《WINNING AT KOFFEE SHOP KING》 Chapter 1: Tina is LATTE for the game I wake up with my face flat on a desk, in a small puddle of drool. Under my head is a map of the world, with the coffee growing regions of the world highlighted. There is a matching pink highlighter in my hand and I raise my head. My coffee cup is right next to my hand and I can smell the hazelnut blend. Expensive, rich and delicious. I go to take a sip and instead light flashes before me, words on a dark background. WELCOME PLAYER ENTER NAME The outline of a keyboard appears and I type in: Tina Welcome Tina! NEW GAME CAMPAIGN LOAD GAME OPTIONS QUIT I cant quite believe this. Behind the floating menu screen is the rest of my Coffee Shop Manager Menu and I cant believe my luck, Im playing KSK for real! I can even see the initials embedded in my coffee spoon: KOFFEE SHOP KING! I would be a total wimp not to throw myself head-first into the CAMPAIGN so I select it. Bring it on! Instantly, the scenery changes as I am at level 1, in the first arena with two other players. Wait, Im late? To my first game ever? What?! Theyre already prepping their coffee vans before the users are loaded. I have to build the menu, my outfit, my aesthetic? I cant deal with so many choices. MISSION: SELL 7 COFFEES WITH 3+ GOOD REVIEWS Oh wow I can sell 7, Im sure of it, but 3+ good reviews? The most they can give me is 5, the lowest is 1 - I know it means average, but it means I cant make any mistakes. To my left there is a handsome guy with amazing blonde hair who is going for the classic glamour aesthetic. He wears a vest and white, collared shirt. His cups are classic black, his van has a gleaming silver and black, stylish paint job. I think his stats are quite balanced, hes gone for balance across price, speed, quality and style. I am a little jealous hes chosen the elegant coffee bean with an outline, it''s a good look with his sleek, black van. Hes named it Marcus Classic Coffee'''', which is a little intimidating. I can see the appeal for the users, but the girl next him freaks me out even more. The very pretty girl on the right is taller than me with flaming red hair and a matching red and gold van. Shes gone for speed and quality, so her price will be way high, and theres not enough points for style. Her logo is a cup, with speed lines around it, like it''s moving very fast. She doesnt need it though- she can clean us all up with her speed stat. She could be churning out red cups in her tight red dress before I even make the first one! I realise Im staring and she actually snarls at me. Along the side of her van in sassy gold writing: Speedy Sue: Coffee 4U Great. Two minutes into the game and I have a mortal enemy in Speedy Sue. Goodie. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! I open my menu and look at the sliders I have to choose from. PRICE SPEED QUALITY STYLE NEW PLAYER BONUS I see: New Player Bonus: and hit it. My quality bar shoots up to max and I take a step back in shock. What? Thats a huge upgrade, it didnt touch my stats at all! Im careful not to show my huge advantage. I carefully slide QUALITY as high as I can without losing too much SPEED and then use my remaining STYLE to choose myself a good look. I dont want to look intimidating- that wont get me the most customers. I want to be approachable and comfortable, how will I do it? FURNITURE FOOD MENU COFFEE MENU DIARY OPPORTUNITIES OPTIONS I got it! Furniture first! We dont know what the game will simulate, we could be anywhere. Theres no guarantee any seating will auto spawn and I can use that to my advantage. I choose three tall, wooden barrels for leaning on while you stir your coffee, and buy two stools at the counter. I know Sue is looking straight at me. I can feel her eyes burning with intense hatred at me but I ignore her and go to the COFFEE MENU HOT COLD EXTRA FROZEN At this point, I almost froze up. I only have enough credit to choose the drinks- there will be nothing left for snacks! I cant start the first round with no snacks! Frantically, I open EXTRAS COOKIES This is the only option that isnt grayed out to me, but I havent blown my chances yet. I select it and three different cookie jars are added to my list, and theres just enough credit left for the drinks. I choose all of them because I know I can make every single one. STYLE is last. I choose a plain black shirt to cover stains, in case there''s an in-game penalty for stains and spills and I choose a green paint job for my van. My logo will be a leaf and the last menu before the store opening countdown looms before me. ENTER COFFEE VAN NAME Oh no. Ok now Im stuck. I dont have a theme like the others- I just went for what would make ME, Tina, happy. Was that a mistake? My green, unnamed van has a strange outline around it that wont go away until I name it something. I look around for inspiration but nothing comes. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Marcus looking at me, then quickly turning away. Speedy Sue is outright staring at me, oh my god, it''s like she wants me to fail. She mouths something with her bright red lipsticked lips and Im positive it isnt good. I turn back to the menu and type in my name. TINA Thats it? Is that the best I can do? TINAS PLACE There we go. Thats something. It''s not fancy, it''s not stylish but it might suit the scenario. You never know. TINAS PLACE CONFIRMED Immediately the world changed around me. 10 The outline of the users began to load and the game began to render more realistically around me. I am standing behind the counter of the van I designed just minutes ago. 9 The scenario was melting into shape and suddenly I could see we were in a sort of giant park with grass, plants, paths and trees, a giant fountain in the middle and a playground. Simulated bird song drifts around me and a portal opens up for the users to appear in. 8 My coffee machine, the stack of cups, my cookie tongs, every object I could possibly need appears in my van. 7 My chosen uniform appears more solidly on me and I see the little stitching appear on my shirt: Tinas Place, in a sweet, italic font. 6 In the distance, I see a red van and a black one manifesting slowly as the game renders them clear as well. 5 The users are almost clear now- I see different ages and shapes of people. A user pushing a stroller, another with a pet on a leash, another with a briefcase. 4 The real-feel of the game kicks in and I can feel and see everything becoming real for me- the heat of my machine, the sturdiness of the counter to lean on, the dry fabric of the cloth for drying the steam wand. 3 The weather settles into day mode and the sun is at a perfect angle for an afternoon stroll. 2 Sound and smell synchronise completely and I register the scent of my chosen blends around me. I take comfort in the sweet smell of the syrup bottles. 1 The users flex their arms, ready to come out of the portal, stroll around the park and get coffee. MISSION ONE: GO! Chapter 2: Attack of the cups Users began to appear in the park setting and strolling around. This early in the game there were no time challenges, this was about establishing myself so I tried to look busy but approachable. Busy but approachable. Ok, how do I do that? Stack cups? Nope, thats already done. Organise the cookies? Too much, too much. Wipe... the something? Yes. I will wipe. It looks a lot like Im wiping a perfectly clean counter over and over again. There is LITERALLY nothing to clean- the game only just started! I see users queuing up to Speedy Sue: her strategy is working! I see two users walking away from her van with steaming hot cups AND theres users lining up for Marcus. Where. Are. MY. Customers?! Suddenly a lady with a pram veers towards me smiling, I smile back and as she approaches, I call out, Hi there! Welcome to Tinas Place. How are YOU today? Wow, that came out really natural! It didnt even sound like I was freaking out. She smiled briefly and leaned over to check on the baby. Do you have decaf? I miss real coffee but while Im feeding this one- no caffeine for me! Of course, coming right up! Small, medium or large? Large! Thank you! She tapped her credit to me and I watched my score rise. I started making it carefully and it was going well, till suddenly the baby began screaming its head off. Stay calm, babies cry. Babies cry, it''s normal, you didnt do anything. I kept pouring, trying to stay calm but the baby gave an unexpected shriek cry and I spilled a little. Did she see? She didnt see. Breathe. Pour. Stir. Lid. Hand over, DONE! I handed it over, smiling but she didnt smile back. The screaming baby had ALL her attention and I needed my rating. What do I do? She put the coffee cup to her lips but stopped at the last minute. She didnt take a sip! Oh no, oh no, oh no, am I about to get a one star? Its too soon for one star! Shes my first customer! The lady held the coffee, still looking angry and other users began to look over. This was ruining my van business before I even started! What should I do? I looked around frantically, part of me hoping the ground would open up and swallow the whole van. Then I saw it- salvation! This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. I opened the cookie jar and offered the lady a cookie with the tongs. Maybe the little one is hungry? I said, over the screams. The lady smiled and handed the cookie to the baby, and the baby stopped screaming! Awww, that did it! Thank you so much Tina! Five stars for you! WOW! I smiled and said, Thank you so much! She wheeled the pram away. I was so relieved. Sure my credit was down the amount of the cookie price, but I had a five star rating! I wanted to leave the van and look at the space above the van. I knew I would see five stars and so would all the other users! In the distance, Speedy Sue had three stars and Marcus had four- I was in the lead, at least review wise. It was SO frustrating that they could see my rating, but I couldnt see theirs! The next users came up very quickly- two iced coffees, one extra strong. I made them and watched my credit rise slightly. Then I was up to three coffees successfully made, but I still didnt know my rating. Thats when the incident began I was in the middle of making a soy mocha, which is normally really easy, when suddenly a boy I had never seen before came running up to my van. I saw the whole event almost in slow motion: the red headed boy ran right up to me and used all his strength to throw a drink! Cup, drink, lid, Everything! It splattered all over me and then I heard what he was yelling: This is the worst ice latte I ever had! ONE STAR! ONE STAR! No one buy coffee here, she''s terrible! Dont cry, dont cry, dont cry. I wiped the cold milk and some chunks of ice out of my hair and said, Ive never seen you before- and I DIDNT make that ice latte. He stood there for a moment, then bolted out of sight as fast as he had appeared. I was not going to let this beat me, I could get the milk off my shirt later- the customer is still waiting! Quickly but carefully, with milk still on my arms and face, I finished the soy mocha. I