3 - Red

The beginning of a family feud, and a whole lot of gender confusion.

Endless black lines slurred across the page, and Faye rubbed at her itching eyes to reassemble them into coherent words. It was 3am and she really should have been sleeping. Tomorrow were finals, her very last day of high school. She’d be free to find an apartment, to move out and finally escape her overbearing brother.

 

That brother who was just so perfect, top of his class every year, star play of the few sports teams he deigned to honor with his presence. He was that guy, the one with a new girlfriend every week. He didn’t study, had never needed to because everything just came so easily to him. Faye doubted he knew what try meant.

 

Meanwhile, she was sitting here at a*s o’clock in the morning, forcing her brain to absorb information from five different books as her brother sleep without a care in the world.

 

*

 

The kitchen was crowded when she staggered home, exhausted and starving. They’d been presented with the tests one after another, with no break to eat or even stretch, and her muscles were protesting in a loud way.

 

Her brother was there of course, settled and well rested, like he’d been home for hours. He probably had, probably breezed through the tests easily, had been allowed to leave early because all the damn teachers just loved him so much.

And there he was, already opening his mouth to drag her down, but their father got there first.

 

“You’re home! Sooner than I expected too. Well done.” She loved her father, a steady, constant presence that supported her no matter what, and did his best to keep her brother from getting too intense. “I’ve got something for you. A little congratulations for all your hard work this year.”

 

Her brother would no longer keep quite. “You bought her a present? Why didn’t I get anything?” His frown was that of someone who’d been deeply wronged.

 

“It was your birthday last week,” her father pointed out. “You have what you wanted. Now it’s Faye’s turn.” He handed Faye a small box, emblazoned in swooping golden print.

 

“Aeon,” she breathed, barely daring to hope. She wasn’t a serious gamer, only dabbling here and there when her brother tossed out the games he grew bored of.

 

But the commercials for Aeon had been breathtaking. If she could’ve had anything, it’d be this. But she needed the precious money she had to find a place, because she had no job. Of course her father would know.

 

Her brother was sneering, and something uneasy stirred in her gut, but she would not let him ruin this for her.

 

Not this time.

 

*

 

The thing about VR gaming was that it made sleep interesting. Just dial in how long you wanted to stay under, and you would, completely undisturbed except for certain outside interference. So while your body rested, you could rush off on adventures far more vivid then any dream.

 

Faye studiously ignored the bruised skin under her eyes and set the dial at twelve hours. She deserved the sleep, had nothing planned for tomorrow, and the visor, carefully monitoring her body, would wake her if she became too hungry.

She dove into creation at once, careful of the one character warning. When Faye finished, a strong human woman stood before her. Happy, she signaled for the game to start; nothing happened but for a flicker at the corner of her eye. She could have sworn that, for an instant, her brother had been hovering behind her.

 

*

 

It was startling, the transition between the white world and this one, awash in color and sound and scent. The dark, lush emerald and chestnut of the forest, the sweet songs of hidden birds as shadows flicked from branch to branch, the tang of crushed grass. Faye stayed on her back, reveling in the fresh sensations. Would have lay there for a while more if not for the screen that appeared in her vision.

 

Dear sister,

Prepare yourself.

 

There was nothing else, only those four words, but it was enough to chill her through despite the warmth of the sun. The message dissolved into static and her stat chart took its place.

 

(Name �" Sanguine. Health �" 200/100. Strength �" 18/10. Agility �" 3/10. Intelligence �" 9/10. Charisma �" 2/10. Durability �" 8/10.)

 

200 out of 100? 18 out of 10? These were impossible statistics. Her brother intended to hunt her down, to humiliate her for nothing. It was bitterly unsurprising, because it was what he’d always done. But this…

 

By making her strong he was escalating this unwilling competition between them.

 

Flinging it in her face: Even like this, I’m better. I will always be better.

 

Tears stung at her eyes, but she drew in a deep breath and centered herself. She would not give him the satisfaction, and held firmly to her earlier determination.

 

Not this time.

