I clear my throat, uncomfortable. I have no idea what to say to her. Launch Acceleration. Put me somewhere relaxing.
Of course, Maggie, the Vertix responds. Acceleration takes over, wrapping the right side of my vision in a beautiful snowy setting, no doubt playing off the holiday season. I sigh as the snowflakes kiss my exposed skin.
“This one is called Extravagant,” the girl continues, oblivious to my distraction. She picks up the short green bottle and aims the little nozzle at my arm. She pumps twice and a clear mist breezes out, coating my skin in a musky scent. My head spins as the strong perfume reaches my nose, removing me from the snowy scene for a moment.
“Wow,” I say between coughs. “That’s pretty strong.”
“Yes.” The girl nods, placing the bottle back onto the counter. “Amber and sandalwood is the base. Perhaps something a little lighter?”
“Yes, please.” I cough again, holding my arm as far away from my nose as possible.
“Here, allow me.” The girl laughs. She withdraws another moist cloth from under the counter and wipes my arm again. The powerful aroma of the perfume subsides. “Okay, how about this one?”
She picks up a dark maroon bottle in the shape of a curvy woman and sprays. In Acceleration, I smile as my feet crunch along the surface of the snow and the white fluffy flakes swirl around me. I feel like I’m inside a snow globe. The smell of pineapple and pear assails my nose and I cover my nostrils.
“Yikes, that’s fruity.” I frown.
“Oh, really?” the girl says. “This one is called Womanly. It shouldn’t smell fruity, it doesn’t have any of those notes in it.”
I shake my head, still able to smell the nauseating fragrance. “Well it smells like that to me. Maybe I’ll just go. I’m starting to get a really bad headache.”
“No, no, please. Let me try just one more,” the salesgirl pleads, tucking her ink black hair behind hear ears. She wipes my skin again and grabs a medium-sized bottle that looks as if the glass has been twisted and frozen in place. “This is a newer version of an old favorite, Hypnotic,” she says, beaming brighter than before.
With misgivings I offer my arm again, allowing her to spray the fine mist. A wonderful fragrance envelopes me.
“This is beautiful,” I whisper, lifting my forearm and inhaling deeply.
The girl exhales with relief. “Oh perfect! This one is very soft and warm, vanilla and jasmine. If you want, I’ll box it up for you and even gift wrap it. Unfortunately, with Christmas being tomorrow, we’re out of the gift sets.”
I inhale again and the snowy vision to my right glistens even brighter. “Yes, I want this one,” I say aloud. “I can find Sarah something else. I need this for myself.”
“Okay, would you still like it gift wrapped?” the girl asks.
“It’s going to smell so good. Maybe Marco will like it. Where’s he been lately?” I ask, spinning into my own thoughts as the beautiful blizzard continues to funnel around me.
“What?” the girl asks. “I’m Carmela.”
“What? No, you’re not Marco. Can I pay for this?”
The girl frowns. She’s really pretty. I love her hair. “Yes,” she answers. “Would you like it gift wrapped?”
“Yes, it’ll be nice to open something tomorrow,” I agree, watching one of the larger flakes twirl and dance along. The girl turns away and busies herself with wrapping. I close my eyes, listening to the crunch of snow beneath my boots as I watch two squirrels bouncing up and down through the snow drifts.
“Okay, that’s going to be $218.76,” the girl announces.
My eyebrows rise. “Geez, that’s a pretty expensive bottle of perfume. How long will this last?”
“Depends on how fast you go through it,” she replies, holding out the fingerprint scanner for payment.
“Okay.” I shrug.
“If you can put your thumb on here I can take your payment.”
Open Enyo, I command. The snow falls away in response. I touch the dark green screen with my thumb, withdraw it and grab the purple and white box. “Thanks!”
Unable to process, the Vertix says.
“Oh, dear. Hang on,” Carmela says. “It didn’t go through. Can you try again?” She takes the box from me, freeing my hands.
What? What do you mean? I press my thumb to the screen again, activating the payment.
Unable to process. Insufficient funds, the Vertix instructs, sounding almost smug.
