Naomi, Mary, and I split up from Alex and Yuki once we returned to the town proper. They were going to try and feel around and investigate the other villagers. We followed Mary as she was going to be leading us to Robert.

 

We wound through the village, following Mary as she led us to Robert’s location. We got some stares from the villagers as we walked through parts of the village. I inched closer to Mary and whispered to her, “I don’t think the people here like us very much”.

 

“Everyone here has always been wary of outsiders, but I suspect that the hostility you are getting is because of the changeling. I wonder how many people are changelings in disguise.” Mary responded in a whisper.

 

We eventually left the small village and wandered the woods for a while. The forest was peaceful enough, it made me want a cabin in the woods so I could enjoy nature. While trekking through the woods I thought I spotted a tall man in a black suit in the distance and did a double take but there was no one there. We eventually came across some loggers in the distance and Mary quickly pulled us down into a crouch behind a bush. “There is Robert,” Mary said pointing to a man in a black ponytail.

 

“I am going to leave you now. If you need a place to stay the night, I have a spare bedroom, but I guess it would be small for four people” Mary whispered. She slowly stood up and walked away leaving Naomi and me in the woods.

 

“So… what do we do now” Naomi asked me. “I don’t have investigative skills other than what I’ve seen”.

 

It was a good question. It’s not like I was some private investigator in real life. “I guess we will just wing it” I responded. I looked around our surroundings to see if we could get closer. I thought about hiding in a tree but quickly realized that would be a bad idea around people who are chopping them down.

 

“I am going to use my psionics and levitate us off the ground a bit, so we don’t make noise. I found a spot we can get closer” I said as I pointed towards a closer spot.

 

We followed them around for most of the day trying to see if we could get any evidence or at least see if Robert spoke about any nefarious plans but all he spoke about was his upcoming wedding. I even began to doubt Mary after a while.

 

As dusk was approaching, we decided to call it a day and met up with the others at Mary’s house. We were all sitting by the fireplace sharing our findings.

 

“Today was kind of a bust. We didn’t get much information regarding any faerie plans or otherwise. Robert seems excited about the wedding. Are you sure something is going on here” I asked Mary.

 

Mary responded, a bit defensively, with, “I know what I heard. Something is up. Maybe we are missing something”.

 

Naomi spoke up and asked, with her hands covering her mouth, in a worried tone "Are we sure we didn’t attract any unwanted attention".

 

I placed my hands under my chin and thought for a moment. "It is possible. We did just arrive today, and we most likely garnered a lot of attention" I said to the group. "We may need to double down on our efforts. We have magic and other abilities. We should use them to give us every advantage in uncovering this conspiracy...if there is one" I said while looking at Mary.

 

"There is," Mary said confidently.

 

We discussed our next move, but I was tired, and we all were. So, we decided to turn in for the night and try again the next day.

 

We all moved to the spare bedroom to logout. It didn't matter to us if it was small as we wouldn't be sleeping there anyway. Something caught my eye through the window. I saw the tall man in a black suit standing at the edge of the nearby forest again. It was hard to see his face as he was covered in shadow.

 

As soon as I looked at him, I immediately alerted the others. "Guys, I don't think we are alone!" I said frantically.

 

Alex rushed over and looked out the window. "Who was out there? Was it Robert" Alex asked.

 

"I don't know. I don't think it was Robert. Earlier today I saw a tall man in a suit but when I looked back, he was gone. I thought I was just seeing things" I explained as I scanned the tree line for any indication of the man.

 

"I think I saw the same person today too," Alex said nervously. "When we're doing our investigation, I thought I saw the same person standing off in the distance".

 

"Do you think he is related to Robert and this changeling conspiracy?" Yuki asked.

 

"Maybe, or maybe he is the real reason Mary wanted us here" Alex suggested.

 

"Either way, let's log out and get some rest. We will talk more in the morning" Naomi chimed in.

