Gamer Girl (6 page)

If only Mom
would forgive Dad for whatever it was he did and get back together
with him. We could move back to our old neighborhood. I could return
to my old school and be with my friends again.

Yeah, right. So
not going to happen. Needed to give up on that fantasy, pronto.

After indulging
in a few more moments of self-pity, I glanced over at my computer and
then at my clock radio by my bed. It was nearly five o'clock. I was
supposed to meet Dad in the Elf Tree Cafe. Maybe I'd tell him what
happened. After all, he was usually a lot more sympathetic than Mom.
Maybe if I asked him really nicely he'd figure out a way to pay for
me to re-enroll in my old private school.

So I logged on
to Fields of Fantasy and selected my character. Allora smiled
gleefully, as if she were happy to see me. At least someone was. Too
bad that someone didn't really exist.

I gritted my
teeth, determined not to let my frustration ruin the game, and
sauntered off to the Elf Tree Cafe. The thatch-roofed bar was cozy
and quaint, with wooden benches

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and tables
scattered about, bearskin rugs covering the dirt floor, and a roaring
fire blazing in a stone hearth. I sat Allora down by the fire and, on
a whim, ordered her a mug of beer from one of the big-breasted
computerized bartenders, hoping Dad didn't choose that moment to walk
in. Though in my defense, the drinking age for elves may very well be
different from that of Americans. And the bartender
did
serve
her without asking for an ID.

I scanned the
virtual bar for some sign of my father, but he was nowhere to be
seen. Getting impatient, I typed in an instant message to
RockStarBob. Maybe he was running late, having had to swing by a
troubled village to slay a dragon or something. But my message came
back as undeliverable. He wasn't online.

I glanced at my
watch. Ten past five. Maybe he got stuck at work. I'd hang out a
little longer.

By five-thirty
I was about ready to give up. RockStarBob had still not logged on.
This was great. My own dad standing me up. Just the ending I needed
to my already crappy day. It figured. It just figured.

I started to
log out of the game, but then reconsidered. He wasn't going to show
up? That didn't mean I shouldn't play. Maybe I'd gain a few levels
while I was waiting for him. Then when he did get home, he'd be all
impressed by my progress. Besides, what else did I have to do while
stuck here in my room waiting for Mom to calm down?

So I guided my
character out of the bar and through the town until she reached its
gates. A burly computerized guard

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standing watch
warned Allora that she was not yet powerful enough to venture out
into the world on her own, but I ignored him. Probably just a scare
tactic to get rid of the noobs. Allora knew three spells. She was a
tough girl. She could handle herself.
Roar!

Argh! Not three
seconds after she'd left the safety of the town, three wolves jumped
my poor elf, viciously attacking her, shredding her gown, snapping at
her legs. I clicked on her spell book, trying to get off a fire spell
to stop them, but they kept interrupting her cast with their snarly,
angry bites.

She fell to the
ground with a high-pitched scream. Dead.

Luckily since
this was just a video game and not real life, her death was only a
temporary problem. A moment later, Allora showed up at the town's
graveyard, looking all ghostlike. All I had to do, the instructions
stated, was run her back to her body and then click a button to
resurrect. She'd be as good as new--no big deal.

I did as I was
told and sure enough, my pretty elf had soon successfully risen from
the dead, just a few feet away from the spot she'd been killed.
Problem was, before she could even get her bearings, those nasty,
horrible wolves jumped her again, and before I knew it, she was back
in the graveyard as a ghost.

I slammed my
fist against my desk in frustration, running my hands through my
hair. People played this stupid game for fun? It was almost as
stressful as school. And a lot more annoying. I tried my dad one more
time, praying he'd signed

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on and could
give me some help. After all, he was a higher level--the wolves would
pose him no threat, right?

He was still
off-line. At five forty-five. I hoped he wasn't in some kind of awful
car accident or something. But no, that was stupid. He probably just
forgot. Forgot about his promise to me, forgot about me in general. I
sighed.