handed it to the shocked girl who was waiting for it. She took a sip and smiled, but walked away really quickly. I hoped too many people didnt see what just happened but I was positive I didn''t make the ice latte. Where did it come from? Users avoided me for a few minutes as the game continued. Im pretty sure they heard the boy. I wanted to look around and make eye contact with a user, when suddenly there was an announcement right in front me: WINNER ROUND 1: SPEEDY SUE The theme music of KSK played throughout the park and there was the mandatory applause as her van vanished back into the lobby. She automatically got a double credit bonus. Another minute passed and I saw more writing: SECOND PLACE: MARCUS Then his van disappeared and some of the users vanished completely. Great. In the gaming opportunity of my dreams, I was coming last. I powered through, carefully making the last two drinks for a pair of users in business suits. I only needed one more, then I could check my rating in the lobby. I looked up and saw the last user that I needed. She was queued up and ready to go. She was a sweet old lady with a large, colourful scarf. Determined to be professional to the end, I said, Hi there! Welcome to Tinas Place. How are YOU today? Her tiny, elderly face smiled up at me. Im having a better day than you, dear. Are you ok? She was so kind, so sweet to ask me how I was I almost cried. Well, not every day is going to be the greatest day ever, but Im still happy to be here. What can I make you? And thank you for asking how I am. She smiled again and said, Id like a nice darjeeling tea, bag in the cup, no milk. Right away! She delicately tapped her credit to me and I began to make it. As I did, I thought of my grandmother, who passed away five years ago. She loved the delicate taste of darjeeling tea- it was a crime to ruin it with milk. Clearly this lady felt the same. I finished it carefully and set it down near her, indicating the bag. Youll want to let it steep a bit, it will bring out the flavour. Yes it will, dear, yes it will. You have a good day now, bye bye. Thank you! See you next time! We smiled at each other, a brief, happy moment, and while I watched her shuffling slowly away, I forgot that I stank of latte, had milk on my neck and hair, and somehow, even had wet patches on my legs. She must have given my rating, because a second later I saw: THIRD PLACE: TINA I felt myself fading as the first mission ended. I couldnt wait to see my rating. Eyes closed, I waited for the lobby to load Chapter 3: To be or not to LOBBY The lobby was loading around me and I squeezed my eyes tightly. I wasnt ready to see the scoreboard, I was bracing myself. Deep breath, T. You can do this! My ears fill with a small smattering of applause and I open my eyes. Speedy Sue is on the winners podium but Marcus has stepped off his runner-up spot. Im surprised she seems to have so many fans already, it''s only round one. Shes signing autographs and posing for pictures. Im not ready for that, I just want to read the scoreboard and drink a glass of water while I adjust to reality again. I step off my podium and head to the nearest chair, an overstuffed purple couch. I pour myself a glass of water from the jug on the nearby table and breathe slowly- reading the score board:
SPEEDY SUE 1800
MARCUS 580
TINA 440
Of course I was ranked third, but I was proud of my five star rating. There was a small plate of cookies on the table so I took one and surprisingly, I munched it down hard. I needed sugar! I was in my own world of sugar and cookie goodness when I felt someone sit beside me. It was Marcus. He looked a little tired and I recognised his department shoulder bag. We go to the same university? How? Id never seen him before. Shes something, isnt she? Oh lovely. His first words to me and theyre about Speedy Sue. Sure is. Keep it short, be cool. Dont get cookie on him. KEEP ALL THE FOOD IN YOUR MOUTH. Not surprised shes got fans already, she seems like an intense competitor. Brilliant- talk to me MORE about Speedy Sue, I love it. Yeah So business systems? Im in my fourth year Design and Development. What do I say to that? Do I congratulate him for stalking me? Yeah, I was originally doing psychology, then I started to look into business a bit. It''s interesting. Lame, lame, lame. Be interesting! I have no head for business. Grandfather paid for my entry in the game. It would be amazing to win, but you know. He tossed his head in Speedy Sues general direction. I get it, but he wouldnt get much sympathy from me. He added, Who paid your fee? This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. That was a slightly intimate question, right? It costs a lot of credit to go into any of the Fully Immersive Games, (F.I.G. ''s) and KSK was a big one, it was fun, popular and had heaps of subscribers. He was looking at me like he expected an answer but I didnt know what to say, it was like walking up to a total stranger and going, Hey, so I like the little yellow ducks on your socks.. Um, Im gonna be honest. I dont know who paid for it, ok? I woke up in it and it was awesome, and now Im here talking to you. He looked at me like I had sprouted a duck head. Stop thinking about ducks! You dont know who paid for it? For real? Woah. Well, you blew it. The one friend you could have made and you blew it. Good job, duck head. Out of nowhere one of the Speedy Sue fan girls sat next to Marcus, took the last cookie (Rude much?) and said, I got it! A player''s lobby cookie! Her friends made jealous sounds and one of them took a photo- then a man I recognised as security tapped her on the shoulder and pointed at the door. Wow, what were the rules here? Fan-girling over Speedy Sue is like totally allowed, but take a cookie and youre out? The game is weird. In that awkward moment, Marcus walked away. I brushed the cookie crumbs off my regular clothes and realised, I was expecting them to be damp. Had I not been attacked by a savage, red headed demon child and his flying latte? That DID happen. But only in the game. It had felt so real, I could swear I still smelt like old milk. I was checking my hair when a shadow fell over me and I saw Speedy Sue standing right in front of me. She was gorgeous. Like, ridiculously pretty. Her eyes were bright blueish greenish and she wore very distinctive earrings: big red hearts with a golden lightning bolt through them. It didnt matter where her hair colour came from, it was a shade of red that screamed RED. Her lips were red, her tight crop top and mini skirt were a strange matching red plastic, like the wrapper of a chocolate bar. And she wore the world''s coolest thigh-high boots, the same red plastic stuff. She was simply the coolest, reddest, coolest thing ever, except she was sneering at me like I was dog poop she stepped in. Hi, I think you should just tap out early. You can get a refund for your entry in the game and buy clothes that are less.sad. You can totally join the Speedy Sue Fan Crew! Ok, sweetie? Bye! That was literally all she said, she didnt wait for me to reply, she just tossed her incredible hair (RED, so RED!) and walked off back to her adoring fans, as if I was totally going to obey her. I was pretty insulted but I had no words at that point. So I blinked once or twice, then headed to the security guard and asked what the next step was. I noticed Marcus had gone somewhere too, clearly not wanting to hang around with Speedy Sue and the Dopey Crew. Was that funny or just mean? I dont know. I kinda want to think a little and have a nap. The guard lowered his sunglasses (Inside? Why?) and explained that the F.I.G. players were free to do whatever until the next round, which was not for two hours. He explained that if we lasted, the rounds would get further and further apart as the games got harder and harder, but in the early rounds, it was a lot more relaxed. Whats there to do? Can I just chill? I asked naively. This was a long way away from my normally quiet life of studying and part time work. F.I.G. facilities are meant to be amazing but there was a lot that didnt make it to streaming channels. Theres lots to do, just go through that door, show your tag and do whatever. No one is allowed in from the outside world, except in the lobby, at least in the first ten rounds. But they know that, it''s ok. He handed me a tag from his pocket, it was the size of a card, on a lanyard which I put around my neck. Go explore. I really wanted to talk to my family so theyd know I was ok, but they knew the rules. They were probably watching me in the lobby right now. I wondered where the cameras were. As if he read my mind, the guard said, You can choose what you want to broadcast. Look for the panel on the side of the room before you enter. If you hit private, the filter blurs you during the stream. Some players want viewers to see everything but honestly, it''s up to you. Id watched other F.I.G. games before, but K.S.K. was new and I hadnt watched the first streamed game, so I had no idea what to do. Before this, I was busy with study and work, and now, out of nowhere, I was only doing ONE thing: trying to win. I thanked the guard and left quietly. Time to explore the purpose-built gaming centre I would call home for no idea how long. Chapter 4: RESTretto and relaxation Im so glad there is another door just for us, the players. It led to a peaceful, long corridor immediately facing a circular garden and I wanted nothing more than to sit on the grass as soon as I saw it. I tapped my way in and noticed I forgot to turn off the broadcast feature, but I didnt care. If they saw me sitting on the grass it was no big deal. It was a beautiful day outside and I breathed the air, remembering the park from Round 1. I felt the warm rays of the sun, except this was real, beautifully, and totally real. I sat on the peaceful park bench, half in shade, half in the sunlight. I thought of my little family, my mum, probably at her desk at work and Kitser, our one-eyed black and white cat, lying in the sun like a lazy, warm potato. Id been away from them for just a few hours and I missed them, but there was still the nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I had no idea who paid my entry fee into this game. And how did I get here? Would entering the game hurt my family somehow? It could have been my entry form from the first game, re-submitted. So many people had entered the game before, I was one of maybe a million entrants, maybe my mother had filled in the form again for me? I tilted my face to the sun and breathed deeply. If she couldnt see me RIGHT now, she would surely watch the stream of me later on. I wanted to send her a message, but how? Then I had an idea. I looked straight up and slowly traced a circle around my face, for Princess Daisy. Then I made a driving movement with my hands, as if holding a wheel, left right- right left, for Prince Vroom Vroom. Lastly, I pointed to my necklace three times. She knew what that would mean. She''d been telling the story of her and my father to me since I was little, always with the same hand actions. I left the park dragging my feet and checked out a few more rooms. There were big, open meeting rooms for the later challenges, a room for relaxing which seemed to just have comfortable furniture and also a gym. Strangely, Marcus was in the gym, facing away from the front door. He was running as hard and fast as he could and for a moment I just watched him in his own world. I wondered what was on the screen as his goal, but that was private. I walked away quietly. I ended up back in the comfortable room after getting as far as a lovely indoor pool. There were other competitors of other games in there, and I left before they could see me. I picked a recliner with super soft armrests and just closed my eyes for a moment. I breathed deeply and let myself just chill. