Quinn woke abruptly to a crash from the kitchen, followed immediately by the dry rattle of cereal scattering across the floor. Dolores began loudly complaining about “nutritionally irresponsible breakfast choices” while the cascade skittered to a stop.

  Groaning, Quinn got out of bed and started pulling on clothes, accidentally trying to shove her leg through a shirt sleeve in the process.

  “Whoopsie!” Sophie giggled. “Uh…why are they so slippery?”

  “Shoes, Sophie!” Dolores snapped as Quinn walked into the kitchen. “You are grinding it into the floor with your unsheathed feet!”

  “Wasgoinon?” Quinn asked, biting down on a toothbrush as she stuffed her head through the top of her hoodie. These were not tasks meant to be performed together, as she was quickly coming to realize.

  Sophie went rocketing past her, crunching cereal under her feet.

  “I like being barefoot!” she shouted, careening down the hall and ricocheting off walls.

  Quinn raised an eyebrow at Dolores, then walked over to the kitchen sink and started rinsing her mouth out.

  “We do not raise barbarians in this household!” Dolores thundered. “This is not a petting zoo!” She turned back to the stove and flipped the sizzling bacon with more force than necessary, splattering grease on the side of the fridge.

  The fridge, it appeared, did not appreciate it.

  “Is your home environment contributing to unnecessary stress?” it asked brightly. “Veyra Smart Living? anticipates your needs with custom, adaptive settings tailored just for you.”

  Dolores kicked the fridge, which it took as a definitive no and blinked off.

  Quinn gave her a bemused look, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “So, you’re having a good morning, I see. How is bacon nutritious exactly?”

  Before she could reply, Sophie came hurtling back into the room, screeching madly. Somehow, in the brief interval she was gone, glitter had gotten all over her hair and clothes. Dolores looked positively scandalized.

  “I’m a sparkly unicorn!” Sophie declared, kicking cereal across the room.

  “I can see that,” Quinn chuckled and knelt to pull her into a hug.

  Sophie would not allow it without a fight. She flailed wildly, then raised her arms straight into the air and went limp like an overcooked pasta noodle. When Quinn didn’t let go, she finally relented. Throwing her arms around her sister’s neck, she buried her sparkling head into her shoulder and burst into tears.

  Dolores teetered, unsure whether to join the awkward hug on the floor and risk soiling her apron with glitter or fetch a broom. She compensated by flipping bacon and pretending like everything was completely normal.

  “Everything will be ok,” Quinn said softly.

  Sophie pulled back, looking at her sister with wide, watery eyes.

  “But why does it have to change?” she sniffed, snot dripping down her chin. “I’m happy here.”

  “I’m happy here too,” Quinn said. “Change is scary, isn’t it? I feel scared too.”

  “You do?” Sophie asked, astonished.

  “I do. And I want you to know that you are being brave. I only wish I could be as brave as you,” Quinn said. “Maybe you could teach me how?”

  Sophie’s watery eyes grew huge. Just yesterday, she’d seen her sister kill a powerful green man who liked to throw food. And once, hadn’t she watched her stand up to Mrs. Downstairs when she was yelling about noise again? She imagined bravery was a requirement for doing such things. Yet, her sister was calling her brave and asking for her help…

  Sophie straightened her back and wiped her nose with her sleeve. “I guess I could teach you,” she said hesitantly. “But you’d have to listen really good.”

  “Oh, thank you!” Quinn smiled widely, then tried to force her face into mock seriousness. “And I would be the best listener, I promise.”

  “Well, you better,” Sophie said huffily. “Because I don’t have time for tomfoolery.” Quinn burst out laughing, jostling her sister’s hair and showering the floor with glitter.

  “Dory’s rubbing off on you, I see.”

  “Dolores, if you please,” said Dolores stiffly, setting two plates of bacon and eggs down on the table. “And you need to eat as they will be here soon.”

  Quinn flashed her a warning look, but luckily Sophie was already scrambling onto a chair, eyeing the bacon hungrily.

  Bravery lessons got started straight away after breakfast. Sophie had never taught lessons before and was unsure how to go about it. Luckily, Quinn knew what to do and told her the best way to teach someone how to be brave was to take a bath. Which, Sophie thought, made perfect sense, considering how terrifying baths were.

  And so, she bravely took a bath, washing away the remaining glitter. Afterwards, they scrambled around, stuffing clothes into their bags and trying to hunt down last-minute items. Silas finally emerged from his room and watched them with an amused expression on his face.

