She sprinted down the street but didn’t make it to the end of the block before she disappeared. Gasping, she awoke back in the classroom. She lifted her stinging hands. Blood dripped from her palms. Her nails had cut into her hands. At the sight of blood, her stomach turned.
A hand touched her shoulder and Mica appeared above her. “Whoa, girl, what spooked you?”
Ari struggled to speak, her breath coming in short gasps. As soon as Mica removed the cord, Ari jumped out of the chair. Bent over, she stared at the thick wire hanging loosely from the chair. The cable could transport a person to anywhere in the world plus some, but it could also be an eternal prison.
Dr. Coleman appeared next to them. “Mica, what happened?”
“I’m not sure.” Mica turned to Ari for an explanation.
“I was ...” What could she say? How could she explain that she would explode if she didn’t get out of there? “I just ... the bomb, the smell,” Ari stumbled over the words, trying to get out the problem.
“Surely, even in your area, you are familiar with this VR.”
“I’m sorry.” Tears were hot on her face. She grabbed her bag and headed to the door.
“The reading assignment is due tomorrow.” Dr. Coleman shouted, but Ari didn’t stop walking.
If she stopped, she would break down, and she wasn’t going to do that. She took the stairs down at a run. Her lungs burned for air, but she kept going. She pulled out some sunglasses to hide behind and pushed outside. She eyed the manufactured grass and fake trees with distaste. With everything fake, how could she tell what was real?
At first, she didn’t know where she was heading. Once she passed the cafeteria, she thought of her brother. Marco would understand. He was there when she first freaked out in the virtual.
They had been in school. She was eleven and he was thirteen. Her father had recently slipped into another coma, and her teacher planned on taking the children to visit ancient castles for world history. When the vision opened, Ari’s screams had sounded throughout the school. She wouldn’t let anyone close enough to touch her until Marco came. He might be an annoying dink at times, but he knew her better than anyone.
His dorm stood at the far edge of campus, in a huge gun-metal building with heavy beams. It looked formidable, matching the security concentration perfectly. Walking through the doors she went for the stairs, not willing to wait for the elevator. Trudging up the four flights calmed her a bit.
She followed the narrow gray hall and knocked on Marco’s door. It wasn’t until the door opened that she remembered it was Reed’s room too.
“Ari.” Reed’s eyes widened. “What are you doing here?”
Ari wiped the sweat from her brow and tried not to think that she looked even worse when Reed had seen her plastered at the club. “I’m looking for Marco.”
“Sorry, he’s not here. He’s in class.”
“Oh, yeah.” She was supposed to be there too. “Why are you here then?”
“Study hour.” Reed leaned against the door frame in a plain white tee, jeans and socks. Ari thought it unfair that guys could look so good with so little work. He probably didn’t even have to run a comb through his short hair.
“So ...” he said as he tapped the door lightly. “Do you want me to leave him a message?”
“Message?” Somehow, ‘Marco your little sister is crazy as a loon,’ wouldn’t be great for a message. That’s why she hadn’t messaged him to begin with. “No, don’t worry about it.” She glanced down the hall, unsure of what to do next, or where to go.
“I’ll go.” She pointed down the hall and turned to walk away.
“Hey.” Reed caught her by the wrist. “What’s wrong?”
She glanced down at her wrist, and he dropped her hand.
“Nothing.” She shook her head. “It’s just ... we had virtuals today.”
“How long did you last?”
“Enough to see the hell that was the Never-Ending War.” She blinked back the raw tears threatening to overflow. Her body didn’t want to listen to her at all today.
“I’m sorry,” he said, holding her gaze. “The programs the teachers use here are never pretty. They’re trying to prepare us for the future, I guess.”
Stunned into silence, Ari didn’t want to imagine any reality or future that horrific.
“Do you want to come in? I have thirty minutes till my next class.”