“Is everything all right?” Carmela asks. I notice her hands clutch the box, as if I might grab it again and make a run for it.
“Uh, yeah, just a second,” I reply, closing my eyes. Pull up my bank account. What is going on? I ask the Vertix. I run through my credit card history. Other than rent and some takeout food here and there I don’t remember buying anything.
The Vertix displays my bank account balance. Sure enough, there is only seventy-nine dollars in my checking. “What the hell. How did this happen?” I wonder aloud. I had over three thousand dollars in here a month ago. Was it a month? I think it was. I squeeze my eyes shut. What do I have in my savings?
The screen changes and a new figure is in front of me. Eight hundred and sixty-three dollars and seventeen cents. This doesn’t make any sense. I had at least five grand in here!
“What was that?” Carmela asks, a steely look in her eyes.
“I wasn’t talking to you,” I scoff.
“Okay, well is there a problem paying then?”
“I just need a minute.” Transfer three hundred to checking, I instruct.
Transfer complete, the Vertix confirms. Is there anything else you need?
I press my thumb to the scanner one more time and the payment goes through.
“There, it’s done. Can I have that now?” I demand.
Carmela turns her head and verifies my payment. “Enjoy,” she says, her smile tight and without warmth.
“Thanks,” I mutter, snatching the gift-wrapped box out of her hands.
The little bell above the door pings, announcing my hasty retreat from the store. Once outside I take a deep breath, unaware of how stifling all the fragrances were until confronted with fresh air. I glance down at the heavy box in my hands.
“Marco better appreciate this stupid thing,” I grumble, tucking it under my arm. “Now for Andy. What the heck can I get him?”
I wander aimlessly around the small plaza, no destination in mind. Usually for Christmas I get Andy video games or Star Wars memorabilia, but I’m not sure he’d have any interest these days. He could use more food in his apartment.
The Vertix on my neck beeps, disrupting the winter wonderland scene.
Twenty minutes before power off, the Vertix states, crippling the rest of my afternoon with its announcement.
Oh crap, I have to get home before this thing dies. Or—I could get a new charger…for Andy.
“Yeah, that’d be a great gift for him!” I agree aloud. I glance up at the dark, angry sky. It looks like it may snow soon, and maybe my virtual winter wonderland will become a reality. UPick, order a car.
I walk to the edge of the sidewalk and teeter there, remembering the first time I tried Acceleration, before I had my own Vertix. My device responds; the brilliant white landscape begins to melt, exposing black rocks and clear water hundreds of yards below. My feet now teeter over the edge of a cliff, and the salty breeze wraps my hair around my neck like a lover’s embrace. The water calls to me.
“Hey! You order the car?”
“What?” I gape, my eyes opening. A compact silver Yaris is parked in front of me. If I bent my knees I’d hit the side. A young guy sits in the driver’s seat, his messy brown hair falling into his eyes as he leans over the divider separating the driver’s side from the passenger’s seat.
“A car? You order it?” he asks again, slowing down his words as if that will help me comprehend.
“Yeah, yeah, I did, that’s me. I need to go to Yeti,” I explain, pulling open the door and sliding into the
front seat.
Twelve minutes until power off, the Vertix reminds me.
Shit, Acceleration used more battery than I thought it would. I sigh.
I bounce back against the seat as the little car pulls forward and glance at my driver. He’s young, maybe only twenty, with a black Vertix clinging to his neck. He chuckles at something I can’t see and I wonder how he can drive. Walking is one thing. I’m positive I couldn’t operate a vehicle while connecting.
“How do you do that?” I ask.
“What?” the kid says, not looking at me.
“How do you drive at the same time? Can you see okay?”
The kid scoffs. “Of course, it’s not hard. I have the basketball game playing on this side and the road over here. It’s not like they merge.”
“Hmm,” I say, not understanding. I imagine trying to drive on the highway while surveying the ocean at my feet. I don’t think it’d end well for anyone.
A few minutes later the car rolls to a stop and the kid turns to me. “Okay, that’s twenty bucks,” he says. “My driver name is Winslow_657. You can find it right through Enyo.”