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. I must have gone to sleep because soon a loud announcement was coming over some speakers. PLAYERS, RETURN TO THE LOBBY PLAYERS, RETURN TO THE LOBBY I didnt want anyone to come in and try to find me so I hurried back. I arrived before the others and a strange lady I hadnt seen before greeted me. You must be Tina, is that what youre wearing? I looked at my clothes: Yes? Is that a problem? She regarded me with a mix of confusion but also what I presume was her thinking face. She looked like the woman on the weather channel, but older. Very tight, bright little green dress and matching heels, and strangely tall matching green hair. Youll be FINE, darling, good luck in the mini game! She walked away and went towards the security guard and I clearly heard her say, Well THAT sad little one wont win. No WOW factor, so bland! Wow, another rude, overly made-up person? Is this just my life now? Seconds later she was fawning all over Speedy Sue, who arrived alone but was still beaming with confidence. Marcus, although the gym wasnt that far away, arrived last. I looked at the rules of the mini game: It was a basic line-up-four kind of game. I scrolled to the bottom then saw I had to type something in: SUBMIT POWER-UP The rules stated that whoever won the mini game would have their power up added to their menu. I thought about it for a minute. This was a chance to add some food to my menu. It was my weakness at the moment and if the next round of the game had a food component, I would finish in last place again. I thought about the scenario before, the kid who threw the ice latte, the baby and the little old lady Out of all of those, I think the baby helped me the most. It built up my confidence the most. What if the next scenario involved children again? If the red headed kid came back, I would have nothing to offer him! Maybe thats why he was so angry at me, I didnt have anything child-friendly! So I typed in: COLD DRINK MENU: ADD BUBBLE TEA CONFIRM ADD BUBBLE TEA? Y/N Y I stepped away from my screen and looked around; Marcus was busy entering something into his screen, and Speedy Sue was still talking to the annoying lady. Meh, I was happy with what I chose. I double checked the rules of the line-up four game and saw we would only play for sixty seconds, then wed start round 2 right away? Oh boy I was getting tired of waiting for Marcus and Speedy Sue so I walked up to the podium where I appeared before and the hatch above me activated with my weight, starting to lower the helmet with the neural link. The others seemed to get the hint and walked up to their podiums and I heard Speedy Sue call out, Whats your RUSH, MouseFace? In a hurry to LOSE? I heard a female voice laugh but I didn''t care. I wasnt exactly kicking butt right now, but I would NOT give anyone the satisfaction of seeing me squirm. Summoning courage I didnt know I had, I called out: Lets crush this mini game, guys! Chapter 5: All PASTRY on the Western Front The mini game playing area was much simpler than the regular game. The start-up screen loaded so fast that there wasn''t even a countdown. I was standing inside a deep purple, narrow, rectangular prism with a black background and neon green grid lines around it. I couldnt tell how deep the prism was, but it was only as tall and wide as my arms, times two. It was infinite behind and in front of me, as far as I could tell, then I saw: GAME STARTS IN 3 2 1 GO! Immediately in front of me, two shapes began flying at me at almost the same speed. It was as if someone turned on all the wind in the world and it was only in this narrow tunnel-like prism. The shapes were coming so fast! I knew it was my job to catch them, which was just by touching them, but then I had to hold them long enough to slam my hand into the walls around me and line up four of them. The theme was flying pastries, but the red-hot coffees were to be avoided, they would feel like they were burning me and Id lose points. The shapes got clear- one was a croissant and the other, a glowing red coffee cup. I ducked the cup and it zoomed past my shoulder as I reached low and slammed the croissant into the wall, where it pinged- and stayed. YES! More shapes whooshed into existence and were flying straight towards me! I missed a zooming donut and lost some points, then I caught a flying clair and slapped it into place. I had a nice diagonal line going with the first two. Almost instantly, a glowing cup zoomed into view, almost too fast to dodge and I felt it whoosh by my hip- too close! I needed another two pastries, I couldnt get burned! Then, a bubble tea cup appeared in the distance, glowing pink. It didnt fly in a straight line, it was spiraling randomly and I saw it was the bonus- the same bonus I typed in before! It might only come once in the whole game! I knew I HAD to get it! I bent my knees and jumped as high as I could to catch it as it whizzed over my head and as I jumped, another glowing coffee rushed right at me and hit my foot. I caught the glowing bonus bubble tea, but there was a searing pain near my toes for a second- ouch! POWER UP - ICE, ICE, BABY The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. I didnt know what it meant, but I figured it out a microsecond later when another glowing cup hurtled toward me and I instinctively hit it away from my face. Instead of burning my hand, it changed into a smoothie! I slammed the smoothie into the other side of the prism wall from the pastries- now I had TWO sets of things I was collecting, cold drinks or pastries! What if I could hit two things at once? Facing the oncoming shapes, I aimed my leg out to kick the whooshing muffin and shot out my ice hand to hit the glowing coffee cup coming for my head. I kicked the muffin into place and just barely got the cup against the wall, but it stayed! One more pastry for the win! Two more shapes flew at me, something coming at my belly and something far too low, in the left hand corner! Instinctively, I threw myself like a football goalie at the corner and tapped something into the wall, while my knee caught a cookie and it stuck there. I had seconds before it unstuck. Moving faster than I thought possible, I slapped my hand at my knee and swatted the cookie hard. It flew into its spot in the diagonal line. Then a bright yellow glow enveloped the row of treats- I had caught all four! GAME OVER GAME OVER GAME OVER I appeared back in the lobby a second later- I was so disorientated I fell straight off the podium and landed on my knees. There was cheering- that was a little strange. But then, as I got up, I realised the cheering was for me? I won? I WON THE MINI GAME! I couldnt see Marcus or Speedy Sue anywhere. And (even MORE strange!) the overly made-up lady was clapping for me (What? Since when?) and so was the friendly security guard. Out of the lobby speakers, a countdown began: 30 I won! I called out. 29 You did, cheered the guard. Youre going back in. 28 ... in 27 seconds, he finished. 27 I took a quick breath and dived for the nearest glass of water. 26 I grabbed it from the table where Id sat before and guzzled it down. It was the best drink of water Ive ever had and when I looked up it was. 12 I took another breath and another sip, thankful there was ice in the drink. The mini game was intense! Wait 11 I looked again at the glass in my hands and blinked in shock. Where did the ice come from? 10 The glass. In my hands. Had ice. 9 I stared at my hands, holding the glass ice was forming. 8 Thats not how ice works. Well, duh, whered the icecome.. from 7 Do I do I have ice hands? 6 As an experiment, I sat down with my back to the guard and the excitable lady. I tapped on the side of the glass with my finger, and inside the water, a small blob of ice formed. 5 Im either going crazy, or I just made an ice cube JUST by thinking about it. I stared at it, the little bit of ice that wasnt there until I tapped it and thought about it and now 1 MISSION TWO: GO! Chapter 6: Resting BEACH face The game was loading around me slowly but it was different than before. The Tinas Place coffee van was the same, but the setting was not going to be a park again. I felt a strange warmth around me, like the game was simulating a hot day- then suddenly it made sense. A beautiful crescent of beach appeared in the distance and beside it, perfect white sand dotted with umbrellas. I could see the other vans, we were positioned nearer to each other than the previous round. We had different spots on a long stone walkway that seemed to frame the whole beach. Mum and I had not come to the beach in a long time. She was always busy working and I had to study AND work, so it just hadnt happened for us. The game was simulating beautiful weather and consistent, smooth waves, perfect for swimming. There wasnt a single cloud in the sky and there was a cool ocean breeze. Just being here was amazing, if not for the fact it wasnt real. The customer portal was glowing between us as the real-feel engine kicked in and the objects in the van became solid. My menu had changed too, I could now serve Bubble Tea! Was that going to be forever, or just for this round? 3 Id been ignoring the countdown till then, just drinking in the beauty of the setting. 2 The user''s shapes became solid and I pushed aside all the distractions. In a second, I would have customers to serve! 