 

*

 

It was harder then she’d hoped it would be, ignoring the threat hanging over her head. Aeon was stunning, relaxed her, but even as Faye wandered aimlessly to gather her wits it was impossible to forget.

 

Eventually she found herself is a bustling golden village. NPCs were hurrying here and there, arms full of baskets or children, but in the center of town, lingering together as a group, were four people that were obviously players. Their clothing was similar to the villagers, marking them as low level. The weapons slung across their backs and attached to their belts were what gave them away.

 

Faye trudged over to them, intending to ask directions to the information office. There was at least one in every town. She reached them and politely interrupted.

 

“Excuse me, could I ask for directions?”

 

One of them, an average looking man of about twenty-five, gave her a cursory glance, then a double take. What had been an unwelcoming frown did a 180 to become a pleasant smile. “Hello miss. My name is Wilbur. Where is it you’d like to go?” He offered his hand.

 

What the hell kind of name is Wilbur? She accept his proffered hand without thinking, utterly confused as to why anyone would want to be called Wilbur. The strangest thing was the way the man’s hand gave beneath her grip. For a second she thought it was a joke, was sure of it, but then Wilbur was screeching, clutching his now malformed hand to his chest and scrambling backwards.

 

“What…? No wait, I didn’t mean to do that! I had no idea!” Faye spoke frantically, because Wilbur’s friends were drawing their weapons and she had nothing to defend herself. She wasn’t even sure what’d just happened; she couldn’t have possibly squeezed that hard. There had been no effort put in that handshake.

The three men were advancing on her, the people of the village pausing to watch but refusing to help. The men were refusing to listen. Did she dare stand her ground with nothing but her fists for protection? It was reckless, one unarmed girl against three men with swords, but if what she suspected was true, if she really was that strong, then maybe…

 

The closest swung wildly at her head. She sidestepped the blow, kicking her leg forward and into his knee. He was distracted, struggling to stay balanced, and Faye took this chance to bring her fist into his face, but held herself back. The result was still staggering: his nose shattered beneath her knuckles, and his lip burst open on his teeth. It looked as though the man’s face had suddenly crumpled in on itself.

 

The next took a more careful approach, hanging back and waiting for his chance.

Faye dipped her hand into the pouch at her hip, remember the knife there. The man accepted this as an opening, darting forward and aiming his blade at her seemingly unprotected side. She blocked it with the knife, using both hands, one bracing the dull side. Her opponent’s eyes widened in disbelief, drawing back, but not quickly enough. Faye grabbed his sword and yanked. The momentum delivered her blade cleanly into the man’s stomach.

 

The last, clearly the smartest of the bunch, turned tail and ran.

 

Faye advanced toward Wilbur, filled with wry amusement as his hasty retreat backward left him tripping over his feet. Instead of looming over him, she crouched down and asked, “What level are your friends?”

 

Wilbur spluttered at her until she waved the knife in his face. “Level four!”

They were three levels higher than her, but she’d beaten them so easily. Faye wasn’t sure if this was because they were terrible fighters, or she really was that ridiculously strong. Whatever the case, something was off. Something was different. This game worked in a way none did before. She may have been an inexperienced, but never once had any ability been uncontrollable.

 

“I’ll be taking your sword.” She unhooked Wilbur’s sheath from his belt and attached it to her own. At least this was familiar. When an opponent was defeated or surrendered, you could loot one item from him or her. Wilbur, pissed that Faye had taken his only weapon, shouted at her back, “You stupid b***h! What kind of woman are you?”

 

Faye ignored him and retraced her steps to the forest edge. It was time to hunt.

 

*

 

After disposing of enough worms to make a decent amount of money, Faye returned to the village. Strong she maybe be, but her durability just wasn’t up to par; her split knuckles still ached dully. What she needed was armor.

 

Aware of the way the villagers now tread warily around her, Faye drifted through the village without bothering to ask for help; it was clearly a bad idea. Eventually she found a small shop and entered cautiously, making sure her sword was tucked away, trying to present herself as nonthreatening. She had no idea how quickly the NPC gossip wheel turned in this place.

