Hooked

by DeAnna Browne

  The class was on the second floor of her dorm. The bottom three levels of their building held classrooms, lecture halls and VR labs, while the top three levels were for housing. With the vending machines, the students didn’t even have to go outside.

  As several other students came trickling in, one stopped next to her desk. He had an olive completion and short dark hair standing on end, forming a widow’s peak. His deep set brown eyes perched above a perfectly, almost too perfectly, shaped nose. Some might say he was attractive, except for the smug look which curled his lips.

  “I didn’t think the school had such nice stuff.” He touched the edge of her new tablet.

  Ari grimaced and didn’t reply, hoping he would just go away.

  Of course, just her luck, he took it as an invitation to bend down and move even closer to Ari. His overpowering cologne wafted around her, and she leaned back against her chair.

  “We’re all trying to decide what you did to worm your way into this program.” His fake smile displayed perfectly polished teeth.

  “I tested my way into here,” Ari said, then clenched her teeth. Testing into programs was the official way, but desired slots like VR always had exceptions for daddies with big paychecks.

  He flicked Ari’s long brown braid back over her shoulder and leaned down, his voice taking on a disturbing husky quality. “Maybe you did more than just a test, maybe ‘who’ is a better question?”

  She swallowed her revulsion and realized her initial plan of ignoring him wasn’t going to work. Before she could shove him back, Tessa appeared behind him.

  “Really, Wake? That’s the best you got? You’ve screwed the pooch in more games than I can count.”

  Wake turned towards Tessa, his shoulders tightening as if ready to attack. He wouldn’t hit Tessa? Would he? “Daddy’s unwanted little miscreant is going to give me a hard time?”

  “Drop the act. Your sales couldn’t pay for my coffee.”

  Wake stepped forward, but the professor spoke, “Please take your seat, everyone. We have a lot on our agenda today.”

  Ari mouthed “Thank you” to Tessa as her roommate took a seat.

  She took a deep breath, rattled from the encounter, and turned towards the teacher, Professor Speltman. A tall middle-aged man, he appeared a bit wild. His beard was short and unkempt, and his brown hair swept long across his forehead. A defining nose took up major real estate on his face, but behind the facial hair and bushy brows were intelligent eyes. And once he started talking, Ari realized she had more trouble than some jerk named Wake.

  Back in middle school, she was the top of her class, despite her fear of virtuals or, maybe, because of it. She had to work twice as hard studying books to achieve the feel of the world, while her classmates experienced a VR for an afternoon and came away with all the answers. The only reason the whole school day wasn’t in VR was due to the health risks involved. Even after school, she spent her time reading or drawing, while most of her friends preferred the virtuals whenever they could afford them. Dances, and other school events, were always cooler in another country, on the top of the world, or wherever. Ari spent many nights with her nose in a book thinking it was the safest form of travel.

  Even with Ari’s top grades, she only caught about half of what Professor Speltman said regarding his programming class. She knew how to program, but not in VRs. It couldn’t be that different, but from what he was saying, it obviously was. She turned on the auto-record on her interface and hoped she could make some sense of it later that night.

  The lecture lasted over an hour, and when it was over Ari sat there stunned for a minute. The homework he gave would fill her entire evening, and she hadn’t gone to second period yet. As someone walked by, they smacked her tablet to the floor. Ari’s head snapped up in time to watch Wake and his friend walking towards the door.

  “Rand, you should be more careful.” Wake’s voice dripped with insincerity. “I bet scholarship girl doesn’t have money for another one. She’ll have to take out a work loan.”

  Laughing, they left the room. Ari didn’t have the energy to be angry anymore. She bent over to pick up the small flat tablet and prayed it still worked. It appeared unharmed, so she shoved it in her bag.

  She stood up and found Tessa watching her. “No one ever said this program was gracious or obliging.”

  Smiling, Ari narrowed her eyes. “I never asked it to be.”

  Second period proved to be easier. Professor Tollingston taught History and Interactive Storyboarding, two things she knew about. He had a gruff personality that matched his gray hair and thick mustache, but the homework was simple enough.

  Her next class, Biological Psychology, was on the second floor of their dorm. Taught by the only teacher who was a doctor and a woman as well, Ari looked forward to it.

  “Welcome to the study of the human mind.” A thin woman stood before them with a serious expression. Her hair was wound up in a tight brown bun, but a few curly hairs fought themselves free. “I’m Dr. Cox. In this class, we will delve into the study of human behavior, to help you create realistic portrayals of humans in the virtual world. In programming, you may be given scripts by the writers, but you need to know human behavior inside and out to realistically portray the emotion and behavior needed in all types of situations.”

  Ari hoped she’d learn something helpful about herself. If she could kick this fear, she might be able to graduate. Dr. Cox gave her a good chunk of homework as well, but Ari looked forward to it.

  She stayed in the building for their lunch break, eating from the vending machines. The HUB on her wrist gave her permission to purchase food from anywhere on campus. The machines were well stocked with a wide variety of everything from meal bars to steaming fresh pasta. She sat in the lounge on the first floor and reviewed her notes. Even Speltman’s lecture made sense the second time through it.

  Her HUB vibrated on her wrist, and Ari noticed she had a message from Garrett.

  Survive your first day? He really wasn’t joking when he’d said he had her number.

  Her hand hovered over the screen, deciding what to write. I haven’t been eaten alive by implant wearing monkeys if that’s what you mean.

