day before…

In the morning Melinda awoke from a knock on the door. Yawning and stretching on the bed, she asked loudly.

"Yes, who's there?"

The door to the room opened, and the maid, a young girl in her twenties, walked in.

"Cleaning of the rooms, Miss," she bowed. Apparently, Melinda had forgotten to put a "do not disturb" sign on the room door.

"What time is it?" She asked and got out of bed, not the least bit embarrassed that she was wearing only her underwear.

"It's almost nine o'clock," the maid replied.

When she saw an almost naked woman, she hurriedly turned her head away. Her cheeks flushed with thick red. But out of the corner of her eye, she followed Melinda to the bathroom. She stood there for a few seconds, as if in a stupor. Then she shook her head, pushed the unnecessary thoughts out of her head, and finally cleaned up.

Melinda thoroughly enjoyed the warm shower. When she emerged from the bathroom in only her bathrobe, the maid was gone. Her bed was covered with new sheets.

Her stomach rumbled unpleasantly, demanding food. Melinda quickly unpacked the things she'd been too lazy to do before she went to bed. She picked out a new dress for herself and put it on. The style was the same as this morning's, but with a different pattern. She pondered for a long time whether or not to take a wide-brimmed hat. Finally, decided it would be better to leave it behind. If she had to take public transport, the hat would get in the way.

There was only one question left to solve: where to eat. Melinda called the hotel administration. She found out that they take orders by phone with food delivered to her room. Or Melinda could go down to the restaurant on the first floor on her own. She chose the restaurant.

The restaurant, surprisingly, was half-empty. Only four tables are occupied, and the rest are empty. As soon as Melinda sat down at a table she liked, a waiter came up to her.

"Are you going to order or look at the menu," he asked.

"Menu.

"Okay, please choose," he put the folder with the menu on the table, "as soon as you decide on the order - call me."

The waiter left, and Melinda opened the menu.

"The prices here are high," she thought and sighed.

Half an hour later, Melinda was leaving the hotel. After a light refreshment in the restaurant, she was ready to set out on her journey through the unfamiliar city. The building of the New Age Technology Corporation was at the other end of the city. If the city map was truthful, it could be reached by subway with one change, or by subway without a change to the city center, and then a short walk. Melinda chose the second option. Even though the arrival date on the letter was for tomorrow the 30th, she decided to go ahead and register her arrival in advance.

Besides, she was curious to see the subway and ride it. The reality of it turned out to be harsh. Maybe it was a rush hour or even it had always been like that, but the subway wagons were crowded tightly with people. So dense that they pressed close to each other, and one had to push his way through. It was unpleasant for a young girl to have strangers pressed against her.

It was a small consolation that she was a head taller than most people in the subway wagon, and she didn't have to stare at someone else's back the whole way. Suddenly Melinda felt hot breath against the skin on her chest. Surprised, she lowered her gaze to look at the insolent man. She saw a short haircut and a high school uniform. A young boy of about 16 was desperately trying not to look into the neckline of her dress, turning his head to the side. His cheek occasionally touched one of Melinda's breasts, and his breath hit the other breast and neckline.

The train stopped at the subway station. People began to get off and into the wagon, forcibly pushing their way in. Melinda was pushed in the back and she pressed against the boy in the front, pressing his head into her chest. The train soon moved on. The guy was still trying not to look into the neckline of her dress, turning his head to the side. After a while, he couldn't stand it and looked up at the owner of the attractive forms.

Their gazes met. He blushed in surprise and lowered his head abruptly, his nose tucked into the neckline of her dress. At that moment, the train swung sideways. Melinda leaned on the boy, pressing his head between her breasts. The guy's ears turned red. "How cute," Melinda thought.

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The next stop was hers. And when the subway wagon came to a stop, she leaned over to the boy and whispered in his ear: "It's time for me to leave, cutie."

The center of the city was noisy and crowded. Because of the tall buildings that blocked out the sun, the streets were not yet hot. Melinda had a short block to walk to the corporation building. The building itself was already visible. A large logo adorned its facade.

On the way, she stopped at a couple of stores to look at prices and the selection of clothes, but she didn't buy anything. Half an hour later she was standing outside the entrance to the corporation building. After taking selfies on her cell phone, she went inside the building.

Inside was a large brightly lit hallway, divided into two parts, the passage between which was accessed with passes. Inside, unexpectedly for Melinda, there were many people organized into small groups. Each group had one or two people with movie cameras or photo cameras. A couple of people were taking selfies with their cell phones. One journalist was speaking to a television camera. Melinda could hear from the scraps of words that they were discussing the upcoming MMOGs game World of Souls Online.

