Chapter Twenty-Three

  Outside Gamemakers, the thirteenth ward was covered in pristine snow, turning the ugly forgotten industrial complex into a lovely winter scene. The Spire glittered like a jewel as the setting sun caught the upper half with its brilliant rays.

  Alex shivered. When she'd entered the game a few months ago, it'd been much warmer. She was wearing a T-shirt and jeans, which did nothing in the drafty hallway. She rubbed her arms while watching the light snow drift through the air, catching her reflection to realize that her hair was the same length it was when she logged out, suggesting that certain aspects transferred between the two realms.

  On the way to her room to get warmer clothing, she heard laughter coming from the kitchen area and took a detour to investigate.

  When Alex entered, she found Bucket, Martina, and a few other students, including the red-haired girl she'd seen briefly enter the game a few months ago, sitting around the wide kitchen. White Christmas lights hung on the cabinets blinked festively. The conversation halted as everyone turned to look at her, which brought heat to her face. Not knowing what else to do, she tepidly raised her hand and gave a tiny wave.

  "Hi," she said, one shoulder lifting.

  "Hey, new kid!" said Bucket, laughing. Green and red tinsel was draped around his neck, and he held up a pewter mug. He looked a little glazed.

  "Her name is Alex," said Martina, winking in her direction. "Glad to see you've joined us. Grab a mug and some holiday brew."

  The conversations resumed, taking the focus off her, which allowed her to breathe again.

  "Does everyone log out for the holidays?" Alex asked Bucket and Martina, who were standing next to a metal cauldron on the stove. Bucket grabbed a ladle from a cauldron and scooped some into a pewter mug for her.

  A tentative sniff revealed a sweet concoction.

  "Do I want to know?" she asked, remembering the odd things that Bucket was eating last time she saw him.

  Martina's eyes widened and she shook her head feverously. "Nope. Hard pass. Just drink."

  The milky liquid had a complex flavor—a hint of tangy mint, tingly ginger, and a sweet aftertaste.

  "That's delicious," she said, staring at the mug suspiciously.

  "To your earlier question," said Martina, "the holidays, especially this one, are probably the best shot at meeting your classmates."

  "This is a particularly robust party. Last year there were only three of us. And someone"–Bucket stared at Martina—"was a no-show."

  "I was about to finish a big quest that was going to level me. No way was I logging out until that was done," said Martina.

  While they were bantering, Alex realized the red-haired girl was watching her from the corner of the room. Her hair was shaved to fuzz on the sides, but the center reminded her of a cockatoo. She wore a black jean jacket covered in buttons and pins.

  "Hey everyone," said Bucket, raising his mug, "who wants to go into the second ward for the holiday show?"

  Martina held her hand over the ear on Bucket's side, squinting. "We're all right here."

  The second ward of Invictus was world famous for its free street shows. Alex had watched videos of the illusionary battles between gargantuan, building-sized creatures as they lumbered through the streets.

  "I'd love to go, but I need to call my mom first and get on some warmer clothes," she said, trying to remember if she'd brought winter wear.

  "Meet us at the entry hall," said Martina with a wink.

  It took Alex a few minutes to find the hallway with the rotary phone. Her mother answered after a few rings.

  "Duke residence," she said with a slight slur.

  "Mom! Merry Christmas!"

  "Alexandria," said her mom. "I'm so glad you called. I was worried I wasn't going to get to hear your voice."

  "Have you been drinking?" laughed Alex.

  "Just a little," her mom said, and she could imagine her mother holding up her fingers near the phone a few millimeters apart. "You know, gotta enjoy it while you can. Life is short."

  "Don't be so morbid, Mom." Nearby laughter came through the phone. "Are you having a party?"

  "Sort of, a traveling one. Frank and a few others stopped by. We're going into town to look at the lights," said her mom.

  "Oh, that's sweet of them to take you out," said Alex, pleased to hear her mom wasn't alone on the holidays. Their neighbors tended to be loners, so it was a pleasant surprise to hear they'd gathered together for even a night.

  This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

  "I hate to do this, but we were just headed to the car," said her mom.

  "That's okay, we're headed into the city ourselves," said Alex.

  "Are you having a good time at school?" asked her mom.

  Alex thought about her progress in the game. "It's hard, but yeah, I am."

  "That's good, sweetie. You know I love you very much. I always will."

  "Love you too, Mom. Have a good time tonight."

  After she hung up, Alex stared at the wall. It'd only been four months, but it felt like years since she'd seen her mom. And how quickly her mom had found other things to do. It's not like she expected her mom to be pining away for her, on the contrary, that would break her heart, but part of her felt some weird misplaced jealousy and sadness that that part of their lives had come to an end.

  With a few more layers, and wearing a winter coat she'd found hanging in the hallway, Alex joined the group headed into town. Bucket and Martina led the expedition, which included a tall guy with brown skin wearing earbuds and nodding his head to music, and the red-haired girl, who seemed vaguely familiar to Alex, though that seemed ridiculous since she'd just met her.

  The six of them headed to the train station. Martina bought them all tickets into the second ward. The car was full, forcing them to stand crowded together near the door.

  Alex found herself standing next to the red-haired girl, who was much taller than she'd expected. She had a long-distance runner's frame. Her flat expression suggested that she wasn't interested in talking, but it felt more awkward to stand next to her and not say something.

  "Hi, I'm Alex," she said, offering a hand.