I nod. Shit, I forgot the prices went up for these stupid things. I should have just walked. Enyo is still up from my other purchase and I call up Winslow_657. I press my thumb to the dirty scanner mounted to the back of the passenger seat headrest and wince as the funds drain from my dwindling account. It’s fine, whatever, you’ll be getting your bonus soon.
“Great—the door’s unlocked,” the driver says, lacking subtlety.
“Right,” I mumble, popping open the latch and grabbing my gift box.
Yeti is much busier than the last time I came in. I forgot how many people wait to shop until the last second. That never used to be me.
There are a few more displays and several sales people in dark red shirts, each one connected to a glistening Vertix. I walk up to a girl with long blue hair.
“Hey, I need a charger. Two chargers,” I say.
The girl gestures to an older woman with a little girl in her arms. “I’m assisting another customer at the moment. If you check in, someone will be with you,” she says before turning away.
I take another step and put my arm on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, but this will just take a second. All I need are two chargers and then I can leave. I only have ten minutes to do this, okay?”
“Mama can I have it back now?” the little girl in the woman’s arm whines, her voice too loud. “I want to watch Miko!”
“Ma’am, you need to go check in,” the blue-haired rep tells me, looking at the Vertix in her hand. It looks broken, a large crack running down the side of the pale-yellow frame, likely the kind of damage that a three-year-old would make if she threw it onto the floor.
“Is this going to take much longer?” The mother sighs, hoisting her now crying child higher onto her hip. “I have a yoga class in twenty minutes and I really need to be able to focus on that, so I need to have my daughter’s Vertix fixed.”
“Of course, just let me grab something from the back,” the rep says as I turn to the check-in podium. Before I can wake the virtual secretary, another girl with shoulder-length brown hair intercepts me.
“Hi, can I help you?” she asks.
“Yeah, I need a charger for my Vertix, two chargers actually,” I say as I lean out over the edge of the rocks in Acceleration. I’m going to take a nice swim on my way back to the apartment.
“Okay, right this way,” says the girl, whose name tag reads Beva. She leads me to a large display on the right-hand side of the store, stopping in front of the wall of chargers and points to the row that is eye-level. “So, what type of charger are you looking for? Turbo? Super? Lasting? Waterproof?”
My ears prick up at the last option and I shift my focus from the beautiful Caribbean water. “Waterproof? Like I can wear it in the shower water-proof?” I confirm.
“Yeah, it just came out. This charger wraps around the device like a sleeve, protecting it from water. Lots of people are even swimming with it on,” Beva says. “Can I get you two of these?”
“Yes, that’s awesome! I kept saying you guys needed to make something like that. How long does it make the battery last?” I ask, withdrawing a white box from the wall.
“The performance is slightly less than the one you have now,” Beva admits. “The design impacted battery life in order to further enhance the wear ability. Just a little give and take.” She shrugs.
My index finger runs along the corner of the sharp box. “I really wanted one that I wouldn’t have to continually charge,” I whisper, thinking out loud.
“But you can wear it in a wider variety of places. Lots of our customers are buying them for vacation to the beach and water parks,” Beva continues, reminding me of a sales Barbie.
“Yeah, but how often will I have to charge it?”
“Only once an hour, or depending how frequently you use, sometimes a little more,” Beva says. “However, if you’re really worried you can always purchase the waterproof battery boost. It stretches the life to two complete uninterrupted hours.”
My interest is piqued. “That’s not bad, how much extra is that?”
“An upcharge of one hundred dollars. But it’s only good with this waterproof battery.”
“Great, yeah, I’ll take two. How much are these?” I ask, withdrawing another charger from the wall peg.
“Each waterproof charger is $649 plus tax so your total with the two boosts make it…$1,011.88,” Beva announces, looking up from the calculations on the Torch in her hand.
“Yikes, isn’t that a little expensive?”
“Plenty of customers are buying it. I guess it depends on how important it is to you,” she says with a shrug. She knows she has me.