1 The portal activated with a hum and suddenly the beach was filling with people. MISSION TWO: GO! It was going to be a thirsty day, the objective had increased! MISSION: SELL 10 DRINKS WITH 3+ GOOD REVIEWS I stared extra hard at the wording of the objective- thinking tactically. DRINKS meant ALL drinks, not just coffees but the ice drinks and the bubble tea I could do that. I saw the stack of brand-new recipe cards taped to a newly cleared space. It might be an advantage to be the only van that offers nice, cold bubble tea on a hot day at the beach! My theory was about to get tested as the first customer came up- it was a lovely pair of mums and their daughter, who was bouncing up and down chanting, Bubba bubba bubba bubba, tea tea tea tea tea.. Her excitement was addictive, I felt myself smile. Hi there! Welcome to Tinas Place. How are YOU today? Pretty warm, its a scorching hot day- can we please get two ice coffees, extra strong and a what did you say? The mum looked down at her daughter, What flavour honey? Strawberry! Coming right up! Fortunately for me, I could make Strawberry Bubble Tea with my eyes closed! I double-checked if they wanted a second espresso shot in the ice coffee, which they did and started to make them as they tapped their credit over to me. Easy, T, easy, just focus on doing your best. I saw more customers lining up and called out to them cheerfully: Be right with you! Two minutes later, I was holding out the drinks tray and handing the Strawberry Bubble Tea straight to the little girl, who started dancing with it. They had barely moved away when the next customers, two girls in bikinis, came up. Hello and welcome to Two large caramel milkshakes. Woah, too grumpy for manners. Keep smiling T! No problem! One of the girls tapped her credit and rolled her eyes, then turned her back as I got to work. Doesnt matter T, you can do this! This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. I made the drinks as quickly and carefully as I could but they didnt say thank you, or respond when I said, Have a nice day. I was halfway to being finished but I didnt think Id get 5 stars from those girls. Things didnt slow down though, it was a thirsty day. I worked as fast as I could and found myself making the last two drinks, a pair of strong ice lattes. After the red-headed monster child that came out of nowhere and threw one at me, I was a bit apprehensive. I prepared the double shot of coffee they wanted (to make it strong) and then heard the customer say, Can you use your coldest milk, please? From right out of the fridge? Ironically, I froze, as I was holding the milk. Does he know about my weird ice hands? What do I do? WHAT DO I DO? No problem! Just a moment. I knew every tiny thing I did was being streamed, so I leaned into the fridge, pretending to get a new milk. My hand tightened around it and I squeezed my eyes shut: FREEZE, just a little, FREEZE! I felt something rush down the back of my neck, down my arms and into my hands. It felt cold and wet, like ice, but under my skin. I opened my eyes and held my breath as I stood. I poured the milk into a test glass and it was really, really cold. Perfect! I made sure the customer saw me pouring the milk into the two ice lattes, along with the coffee shots. There you go, enjoy! I watched him take the first sip and his eyes widened. He turned to his friend and said, Woah, thats good! Try it! His friend also took a sip and replied, Nice, bro nice. (YES! I did it!) MISSION COMPLETE The game began to vanish like before and I rolled my shoulders as the beautiful beach went away. I wanted to memorise how it looked in case I didnt see another one for a while. A second later I felt the neural link in the back of my head come off and I was back in the lobby. I reeled a little, feeling tired. There was the usual applause, but to my pleasant surprise, it was for Marcus! I stepped off the podium quietly and joined in the applause. I made sure Marcus saw me, I waved, then I went to sit on the familiar purple couch. I was about to take a sip of water when the overly made-up woman sat beside me. Well, third place again! (Oh good, I somehow attracted this lady again) She pointed at the score board:
MARCUS 2190
SPEEDY SUE 2125
TINA 1690
Look, Im Katie Bee, of Big Bee Productions- Im your producer, darling. I will make you famous! Thats my whole JOB darling, to sell you! And youre giving me NOTHING to sell! Youre not handsome, like my beautiful Marcus, and youre not cool like Speedy Sue! She has sponsors lining up, darling. And can I say, you dress like a well like a regular PERSON darling- wheres the appeal?! So, help me help YOU, darling. Help me help YOU! Before I could answer, shed swanned away, back to Beautiful Marcus. (Ok, so I get it now, Im not interesting, no one wants to sponsor me great. I kinda want to dump a cold cup of water on her hair while saying something catchy like cool off lady. Is that cool? Nah, it''s kinda mean.) I didnt know how to be edgy and cool, at the moment I was just thirsty and tired. I drank my water until my peace was disturbed AGAIN, this time by Speedy Sue! So not fair, that round was rigged, she complained. Her overly red lips were pouting angrily and she looked genuinely hurt that Katie was only paying attention to Marcus. What do you mean? (And since when do you talk to ME?) Urgh, the location, duh. The beach, it was dumb. Like wed ever take the vans to the beach. I mean, we could. Theyre mobile, we can go wherever there are customers, I replied. (We go where thirsty people go- whats wrong with that?) You dont get it, youre so simple. Im supposed to win this thing, and I looked AMAZING in my bikini, I didnt deserve to get penalised! (Bikini? You were making drinks in a bikini? How did you NOT win? Wait penalised?) Yeah penalised, urgh, see it hasnt happened to you. Apparently, youre not supposed to argue with the customers, even if they''re dumb and wrong. (You argued with the customers? Youre not supposed to do that they probably gave you a bad rating!) I did get penalised, I think. I gave a free cookie to a baby and Hold it, you gave away a free item? What are you, like stupid? Why am I talking to you?! URGH! She stormed off and I jumped a little at the sound of an announcement. ALL KSK PLAYERS TO THE RED DOOR ALL KSK PLAYERS TO THE RED DOOR Oh no. In the darkness of the lobby, I saw the outline of a door appear in red neon and I wondered how long it had been there without being illuminated. Someone had worked out that I had ice hands! I was in trouble! Chapter 7: Magical ESPRESSO-ments I started to walk over to the mysterious red door as the announcement continued to go off in the lobby: ALL KSK PLAYERS TO THE RED DOOR ALL KSK PLAYERS TO THE RED DOOR Speedy Sue was walking up to the door, arm in arm with Katie Bee, while Marcus walked behind her. Considering hed just won a round, he didnt look happy. I hadnt seen him smile yet, even when everyone was applauding him. There was a button to open the door and Speedy Sue pushed me out of the way to press it. I was getting tired of her aggressive attitude, but Im not the confrontational type. She sashayed ahead of me into the boardroom. It was similar to the other boardrooms in the facility but this room had no windows at all, just an enormous, wooden, conference table for about 12 people, with plush chairs around it. It seemed dimly lit on purpose, but why? I pulled one out and sat, while Speedy Sue and Katie sat together at the head of the table. A tall man in a suit walked in behind Marcus and the door closed after him. Thank you for coming, players. Im Mr Stand (Mr Stand that''s an interesting name. He didnt sit down, that means he wont stay long) I wont keep you, I need to formally announce were postponing Round 3, until tomorrow. Normally, wed have the first three rounds on the same day, to maximize audience engagement, but weve had a software issue. Dont worry, its just a glitch. (Is he looking at me? No, not at all hes basically only talking to the others.) So tonight, when you retire to your rooms well run some diagnostics and have the game ready to go tomorrow. Any questions? Marcus looked at me, as if wanting to say something and Speedy Sue called out, Can we broadcast from our rooms? (What? Did she want fans to see her sleeping or something? Thats just weird) Theres no option to broadcast in the room, but you can broadcast in many other spaces, just hit the button. Anything else? Can we call our families? (I was going to ask that! I cant believe Marcus got in before me!) Well no, as you know there is a moratorium on contacting home till round 10. That remains in place. Silence followed, even from Speedy Sue. Ok, if thats all, Ill be going. Enjoy the facilities. Mr Stand left from the same door, he didnt even look back. Hed said, enjoy the facilities in the same tone youd say, Beware of the wasp nest. Id figured it out I was the glitch! They knew about my ice hands because it was in the game. I wouldnt have them anymore in the next round and I was fine with that. I just wanted to sit somewhere private and figure out if I could still do anything with them. Im going to broadcast, see you tomorrow losers, called Speedy Sue as she walked out, closely followed by Katie Bee. Marcus walked past me to leave as I was standing up. Hey good job winning the beach round, I said. He turned, eyes drilling into me. I cant tell if youre being sincere or not, he murmured, keeping his eyes down. (Why would I not be sincere?) I am being sincere, I mean I mean it. Good job. Really? (Was he fishing for another compliment? There was a LOT to compliment but this was not the time or place.) Yes! I straightened up, trying to look confident and started to walk out. Were competing, I get that, but Im not like Speedy Sue, so.. Good for you. He still looked surprised but he managed the tiniest ghost of a smile as he looked at me. Thats a good attitude, I guess. Ill see you around. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. What was that? I have no idea what that was. Hes very good looking, but I dont understand him at all. Its like he doesnt want to be here. Back in the lobby, Katie Bee was organising winner photos for the fans, so Marcus and Speedy Sue had to stay behind and pose. I was really glad to be able to leave and explore a little before bed. The nice security guard pointed out the winners quarters to me and I went to check it out. Before the game, Id never stayed in a room that was so fancy. At home I had a single bed, the same bed Id had all my life, and here I had a huge bed all to myself. I also had a bathroom that only I would be using, which blew my mind as Id never had that before. It was the perfect place to figure out what my hands could do. I closed the bathroom door and turned on the water in the tap. I cupped the flowing water and shut my eyes and focused. FREEZE. The familiar feeling shot down the back of my neck and into my arms, then hands, and in an instant, the water I held solidified into a perfect ice imprint of my cupped hands. I almost dropped the ice formation in the sink, it was smooth, cold and beautiful. I marvelled at the water, once a liquid, now a solid. Because of me, I did that! I placed it gently in the sink to melt. Then I stuck a finger in the stream from the tap and focused again. It was just a finger, so I didnt close my eyes, I just stared hard and thought. FREEZE. The stream froze around my finger and more water flowed, pushing the frozen cylinder of water out of the way. I could do it with ANY part of my hands, but I had to be touching the water somehow. What if my hand was moving? I poured a glass and dipped my index finger in, swirling, thinking hard. FREEZE. An ice spiral formed, tapping lightly against the side of the glass. Wow. Wait a minute theres a bathtub behind me maybe I shouldOk, Ill do it. I plugged the bath and began to run the water. I was SO glad there was no evidence of what I was doing, it just melted! As the bath filled, I looked