An Old Friend
Chapter 1—Kris Turner
Phil and Keely were sitting in Phil's bedroom studying for tomorrow's history exam on the U.S.' war on Japan during WWII.
"Are you sure they don't cover this in the future?" Keely was surprised that Phil didn't know much about the subject. "This is just a review for me."
"School is very different in the future. We don't have a grade level system. We don't even go to a building with other students. Everything we learn is taught to us using a virtual education device, or VED."
"What's that?"
"Basically it's like a futuristic form of educational television. There are even commercials."
"Bummer, Phil. You must not have had very many friends if you didn't meet any at school."
Sadness filled Phil's eyes. "I did have one really close friend, but—."
"But what, Phil? What is it?"
Phil sighed. "Her name is Kris Turner. We were best friends since we were five years old. When we were eight, I was playing around with the magnetic suction gloves. The magnet picked up on a rocket car flying about 100 ft overhead and it pulled me up into the air. I was about 50 ft up when I got the gloves off. I fell right on top of Kris and plowed her into the ground. I managed to get by with only a few broken bones, but Kris wasn't so lucky. She went into a dangerous coma. The doctor's said many of her organs were damaged beyond repair. She needed several transplants, but she was on the bottom of the list. They tried using artificial organs, but her body rejected them. She ended up in large contraption that uses virtual organs on her body as long as she remains inside. When I left the future, she was still comatose inside that machine. Her parents died two years after the incident from a rocket car accident. Not a day goes by that I don't wish I hadn't been playing around that day." Tears trickled down Phil's cheeks.
"Phil, I'm so sorry. I had no idea." Keely hugged Phil tightly to comfort him.
Phil got off the bed and walked over to his dresser. He opened the second drawer and pulled out a lead box. He opened it up and pulled out a ring. "Kris has one just like it. Whenever we're near each other, our rings will glow blue. They get brighter the closer we are. It's black now because for one I'm not wearing it and two, she doesn't exist yet." Phil placed the ring on his right ring finger. "See, nothing happened."
Keely's eyes widened. "Phil, it's glowing blue."
"It can't be." Phil looked down at his finger. Indeed, the ring was glowing. It was getting brighter by the second.
Then Keely and Phil heard a knock on Phil's window. Phil pushed the window up and saw a shockingly familiar face. "Kris?"