  “Thank you for everything,” Quinn said, slinging a heavy bag over her shoulder and reaching down to tie her shoes. “I don’t know how I can repay you.”

  “By keeping your eyes open and remembering everything we went over,” he said gruffly, glancing over at Sophie. She was allowing Dolores to comb her hair but couldn’t stop squirming impatiently in the chair.

  Silas lowered his voice. “Just stay alive ok? Sophie isn’t the only one who needs you.”

  Quinn looked at him gravely and opened her mouth to reply. But at that moment, Veyra’s transportation van pulled up.

  “What a hideous vehicle. I do not approve,” Dolores said sternly. The van was sleek and windowless, the color of polished graphite. It made no sound as it smoothly pulled to a stop outside the house.

  “Take this,” Silas said, thrusting something into Quinn’s hand.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  She blinked in surprise and looked down. It was an old, small arcade coin, still warm from his hand. The edges were smooth from years of handling. Quinn turned it over in her palm and saw faint lettering etched on the back that said PLAY TO WIN. She recognized it instantly.

  When she was little, there’d been an old arcade tucked between two shuttered storefronts downtown. Like most small businesses in the area, it hadn’t lasted long. Watching people play the ancient machines was fascinating to her. She’d never had much money to play herself, but one day she found a token wedged behind a cabinet and kept it.

  Years later, she’d given it to Silas as a joke. It was only right, she’d said, that the world’s biggest VR addict should own an actual game token.

  She rolled the coin over again, running her thumb along the edge. “You kept this?”

  “Of course,” he said. “Anyway, you’re the VR nerd now. Just wanted you to know we are rooting for you.”

  A sharp knock came at the door.

  “Sophie, stop fidgeting with that or you’ll undo your braid,” Dolores said fussily, standing up and smoothing out her apron. “Do you both have everything? Well, go fetch the bunny then—quickly now.”

  Sophie scampered off down the hall in a sudden panic while Dolores opened the door. There stood a highly polished, uniformed Veyra representative with a back so straight it looked like he’d been factory-assembled.

  “I am here to pick up Quinn Wexley and Sophie Wexley for transportation to Veyra’s Regional Center,” he said stiffly.

  “Yeah, buddy, we’re almost ready. Give us a minute,” Quinn said.

  “Veyra maintains a tight timeline of events and cannot afford to del—”

  “Dude, relax,” Quinn cut in, giving him a withering look. “Go wait in your little kidnapper wagon. We’ll be right there.”

  She shut the door in his face just as he opened his mouth to object. They watched him through the window as he pivoted on his heel and strode back to the van. Several neighbors were now peeking out their windows at the unusual vehicle parked on their street.

  Quinn turned to Silas and leaned down to give him a hug.

  “I will see you soon,” she said. “I promise.”

  “You better, Wexley.”

  Sophie came running back into the room clutching her bunny. Dolores swooped down and enveloped her in a hug.

  “Goodbye Miss Sophie. I shall miss our interactions. Do remember to brush your teeth, and don’t trust anyone who smells funny.”

  Sophie clung to Dolores’s apron. It took some effort to pry her loose, but Quinn finally managed to lift her up into her arms, and they headed toward the van.

  In no time at all, they were settled inside, their belongings stacked neatly at their feet. Quinn caught one last glimpse of Silas and Dolores waving goodbye before the door closed with a thud, shutting them out. A faint smell of bacon lingered in the air.

  The drive was long but uneventful. A low, steady hum filled the silence, putting Sophie to sleep almost instantly. She lay curled against Quinn’s side, clutching her stuffed bunny in both arms. Every now and then she twitched, a small hiccup catching in her sleep.

  Quinn brushed a few strands of hair from her forehead and leaned back against the cold, sterile panel. With no windows, there was no telling where they were or how far they’d gone. The faint vibration and occasional bump underfoot were the only proof they were moving at all.

  Finally, the van slowed to a stop with such smooth precision that Quinn barely felt the change. The door slid open, flooding the cabin with warm afternoon sunlight.

  Quinn yawned and blinked in the sudden light.

  Veyra’s Regional Center rose in front of them, a massive structure of glass and pale stone. A narrow pathway wound its way from the van to the entrance, lined with thin guiding lights and delicately manicured trees. Two expressionless uniformed attendants stood waiting, each holding identical sleek white tablets.

  “Welcome to Veyra Regional Center,” one of them said in a cool, detached voice. “Please follow the illuminated path for intake.”