 

The rest of us nodded in agreement and proceeded to log out.

 

***

 

When I woke up, I was groggy and disoriented. Logging out of the game always felt like I was just waking up. I got out of my VR pod and threw on some loose, yet comfortable, clothing. I made my way into the kitchen where I started to make dinner. Naomi and Yuki eventually found their way to the living room. I heard a sound coming from the TV indicating that it was turned on.

 

"Government officials have stated that the flying woman video has been analyzed by experts and is considered to be a hoax. They went on to say that the editing and special effects were on par with Hollywood films" a newscaster on TV had said. I couldn't help but laugh as I heard that. Either those so-called "Experts" were incompetent, or the government was trying to cover up my actions.

 

After dinner, I joined the girls on the couch and watched the news for a while. "Seven children are still considered missing in the Briarwood housing district. If you have any information you are urged to contact the local authorities." the newscaster announced. There have been reports of children going missing. I thought about logging back into the game to do more investigating, but I decided against it. I needed to give my body a break and the rest of the girls needed one too.

 

After a few hours of watching TV and mindless conversation, we all decided to head to bed.

 

***

 

I woke up early and had my shower. I wasn't in the mood to make breakfast, so I opted for a bowl of cereal. Yuki came down after some time and rushed out the door with a piece of toast in her mouth. I looked at the time and saw she was running a bit late, but she should have had time for breakfast.

 

I sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. A rerun of an episode of Gain of Thrones came on. It was a bodybuilding reality show where a bunch of people tried to be crowned the world's best bodybuilder. In other words, it was trash TV.

 

Naomi came downstairs about halfway through the show and sat beside me on the couch.

"Did you sleep well?" I asked.

"Not really, I couldn't sleep, and I have been getting headaches. It's probably nothing, though" she replied.

I was concerned and said, "If the headaches get worse, then let me know".

Naomi and I chatted for a while.

 

"Want to go with me to some open houses? I want to choose a house nearest to whatever college Yuki wants to go to but until then I want to look at some houses and get an idea of what kind of floor plan I want" I asked Naomi. Since the settlement, I have been itching to buy a house. I decided that I would sit down with Yuki to figure out what college she wanted to go to. I know everyone on Earth will be getting powers and magic, but that doesn't mean she shouldn't go to college.

 

"Sure, that sounds like it could be fun. I need a break from the game anyway" Naomi responded.

 

"Awesome. Let me text Alex so she knows we won't be in the game right now.

 

I sent Alex a text and went to my room where I grabbed the house keys. Of course, almost everyone uses a device like a phone or implants to conduct monetary transactions, but it's rare to see people who still use wallets or purses. I've learned that in this part of the city, you don't walk around with a purse, that is asking to get mugged. I have psionics now though so I suppose I can defend myself well enough.

 

I locked the house door behind us. It was a beautiful sunny day. A perfect day for house hunting. I had never bought a house before, so I had no idea what I was doing. All I had was a list of open houses I got off the internet. The first one on the list was a couple of blocks away so we decided to walk.

 

I wasn't interested in living nearby so the house we were walking to wasn't a house I was going to buy but I was interested in its layout, and it was nearby. The house was nice enough for being in the ghetto. It had a single-floor layout and was super basic. I quickly realized that I wasn't interested in the design. Naomi and I were talking about the house to the realtor as we exited the home. I caught something in my peripheral vision that made me snap my head in that direction.

 

Off in the distance, in the shadows between two houses. I saw a tall figure wearing a black suit. I started to panic inwardly. I tried to turn my head away to get Naomi's attention, but it felt like my body was unresponsive.

 

I felt warm fingers around my eyes and heard a woman's voice whisper in my ear "he will get them if you don't get rid of the banshee".

 

I woke up on the sidewalk by Naomi and the realtor. They both looked very concerned and confused. I slowly stood up; my entire body was sore as if I slept on a bed of knives.