Chapter. 66

My parents owned a shipping company and walked with some powerful people, as this daughter I was dragged along just so they could show me off to all the other cut throats as the one to take other the company. When they were done with me I'd be shoved into glorified closet with the rest of the kids to sit and wait for them to remember I exist. It was just other one of these nights that it happened.

Levi walked into a guest room, once the door was shut she ran her hands through her hair and groaned. "I hate my life, I hate this day, I hate being here, I hate these people, and I hate my parents."

"You too?" Levi noticed she wasn't alone. In the room was another person, a well dressed boy the same age as Levi.

"Hello Rodger. Why do they keep bring us here? It's not like they care about other people's kids, some don't even care about their own."

"It's about keep up appearances. By showing a loving family they look like caring people."

"I hate all these masks, it's so tiring." Levi threw herself onto the bed, rolling over to look at Rodger. "How do you deal with all of this."

Rodger thought for a moment, he took a breath then reach for his bag. "I have a game I play. A fighting game. You fight other people and just go all out to release your frustration."

"What's it called?"

"Brain Burst. Wanna give it a try?"

Levi groaned and sat up. "Sure, I'll give it a spin. Where do I get it?"

"You have to get it directly from another people who has it." Rodger opened his bag and took out a cord. Levi moved her long hair away from her linker to reveal a port. Rodger sat next to Levi and connected his linker with Levi's who saw a download bar appear.

"How long will this take?

"A minute or two."

"If you're giving me a virus I'm straggling you." Levi glared at Rodger who smiled nervously.

The install was complete and Rodger removed the cord. "Alright so-"

The two were interrupted by the sound of a loud crash, glass shattering, and screaming.

"Hide!" Rodger pulled Levi off the bed and onto the floor.

"What's happening?!" Levi pulled back the sheets and crawled under the bed. The door swung open and someone came in. Levi heard Rodger grab something then a loud thud, followed by the invader falling to the ground.

Another person can in then a loud bang with a flash followed by Rodger falling down. The invader who fell stood up and left. Levi didn't move as the noises continued. Levi waited until well after they stopped to crawl out from her hiding place. She rolled Rodger onto his back to see blood pouring out. "Rodger?" Levi's voice was shaky as she spoke. Levi stood up and ran out of the room and into the lobby.

People tried to stop her but Levi slipped through and saw more bodies on the ground, two of them were her parents. Levi ran to her parents, trying to get them to wake up. Her hands being stained in their blood. "Mom? Mom?! Get up! Dad! Dad wake up! Wake up!" Levi kept shouting at them until her arms hurt but they were gone.

And in one night my life was changed, by some thugs looking to make some money by robbing the rich. All my parents had to was give them what they wanted. A few jewels and some expensive junk, but no. My parents had to pay the hero and for what? Some shiny trash. That's what their lives were worth. But that wasn't the end of it. The next change was days after it happened, when I could finally fall asleep.

Levi shot up from her bed in a cold sweat. She took a moment to calm herself then climbed out of bed. Levi stepped into her bathroom, looking into a mirror to she how worn down she was. Turning on her linker she saw massages from managers about what to do with company. Levi reached to shut it off when the everything around Levi broke apart and faded away.

The world was rebuild into one made of ice. Levi looked around then down to herself to see her body was encased in armor and a staff in her right hand. Levi ran out of her home and into the street the whole area looked as if it was made of ice.

Levi heard the sound of ice cracking, turning to the sound Levi saw another person run to her in light blue armor with a flail. The attacker swung its flail and Levi held up her staff, The flail wrapped around Levi's staff and was ripped away from her and slid along the ice.

The attacker swung the flail and struke Levi in the chest, knocking her down. Levi looked up to her attacker only for the last thing she saw was the flail coming towards her.

The world returned to normal, Levi chest and head hurt badly. "What the, what was that?"

And that was my first fight in brain burst. I didn't have anyone to teach me how things are done or what I needed to do. I had to figure it out for myself. First was to know what I had to use. My parents wanted me to learn how to defend myself, I picked to staff. That might be why it came to me in the cyber world. It was after losing four more times I learned what I was meant to do. How to play.

The world changed into one made of stone as Levi was pulled into another battle. Levi glanced down to her staff then took a long breath. The enemy avatar appeared before her. A green avatar armed with a tower shield with spikes in the fronts.

Levi spun her staff then took her fighting stance. the avatar held its shield up and charged towards Levi. Levi sidestepped the shield and swung her staff into the back of the avatar's knees. As the avatar fell Levi raise her staff overhead the struke them in the face to knock them down. On the ground Levi plunged the end of her staff into their neck where the armor was weakest.

...

"It was one fight after another, the only peace I had was when my linker was off. I kept fighting for a while until Corina found me and I joined opal. You know the rest."

Corina nods with a sad expression. "That's... I don't know."

"Exactly." Levi stood up to leave. "I've been alone ever since-" Rebecca tackled Levi into a tight hug. "What are you doing?"

"You're not along. You were never along."

"Let go of me."

Corina come up behind Levi and hugged her as well. "We're here for you. We'll never let you feel this way again."

Levi's arms hung at her sides as the two held on to her. Rebecca and Corina looked up to Levi to find her crying. The two held on to Levi as she cried, after a minute or so Levi took a breath. "I can't believe it's been so long since I cried like that." Rebecca and Corina let go of Levi to let her wipe her eyes. "Thank you, and I'm sorry."

"We're here for you, all of us are. Supporting each other."

"Okay."

! #$%^&*()_+}"?:{