Her art design class was starting soon, but she didn’t care. Ari was about to take him up on his offer, when she noticed someone approaching, a pretty blonde girl with a little too much make-up.
“Hey, Reed.” The blonde waved. Ari hoped she was a neighbor, but she kept heading towards them.
“Oh, I forgot. Ari, I have this thing with Talia,” Reed said before the blonde made it to them.
A date or something like it, Ari realized, feeling stupid and small for thinking anything of Reed’s offer to come in. Why was she even bothering Reed? “No big deal,” Ari turned to leave. “I’ll catch you later.”
“Wait.” He reached a hand out to her but then pulled back.
“It’s fine, really.” She assured him over her shoulder and kept walking. She shouldn’t feel rejected. There was nothing between Reed and her.
Blaming her emotions on the VR, she hurried down the stairs and out the door in relief. Clouds drifted over the campus, casting shadows on the ground. Following the paved path, she curved around the building, through campus, and even past a small park she hadn’t known existed.
The sun had set by the time she headed back to the dorm. She wanted to climb into bed and find some comfort in sleep. The first thing she noticed as she opened the door was her school bag that she had forgotten in the virtuals. Someone must have picked it up for her.
Thankful for her bag, she pulled out her tablet and flipped it on. A bright green message instantly popped up.
Thought you might need this. ~ Garrett.
Maybe she wasn’t completely alone.
Chapter Five
Tessa pulled out her earbuds for the first time the next morning, and repeatedly blinked her eyes until her gaming contacts cleared. Tessa had her hair up in a messy bun, exposing the shaved underside of her hair and the port in the back of her neck. Grabbing her coffee, she turned to Ari. “What was the deal with you leaving the VR lab early yesterday?”
“I had to get out of there. You know?” Ari gathered her bag, ready to leave for morning classes. She really didn’t feel like getting into it this morning.
“No, I don’t.” There was a brief, awkward pause that Tessa was in no hurry to fill.
“I have a problem with being in the program ... like I want to tear out my port.” Ari didn’t know why she told her roommate. Maybe she was looking for sympathy? Help? She got neither.
Tessa laughed. “That’s a good one.” She continued laughing as she grabbed her bag and headed out the door.
Ari swore under her breath as the door hissed shut. It was going to be a long day.
Her first two classes sped by in a flurry of notes. It helped that she came in just before the bell rang and sat on the opposite side of the room from Wake. She was up and gone before he could say a word.
Arriving at her third period class, she settled in the chair and pulled out her tablet to go through her schedule. The guy next to Ari uploaded a file directly to his desk and began manipulating his notes. The desks had ports to upload to and write on whenever they needed. Ari preferred holding her tablet in her hand, almost like a real book.
Her HUB vibrated with a message from Garrett.
Heard about Dr. Coleman’s class yesterday. Wanted to see how you were doing?
She moaned and wondered just how many people knew about her meltdown.
How did you find out?
I know the TA, Mica.
I’m not as crazy as it probably sounds.
Don’t worry. All the hot girls are a bit crazy.
Ari’s mouth dropped, not sure how to take tha
t. She didn’t have time to reply before the class began.
The fast-paced lecture kept everyone’s attention. In a slimming business suit, Dr. Cox paced in front of the students. Her strong voice carried without a microphone.
As the instructor outlined the syllabus, Ari realized this class might end up being one of her favorites. Hard, yes, but fascinating. The workings and reasoning behind human behavior was complex and engrossing all at the same time. The class dismissed all too soon for Ari.
For lunch, Ari headed down to the student commons building in the middle of campus. Not feeling like a big meal, she ordered a vanilla meal shake from the automated window. It tasted like ice cream but contained the vitamins and nutrients of a complete meal. Ari’s mom hated the engineered food, but Ari could eat ice cream for the rest of her life. She grabbed a small apple, so she could tell her mom she did, and worked on the shake while reading about the circuitry of the human brain.