around the room. There was a small desk with a stack of paper (YAY! Drawing!) with pens and pencils, and a desk lamp. I wanted to change into something to sleep in and found the ordering screen near the empty wardrobe. No matter the game, the facility had to provide whatever you needed, so I typed in: Long night shirt with a cat on it and matching slippers. There was no question it wouldnt fit, the game knew all my dimensions because it regularly made a perfect simulation of me. The parcel would arrive at the door soon and Id have to think of clothes for tomorrow. I typed in: Denim overalls, t shirt with kitten on it, loose black cardigan, underwear and socks. I didnt understand why Speedy Sue and Marcus had to look amazing outside of the game- I mostly wanted to be comfortable in between the rounds so I could relax. Speedy Sue would probably spend hours agonising over clothes, but it just didnt matter to me like it did to them. I finished the order and went to check on the bath. It was almost full: perfect. Playfully, I picked up a handful of water and focused hard as I threw it. The water touching my hand hardened into a blobby shape and fell into the water with a plop. Ok, so I cant throw snowballs. I did manage to make a sort of ball shape of ice, but I need to have my hands making contact. When I dragged my hands through the water, long, solid fingers of ice followed. I shook my hands while focusing and the droplets hit the surface of the water as ice drops. This is so cool! Literally! But as I played more, I felt myself growing tired. There was beginning to be a pain at the base of my skull where the port of the game connected to the government mandated implant. Whatever gives energy to my power, starts to take a toll after a while. Hrmmm I went to the small fridge and drank some chilled apple juice, thinking there might be a connection, and there was. The pain went away, but returned when I started playing, as if the ice I was making was coming from fluid in my body, at least partly. I took the biggest drink I could and decided to do one last experiment. I rolled up my sleeves and thrust both hands into the bath up to the elbow. It felt cold, but good. I focused as hard as I could and internally screamed the command: FREEZE! The icy feeling shot down my arms, even colder than the water, but the power obeyed me! The entire tub froze solid, and the sides groaned at the sudden change in temperature. My hands were trapped! The solid ice held me for a moment until I moved my fingers and painfully slid free. Then only then did I feel the pain. Too much. Too much. The base of my skull felt like someone had hit me and weirdly, my eyes hurt. I almost fell face first into the ice, my head hurt to hold up. I had to crawl, I couldnt walk. I put one, cold hand ahead of the other and dragged myself out of the bathroom leaving trails of water. Too much, must lie down I barely made it to the bed. Im so tired Chapter 8: In the LONG BLACK night I woke up in the bed, drool on my face, just like when I woke up in KSK. This is not a good habit youre forming, T. It had been sunset before and now it was pitch dark in my room and so confusing. I had to reorient my brain to the weird reality that was my life. I had been playing KSK, I was a bit hungry and oh yeah. I have a strange superpower. Call me Frappe Girl! No Icy Woman! No Captain MarCold? These are getting worse, do I even have magic-ish hands or did I use it all up? I got out of bed and felt slightly wet patches on the sheets and on the carpet. I remembered the experiments and wanted to do just one more, but as I moved around my head hurt. Stumbling a little, I made it to the bathroom. I looked terrible. I was in yesterday''s clothes and my long, straight brown hair was everywhere. My fringe looked like every single strand was trying to escape my head but forgot to tell the others. On the control panel for the bathroom there was a clock reading 12:48, which was crazy, it was the middle of the night! No wonder I was hungry and felt strange, Id been asleep for about 6 hours and I had a full day of game play tomorrow. I drank a little water and tried to make an icicle. It worked! I finished that glass and a second one and decided to go find a middle-of-the-night snack. In this huge facility, there had to be something to eat. The corridors were totally abandoned except for long, thin strips of blue light. I passed the door to the small park where Id sat before and got a glimpse of the sky. It was nice to think that if mum was awake and worrying about me, we might look at the moon at the same time. Quietly, I explored and saw that a lot of spaces that were open in the day were closed off to us, like the gym, the pool and the rooms for sitting. There was a quiet hum of either machinery or computers, and I turned around, trying to figure out which way I should go. The main corridors leading to the game play rooms and the park were not far from where we slept and were lit with ambient red strips. Around one of the corners, a security guard appeared holding a small torch. Hey, whatre you doing wandering around? Its pretty late. The guard whod been in the lobby room with us during the day had neat black hair and a beard, this one had chin length brown hair parted in the middle and wore a slightly faded uniform, probably because he worked nights. Hi, I woke up really hungry and I need a little snack to get back to sleep. Is there a kitchen or something? The guard smiled. No problem, Ill walk you over. I walked beside him, glad someone else was around. So which game are you playing? he asked. Im in KSK. What other games are running at the same time? KSK, huh? Great, Ill take you to the other girl. Other girl? OTHER GIRL? Speedy Sue is awake?! Yeah the other one, shes you know. That one. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Wow, even this security guard thinks Speedy Sue is complicated. How is the game going? he asked. It hasnt really been hard yet, I think the hardest part is the other players, I explained. Thats like life I guess, he replied. Things happen, but it''s the people around us who can either help us get through it, or get in the way. I thought about this for a moment and replied, I guess I mean, its meant to be competitive and Im just lucky to be here. It felt nice to admit this to someone. Everything had happened so quickly, I was still processing what a privilege this was. Yeah, there would have been a lot of applicants, he added. Yes, so thats why Im grateful just for having a chance. It was always a dream for me and here I am. Yes, awake in the middle of the night. Are you not feeling well? No, Im ok, I just We turned into a space I hadnt seen during the day, probably because it wasnt open. There was a beautiful neon sign that said, Midnight Cafe next to a crescent moon. There was a lady behind the counter doing something with a sandwich press. And Sue was in a booth alone, looking at something in a folder. But that was not the biggest surprise not by a long shot. Sue looked regular. Woah, what? The entire Speedy Sue persona was replaced by a pretty, but exhausted looking girl. Her hair was hidden away under a giant yellow shower cap and she wore a bright green face mask. The thick texture of the cream on her face made it look like she had stuck her head in a bowl of guacamole. She was in a large, plush looking yellow bathrobe and matching slippers. There was something nice about seeing her as a real person and not a perfect, hyper aggressive super cow. She was biting a pen in frustration and furrowed her brow as she read over the mysterious stack of documents. It took me a microsecond to decide I didnt want to interrupt her, so I ducked back as fast as I could and hid next to the wall where she couldnt see me. The guard saw this and raised an eyebrow, taking a step back to talk to me. Is there somewhere else we can go? Anywhere that has food but doesnt contain her? I whispered. No- this is the intended hangout for the night owls. But Ill tell you what, I can order anything you want from there and bring it to the room youre staying in. Then you two dont have to talk. I smiled and nodded. It was a HUGE relief not to have to explain to Princess Avocado why I was up at that time. On the other hand, why was she? I quietly asked for a hot chocolate and anything with cheese on it and the guard wrote it down. He tapped his temple and pointed to me, so I made my way back to the room. Not too long after there was a knock at the door and the guard had left the food on a tray outside my room. Hed brought me a toasted cheese sandwich with the crusts cut off. I ate and practiced writing my name in water with the tip of my finger until I felt drained. The ice in the bath was still melting, so I practiced at the basin, trying to avoid looking at my tired reflection. The A in Tina was the hardest to shape, but I was really getting the hang of the skill. Then I jumped in the shower to get ready for bed. I was stepping out of the shower when I saw the fogged-up mirror and almost screamed. There was a message, clear as day, but only visible because of the steam. BE MORE CAREFUL TINA Chapter 9: You鈥檝e got a FRIAND in me I couldnt stand to look at it. I bolted to the bed, still dripping and planned to stay there for the rest of the night. Half an hour passed, then an hour, and I didnt move. If I could have gone home right then and there, I would have. I covered as much of myself as I could while still being able to breathe and tried to dry my hair a little. I couldnt help myself, I started crying softly. I didnt even know what I was crying about. Was it the idea that someone had been in my room, or the warning itself? The pounding of my heart sounded very loud and I was shivering from fear and the cold. I thought I might not feel warm again that night, but somehow, I got comfortable enough to softly cry myself to sleep. I didnt wake up until sometime in the morning, when there was a loud pounding at my door. At first, I didn''t recognise where I was, or who could be knocking, but then I heard the voice of Katie B calling me as she knocked: Good morning third place! (Is that my name now? Third place?) KNOCK KNOCK Are you coming to breakfast? KNOCK KNOCK Hello?! Do I need to get security? (No no no no no no!) I couldnt handle the idea of someone coming into the room, so I screamed back: Im just getting dressed, Ill be right there! The clothes I had ordered had come into the chute at night, and even though they were completely unfamiliar to me, Ive never gotten dressed so quickly in my life. I wanted to be with people, safe people, even though someone here had sent me the scary warning. I barely ran a brush through my hair before bolting out of the room. I was walking as fast as I could, deep in thought. Despite the fact someone had been in my room, I was consumed with guilt. What did I do wrong, to attract the warning? Who was watching me? How did they get in? I had to push my panic and fear deep down into my chest and pretend to be normal. (I can do normal Ive pretended to be normal before, I just have to do it again.) I reached an open room near the lobby space and Speedy Sue was already there with Katie (Of course where else would she be?) I was reaching for the doorknob when another hand closed over my and I leapt back. It was Marcus. Sorry, you go, he said. I blew out a long, hard breath. Sorry, no, you go. I stepped back and gestured to the door. Ill flip you for it, he smiled, holding up a coin. The smile, more than what he said, brought me to my senses. He was making an effort to be nice, I was ok with that, so I nodded. Call it, he added, getting ready to flip the coin. Um, heads. Smiling, he flipped it in the air and deftly caught it. It was heads, so he took a step back, bowing a little. You win. Thank you. I didnt know what to say, so I just smiled and entered. There was a place card with my name on it and a small parcel was sitting next to it. There werent any parcels next to Marcuss place card, who was sitting next to me, but clearly Speedy Sue was very popular, she had a huge bunch of flowers and three parcels, all opened. Someone had sent her a necklace, a candle and a bottle of perfume. