I agreed to teach a class this month way back in January. How was I supposed to know at that time that I would be at a crucial point in my novel? And the extra income is needed, so I couldn't really say no. But this class completely consumes the time I would otherwise be spending writing. Between planning classes and grading assignments, I am drained of any creative impulse.
So Eden and Kalon (my characters) sit and wait for my return. I miss them. Hopefully we will be reunited sooner than my last class, but if not, the end of April will be our time. Until then, a sneak peek at one of their first major interactions...
Eden brought her tablet to her room and was
considering reading some of her History assignment before bugging Zoe and Fiona
when her halo chirped. She eagerly slipped it on, shivering as it connected.
Maybe her friends felt bad about her torture of staying at home and were
going to rescue her, at least through the haloscapes.
An unfamiliar avatar blinked in Eden’s vision.
Shrugging, she sent her thoughts to connect anyway.
Hello?
Hey, Eden,
it’s Kalon.
Oh.
Eden could feel Kalon’s mental amusement at
her obvious lack of enthusiasm. Wanna
hang out in this new haloscape I programmed?
Eden hesitated. I think I have plans. Unfortunately, it was very difficult to lie
in thoughts, since the halos picked up not only the words, but the intent and
feelings behind them.
Come on, Kalon
cajoled, Just for a little bit, and then
you can run off and have your fan club meeting with Zoe and Fiona. Maybe
program a hot guy to practice kissing on. Mua mua mua…
KALON! Eden was
embarrassed. Even in her romantic haloscapes, the furthest she had gone with a
guy was holding his hand skin to skin, an act practically unheard of even among
families in the Underground.
Kalon’s tone was apologetic. Sorry, too far. So will you come? Just for a
few minutes?
Why?
Because I
asked you to.
Eden considered. She knew Zoe and Fi could be
engrossed in the new clothes and vids for a long time, and she really didn’t
want to do her homework. Fine, she
said, and could feel Kalon’s glee. But don’t
read anything into it. I’m babysitting my annoying Middler brother and have
absolutely nothing better to do.
Whatever
you say, was Kalon’s flippant response, but Eden sensed a smug
satisfaction. She would have to take care of that pretty quickly before Kalon
got the wrong idea.
A swirling haloscape invitation swooped into
Eden’s line of vision, Kalon’s avatar front and center. She accepted, then
closed her eyes and allowed herself to be dragged into the simulation.
When she sensed she was fully in the
haloscape, Eden waited to open her eyes. She was always amazed at how her other
sense operated in these simulations, and took a few moments to take in the
sounds, smells, and physical sensations of the environment before taking her
first look. She could hear water, a lot of it, and it sounded angry, coming in
waves. She could taste the salt in the air, and smelled something suspiciously
similar to fish Flavor. At first she thought she was at the “beach” but the
surface under her was hard and gritty, and when she shifted, rocks clattered
and caused echoes around her. Finally, Eden opened her eyes and looked around
her. She appeared to be in a carved out section of rock. The ground was stone,
uneven and covered in smaller rocks. The smaller pebbles poked at her feet, but
not uncomfortably so. She stood and walked to the opening, then gasped and
jumped back. She was standing high above the ocean, large, punishing waves
crashing against the side of the cliff. Though she was high above, she could
feel the salty spray on her face. Eden took a deep breath and backed up slowly,
then turned and assessed the rest of her environment.
Pillows were scattered around a small fire
happily crackling under the tallest point of the cave. Walking closer, Eden
looked up and realized there was a hole through which the smoke was escaping.
She breathed in the scent of the fire, appreciating the newness of the
sensation. She had heard of camping sims, but had never had much interest in
them. Now she wished she had a few in her possession, if only for the scent of
the fire.
“Enjoying yourself?”
Eden jumped. Kalon was lounging in the shadows
deeper within the cave, watching her intently. She had almost forgotten that he
was there, and that this was his haloscape. In fact, he had said it was his own
creation.
“This is a little different than the sims I
usually hang out in,” Eden said nervously. “But it’s so detailed. Really
impressive programming.”
Kalon pushed away from the wall and moved
forward a few steps. He smirked. “Thanks for the compliment.” He walked to the
fire and plopped down on one of the pillows. He gestured toward the one right
next to him. “Have a seat.”
Eden moved to the fire and sat, but left a
pillow between her body and Kalon’s. Even in the haloscapes, close proximity
with someone she didn’t know well made her uncomfortable, unless the person was
part of the sim.
“So how long did this take you?” Eden asked,
truly curious about Kalon’s programming skills. A sim like this would take her
several weeks to perfect, and she was one of the best programmers in her class.
It helped that Ilaria was the head of the Programming department. She had been
taking Eden along on jobs and showing her the ropes since she returned from
Teensy camp.
“A few days,” Kalon said, leaning back on his
elbows.
“You lie.”
“Okay, maybe a few weeks, but not really that
long.” He shot Eden a smug look. “You’re not the only programming whiz around.”
Eden just shrugged and stared into the fire.
Outside, dark and ominous clouds began to form. They flickered with
electricity, and emitted sound that Eden felt to her bones. “What is that?”
“A thunderstorm. They have them all the time on
the surface. Rain and thunder and lightning.”
“How do you know about them?” Of course Eden
knew about thunderstorms from working on the weather sims with her mother, but
few people were interested in anything other than clear blue skies in their
holowindows.
Another smug look. “My dad took me Above the
last time they went to test the air. It was storming and we had to stay in a
shelter for a couple days. I took a lot of notes.”
Eden stared at Kalon, open-mouthed. “You went Above?”
“Yup.”
“No way.”
Kalon just smirked again and looked out toward
the gathering storm clouds. He sat up, his face growing serious, and stared
into the fire. “Wanna know a secret?”
“No.”
He glanced up at her sharply. “Why not? I
haven’t told anyone yet. You’d be the first.”
“I don’t think anything you have to tell me
could be good news,” Eden said honestly.
Kalon nodded, still serious. “You’re right,
but I’m going to tell you anyway. That’s why I asked you here.”
“Then I need to go. Actually, I think Cal is
knocking on my door.” Eden cocked her head to the side as if listening. “Yup,
that’s definitely him.”
“Eden, wait –“
“This is really impressive, Kalon, thanks for
showing it to me.” Eden reached up to tug on her earlobe, her personal signal
to her halo that she was ready to exit a sim.
Kalon’s eyes narrowed. “This isn’t over,” he
warned as she tugged and disappeared.
Eden sat in her chair, breathing hard as she
waited for the dizziness to pass. She ripped off her halo and tossed it on the
bed, then stripped and put the sonic shower in massage mode. As the pulses
kneaded her muscles and urged her to relax, Eden tried to figure out why she
was so bothered by Kalon. He had barely spoken to her before today, though they
had known each other for years, and yet he had singled her out not once, but
twice today. He seemed determined to pass on some sort of message to Eden, and
she was sure she didn’t want to hear it. She would just have to be extra
careful to avoid him from now on. That decision made, Eden allowed herself to
enjoy the massaging pulses, and let her mind go blank for a while.
----------------
Until next time!
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