 

Fortunately, the shop owner either hadn’t heard anything or didn’t care. He was no nonsense, giving her exactly what she wanted, though haggling was hardly effective. Her ridiculously low charisma made it improbable. So she parted with most of her money, but felt it worth every cent. Faye now had traditional armor that protected her shoulders and torso, plates that curved around her thighs, and vambraces fit around her wrists. Most importantly, she had a helmet, one with a visor she could lift away from her eyes.

 

She was nearly six feet tall. The tight armor hid her breasts. The helmet covered her entire face.

 

And if she were to be mistaken for a man, well, it couldn’t be helped.

 

*

 

Faye had stumbled over them by chance, would have left them to fend for themselves, but she hadn’t gotten to use her sword yet. She wrapped her hand around the hilt tightly, steel cool under her fingers, and she was surging forward before she’d even processed the movement. The sword was loose of its sheath, biting deep into the distracted monster. Faye only just evaded the gout of blood. Behind her, the angel that had been dangling like a tasty snack landed hard. The elf partner slid down the creature’s back, off to her left.

 

The thing was alive, so Faye did it a favor and separated it’s head from the rest. The body crashed to the ground and shuddered into stillness. The winged woman was gaping at her with the perfect what the f**k expression. She was stupidly pretty, with a long tangle of golden hair and thin white clothes. The elf wasn’t much better off, all fine features and high cheekbones, but Faye forgave him because elves were always 50% lovelier by default. He was almost painfully bright in the sun, hair an even lighter shade of silver than her armor. His eyes were a darker steel, and with his pale skin, he was one of the feyest creatures she’d seen yet. More so then the angel woman, whose tanned skin made her eye catching, if not plain old mysterious.

 

Though she was being given a wary eye by the blonde, her companion had no such compunction, observing her with head tilted, openly curious. She didn’t intend to stick around, though, so Faye turned her back on them, unconcerned with possible attack. But the ground gave a great lurch, sending her to her knees, and a tear appeared in the earth. It made absolutely no sense, but apparently the big bad worms came in packs; four more of the giant creatures appeared from the furrow, distressed at having one of their own killed.

 

In the corner of Faye’s vision, a team invite popped up, but she ignored it. There was no point in allying herself, however temporarily, with a couple of weaker players who’d just get in the way, and that was only if they didn’t run when they realized they were horribly outmatched. The first worm had been taken care of without much effort, and Faye couldn’t imagine that these would be any different.

 

Numbers were all the monsters had going for them.

 

Pushing herself to her feet, Faye swung the sword over her shoulder one handed, and pounced. The first one, taken totally by surprise, fell quickly. But the other three, realizing which of them was the most dangerous, turned on her together. What Faye hadn’t expected was for them to be fast. Who would have thought that, with all that bulk, they’d still be able to move so freely?

 

This is bad, Faye thought. This is very, very bad. I’m too slow!

 

And she was. The two closest worms were diving at her, coming from both sides, and she wasn’t going to make it in time. But then Faye was moving, being propelled backwards by a hand curled under her shoulder plate. She hit the ground hard, and watched as the monsters took chunks out of the place she’d been standing just a second before. There was a weight on Faye’s chest; the elf pushed himself up from where he’d fallen, mouth smiling in apology and eyes flickering over her, searching for wounds that didn’t exist.

 

Then he rolled off, and Faye saw that the angel was in the air again, throwing rocks and shouting, drawing the worms’ attention, allowing time to gather themselves. But she also saw the strain in her face, the way her wings stuttered occasionally, jerking off rhythm. The elf was suddenly on his feet, circling into their blind spot, then nimbly launching himself up a tree and from there onto the closest monster. He didn’t look back, but another team invite materialized in her vision. This time, Faye accepted.

 

*

 

It was an easily understood request. They’d be the diversion, and she’d finish them.

Faye couldn’t bring herself to be surprised that it worked so well, her new teammates taunting with sudden, darting movements, and Faye ending it with a single blow to the monsters’ distracted backs.