  Quinn adjusted her bag on her shoulder and stepped down carefully, Sophie still half asleep in her arms.

  They followed the attendants into the building. The glass doors parted noiselessly revealing a cavernous atrium with a mild echo and warm, pleasant lighting. The air smelled faintly of disinfectant and filtered citrus, like the inside of a mediocre hotel.

  Almost immediately, another set of uniformed attendants stepped forward, motioning for them to stop. “Security screening,” one of them said curtly. “Step this way and remove all metallic or digital devices.”

  Quinn rolled her eyes but complied. She dug out her trusty utility knife and pick-pocket kit and set it on the table, cringing as they were whisked away through a small hatch in the wall.

  “Do I get them back?”

  The attendant didn’t answer. She gestured for them to extend their arms. Gloved hands moved briskly over Quinn’s sides, checking pockets and seams. She did the same to Sophie, who flinched and buried her face in Quinn’s side.

  “It’s ok,” Quinn whispered. “It’ll be over soon.”

  They stood still while a slim, hovering scanner drifted over them, projecting a faint blue light across their bodies. It hummed deeply as it passed from head to toe, then blinked off and drifted away.

  “You may proceed,” the attendant said.

  A woman in a pale gray uniform stepped forward with a professional smile that didn’t reach her eyes. She, too, carried a tablet. “I’ll take Sophie from here. She’ll be well cared for.”

  Quinn crouched beside her and pulled her into a hug. Sophie’s fingers tightened around her sister’s hoodie.

  “I don’t want to go,” she whispered.

  “I know,” Quinn said. “You’re gonna be ok, remember? You’re the brave one.”

  Sophie nodded and clutched her bunny tightly to her chest. The attendant took her hand gently but firmly, leading her away. Quinn’s expression hardened as she watched her sister go down a corridor. Sophie looked back at her just as she rounded a corner and disappeared from view.

  “Quinn Wexley?” said a voice behind her. She turned and saw another attendant standing there, adjusting his glasses.

  “I’ll take your biometrics, then show you to your assigned quarters. Please place your right hand here,” he said, indicating his tablet. She did as instructed, the screen lighting up as it scanned her palm.

  “Why do you need this?” she asked suspiciously, switching hands.

  “Your VR capsule can only be accessed using your biometrics,” he said primly. “Follow me, please.”

  Quinn glanced once more down the corridor where Sophie had gone, then turned and followed him. They rode a glass elevator up several floors, the world falling away below them. Beyond the transparent walls, a vast expanse of green stretched in every direction. It looked like they were in the middle of a forest somewhere. Quinn had never seen this many trees. They got off on floor fourteen, the corridor snaking off into three different directions. He turned left, and she trailed behind him in silence.

  The hallway stretched ahead, lined with glass walls and numbered doors. She caught glimpses of identical sterile rooms beyond, oddly devoid of much furniture.

  Finally, they stopped beside a door labeled 1418. The attendant placed his palm on a glowing red panel. It flashed blue and a door slid open soundlessly.

  “Here is your room,” he said briskly. “Everything you need has been provided. Meals will be delivered three times a day while you await the start of Eterna. Please ensure you attend orientation tomorrow morning at ten. Instructions are in your booklet.”

  He gestured vaguely inside, then turned and left, sliding the door shut behind him.

  Quinn had never been in a room like this before. It was painfully clean and small, barely larger than her old kitchen. The walls were painfully white, gleaming like polished bone. There were no windows or decorations.

  A narrow bed was tucked into one corner. The only other piece of furniture was a massive oblong capsule that dominated the other half of the room, which she assumed was the VR pod.

  There was a wall panel next to the bed. When she pressed it, a hidden door slid open to reveal a compact bathroom in the same unsettling shade of white.

  “Well,” she muttered, dropping her bag on the bed and kicking off her shoes. “At least now I know what it feels like to get stuffed into a bleached storage cube.”

  Grabbing the booklet off the bed, she flopped down and began to read, hoping to take her mind off Sophie. There wasn’t anything she could do now, and worrying wouldn’t help either of them.

  The booklet was thin and mostly filled with instructions for operating the VR unit. It mentioned a wall panel beside the door she could use to call for assistance. Glancing over, she didn’t see it in the smooth white exterior. After some prodding, her fingers found the invisible panel, which lit up when touched.

  There was a button to open the door. She pressed it, but the door didn’t budge.

  “That’s not creepy at all…” she muttered.