  The red-haired girl frowned, keeping her hands in her jean jacket pockets.

  "Lily."

  "Nice to meet you."

  Lily stared back with barely a blink. The silence after felt like a shield. Since Lily was taller, it left Alex staring at the buttons on her jacket. There were a variety of languages and places displayed on them. Alex still had the nagging suspicion that she'd seen Lily before.

  "What zone are you in?" asked Alex.

  When Lily didn’t answer, Martina leaned over with a pleasant smirk. "She's in Redstone Mesa."

  The answer brought a wrinkling of Lily's nose in Martina's direction, which received an eyeroll in turn.

  "I'm in the Warped Forest. What about you, Martina?" asked Alex.

  Martina, who wore a big, fluffy white coat that matched her wild haircut, tapped on her chest. "I'm in Direkelp Keep, Bucket's on Dreadbone Island, and Haviere's in the Harrowed Ruins of Entropy."

  "Are any of those near each other?" asked Alex, hoping for in-game companionship.

  "Unfortunately, no," said Martina.

  "Yeah, Marzio's an asshole," said Bucket, who was leaning against the pole with his eyes closed. "And not just about his placements."

  "Are you still bitching about those three flying fireballing mage-pirates?" asked Martina, laughing.

  "Till the day I die," said Bucket, with eyes now open, shaking his head. "After I finally killed them, I wanted to stomp their pixels into the dirt. Bastards didn't even have the courtesy to have loot."

  "Dreadbone Island sounds pretty crazy," said Alex, thinking about swashbuckling pirates and three-mast ships.

  "Minus those flying freaks, it hasn’t been too terrible. The pirates have been hilarious. I talked my way into one of their camps a few weeks back, and we spent the night drinking and singing bawdy pirate songs," said Bucket.

  He raised an eyebrow in Martina's direction. "But Dreadbone Island ain't got nothin' compared to Direkelp Keep. Everything is underwater. No thank you, I like my sharks to circle the island, not have to swim with them."

  "Wow," said Alex, thinking about the challenge of living underwater. "Where do you sleep?"

  "In a warm bed of kelp," said Martina. "While I'm underwater, I wear a nice pair of gills, curtesy of the Argent Changeling class. Speaking of classes, have you gotten yours yet?"

  "Barely," said Alex. "I'm an Arcane Mastermind."

  "Oh, Cunning stat," said Bucket, eyes wide with excitement.

  Martina shook her head. "Bucket, if you even—"

  Bucket looked directly at her. "Clever girl..."

  Both Alex and Martina groaned at his Jurassic Park joke.

  Chuckling, Alex asked, "Dare I ask what class you are?"

  In the limited space, and as the train car rumbled around a corner, Bucket bowed. "I am the Puppet Master."

  "Oh, the mannequin," said Alex, referencing when she'd first met him. "Charisma?"

  He nodded.

  Hoping to pull Lily into the conversation, she turned. "What about you, Lily?"

  The red-haired girl glanced around as if she were deciding if she were going to answer, but eventually she said with a hint of exasperation, "Elemental Champion."

  "Endurance?"

  "Strength," said Lily, "with an Agility sub."

  "Gotta play to your strengths," said Martina with a knowing nod.

  The sense of familiarity hit Alex again. She looked hard at Lily, trying to figure it out.

  Martina caught her expression and said, "Lily, the Hammer, Brodziak, current MechLeague world champion."

  A downward curl caught the edge of Lily's lips as her nostrils flared. "Not any more. World championship was last month."

  "Oh, shit," said Alex. "I've totally watched you play. You're awesome. What level are you?"

  "Eleven," said Lily, who still held herself apart despite the confined space.

  "Damn," said Alex. "I'm way behind."

  "Haven't figured out how to exploit your way to winning yet?" Lily asked, eyes narrowing.

  A stone formed in Alex's gut. Based on the look, it appeared that Lily had seen her streams. Exploiters had their detractors, but she normally didn't have to face them in person. It was made worse by the fact that she would have been excited to learn that the world champion of MechLeague had heard of her, but it was clear that the fascination wasn't mutual.

  The train lurched to a stop, providing an end to the suddenly awkward conversation.

  Alex hurried out behind Bucket and the others. The second ward train station was packed, forcing them to shoulder their way through the crowd.

  But once they came out onto the street, Alex sucked in a breath as a giant princess in pink braids wielding a two-handed sword the length of a city block went charging past towards a giant robot with four spinning blades for arms.

  The cheers as the two illusions fought in the middle of the street—cars zooming through their feet—stretched a grin across her chilly cheeks. They found a spot at a street café. Martina passed the hostess something to get them a seat. Almost as soon as they sat down a tray of steaming mugs of hot chocolate appeared.

  Bundled against the cold, breath forming white mist before her lips as she sipped the hot drink, Alex watched the massive illusions do battle. A tingling warmth traveled up her spine, not only from the delicious drink, but from the excitement of knowing she was part of something greater than herself.

  In her wildest dreams, she'd never imagined herself in the Hundred Halls. The city of Invictus seemed like a faraway place, a mirage that no one actually visited, because it seemed so fantastic that it couldn't be real. But here she was, sitting in a café, having drinks with her classmates, watching an illusionary Santa wield a flamethrower against a band of knife-wielding punk reindeer.

  It was the first time she felt like she belonged at the Hundred Halls.