  Good to know you’re safe from exotic animals but watch for those domestic guys though. They can bite.

  Thanks for the heads up.

  Thankful to have one friend at the school, she headed upstairs to her next class: VR Lab.

  “Welcome,” a younger woman, maybe in her twenties, greeted her. “If you’ll give me your name, I’ll find your assigned virtual.”

  Ari nodded as her gaze traveled over the room, full of larger chairs set up next to their individual VR machines.

  “Your name?” The girl repeated, snapping Ari out of her state of awe.

  “Ariana Mendez.”

  “I’m Mica, the teaching assistant.” Mica was tall and slender with ink black hair, cut pixie short, barely reaching her ears. “I have you up front.” She directed Ari to her chair, a comfortable recliner with the monitor and wires connecting to the computer next to it. A small portable desk hung from the side.

  Ari tensed, as every cell in her body told her to run.

  “Have a seat,” Mica told her impatiently. Ignoring Ari’s frozen stare, she continued, “Pull out your tablet. I’m sure Dr. Coleman will have you take a few notes first.”

  “Notes,” Ari repeated. I can do notes. Sitting down, she exhaled not realizing she had been holding her breath. She opened her tablet and tried to ignore the machine to her left. She stared at her screen and opened up a game to keep her mind occupied.

  Her mind kept drifting back to her nightmares. Corpses floating through virtuals, talking and dancing, unaware that their bodies were decaying while they lived a half-life inside a machine. The smell of death poisoning the air and amidst it all, her father.

  She reminded herself, it was only a dream. I am not my father. Graduating in this concentration would provide for her family in a way her
father had never been able.

  After losing at cards for her fifth straight time, she realized the classroom was full. The professor appeared in front and cleared his throat. He was young, which surprised her. His dark skin was rich and black, and his hair cut short.

  “Welcome to the virtual programming lab. I know many of you come in here with an expectation of getting to hang out in virtuals for free, but this isn’t rec hour. There will be nightly homework, reports, and tests just like any other class. It’s not easy. Ask around.”

  He jumped right into the syllabus which gratefully distracted Ari from the inevitable. They spent the first half of their two-hour class going over the long list of rules and expectations.

  “Now, I have the address of all of your ports from the student tech store. I will be able to access each of your systems individually, or we can connect as a group for particular assignments.” He came towards Ari, using her virtual to point out the hardware. “I shouldn’t have to remind you to take care of your gear, and get it serviced regularly at our student center.”

  Then Dr. Coleman continued to go over more specifics for data storage. “Okay, I’m throwing you all in a common virtual that you guys probably used in middle school. It’s from the early stages of our Continuing Struggle for Human Rights. I want you to pick out at least five discrepancies before pulling out. I’ll be in and out of several of your programs to observe. Go ahead and plug in,” Dr. Coleman said with a smile.

  Ari’s heartbeat picked up as she leaned back in her chair like the rest of the students. She moved her braid and cleared the way for the cable. Clicks of cables sounded throughout the room as people plugged in, while Ari still struggled with snapping it in place in the base of her skull. Her fingers shook badly, and the wires clattered to the floor.

  Mica appeared beside her, taking the port from her hand. “I’ll help.” Her hands were cold but fast as she inserted the thick metal cord. “It’s okay. A lot of kids get nervous on their first day.”

  Ari tried to console herself that at least she wasn’t in the olden days when they had to port into several spots in the brain and blood stream. It had been almost barbaric. Ari lay back in the chair and clamped her eyes shut, forcing herself to go to the one place that scared her the most.

  She opened her eyes to the war-torn chaos that surrounded her. Bullets screamed past while explosions flared in the distance. Cries of the injured bombarded her, while camo-covered men rushed the broken city with guns at their sides.

  All students in her middle school were required to complete VR military training to select those capable for duty. And while Ari had read about this war, she’d never lived it. She’d never smelt the dust of the desert mixed with the smoke of destruction.

  A bomb exploded in a small shop down the block. The ground shook, making her stumble. This wasn’t some old 3D movie. These people could hurt her, as much as one could be hurt in a VR. She took off, running as fast as possible. She wasn’t sure where she was going but standing out in the open was a sure way to get shot. Her logical mind told her that she wouldn’t die. VR programs muted any painful experiences, so it was only a shadow. But even the shadow of a gunshot or bomb would be more than she wanted.

  She sprinted around a corner and stopped short, almost running into two men, one severely injured.

  “Help,” the soldier begged. It was awkward to hear an English ancient from such a foreign looking man with dark and pointed features. Ari stood dumb for a second before she realized he wanted her to help with the injured man.

  She hurried forward and helped lift.

  “We need to take him to the hospital. We’re almost there.” The soldier continued forward, sweat dripping down his temple.

  As they rushed into a nearby building, bullets and debris rained over their heads. At the entrance to the hospital, Ari froze. There were lines upon lines of beds, with injured people crying out in pain. The smell of blood and dirt overwhelmed her.

  “Come on,” the uninjured man urged her forward.

  Medical personnel dressed in bloody scrubs took the body from them.

  With her arms now empty, her hands began to shake. People always joked about never leaving their VR vacation, but what if she remained stuck in this living hell? None of this is real. It isn’t real. Cold dread seeped into Ari’s bones, despite the heat. Glancing down, she noticed red splattered against her purple shoes. Blood.

  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.