She read the same sentence several times, struggling to focus amid the noise of the cafeteria. It wasn’t until someone pushed a white napkin across the table did Ari realize she was no longer alone.
“Hey, Reed.” She studied the simple cartoon drawn on the napkin. A clown was sucking on a cigarette while making a balloon animal and getting ash on the large-eyed child waiting in line. A smile grew on her face which turned into a laugh. “I haven’t gotten one of these cartoons for quite a while.”
“You haven’t needed one for a while.”
She didn’t want to tell him she had kept every drawing he’d given her back at home. Reed used to sneak cartoons into Ari’s bags, or books, and even one into her breakfast box when she was younger, right after she lost her dad. They always cheered her up, no matter how bizarre. Maybe it was because they were so bizarre.
Looking up and meeting Reed’s gaze, the laughter slowly died. It wasn’t very often she found herself alone with Reed. And the last couple of times hadn’t been promising.
“Thanks.” Her thumb brushed over the cartoon. “I never thought I’d miss the old neighborhood.” She realized he was just taking care of her, like he had done when her dad abandoned her. He treated her like a younger sister, but unfortunately, Ari’s thoughts weren’t very sisterly.
“Just remember these rich kids are jealous. Their parents had to sell their vacation home to pay for this.”
“Not my roommate. She still has her vacation home and a couple others to spare.” It was hard for Ari not to be jealous of Tessa.
“Yeah, some are luckier than others, but that’s why we’re here. Right? To have more opportunity than our parents did.”
She reached for the spoon in her shake and swallowed a cold bite. The freezing lump hit her stomach and cleared her head. It was easy to forget about the worry of tomorrow with Reed nearby. “It’s totally over-rated.”
“What is?” He glanced up, meeting her eyes, and those eyes of a million colors shone back with curiosity. In the middle of a noisy cafeteria, a small bit of quiet spanned the distance between them.
She lowered her gaze, which made it easier to think. “The money. These people all spend it on a fake life, with plastic faces, and perfect bodies. Give me ice cream, fake or not, and I can die happy.”
Chapter Six
After missing Art Design the day before without any major consequences, Ari decided to skip her VR class. Better to take a demerit than freak out again, and it gave her one more day to figure out what to do. She completed homework during her VR class and then headed to her last class of the day.
“We missed your theatrics in class today.” Wake brushed by as she entered the classroom.
She glared at him while taking her seat. Why wouldn’t that creep just leave her alone?
Professor Mienka taught art design and dressed the part. She was a tall woman with a heavy accent. Long curly hair fell to the middle of her back, and she had a natural beauty that Ari guessed many men fought over. And the woman insisted everyone call her by her first name, Irina.
By the end of the day, Ari welcomed the homework; at least, the kind didn’t require trips to the VR. She studied until the words blurred together on her small interface screen and then passed out for the night.
The next day, she tried to become invisible as she found a seat in the back for her first class. She kept to herself and tried to focus on the lecture and not her upcoming class with Dr. Coleman. She couldn’t skip again and avoiding it wouldn’t help anything.
Her HUB vibrated with a message from Garrett.
Want to meet for lunch today?
Ari wondered if he was asking her on a date. She didn’t have much experience with dating. Most guys wanted to take girls on VR dates to foreign destinations. Ari had to admit Rome or Greece probably impressed girls more than a coffee shop.
Sure. Where?
I’ll meet you outside your dorm.
Thoughts of Garrett helped distract her as she finished class. As promised, Garrett stood outside her building, bag in one hand and drink carrier in the other. Instead of the lab uniform, he wore slimming jeans and a green shirt. His yellow hair had a cute, messy look, and his smile was infectious.
“You, me and some killer meatballs.”
She returned the smile. “Lead the way.”
He curved off into the fake manicured grass behind her dorm. A small lake bordered the north of campus. They strolled to a grouping of large boulders overlooking the water.
“Need some help?” he asked, nodding to the large boulder.
