As soon as I click Yes, A sphere made of glass appears in my hand. My attention is caught by the mist seemingly floating in the ball. “What is this?” I ask.

 

“It is the information you traded for.” At my confused look, Taylor’s predatory smile disappears to be replaced by her more natural one. “Simply crush the sphere in your hand and the information will be sent to your mind automatically.”

 

I turn my attention to the sphere curiously.

“What’s wrong?” She asks.

“I don’t know, I just thought that you would tell me the information like you did in my first visit.” I answer, turning the sphere around as the mist inside it twists and turns.

“You can’t expect me to keep all of that knowledge in here.” She taps her head. “Plus, this makes it easier for the buyer to remember the information, since it is implanted directly in your brain. Go ahead, crush it.”

I do as she says. Putting a hand to my head, I groan. A slight headache forming from the block of knowledge that is entering my mind.

“Wow. Talk about a creepy class. Manipulator? And those titles, Con Artist, Control Freak, Murderer…. He sounds fun at a party.”

I go through the portal back to my house shortly after that.

Whistling to the tune of “I’ve been working on the railroad”, I pull up a familiar screen,

Upgrades

Add Structure

Traps And Defenses

Decorations

I click on Traps And Defenses.

Hidden Traps

Alarms

Guards

Walls

Reinforcement

I look at the options for a moment before I shrug and select [Hidden Traps]. Using the gold I traded the bullets for, I install hidden traps all over my home. Twenty gold disappears from my inventory as I make changes to my parent’s home.

Somewhat unsatisfied with the small changes I had made. I click on the the [Guards] option.

I scroll through the options, looking for something that would be useful, but could be kept hidden from my family.

My finger hovers over something that caught my eye.

Faerie: Electric 6 Gold A race of fae that comes from the planet Eldrazi. These faeries are intelligent beings with control over electricity. They are useful for subduing unwelcome guests and are happy to work for nothing but the occasional sweet.

My gaze is stuck on the text describing the Faerie, something is telling me that this is what I want. I hesitate for a moment, before I buy it.

Nothing happens for a minute, so I shrug and go back to browsing.

“Hello.” A quiet voice says from behind me.

I turn around, tilting my head questioningly at the creature behind me. She pats down her golden hair which was starting to frizz out, before turning her blue eyes back to me.

“I said hello.” She speaks in that quiet voice.

“I know.” I answer, smiling at her. “You just surprised me a little bit.”

“Oh. Well, you surprised me too.” She turns away from me to study my room. She flits around, moving faster than a hummingbird, while her clear wings barely seem to move. “When I signed up to be a guard. I didn’t think I would be brought to a Beta world.” She flies back to me, lifting my brown hair up to study it. “You’re pretty.” She says, before landing on top of a pillow on my unmade bed. “Then again, I didn’t think that I would be working as a guard at all. I am not that strong compared to most of the other guards.” She lays back into my pillow, relaxing in its softness. “Everyone wants a devil. Or a dragon. Tch, stupid dragons, they think that they’re so special because they have shiny scales. Some people actually had to work for their power you know.”

I laugh softly at the faerie's antics. “What’s your name?” I ask, sitting on the edge of my bed.

“I’m Dee. What’s yours?” She responds. Pushing off of my pillow, she hovers in front of my face, looking into my eyes.

I am about to respond, before I stop. I have read a lot of stories, in some of them, names can be dangerous things. “I am still new to the game that the gods are playing. Is it dangerous to give my name away?”

She looks up at me, a proud smile covering her face before she hides it behind a grin, “Of course. Your name is how people know that you are you. Your name gives a spell purchase to find you, if someone knows what they are doing.” Her grin turns into a playful smile. “But you can trust me, just as I trusted you. Dee is part of my true name. If you wished, you could try to use it against me. But I am a guard for your home, I have no wish to harm you, just as you have no wish to harm me.”

I look at her thoughtfully, before matching her playful smile. “My name is Elena Trudeau. Just call me Elena.”

