Raine was panic-stricken. It seemed preposterous or even impossible to live in the virtual world. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she knew that this could not be a dream, because her injured shoulder still stung.
While she panicked, the formidable girl strided up to her confidently. She greeted, "Hi, Raine. Long time no see. I remember that we met in this game!"
Raine looked even more bewildered now. "Who are you?"
Someone in the crowd made a finger gun and mimicked, "Identify yourself. Who are you?" Talia shot them a glare and shook her head, before she discerned Raine's expression.
Frightened by Talia's crimson irises that seemed to stare into her soul, Raine looked down at her feet, causing her to accidentally reveal her shoulder injury.
Talia's eyes grew wide at that and shook Raine hard, "When did you get bit?!"
"I didn't get bit!" sputtered Raine, while being shaken out of her wits.
While the two had a rowdy introduction, a guy in the bell tower loomed into view. He pulled at his red, varsity jacket for more warmth when another fall breeze seeped into him. He exhaled and watched his breath condense in the cold air. Brushing his caramel bangs aside allowed him to see the group below. Ah, and there she was— that girl who had caught sight of him. She had caught sight of him during her frenzy, but he had loomed out of view, knowing that scouts were supposed to stay out of sight.
His head was spinning with so many emotions as usual, but instead of the usual collapsing on a soft surface, he could only feel slightly nauseous. The fresh air always helped clear his mind, which was why he was always outside. He was happy that his older brother got to see the same when he met Candi.
Devin sat down on a barrel and massaged his head. Talia almost had to discharge him from the scout position today, because she could see that there were dark bags under his eyes. She was right that they were caused by sleep deprivation, but Devin had lied that it was because he had bumped into something, while trying to get a drink during the night. Talia had pursed her lips dubiously, but gave him the benefit of the doubt.
Devin knew that for the safety of his team, he had to clear his mind, but how could he? Before he had even toppled into the virtual world, he was often kept awake at night by unsettled feelings. His older brother, Tai, sometimes did the same after his long hours of study, but would always manage to drift off to sleep faster with an exhausted brain.
Devin got back onto his feet. Again, he put aside his emotions, as if they were a secondary matter. Shaking his head, he quickly scanned the fields beneath him for any sign of danger. Seeing none, he peered at the crew to see what they were up to now.
Raine made a nod to Talia, so Devin assumed that it must've been about borrowing some weapons, since Raine had handed Talia a few more sheathed weapons afterward. Then, Talia finally introduced the new girls to the rest of the group. Despite their dire situation, they had charged down the hill.
The two new girls, Fern and Raine, were alarmed by this tumult. The second that Raine heard a familiar voice, she rushed to it and hugged her cousin. Her cousin, Melody, saw that Raine was tearing up during their hug and returned a tight squeeze. Melody thought that it was because of Raine being so happy to see her, which was half-right, but she still wasn't aware of Raine's fear of strangers.
Fern took the new crowd expertly after she regained her composure. Her experience in customer service paid off here. Introductions were being shouted over one another, but Fern was able to apprehend most of them.
"Wow, her hair looks so yummy!" chirped a pink-haired girl with pigtails.
"Ew. Why would you say that, Candi?!" replied Marie brashfully. Marie was the one with the ornate, auburn hair that Raine had admired earlier. Marie was said to be as mischievous as her beauty. She had laughed each time someone new fell out of the sky.
Oblivious to Marie's audacity, Candi whimpered, "Now my own name makes me hungry."
Fern put a hand on Candi's shoulder and smiled, "I can always get you an ice cream someday, since I work at an ice cream parlor." Candi's eyes lit up at that. She loved how Fern was dressed, especially with that pointy, ice cream cone as a hat.
While Candi was bombarding Fern with questions, a shadow-like girl was silently jogging down the hill and biting her lip. Alongside her was her fleet friend, who cartwheeled her way down.
Melody wrapped an arm around Raine and guided her towards the crowd. Raine's feet dragged across the grass, before she shuffled onto both feet. Her uneven gait caught Devin's attention. One leg paced well, while the other shook violently and lurched. Melody lowered Raine into a sitting position, before she completed the group circle that Talia had organized.
Standing at the center, Talia announced, "We will be doing a get-to-know-you activity."
"Alright!" interjected Marie.
Talia shot her a look of disdain for interrupting her, before she continued, "Most of you may know the Ball-Toss Name Game. Let's add a twist to it though. When you get the ball, you get to ask everyone a question. Once everyone finishes answering, pick someone, say their name, and toss the ball to them. Is that clear?"
"Clear!" replied most of them at an uneven interval.
"We'll work on that," mumbled Talia. The way that Talia strided around the ring made Raine feel like this was more of an inspection than a game. Talia picked up a volleyball and chucked it, "Marie!"
"Yes!" hooted Marie, "How did you all get here?"
Talia murmured, "Um, we were born?"
"No, not that!" responded Marie, while everyone else laughed, "I mean how did you land here in this game? I was feeding the chickens when my seed bucket seemed to feel bottomless. When I looked inside, this big void grew and sucked me into it! I've known that aliens have always existed!"
"Okay, that's enough," directed Talia, but everyone else was already answering the question fluidly.
"I fell into the ice storage bin," replied Fern.
"Cartwheeling off the gymnastics beam," smiled Eve.
"School," whispered Cyndi.
"Um… guitar-smashing. I knew it was bad luck!" fretted Melody, tugging at her leather jacket.
"Walking into the closet, while texting Tai," giggled Candi, "What about you, Talia?"
Raine exhaled in relief, thinking that she would've been next, if it weren't for Candi's redirection.
Talia crossed her arms, "That's classified."
"What?" muttered the disappointed participants.
"I said that's classified!" commanded Talia, "Moving on!"
Marie said Candi's name and passed the ball to her, before Candi asked the same question to Talia again. Annoyed, Talia scooped the ball out of Candi's hands and gave it to Raine. "I don't think that we have enough time for all of us today, so we should let the new kids get a chance today."
Raine had a feeling that Talia was just trying to avoid prying inquisitors, but happily accepted her turn for once. "I have a question," she said, "For him!" She pivoted and tossed the ball as high as she could, hoping that it would reach that mysterious guy up there. To her dismay, it did not make it into the bell chamber. The volleyball ended up sliding down the wall and hit a hidden lever.