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. FINALLY! squealed Speedy Sue. (Since when does she talk to me?) Hurry up and open it, Third Place. We need to get your reaction for the broadcast. (If were going to use nicknames, I wonder how shell feel about Super Cow.) I ignored her. I was too tired and worn down for her demands, and in a super chill, super cool way, I looked around and read the menu that sat between my spot and Marcuss. I selected jasmine tea and some porridge with berries and continued to ignore her. (Im not a bad-ass, but I cant deal with her right now. I will look busy and important!) When Marcus finished scrolling through the menu and ordering, I finally picked up the parcel and studied the outside. There was something familiar about the wrapping but I couldnt place it, so I gently opened it and laughed right away. It was a photo from my wall at home. It showed my mother, me and my best friend Hannah at Rollerena, the indoor roller rink in our town. We had our hair done for the party, it was 1960s themed. Were all smiling and making peace signs at the camera and Hannah is holding a daisy between our faces. The note attached just said: We love you! We looked so goofy, so happy, that something inside me snapped. I cried a few little tears of happiness while I hugged the photo to my chest. It must have looked great for the camera because I heard Speedy Sue murmur, Oh, please it''s not even urghh I was having a serious moment, as if they werent even there until I heard a soft cough beside me and the food was being delivered. Speedy Sue had already left the table to do some publicity photos, she must have eaten already. I remembered how real shed looked last night, but she was back in Super Cow mode, stunning from head to toe. (Meh, I think Im actually too tired to care about that. Man, I need that tea) I set up the photo so I could look at my family and bestie, Hannah, while I ate my porridge and drank my tea. I was stirring, remembering the night of roller skating, when Marcus spoke. So, sleep well? (I almost forgot you were there! Better speak) Actually no, it was pretty bad. Youll probably beat me again. He smirked. He spread butter over his bread and replied, Hey I never said I slept well we might have to share the third-place podium. Better you than Sue, I shot back, before I could stop myself. (Shouldnt have said that. Sound like an idiot. Duck head strikes again!) But he actually gave a small laugh and then chewed his toast. Shes intense. Did you watch the whole first series of KSK? I decided to be honest. I was too tired to NOT be. Not all of it. I know it was a big deal but I work and study so I didnt have time. I think I caught the last four episodes. So, youve seen a little more than me? (What? What does THAT mean?) He must have read my confused expression because he added, I havent seen any of it. Then he saw my surprise and asked, But this was like your dream? Honestly, yes. I love the idea of having my own coffee shop, but (STOP telling him stuff, STOP talking, duck head!) Things arent what you expected? he finished. Exactly. We fell into a strange, comfortable silence as I ate my porridge and sipped my tea. Katie B pulled Marcus away to get some photos, but she looked right past me. (Um, Im here too? You call me Third Place?) Without talking to Katie B, I was totally unprepared for the next announcement which came blasting over the speakers: PLAYERS, RETURN TO THE LOBBY PLAYERS, RETURN TO THE LOBBY I finished my last mouthful and walked over behind the others. I didnt want to dwell on what happened last night, I wanted to keep busy and stay in the moment, not letting it get to me. I went straight to my normal spot and waited for the neural link. I was worn down, tired and not in the mood for nonsense. Something possessed me for just a second and I walked over to Marcus and high-fived him. Good luck Marcus, youre a cool guy. I felt Speedy Sues eyes burning into me, and possibly even Katie Bs but I didnt care. As the countdown started, I connected my headset nonchalantly. Something was up with me, more than the tiredness and stress from the night before. I would act strong, stronger than I felt. My mum and Hannah believe in me, I can do this. I am not weak. Im not a coward. I wont be intimidated. MISSION THREE: GO! Chapter 10: Oh SNOW you didn鈥檛! The game was loading around me and like the beach, the landscape was booting up first. I must have missed the explanation because as I stared, I saw snow, pine trees and two adorable wooden chalets appearing. Then the objective flashed before me. MISSION 3: SELL 6 HOT CHOCOLATES WITH 4+ GOOD REVIEWS That sounded like the easiest mission yet: it was very specific and asked for less drinks than before, but I saw the sneaky 4+ good reviews. I wondered what would happen to Speedy Sue if she kept averaging 3 stars. Would she get booted from the game? 3 The solid wood countertop loaded before me and I saw the green awning start to gain real-feel. Tinas Place would look adorable among the snow, it matched the pine trees. I was caught up in staring at the beautiful location and missed the fact that the customers were already beginning to appear in the portal. MISSION 3: GO! The users could ski right up to the little chalet coffee stands and some of the small children were wearing snowshoes and snow boards. I knew it would be a long time before I saw snow again, so I tried to memorise the beautiful location before the first customers walked up to me. A father and child in matching yellow beanies smiled at me: Hi there! Welcome to Tinas Place. How are YOU today? Its a cold one, but theres great powder! Can I get two chocolates? What syrups do you have? BAM, I was in my element here- I can make amazing hot chocolate with my eyes closed! I can do vanilla, hazelnut, cinnamon, mint, orange, caramel or for the grownups, a touch of chilli or coffee! We also have marshmallows! Wow, what a variety! Ill take a chili for me and a caramel for this one. Coming right up! The nice man tapped his credit over and I beamed. I reached over to the bubbling hot milk and WOMP A snowball exploded into the wall behind me. What. The. DUCK?! The customer didnt seem to see it, he was fiddling with the little boy''s coat, so I glanced over his shoulder, bit my lip and KEPT GOING. Not today! One of my first memories is of me and mum making hot chocolate together. I am the unstoppable CHOCOLATE QUEEN! My hands worked on their own stirring the cocoa powder, touch of sugar and the syrup with care to make the delicious drink flavoursome, but not overpowering. I was getting the man two napkins when WOMP Mother DUCKER- where were they coming from? That one almost got me! I handed them over smiling and immediately took the next order. I heard the boy say, This is yummy! I wanted to revel in his approval, but I had another two to make, the adorable pair of girls in matching pink beanies had matching snowsuits and both wanted cinnamon hot chocolate with double marshmallows. Coming right up! Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. WOMP Its as if they were trying to hit my face! If I stood still for too long, I would be a sitting duck! But what could I do? Then as I looked past my line of customers (Oh my GOSH, I have a line!) I thought I saw a shadow hiding behind a tree. (Cant stand still. Cant get hit cant stand still GOT IT!) I started dancing! I swayed left and right making sure my head was never still. I even waved to the people in the line and although I worked a little more slowly- I would be harder to hit. Some people in the line really seemed to get into Tina the Dancing Barista and the line seemed to move fast. I just kept making the hot chocolates and smiling and dancing, feeling my energy starting to slip. I didnt even realise when Id met the objective, because of the WINNER ROUND 3: TINA WOMP- OUCH! As the game was booting me out to the lobby, my face was stinging from the one snowball that actually hit me. I appeared in the lobby and immediately wobbled over, my head in my hands. It hit me hard right on my nose. The immersion technology felt so real, I had to check to see if I was bleeding. I won! I think I broke my face, but I won! I stood on the podium, tenderly pressing my nose back into shape- it felt totally flat. Katie B came running up to me, yelling, DINA! Well done! Your first win! Whats wrong? She saw my face and squealed. EWW, what happened? Youll ruin the broadcast! I was dizzy, it had really hurt. I reached out for Katie and she steadied me and let me take her arm. She sat me down and forced water into my hands, then the security guard with the beard handed me a bag of ice with a look of concern. Feels pretty real, doesnt it? he said. I pressed the ice bag to my face and loved how cold it felt. Oh DARLING, thats nothing! laughed Katie. You should see the players in Gladiator Melee! Ive seen them pass out, this is nothing! It didnt feel like nothing to me. It was hard to enjoy my first victory with a mangled face. I heard a strange sound I hadnt registered before and realised it was someone else finishing there round and appearing in the lobby. Katie B looked up and I could tell she didnt care who it was so it must have been Marcus. He walked over and knelt down near me, looking up. Far out T, are you ok? he murmured. (It hurts. I want my mum. My nose hurts. I want to cry!) I just whispered, Ill be ok. Well, good, chimed Katie. We have backers who want to see the winner! Do you think you can smile? Wait, can you cry?! They love a crier- I smell a ratings BOOST darling Dina! Miss Bee, her name is Tina, the guard corrected. I saw Marcus nod at her, like she didnt believe it. Of COURSE it is, come on Tina. Time for your moment of fame! No, don''t worry about the redness, it looks great on camera! Dont wipe your nose, the snot is very convincing! (Snot. Fantastic. Dancing Queen Tina is now Mucus Queen Tina.) Katie and Marcus took an arm each and helped me over to the corner where some photos were to be taken. There were some people Id never seen before behind a velvet rope and I realised they were Speedy Sue groupies, complete with t-shirts with her picture. Hey, it''s Third Place. She must have won this round. Even THEY called me Third Place. I should charge admission for standing near me. Katie took a series of photos where I had to wave and stand around in different poses. She was so busy doing her job, she didnt immediately run to Speedy Sue when she appeared on the podium. But we ALL heard her. Um, hello? Im here! The groupies started squealing and waving at her and Katie turned to capture her interacting with her fans. That sort of thing was really important, more than my mangled nose, I guess. But as I wobbled over to the couch to sit down, I snuck a look at the scoreboard:
TINA 3140
MARCUS 2640
SPEEDY SUE 2575
The numbers didnt lie- I had the most stars and the highest points. Finally, I felt like Id earned my spot in the game. Problem was someone and their painful snowballs didnt agree. Chapter 11: GOATS in the machine It had only been twenty minutes since the game had finished but my face still hurt from the rogue snowball. The immersion games were so realistic, the body could be convinced that injuries in the game were real, especially if the impact in-game was hard enough. Wed signed up for a game that felt real and for better or for worse, it did. Well done, I heard, as Marcus sat next to me. I wanted to get past the pain and back into the game, but I couldnt be 100% sure he wasnt the person behind the trees, aiming for my face. Thank you. Youre second, so we should be enemies. I joked. Yeah, I really hate you. he added. Can we talk, somewhere, sometime? After the next round? I dont know why, but I felt my heart leap. Do I have a crush on Marcus? I CANT have a crush on Marcus. Hes my rival! Were talking now, I ventured. I know, but, away from people, I have stuff to tell you, you should know. How about the garden we could.. ALL KSK PLAYERS TO THE RED DOOR ALL KSK PLAYERS TO THE RED DOOR Looking up at Marcus, I saw him through my painful nose as I hadnt seen him before. He looked distressed, but also hopeful. Did he say WE, are we a WE now? WE, as in, me with him, WE? MAKE WORDS, YOU DUCK HEAD! But I couldnt. All I saw was his long, blonde, hair falling over his eyes, which were green, but tinged with worry. I opened my mouth to speak when ALL KSK PLAYERS TO THE RED DOOR ALL KSK PLAYERS TO THE RED DOOR He rolled his eyes and stood up without waiting for my answer. Come back! Yes, Ill meet you in the garden! I like your hair! Say WE again! COME BACK! Of course, I couldnt make anything come out of my mouth. From the red door, Speedy Sue shrieked at me, Move your BODY, Third Place! Were waiting! When I entered the room, I saw they actually WERE all waiting for me, including Mr Stand. He nodded at me and gestured that I sit. Excellent, now we can start. Speedy Sues eyes met mine and if looks could kill, Id be deader than a dinosaur. Unconsciously, my hand went to my aching nose. Well due to the small injury incurred by one of the players and yet another small anomaly in the game, were going to take a small break before the next round. Small, small, small, he said it three times. If Sue had been hurt, the entire game would be on pause, or turned into a documentary about her brave recovery. It was a mean thought, yes, but for once I didnt push it away. Are there any questions at all, players? Ms Bee? Is this going to impact the next round at all? Because I felt it wasnt very fair that When did Speedy Sue stand up? Wow, she really believes it was unfair that I won. No, the next round will be in two hours, as planned, take your seat Miss Sue. She did, with a humph, and I raised my hand to speak. Yes, Miss Tina? I think I need someone to check my face before the next round, please. Of course, we were going to speak to you. If you could follow me, after this. Would you like a support person? Out of the corner of my eye I saw Marcus move and to my horror, Katie Bee stood up. No thank you, Im ok on my own. Well then, Miss Tina, come with me, the others, rest and enjoy the facility. Mr Stand spoke about the facilities as if the whole place was his mansion with all-white furnishings, and we were toddlers whod learned to finger-paint. But he signalled for me to follow him, so I did. Surprisingly, on the other side of the door that only HE used, there was an office with several screens and a surprising amount of people monitoring us. He walked right through it and for a second I saw the dozens of cameras that were following our every movement, from every angle. Dozens is an overstatement, because the more I looked, the more I saw. Mr Stand walked to another room where a huge digital display was trekking small dots. Someone had hastily scribbled on a whiteboard, LOG ALL ANOMALIES. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. I kept my head down and walked behind Mr Stand but I saw people watching me. Some murmured and nudged their companions and others just stared. Surely theyd seen players before, the games werent new and people got hurt all the time, so why the watching? Through that room, there was another that looked like an interview room and two people were waiting there. One was a short, chubby lady in white, similar to a nurse or medic and the other lady looked like a technician, she had a portable neural computer. Id seen them dozens of times, it was an easy way to communicate with everyone''s implants. Great, Im going to be scanned, here comes the headache. Hello dear, I know what youre thinking, and yes, were going to scan you, the nurse said. I have some nice pills here for the pain and the scan will tell me how many to give you. She seemed genuine about helping me, so I sat in the chair she offered as the technician pulled on gloves. Im Laney, Ill be your nurse today, she joked. And Im Rosabelle, Ill be your technician. I smiled at them and weakly said, Im Tina, from the game. Oh we know, gushed Rosabelle, as she prepared to connect the scanner. Just lean back and relax, it wont take a second. There was a slight pressure in the implant as she connected it to the scanner and I took a deep breath, relaxing into it. Youre doing really well there honey, at least I think so! said Laney. We loved the dancing, youre so upbeat! Rosabelle was a little older than Laney and sighed, looking at the read out that was appearing. Nasty hit, the brain registered it at 45% reality and reacted accordingly. If you were over 50%, wed have to cancel the next round. I had some idea what that meant but I still had to ask, How could it be more real? I dont understand. Rosabelle nodded and said, Well since the implant was developed twenty years ago, theyre a lot more customisable than they used to be. Theyre all still installed the same way but if the games felt TOO real, the players might have a panic attack and then thered be no games. You have a tenth generation Ebbes. I knew that part already, the entire world could be divided into which implant they had. Ebbes and Ficus were the top of the range, while poorer nations wore Tabco or Wolfrells. This facility ran on Ebbes software. Marcus and Speedy Sue had Ficus. Maybe thats why I keep having problems Rosabelle gently disconnected the scanner from my implant and read from the screen out to Laney. Oh good, murmured Laney, counting out pills from a packet. Not too bad. These are fast acting, youll feel great soon. Here you go. Im not a big pill taker, but I made myself take the two shed given me with a small cup of water. Id forgotten Mr Stand was next to me until I felt an unwelcome hand on my shoulder. Thank you so much ladies, Ill be taking Miss Tina now. I wanted to stay with Rosabelle and Laney, it was nice to hang out with two people with no agenda, no hidden motives, just a bunch of medication and a device for reading my brain. Rosabelle seemed to sense this and frowned a little, saying, Ok then Tina! You keep doing you, youre definitely our favourite! What? Me? Why? Lots of reasons, mostly the way you Thank you ladies, lets go. Mr Stand did NOT want us talking. I had a mental image of him sorting tiny people on a conveyor belt, and I was being put into a different box than the others. I followed him, but not before smiling and waving at my two new friends. We went back a different way and he left me in the corridor near the bedrooms. It had already been almost an hour, so I was expected to play really soon. I had the strange urge to jump on a trampoline or run through a field of flowers and I knew that was the medication kicking in. The pain in my nose vanished and the pressure behind my eyes faded, so I went looking for something to eat. SMOOTHIE. I want a smoothie, a big fruity smoothie with mango and banana and calm down, hangry brain, thats just the pain-relief talking. Give me chocolate, no CHIPS, no I want a whole cake all to myself! No, a cheese cake! No an ICECREAM CAKE! I had to get to the room where we had breakfast before my hangry brain made me chew the walls. I chose a sensible mango smoothie and sipped it slowly when it came, enjoying being alone with just a regular face. I let my brain go blank as I browsed the ancient magazines left behind. Previous winners of other games were all over the covers and there were long, in depth articles about their lives before and after the games. It didnt occur to me immediately but it did dawn on me that I would be scrutinised just as closely. Oh well, let them probe. Theyre going to find out Im the least interesting person in the game. But I have at least two fans in Rosabelle and Laney. I knew that even if I didnt win, the fame from being a player could help me set up a business eventually, and for now, that was enough. The hour flew by and before I knew it, there was a familiar sound being broadcast: PLAYERS, RETURN TO THE LOBBY PLAYERS, RETURN TO THE LOBBY The smoothie was long gone and so was the pain of the snowball. I was ready. I didnt run back, but I held my head a little higher than I normally would. Only Marcus was there before me and he didnt look at me at all as I entered and went to my spot. Thats definitely a brush-off. I think I can forget about the garden meeting. But he still has really nice hair. And nice eyes. And hes not a total jerk like someone ELSE I could mention It felt strange for the neural link to drop so soon after Id been scanned, that would be TWO things plugging into my brain in the same day. Speedy Sue arrived just as my vision was aligning to the game reality and she seemed flustered and red faced, but I didnt have time to wonder why. MISSION 4: SELL 30 ITEMS WITH 4+ GOOD REVIEWS Woah, 30 items? The game was beginning to load but all I could see was a giant, green field. 