“All right, but only give me one. I’ll find something else for Andy.” I surrender, handing back one of the waterproof charges along with the boost.
“I’ll take that one as well,” the rep says, her dark amber eyes narrowing on the other set still clutched in my hands.
I hesitate for a moment, pressing the charger closer to my stomach. The girl takes a step closer. I relax my hold and pass the charger over.
“Thanks,” she says. “I’ll be right back with a bag. Please feel free to complete the payment and I will be back when I have confirmation.” The girl pivots on her black sneakers and exits to a back room.
I watch her go with a sneer. Bitch thinks she’s better than me, I growl as I open Enyo once more. The large dollar amount for the charger and boost is awaiting me. This time I pull the funds from my savings and wiggle my fingers through the green pixels, frowning as my balance flutters away. She didn’t leave me with a finger pad. I only have a measly two hundred dollars left. I take a step back and lean against the gray concrete walls, crossing my arms over my chest. Launch My World.
Of course, Maggie. One—one…the Vertix begins, the screen in my right eye flickering.
“No, no, hey, what’s happening?” I shout, launching myself off the wall.
Not enough…can’t sustain…the Vertix tries to complete a full sentence but the screen dims black and then disappears.
I feel my heart rate increase and try to stop my rising panic. Calm down, just take it easy. You knew your battery was going to die. Just be cool for a few minutes. That snotty girl will be right back and then you can recharge and connect in a few seconds. I take slow, steadying breaths. You’ll be fine. Just…people watch for a minute.
I nod, agreeing with my own advice. Leaving the Vertix implanted on the back of my neck, I look around the store for a distraction. Apart from the few sales reps engaged in conversation, the store is eerily quiet. Soft holiday music plays overhead, but I can’t identify the song. There are little red blocks that function as chairs and all of them are occupied. Other customers are standing, most of them leaning against a pillar or a wall.
The ages in the store range from toddler to great-grandparent. A few of them have their necks bent as the
y study their arms where outdated iJewels stream the latest news and status updates. Everyone else is staring blankly ahead and I’m reminded of my dream filled with glass-eyed mannequins. I wave my arms and no one moves, blinks, or reacts. They don’t even know I’m here.
To my left sits a dad with two young boys, both no older than ten. All three of them are slouched on their red boxes, mouths open, with a distant look in their eyes. A flash of pink waves on the other side of one of the boys and a little girl leans into view. She’s beautiful, with long white blonde hair down to her elbows and untouched blue eyes. Her face is still soft, her cheeks round with adorable baby fat.
“Dad? Daddy?” the girl whispers, patting her father’s knees with her stubby fingers. Her father doesn’t look up from the floor. “Daddy, can you hear me?” the little girl tries, patting him again. This time her father flinches in response.
“Annabelle, stop. Go sit down until we’re ready to go,” the man says, moving his legs away from her reach.
“Okay,” Annabelle says quietly. She moves to stand in front of her brother. “Mark, will you play with me?”
“Go away, kid. I’m about to cream Jake,” her brother answers. He slumps back, his eyes glazed. Her brother doesn’t respond, too wrapped up in the app they’re looking at.
The little girl pouts her lower lip but doesn’t cry. She looks toward me, as if knowing I’d been watching the entire time. She’s so young, but her eyes shine with such heavy disappointment that my heart breaks. She can’t be more than four years old.
I take a cautious step toward her. Annabelle’s eyes narrow in distrust, but she doesn’t run as I take another. I offer an encouraging smile. She glances at her dad out of the corner of her eye but he isn’t paying attention. Hesitantly she takes a step forward, her white sneakers lighting up.
“Hi,” she whispers. “Do you want to play?”
I open my mouth to reply when my stomach revolts with a violent flip. I stumble back and turn my head to the side as watery vomit rises from my throat. I slap my hand over my mouth, but it’s too late. Pale bile dribbles down my chin and fingers, a few drops landing on my shirt. My body heaves again, spilling the last of my stomach’s contents onto the concrete floor. Gross. I inhale the stale air of the store with slow, deep breaths, and wipe my hand on the inside pocket of my coat. I’m disgusting.
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