 

It was done now, and they caught their breath, surrounded by mountainous corpses. Faye was unbearably sweaty beneath her helmet, and pulled it off without thinking, dragging her hand across her brow. There were two small noises of astonishment. When she turned to face them, it was not the elf who drew her gaze, but the angel. The angel she’d assumed was a woman, every bit of her screaming femininity, was actually male. Faye wouldn’t have believed it if not for the white shirt, soaked through and clinging, rather obviously, to a flat chest. As the shock of mutual gender confusion passed, something giddy bubbled up inside her. Faye wanted to laugh: at herself, at these lovely strangers, at this ridiculous new world that had taken her in.

 

She did not laugh. Faye wouldn’t be staying here. She would ignore the elf, the way his lips were curving in delight. The angel, looking exasperated and pleased and frustrated all at once. She would ignore the easy flow of their teamwork, and her own irresponsible desire to have friends standing strong beside her when that brother descended to wreak havoc on her life. And their lives.

 

Faye had never been one for friends. Anyone she did hang out with inevitably gravitated towards her charismatic brother, like a suicidal moth to a flame.

 

Eventually, she’d given up on finding someone she could call hers. These two would be no different. One day, no matter how close they became, they would abandon her for her sibling.

 

She would have been content to lay there and wallow in her depression, but the elf was scratching words into the dirt with a finger. Intrigued despite herself, Faye rolled onto her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows to watch the words take shape. He was introducing himself; aptly named Argent, he wanted to know her name, level, and if she was ready to return to the village and choose a profession.

She should get up. She should walk away. She should dismiss her emerging curiosity (could he not speak?) and leave. But Argent was sitting there, patiently waiting, eyes so eager… Faye was many things, but rude was not one of them.

 

Quit lying to yourself, fool.

 

“I’m Sanguine, level 5. I was actually on my way back when I found you. Should we go together?” And now her mouth had a mind of its own. Hard to regret it when Argent’s beautiful face lit up in pleasure. Faye smiled back helplessly. Had she ever met anyone quite so easy to read?

 

Argent’s angel friend wasn’t as keen, lips pursed and delicate brows turned down in a glare. Faye smirked back, because with that face, the guy was absolutely adorable.

“And what about you, girly? You have a name?”

 

He went stiff all over, now full out scowling. She’d hit a sore spot. And he was still cute.

 

“I’m Sable,” he snapped back. “And you are a liar. You claim to be a level below us, but the difference in strength is just too much!”

 

“Or maybe you’re just incredibly weak? I watched, and he,” she gestured to Argent, “seemed to be quite a bit better off then you.”

 

Sable made a low, furious sound in the back of his throat, one that sent a sharp stab of adrenaline through her. Argent, who had until then been swinging his head like they were a particularly entertaining tennis match, placed himself between them.

 

Let's go then.

 

*

 

She hadn’t noticed it ‘till now, but the forest was empty but for herself, her new companions, and whatever creatures were lurking just out of sight. It would have been off-putting if the sun wasn’t so bright, or if she’d been alone. It had been hours since Faye’d started playing, and she had seen exactly no one but those village idiots. Aeon was a new game, with new players logging on every second. Were none of them lingering here in this beautiful newbie countryside where the animals were, for the most part, harmless? She couldn’t believe they were all so eager to throw themselves into the rest of the continent, where they could be attacked by other players and any number of hideous monsters. Faye had been content to stay and become stronger before venturing into more dangerous territory, and it wasn’t only because her brother was waiting for her.

 

Faye was almost certain that her brother would wait to hunt her down, to give her chance to begin thinking she was powerful enough to win before he beat her down. A few months, perhaps. Argent had declared a desire to train together. Her strength was impressive, but it was obvious that her pathetically low agility would make it nearly impossible to fight on her own. Argent and (unfortunately) Sable had the speed but not the physical power. She would be stupid not stay with them.

 

Two months, Faye thought. I’ll give myself two months with them.

 

If she and Sable didn’t kill each other first. Faye felt his glare burning into her neck and grinned.