10 I had to think fast. I knew the game got progressively harder and tested player endurance more. This seemed like an enormous jump in pressure but it also stated ITEMS, not drinks. So maybe the field-setting had something to do with the amount of time we would be there? It could take hours to sell that many! 5 I missed 9, 8 7 and 6! Calm down T, breathe. The setting was becoming sharper. The other stands became clear and I saw the other vans were quite far away from me. I wouldnt be able to watch the competition, nor could they really see me. 3 Then I saw the sign loading near me and I worked out we were in different spots in a vast, farmers market. There were stands everywhere full of fruits and vegetables, so it would make sense that there would be lots of foot-traffic. That could be good. I could get a line going in this part of the field, I could do this! MISSION FOUR: GO! I ran my hands along the counter, feeling the solid setting, surrendering to the real-feel aspect of the game. I was feeling really good until I looked up and saw what was next to me and then my heart sank. My stand was next to a pen full of goats. That would have been fine, since I have nothing against goats. But a second later, one of the goats was loose and was lowering its head. Oh good, a random goat with murder in his eyes is charging straight at my van! Chapter 12: Things to do, places to GOAT The random, charging, murder-goat lowered his head and rammed the side of my coffee van so hard that the whole thing shook. Even though I saw it coming, I was thrown off my feet onto the hard floor of the van, knocking over spare napkins. I almost screamed when a big, gray helmeted head appeared looking over the counter at me on the floor. Was there a motorcycle rider in the game? I stood, only to see a second helmeted figure leading the rogue goat away. It was really putting up a fight, bucking and squirming and kicking air. The helmeted face spoke in a flat, AI voice and I finally worked out what was going on: they were NPCs here to help the game run smoothly. While they were actively making the game run smoothly, the users were all frozen in place. Are you ready for the game, Player Tina? (Ive heard that voice somewhere, weird.) Yes thank you, Im fine now. Then it moved away and I looked around for the other vans. This simulated farmers market was very large, I could barely see Marcus stylish black van in the distance but it was a long walk away. Beyond that, there was no sign of Sues van. Suddenly the game unfroze and users began to circulate properly. They moved between the different stalls, testing produce, talking and shopping. I could tell this round would take longer than the others so I wanted to be prepared. I ran through the mental checklist: warm cups, clean and dry basket, no old residue, and the perfect grind. There were a lot of small steps you couldnt ignore, coffee making has more chemistry in it than people realise. My cookies were ready to go, the milk varieties were cooling and I had the ingredients for all the drinks. I didnt have the classic style of Marcus or Sues speed, but I was good at flavour and quality. It took a full ten minutes for the first two customers to come in. They studied the menu for a while before agreeing to get two almond milk lattes and a chocolate chip cookie to share, then they settled at my stools and barrels surrounded by their shopping. I was ready to call them over when out of nowhere, the lady squealed. Another goat was out of the pen and sniffing around their shopping! That would have been fine, if the goat hadnt decided to steal their lettuce. I watched helplessly, holding the two flawless lattes, while the game froze and the NPC appeared to herd the goat away. (Why didnt they just freeze the goats as well? Who coded these goats?) Out of nowhere, I had an idea. I ran out of the tiny side door as the game was frozen and walked the latte and cookie over. The NPCs didnt stop me, so it wasnt against the rules, and when the game unfroze, I was right there with their drinks! Oooh! Whered the goat go? Wasnt there a goat here? The lady-user asked. It must have left. Theyre busy, you know, things to do, places to goat, I joked. (Terrible pun, terrible pun, terrible! ) But the users loved it, they laughed and thanked me as I jogged back to the van where another user was studying my menu. I cant believe that worked! Way to goat! Ok stop, come on T. As I made the users extra strong mocha with soy milk, I noticed the NPCs didnt disappear like they had before. They walked around the background as if doing laps, so when a goat appeared and rammed the back of my van, it was led away quickly. The user didnt even notice. What is going on? Out of nowhere, the theme music to KSK played and the game froze for a moment. PLAYERS, STAND BY, GAME IS RE-LOADING PLAYERS, STAND BY, GAME IS RE-LOADING The game remained frozen but all over the arena the rendered objects and users were glitching and their levels of code were visible. Near me, the entire field of goats were stripped of texture and detail, then they were just geometric shapes, then they were gone altogether. The space they were standing in was reduced to a flat backdrop where it was obvious nothing would generate. They were gone. PLAYERS, STAND BY, GAME WILL RESUME IN 3 Things looked fine, except the goats were gone. It was confusing but also reassuring that nothing would be charging at me for no reason. The game unfroze and users began to circulate again. I double-checked my equipment and smiled as a user approached the counter. She pointed and said: A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. MAAAAH MEEH MAA MEER? (What? WHAT?! Why does she sound like a goat?!) I watched in horror as her head glitched and was replaced by a goat head. A HUGE, goat head, with big brown curved horns at eye level with me. Its eyes went white and it began to ram, like the others, but it was ramming the counter at the level of my hands! The entire coffee van shook so much harder when the impact was at a different height. The goat woman customer kept MAAAING at different tones, ramming hard. I ducked behind the counter and stayed there, screaming as my supplies fell around my head. I crawled to the door of the van and as I reached for the handle I heard another MAAAA and something rammed it so hard, there was a new, goat-sized dent in it! The game suddenly froze, objects and all, just as one of the jugs was knocked over. It hung, frozen in the simulation in mid-air. The KSK theme played again and this time, a new message played. ERROR: OPERATION NOT PERMITTED ERROR: OPERATION NOT PERMITTED ERROR: OPERATION NOT PERMITTED Then the neural link was abruptly broken and my vision turned completely black. I felt nothing at the back of my head, so I tentatively felt for the helmet and removed it. We were back in the lobby, all of us, and something was wrong. Mr Stand was standing next to Katie Bee, looking at a screen which was normally not on display. They could see the game as it was but from a different view. They were re-watching my green van getting attacked by the two goat-headed people. I could hear my own screams coming from the audio track. Katie looked up and noticed Speedy Sue, then she went over to check on her, because I was clearly invisible. Typical, I get attacked but let''s all check on Sue. I went over to the purple couch I was starting to think of as my seat and waited. Marcus headed my way and sat across from me. He was wiping his hands on his trousers, as if still thinking about something in the game. What happened? I asked. No idea. I was cutting an apricot danish into pieces for a pair of twins when the game froze, he said. He tossed his (beautiful!) hair as he sat and said, That was a great setting, but so large. Your van was really far from mine. I know, I couldnt even SEE Speedy Sues van, it might have been on the other side of the field. Did you have a lot of customers? I asked. Heaps. I was almost finished. It was pretty much non-stop until it froze. (Wow, that changes things, I was just getting started.) Yeah, but when its busy, its stressful. Im fairly sure I didnt get all the residue once or twice, that definitely affected the flavour. (He didnt get rid of all the residue? Thats a rookie error!) But you were busy the whole time, thats great for you! I dont I dont actually like he started. Then Speedy Sue was sitting next to us, pouting hard. She crossed her long, booted legs and her arms, closing herself to us both. But the silence didnt last, when we didnt speak, she (of course) had to talk. Whats up, losers? Which one of you broke my round? Can you not, Sue, please? Marcus said. Something in his tone hit me differently, like Id never heard him speak before. So it wasnt you, Markie. Howd you wreck the game, Third Place? (Markie? What the duck is Markie? Since when is she allowed to call Marcus MARKIE?) Sometimes it took a LOT of effort to be nice to Sue. I pressed my lips together and stayed calm. My van was near some goats and they went a bit glitchy, thats all. Did anything happen near you? (Keep the tone nice, dont go to her level.) Nothing, except that I was winning. Now were here because of you two losers, so good job. Do we get to see our fans or what? I mean, I know you two dont have any. I guess no one likes you. For some reason, this made Marcus snap and he abruptly stood up and left us sitting there, and Sue planted herself right next to me. Hey Third Place, look I just want to talk to you, she hissed. (Is the camera on?) I looked for the broadcast light and saw it was off. (What is going on? Since when do we NOT broadcast from the lobby? Was this because of the glitch?) Youre out of your depth and you need to quit and get gone, ok, honey? I didnt answer, I just looked at her and did my best to look calm and unaffected. Not saying anything? Ok. Just listen. This game is BIG, so much bigger than you realise. You arent stupid but Im telling you to leave. Quit. Do it however you want but stop getting in my way. I need to win this and YOU are IN. MY.WAY. Im not There was a sharp jab at my thigh and I noticed she hadnt moved her hand from the tiny space between us. (Was that a blade?) No talking. You can just nod. When I ask you if youre going to leave, (She jabbed me!) you nod to confirm that youre going to leave. Ok? (JAB! I think shes cut through my overalls!) Dont move. Just nod your stupid head when I ask you this question, got it? (JAB. I feel blood!) There was definitely something stabbing my thigh, it hurt, but what if she cut me more? My breathing was turning funny and tight, and I wanted to scream. (Dont cry. Dont cry. Dont even move, try to breathe!) She was making words, but I couldnt hear them properly. My mind was racing with situations I had been in long ago, like they were happening here and now. When Francis pushed me over at the playground chanting, You dont have a daddy, you dont have a daddy! When I couldnt afford to go to the school camp and Sabrina told the whole school I was too poor. When we moved to the townhouse and finally had a backyard, until the dog next door attacked Kitser and I found her with her face covered in blood. It was horrible and not real, but my brain told me it WAS, and out of nowhere, my arm reacted on its own. I punched Speedy Sue right in the mouth.