“No, I got it.” She climbed up easily and then grabbed the food, so he could climb up beside her.
“Just to warn you, these meatballs go beyond mere mortal food at our campus. Once tasted, your diet will never be the same again.”
Ari laughed. “Okay. I’ve been warned.”
With one bite, a flood of flavors flooded her mouth. Messy and delicious, the meatball tasted like a complete meal, like her mom’s lasagna with bread rolled into one ball. She devoured the meatballs and cleaned up afterwards. “You’re right. That was amazing.”
Garrett had already polished off his meatballs and was sucking down a drink. She looked over at his bright yellow hair and several hoops running up one ear. The black eyeliner and goofy grin belied his age.
He handed her a drink. She grabbed it, but he didn’t let go.
“Do you have a plan for the virtuals?” His grin gone and his large eyes containing no hint of laughter.
Her stomach sank, and she wondered how he knew. “No. Just hope they don’t kick me out until after Christmas,” Ari gave a forced laugh. It was either laugh or cry.
He relinquished his hold on the cup. “Okay, then.”
She sipped her soda, a unique rich flavor, with a hint of cream and salt. The soda reminded her of her father, something he’d always splurge on. She rubbed a spot on her chest and cursed herself for missing her father. He left us. She stared out at the lake for a while longer wondering if she had the courage to even show up for the next class.
“You ready for your class?” Garrett asked.
“No,” Ari replied, “But do I have a choice?”
“We could get drunk, steal a boat, and roam the river like pirates.” Happy Garrett was back, with his bright eyes and smile.
“Ask me in two hours, and I might take you up on it.”
Garrett hopped off the rock first then turned to help her down. For some reason her muscles didn’t want to work as her brain requested. She stumbled a bit, and Garrett reached out to catch her.
“You okay there?”
His voice sounded farther away than usual. She looked at him, wondering what he was talking about. He could almost be a fairy with his pointed nose and light pink lips. Why was she thinking about fairies?
“Ari,” he called her name.
He asked her a question, but she struggled to focus on the words coming out of his mouth.
“You’ll be fine. It will relax you.”
“What?” Something wasn’t right.
He took her hand and led her back to the virtuals building.
The sun warmed her skin, a fuzzy heat she drank up. She tried to stop and bake in the sun, but Garrett kept pulling her hand.
“Class,” he said loudly. “School. Remember, not getting kicked out till after Christmas?”
Then she did. She hoped she wasn’t late to class. The virtuals. She should be freaking out, but again her body didn’t want to obey.
“What did you do to me?” she asked Garrett. “Did you put a tab in my drink?” She would have tasted it.
“Sort of. A relaxing tab I got after a skiing accident. A little help to get you through your virtuals.”
Ari grabbed his shirt, angry. “You drugged me?”
Her third day away from home, and she’d been drugged. She could be a poster child for those warning posters in school, showing you what not to do. Her mother would probably reprimand her for trusting boys with colored hair and rings in their ears. If he was a fairy, he was a bad one indeed.
“It wasn’t a lot. I didn’t think it would affect you so much. You must not tab often. Get through your class and then you can yell at me. Okay?”
“O ... kay.” Ari’s speech slowed as her brain took in everything he said. “Class first, then yell at you.” She wiped his chin where he’d missed the sauce from his sandwich and then licked her finger.
Ari couldn’t help but laugh, happy everything else was gone.
“Come on. You better hurry to class or you’ll be late.” Garrett led her to class like a gentleman, except for the whole drugging thing, of course.
Everyone was already seated when Garrett handed Ari her bag and pushed her through the door.
The teacher stood in front of the class with an unhappy look on his face. “Welcome, Ms. Mendez. Glad you made it to class today. I hope you can stay.”
Unsure if he asked a question or made a statement, she played it safe by heading straight to her chair. Her purple painted shoes took one step after another. She slumped into the chair with a bump, letting a surprised squeak escape.
Hard Wired Trilogy Page 5