The only place Elsa liked more than her room was Litwak's Arcade. It wasn't that far of a walk from her home, and it was one of those older arcades where a few quarters could still go a long way. The local mall had an arcade too, but it was too new and speak. There were no games older than seven years old there, and the prices were about as high as the clothing stores next to it. What made it worse was all the people there, everywhere from screaming little kids to adults who couldn't shut up about the game that they were currently playing.
Litwak's wasn't quiet, but it wasn't loud either. It got good business, and Elsa knew not to come when it was really busy.
She had memorized the arcade; so much so that she could have given someone a tour of the place. All the games were good. The claw machines weren't actually rigged, so Elsa could bring her little sister home a brand new stuffed animal. Those teddy bears would have been won with nothing but pocket change.
The retro games were cool. Elsa had played them for a while, and had mastered how to beat a number of levels without losing a single life. Her thumbs and wrists would ache by the end of it, but her pockets would still be filled with quarters?
The best game, however, was Hero's Duty. The newest game at Litwak's, it cost two dollars to play. Elsa had at first ignored the game, favoring ones that costed a little less. However, curiosity had gotten the best of her one day. After a long evening of gaming, she had almost been ready to go home.
Something had called her over to the game. Maybe it was because she didn't have anything at home to do, or maybe because it was a Friday night and her parents wouldn't care if she was home a little late. Whatever it was, she had found herself inserting eight quarters (and hearing eight heavy clinks as she dropped them down into the game), and then clicking the bright red start button.
The intro had been pretty average for a science fiction game. Part of her wondered why she didn't just leave, but the other part of her wanted to put her money to good use.
That part (quite luckily) won out.
The game started, showing a blond woman in body armor. Her eyes were ice cold, giving an intense stare that made Elsa freeze up for a moment. Looking back, it was a bit ridiculous, but it had seemed like the woman was staring straight at her. It was impossible to look away from her; she was both sharp and intimidating, yet beautiful and reserved.
The game had started, and she had shot at the enemy Cy Bugs on screen. They were ugly things, but easy to shoot at. Every pixelated bullet brought her one step closer to winning.
However, just as she was about to reach the Cy Bugs' base, she had lost. She nearly threw her plastic gun in anger, but calmed herself. She almost considered dropping in two more quarters, but stopped herself. The "Continue? Insert Two Coins" screen had stayed on for a few more moments, and then vanished.
The game had remained in her mind. On her next visit, she felt her heart drop when she saw another girl playing.
But I want it, she thought.
The other games had been fun as usual, but hadn't captured her full attention like they usually did.
Once she saw Hero's Duty was empty again, she rushed over and played it again. Like the last time, she lost.
It was a repeating cycle, one that Elsa couldn't be sure would ever end. She kept losing, but returned anyway to play more. Never did she skip the introduction or instructions; Elsa kept her eyes pressed on Tamora whenever she appeared in a cut scene.
Some would think she just wanted to win.
Elsa couldn't be sure that she wanted a digital gold metal or her initials on the high score page. She came back for the Sargeant; one day, she knew that Tamora would look straight ahead at the screen once more. She would freeze Elsa in place and send goosebumps running up her arms.
That feeling was worth every single quarter Elsa spent.