Chapter 2 - What all the fuss is about

Maddie and I get to the arcade and we slip the two data chips into the security check point. Security lets us in and we go straight for the virtual reality game. Each machine has a 9 ft. by 9 ft. space on the floor. I stand on one spot and Maddie takes the spot next to me.

When the game starts it startles me. I am lying in someone's bed. I am in a small room. There are two beds in the room along with two dressers. There is a full length mirror next to the bed I'm not sleeping in. I get up and walk over to see what I look like. I look like me, only younger than I am now. I walk over to see who is sleeping in the other bed and it turns out to be my sister Nia.

A wonderful smell draws me into the kitchen. My mother is actually cooking breakfast! My mother couldn't even boil water to save her life. I sit down at a small table.

"Did you sleep well sweetheart?" My mother asks me as she puts a plate of bacon, eggs and waffles in front of me. She hands me a bottle of real maple syrup to put on it. I think I'm in heaven.

"Yeah, I slept great" I tell her and I take a bite of my breakfast. It tastes just as good as it smells. This game is amazing. I've never experienced anything like it before. I am starting to wonder though how this fits into history.

"Would you go wake up your sister?" My mom asks me, "If she's late to class again she's going to get detention."

"Yeah, sure" I reply. I run back to my bedroom and shake Nia.

"Nia, Get up. If you’re late again you're going to get detention." I scream at her.

Nia gets up out of bed. She not awake yet and she doesn't seem to know where she's at. She walks over to the full length mirror just like I did and checks herself out. Then she walks over to the closet. I am thinking that it's going to take forever for her to decide what to wear but she quickly grabs some clothes and starts getting dressed. When she is done, she is wearing what looks like a uniform. Then she rushes past me into the kitchen. I go over to my closet and there's no computer to scan my mood and select my clothes. It doesn't matter though because I also have to wear a uniform. When I walk out the door, there's fresh air. I breathe it in deeply. I see Maddie and run up to her.

"Are you ready for our math test today?" Maddie asks.

"Math test?" I say back.

"Don't tell me you forgot about our math test? Did you study for it? Of course you didn't study, you never study for anything but it's not like you need to study because you always get A's anyway." Maddie starts to ramble. It's not like Maddie to ramble on like this. It's one of the reasons I hang out with her. The game must be reading my mind and putting people in the storyline that I know but the personalities are all different. Nobody in the game is acting like they do in real life.

"Of course I studied for our math test" I respond. Of course in real life there are no tests. It will be kind of fun to take a test and see what I actually know.

We live in this small village. Everybody walks everywhere and so I follow Maddie to school. When we get to our class, there is an actual person there to teach us. I have always wondered how that worked out and now I am going to get to experience it for myself. It's turning out to be a pretty awesome game.

The teacher starts talking and within 5 minutes I am completely over it. It is the most boring way to impart information that there could possibly be. It's amazing that people in the past learned anything at all. The torture seems to last for days even though it was only hours. Then we get to the part where we take the test.

The math test is on fractions. It takes a few minutes of staring at the test until it all makes sense. I get done with the test so fast that the teacher thinks I cheated. I offer to do another test right in front of her to prove that I didn't. She produces another test and I complete that one quickly as well. She still can't believe it but she has to accept the second test because she has no idea how I cheated. The whole thing was thrilling.

We spend about 6 hours in school. That is way too much time as far as I'm concerned. I am so glad that I don't have to do this every day.

After school is over I just feel like walking around and checking the place out. So Maddie and I just walk around. There are a few stores but not much going on. It's completely different than life in the big city. Everything is slower here. In the middle of the village I find a large building. It doesn't have any windows. It looks like it doesn't belong here because it's different from all the other buildings.

Maddie and I go back to my house and do homework. Even after being in school all day they still expect you to do more stuff at home. That's crazy. Maddie leaves right before dinner and we all eat dinner together!

Mom and dad and Nia and I have this amazing meal that the game wants me to believe my mother actually cooked. While we are eating my dad insists that we each talk about our day. Nia says that some boy named Bobby asked her to some dance at school and she's making him wait before she gives him her answer. Both mom and dad tell Nia that she's playing games and she shouldn't do that. I roll my eyes and say boys are gross. Nia says that someday I won’t think that way but I'm pretty sure I will.

I notice there isn't any technology in the game. There are no computers. There are no transportation vehicles to move people around. It's like the game put me in the Stone Age or something. Still I'm having a good time. I'm still not sure what this has to do with any historical event though or why everybody I know is part of the game.

I step out of the 9ft by 9ft playing area. The whole thing took less than 10 minutes although it felt like an entire day has passed. Maddie already left her game and is waiting for me.

"Katy, that was so amazing. I watched two gladiators fight in ancient Rome. “Maddie says.

"My game was weird. My parents where there, Nia was there and even you were there." I say.

"Well, it's just a game" Maddie says dismissing everything I just said.

As we go home I get this sinking feeling. I'm going to have to lie to my parents about what I was doing after school. I know I shouldn't lie. I should just tell them the truth and take my punishment.