She even had to double-check the date on her cell phone to see if she was not mistaken. But no, the date was correct: July 29. A puzzled Melinda went to the receptionist's desk, which had just become vacant.

"Welcome to New Age Technology Corporation," said a woman receptionist in strict corporate attire. "How can I help you?"

"Good afternoon. I received an invitation to the beta testing of World of Souls Online."

"Can I have a letter that you received and your ID?"

"Yes, of course," Melinda replied. She quickly pulled out what the woman said from her handbag.

The woman took the letter first, then checked her passport, and entered all the data into the computer on her desk.

"The pass will be ready tomorrow morning. You can pick it up here at 8:30 before the start."

"Before what?" Melinda didn't understand.

"You were contacted by our staff on the phone? They were supposed to give you all the information you need."

"No. No one contacted me," she was surprised, "and I only received the letter two days ago."

The answer surprised the woman. She took the letter again and looked at the date.

"You're right," she said, "Be patient. I'll check the information about you."

The receptionist picked up the phone and called. The conversation lasted a long time, more than ten minutes. A couple of times she gave Melinda's personal information to her listener. Finally, she ended the conversation and hung up the phone.

"Our corporation offers its sincerest apologies. A member of our staff will contact you soon and answer all your questions," the receptionist said and returned the letter with the passport.

"I see," Melinda sighed, "Can I ask one more question?"

"Yes, of course."

"What kind of event is going on today that there are so many journalists in the hall?"

"There will be a press conference for the media in half an hour in the concert hall regarding the launch of the beta test," the receptionist replied. "Admission is by invitation only."

"So, I can't watch the press conference?"

"As far as I know, it will be transmitted online. I think all the nearby cafes will broadcast it. There's one in the building across the street on the fifth floor."

"Thank you."

"Feel free to contact us, and don't forget to pick up your pass tomorrow."

Melinda quickly found the café the receptionist had mentioned. Surprisingly it was empty. Only a few tables the visitors occupied. She chose the most convenient table next to the big screen that hung on the wall. A waitress came over and Melinda ordered a cup of coffee and two slices of chocolate cake.

Soon a press conference was starting up on the screen. It disappointed her. Melinda had hoped to see new footage from the game, or at least a verbal tale of the mechanics. The broadcast showed only the concert hall and the corporate representatives sitting there. No, there was footage of the game. There was a screen in the concert hall. On which game was shown to all those present, but it was never shown in close-up in the broadcast. And there was little new information in the speeches of the heads of the corporation, and then in the questions from the journalists in the hall.

The press conference lasted an hour. All the useful information fits into a couple of sentences. Officially, the launch of the World of Souls Online beta test will start on August 1. The launch will be simultaneously all over the globe. A total of forty thousand players in dozens of countries will be involved. The exact number will be known after another selection, which will be held tomorrow. The number and composition of the servers were carefully kept silent. World of Souls Online is the third virtual reality game released by New Age Technology Corporation. Developed in five years. The development of the game will continue further. The free access launch is expected on December 1 for Early Access holders, and on January 1 for everyone else. Hardware pods are already available to order.

Melinda sat for a while longer in the café and ate an extra serving of chocolate cake. She was about to leave when her phone rang. An employee of the corporation called. He apologized and promised compensation for the inconvenience. Told her a little about tomorrow. Told her that tomorrow would be the final selection for the beta test. He advised bringing documents with her - a letter, a passport. Told her to bring a change of clothes and a swimsuit. Confirmed that the beta test would begin on the 1st and would be held in a specially built skyscraper for four months.

"In what have I let myself dragging into," Melinda thought after the conversation ended.

She had few clothes with her, as she did not intend to stay in this city for long. Now she didn't know what to do. One thing was clear, she needed extra clothes. She would probably have to change her hotel for another place closer to the beta test site. She'd need a new bag and a bunch of other little things.

Melinda sighed and started searching for bargain stores on her phone. She even asked the waitress about them.

She returned to the hotel in the evening. She dragged two full bags of clothes and a new bag into her room. Tired, she walked to the shower. Freshened up a little, she ordered room service. She had no desire to go down to the restaurant on the first floor. While Melinda waited for food delivery, she unpacked the things she had bought during the day.

After a hearty dinner, she decided to go to bed early instead of staying up too late. She had a big day ahead of her tomorrow.