Her face grows solemn as she bows to me, “It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Elena.” She tries to hold her serious face, but I can see her lips turning up as she suppresses a smile.

“It is a pleasure to meet you as well Dee.” I attempt to curtsy back, before I realize that I am wearing shorts. I pretend I have a skirt and curtsy anyway.

Dee lays back down in the pillow that she took a liking to. “So, who are the bad guys that I shouldn’t let in? And who are the good guys that you do want inside your home?”

“My father’s name is Jacob Trudeau, my mother’s name is Sarah Trudeau and my sister’s name is Elizabeth Trudeau. They can enter anytime. The only man I don’t want entering this house, is a man named Scott Monroe.” I realize that she has no way of knowing who these people are. “Are just their names good enough for you?”

She nods. “As I said, your name is how people know that you are you.”

I decide to just accept that. “Other than those people, don’t harm anyone unless they try to harm me or my family. Or if they try to steal something.” I pause for a moment, “Or if it’s obvious that I really don’t like them.”

Dee looks at me strangely, then shakes her head.

Funny, almost everyone I know has given me that look.

“It might be a good idea for you to buy an alarm system. That way, you can always know if someone is trying to get inside your home without you knowing it.” Her eyes grow distant as she manipulates what must be blue screens.

A window pops into my vision.

Your (fabulous) guard suggests that you buy: Magical Alarms 3 Gold This alarm system will let you and anyone you designate know if someone is entering your home with nefarious intentions

“And yes, I am fabulous.” She says.

“This will take up the last of my funds.” I say, as I buy it.

She shrugs. “You can pay me with honey. Lots and lots of honey. Also, don’t forget to designate me as someone who hears the alarms.”

I do as she says.

“Good. That should be fine for now.”

****

I tap my pencil against my notebook as I work the problem through in my head. I nod once before writing the answer down.

Dee sighs with boredom. She is staring at me with glassy eyes as I work on my homework.

I look up at her. “If you are that bored, you can watch something on my computer.”

“What is a computer?” She asks, excitement at the prospect of something entertaining her.

A sadistic smile covers my face. Dee shivers when she sees my expression.

I move to my computer and turn it on. “This is youtube on autoplay. Don’t blame me for what you watch.” I sit back in my chair to continue my homework.

Several hours later Dee is looking at me with a haunted expression, “I couldn’t take my eyes away. It’s… it was just horrible. You people let kids watch that?”

“Yeah, unfortunately. Some parents just don’t realize what can be found on the internet.” I answer, not even looking up from my biology textbook.

“Internet?” I open my mouth to answer, but she puts her hand against my lips, stopping me. “Never mind, I don’t want to know.”

The next morning, I wake up to my alarm, while a half asleep Dee shoots up from where she was sleeping on the pillow next to me. “Wh-what is that? Are we under attack?”

I turn the alarm off, stretching as I do so. “No. I just like to torture myself every morning with loud noises.”

Dee looks at me in shock.

I chuckle tiredly at her expression, “I’m kidding. That is how I wake myself up for the things I have to do in the morning.”

My morning goes like any other. Except for a small faerie that is following me around as I interact with my family. Somehow, she is making sure that I am the only one that can see her. My father looks right through her as I serve him breakfast.

Dee waves me off as I start my run to school.

I still haven’t given much thought as to how I will deal with Mr.Monroe, but I am more prepared than I was last time and I can irrationally hope that he won’t be at school today.

I don’t see Rose as I enter the school and she is missing from Mr.Monroe’s classroom. Blake is distracted by his newest girlfriend, so I don’t bother him.

Mr.Monroe swaggers into the classroom, my hands clench, the silk in my gloves somehow preventing my palms from feeling my fingernails.

To my surprise, Mr.Monroe actually starts teaching history to the class. He completely ignores me as his spell lands over the whole classroom, calling their attention.

After class, he simply walks out, not having said a single word to me.

I am actually a little irritated at how much he ignored me. Rude.