Deciding to
give it one last try, I ran back from the graveyard and hit
Resurrect. Sure enough, the wolves pounced on me. It was as if they'd
just been hanging out, all rabid, drooling, waiting for some juicy
elfin flesh to rise from the dead so they could devour her all over
again.

Just as I was
about to give up and die again, one of the wolves uttered a piercing
howl of pain and dropped dead at Allora's feet. The other followed a
moment later. My mouth dropped open in surprise. Had I done that
somehow? Did Allora have some secret power I didn't know about? The
power to--?

[SirLeo]
Don't worry. I got 'em.

I stared at the
screen. Some random player, whose name I didn't recognize, had just
instant messaged me. Was he the one who killed the wolves? I moved
the game's camera position around with my mouse so I could take a
look. Sure enough, "Sir Leo" stood nearby, lounging against
a tree. He was a valiant-looking elfin knight with shoulder-length
white hair, blue eyes, and a large sword strapped to his back. Yum.
He totally looked just like Legolas.

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I realized I
should instant message him back and thank him for saving my life.

[Allora]
Thanks! They were killing me over and over again!

[SirLeo]
LOL. Ibet. They're level five. You're level one. Not exactly a fair
fight.

[Allora]
Yeah. I guess not!

[SirLeo]
You shouldn't even be out here in this area at your level. Didn'tthe
guards warn you?

[Allora]
Er, they might have. But 1 kind of ignored them.

[SirLeo]
Heh. Well, that explains it then. First day playing FoF?

[Allora]
Yeah. That obvious, huh?

[SirLeo]
It's okay. You're just lucky I was around to save you.

[Allora]
Totally. Thank you so much.

I smiled at the
screen, even though he obviously couldn't see my real-life reaction.
I was lucky indeed. Lucky to run into such a nice guy. After all, he
could have just run off, left me to the wolves. But he stopped to
help. Game people sure were nicer than real-life people. At least
this guy was.

[SirLeo]
So do you want me to show you where you should go? Where the mobs are
a bit more your level?

[Allora]
Er, mobs?

Sir Leo
laughs.

[SirLeo]
You really are a noob, huh? Mobs are like monsters.

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You get quests
from the townspeople to fight them and earn experience and treasure.

[Allora]
Ah. Cool. Sorry. My dad got me this game and he said he'd show me how
to play, but I don't know where he is. He was supposed to sign on
like an hour ago.

[SirLeo]
Typical dad, huh? Well, I can show you, if you want. This way when he
logs in you'll already be totally 1337.

[Allora]
1337?

[SirLeo]
Er, like, leet. Short for elite. LOL. Sorry. I'll try to take it easy
on you since it's your first day. But don't worry. You'll be a gamer
girl in no time.

[Allora]
He-he, ty. I appreciate that.

A gamer girl. I
liked the sound of that. I also liked chatting with Sir Leo. It was
as if I'd just met a new friend. Something I hadn't managed to do in
nearly a month of attending Hannah Dustin, I might add. So glad Dad
got me the game for my birthday.

[SirLeo]
One rule, though.

[Allora]
?

[SirLeo]
Don't think this is dorky, but if we're going to adventure together,
we've got to role-play.

[Allora]...
Role-play?

[SirLeo]
Yea, like, keep in character. Like, you're actually Allora. You need
to give her a personality--what she's like, where she comes from, why
she's decided to go adventuring, etc.

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[Allora]
Oh-kay.

[SirLeo]
Hmm. You think I'm a total geek, don't you? ROFL.

[Allora]
No! No, not at all. I think it's a kewl idea, actually.

Sir Leo
smiles.

[SirLeo]
Okay then, let's give it a try.

SirLeo bows.

[SirLeo]
Good evening, young maiden. I fear you may be lost in these here
woods? Art thou in need of my assistance, mayhap?

[Allora]
Aye, good and noble knight. I am fair happy to make your
acquaintance. These wolves have gotten the better of me fair self, I
fear.

Sir Leo
laughs.

[SirLeo]
(Not bad, not bad! You've got the hang of it already.)

[Allora]
Hang of what, oh, good noble sir?