I don’t find Rose at lunch either, she isn’t at school today. An irrational worry sprouts in my mind. Did Mr.Monroe do something to her? Could another Beta player have found her?

As school ends, I am about to leave the school for home. But I can’t, something tells me that something isn’t right.

I smile a bloodthirsty smile. If something is wrong, then people are going to pay for it.

I spin around and walk towards the office of the school.

The office lady smiles at me, “Hello Elena, what do you need?”

I grab the psi from my purple chakra, activating [Eye Of Truth]. A strange sensation comes from my forehead as my third eye opens. I stare at the filing cabinet where student’s information is kept.

Rose Demor, Address: 5501 Delmont dr, Woodland

I deactivate my psi and look at the office lady, “Actually, I have everything I need, thanks.”

As I am walking away I pull out my phone, I frown at the distance I have to travel. This is one of those times that I wish my parents had bought me a car instead of clothes for my sixteenth birthday.

Then I see my salvation, Blake is leaning against his car, talking to one of his friends. He looks at me curiously as I walk up to him.

“I need your car, preferably with you driving it.” I glance at Blake’s friend, who blushes as he catches my gaze. What was his name again? Daniel? Dillon? Something starting with a D. Probably.

“Sure, I guess. Just give me a minute.” Blake says, before he turns back to his friend.

I grab Blake’s sleeve. “The sooner, the better. I have a bad feeling.” Blake pauses as he sees my expression.

He nods at me, before turning to his friend, “Sorry Damien.” Hah! I knew it was a D name. “I can’t take you to your cousin’s house.”

Damien glances at me briefly, blushing as he does so. “It’s fine, I can just drive along with you guys and you can take me after.”

I consider arguing, but something tells me that I don’t have the time.

I take front seat and put the address into Blake’s GPS.

Blake and Damien make conversation as we drive, but I am too caught up in whatever this weird feeling is to respond with more than two word sentences.

After twenty minutes, We drive up to a beautiful mansion.

“Something’s wrong.” Damien says what we are all thinking.

The gate to the mansion is laying on one hinge and all of the lights in the house are off.

I pull Sheyla’s book out and send some of my psi into it. I am looking for a something with enough defence to stop bullets.

I open the book to a random page.

Stop Right There: A field is created around you in whatever shape that you desire, this shield will hold things in place that try to pass through it. Warning:This field is easily broken by any other psi user.

Requirements: 40psi/minute

I memorize the spell for a good minute as the boys in the car just stare at me. Then I close the book. “You guys should go to Damien’s Cousin’s house. I will be fine from here.” I unbuckle my seat-belt and open the door to the car.

Blake grabs my hand, “I am not leaving you alone here.”

I close my eyes in thought. When I open them, I nod at him. “Do you have the gun that your father gave you?”

Blake nods back at me before opening the passenger compartment and pulls out a handgun. He looks into my eyes and says “It’s an FNX 45. Semi-Auto” As if I have any idea what that is. He looks back at Damien, “You can take the car, I’ll call you when I need to be picked up. Or I can call an Uber.”

Damien looks unsure for a moment before some resolve enters his eyes. “I’ll stay. My dad used to take me to the shooting range a lot. I won’t be useless.”

My eyebrows raise as Blake smiles and pulls out another gun. “A Kel-Tek PMR-30, for those with weak wrists.” A smile briefly appears on his face as he says that, “The safety is on. Leave it on until we encounter trouble. Even then, leave it on until someone pulls a gun on you. I don’t want you shooting any civilians.”

I look at Blake in surprise. “Two guns? Who keeps two guns in their car?”

Blake shrugs, “It turns out my father is useful for something. I also have a shotgun hidden in the back, if you want it.”

“I’ve never shot a gun in my life and I’m not planning to start now.” I respond. I turn to the mansion. We are a mile away from the road, so no one will hear the gunshots when they go off. I take a deep breath, calming down the anger that is budding in me.

I really hope that I won’t have to kill anyone.