[SirLeo]
(LOL. You're good! But it's okay to talk out of character if you use
parentheses like this. Then I'll know it's you in real life saying
something and not your elf.)

[Allora]
(Ah, good to know.)

Sir Leo
smiles.

[SirLeo]
M'lady, art thou new around these yonder parts?

[Allora]
Aye, good sir. I am a simple elf orphan whose parents were tragically
killed when our town was attacked by wolves. And now I seek nothing
in life but to avenge their deaths!

[SirLeo]
I see. Well, m'lady, I am a brave and noble elfin knight, sent to
this land to claim it for my king. And of

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course save all
the pretty young elf girls who might need

rescuing.

Allora
blushes.

[SirLeo]
(Um, by the way, you're really a girl, right? I mean, in real life?)

[Allora]
(Heh. May-be. I guess you can't tell, huh?)

[SirLeo]
(Nope. Online you can be anyone.)

[Allora]
(LOL. Well, yes, I'm really a girl. Are you really a boy?)

[SirLeo]
(Yup.)

[Allora]
(You're not like ... old ... are you?)

[SirLeo]
(Ha-ha. No, I'm sixteen. You?)

[Allora]
(Ooh. I'm sixteen, too. Actually I just turned sixteen yesterday.)

[SirLeo]
(Really? Happy birthday!!!!!)

[Allora]
(He-he, thank you!)

It was so easy
to talk to him. Maybe it was the online thing. In real life I was so
shy--always worrying that people would judge me when I opened my
mouth. But here I could be anyone. Act any way I wanted to. After
all, I'd never meet Sir Leo in real life. He probably lived across
the country--maybe even across the world.

We chatted a
bit more and then I had Allora follow him over to the beginner area,
where the monsters were more my level. At first I assumed he'd leave
me there and go off to do his own thing, but instead he stayed. And
with his help, I was able to gain three levels within fifteen
minutes.

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"Maddy,
I've been calling you for the last ten minutes! What are you doing in
there?"

My mom's voice
startled me out of the game. I'd been having so much fun with my new
friend online that I'd effectively shut out the real world. But now I
heard her footsteps padding up the stairs. Great.

"Nothing,
Mom," I answered, crossing my fingers she wouldn't barge in.

But it took a
lot more magic than mere finger-crossing to keep the momster out. A
moment later she was pushing open the bedroom door--Grandma refused
to let me get a lock for it!--and staring disapprovingly at my
computer.

"Don't you
have homework you should be doing?" she asked. "I don't
want you up here playing that . . . game." I caught her taking a
quick peek at the screen, probably wondering if I was talking to Dad
online. Not that she needed to worry about that. He still hadn't
signed on.

"No, I did
my homework in detention, Mom."

"Detention.
Right." Mom sighed. "Turn off the computer. We've got to
have a little talk."

I glanced
helplessly back at the screen where Sir Leo had just attacked a pack
of wolves, not realizing I'd turned away from the computer to talk to
Mom. His life was low and he was calling out for me to help him.

"Hang on,
Mom. I have to ..." I turned to the keyboard to finish the
fight. I'd save him and then say good-bye. Maybe we could meet later
to play more after I got through with Mom.

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But before I
could launch my fireball spell, my computer screen turned black. "Wha
. . . ?" I cried, confused. Then I realized my mom had walked
over and hit the computer's Off switch and was currently standing
above me with a self-satisfied look on her face. "Mom! I was
right in the middle of-"

"When I
say turn off the computer, I mean turn off the computer, not continue
to play your game," she admonished, walking over to take a seat
on my bed.

"But I was
helping my friend!" My stomach churned in panic as I stared at
the blank screen. This was terrible. Sir Leo had been so nice to me
and I'd just up and disappeared without even saying good-bye. The
wolves probably killed him and it was all my fault. Great. Now he was
never going to want to play with me again. Not that I blamed him.
"Can I just log back in and tell him--?"

"No. I
came up here to talk to you and I need your full attention," Mom
said. "If you're going to become this addicted to the game, I'll
take it away altogether."