CHAPTER FOUR

Bonnie's world spun, sending her to her knees and her stomach contents spilling from her mouth the instant her boots touched down on solid ground.

"Bring back, bring back, Oh bring back my Bonnie to me, to me," Kai sang in mock triumph while watching her double over and retch alongside the reinforced entryway. He stopped singing as he stood and walked over to her. Bonnie had been stuck in teleportation mode for over five minutes, providing him with time to check his mail and to dispose of random items before her arrival. Other players came and went, walking past her, through her and around her as if they were ghosts, as if she hadn't vomited a lung and left it on the ground for all to see. Bonnie barely noticed them. When she calmed she crawled away from the gateway—afraid she'd get pulled back into it—and hoisted herself up with the help of an adjacent marker. She took a seat on the flat top of the post, her elbows rested upon her parted thighs, her eyes closed as she waited for her overwhelming disorientation to pass.

"Want to try another piece of watermelon?" Kai asked upon his approach, crouching beside her, examining her for any exterior damage.

"No," she said and swallowed, fighting back the bile threatening to rise into her throat a second time.

"It has healing properties," he mused with unpretentious consideration.

Bonnie wearily thought it over, wrestling with the idea of the foul taste and then extended a hand. He went quiet, his hand upturned, his eyes fixed upon his palm. A fresh piece of watermelon appeared.

"Maybe it'll taste better if you pretend that it does," he said, unsuccessfully trying to break it in half. He placed the whole thing in her hand. Bonnie raised her head and opened her eyes. For an instant, she turned green, her nostrils flaring, clammy sweat breaking out across her forehead.

"Perhaps the potion would be better," he said, concentrating on conjuring one of the healing remedies. By the time he made to give the stowed bottle to her, Bonnie was already munching on the watermelon. He watched her devour the fruit like an animal starved. When Bonnie finished, she stared right at him, her eyes zeroing in on his face as if she were trying to get herself to focus. She looked better, heathier even.

"I'm never fucking doing that again," she stated.

Kai screwed off the top of the potion he was holding, extending it toward her to drink.

"Never say never."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that if you want to do quests and earn experience, then you'll have to—"

"No," Bonnie said cutting him off before he could finish his sentence. She didn't want to hear it.

"It's the only—"

"I'm not doing it," she snapped a second time, pushing off the hard edge of the wooden post.

"I didn't make the game."

"Maybe not, but you're the one that drew us here."

Kai refused to take the bait and blame, replacing the cork on the bottle, slipping it back into his inventory with a look of practiced dismissal. He straightened up and moved to stand behind her while she studied the empty stalls lining the main road, along with a handful of embellished homes he knew they wouldn't be able to enter and aimlessly placed crates stacked upon one another. Boxes that were literally there for show – gap fillers.

"Where are we?" she asked and looked back over her shoulder, ignoring the people crowded around the mailbox situated under a tree and dead center in front of the gate.

"Protectors Enclave."

That piece of information meant nothing to Bonnie and her lack of response said as much.

"Let's go find Knox," Kai suggested before she could ask him another question, gesturing she follow as he led her toward the houses and for the lengthy staircase that ran down the middle of them.

"Who?"

"Our commander."

"Our what—who now?"

"The guy that spits out the first quest. He has a few odds and sods for you—"

"Hell no," Bonnie said, drawing to a stop in the middle of the stairs she was climbing.

"What?"

"I'm not doing it."

"I thought we'd already established we'd kill time—"

"And did you miss the part where that black hole nearly killed me?"

"You're new here, the first time you teleport into a new location it always takes a little while."

Bonnie stared at him as if he'd grown a second head, her arms folding across her chest to represent her defiance before she whirled around and sat down. Kai read her aim immediately and sighed, sitting down behind her, his eyes fixing themselves on the back of her head. She looked tense.

"Maybe it's like Jumanji," Kai said after a few minutes silence. Bonnie looked back, her eyes gleaming considerately before becoming burdened with a hint of tacit fear. "And we have to play our way out."

"Is this your way of trying to make me feel better about our situation?"

"Is it working?" he asked, arching a brow for emphasis. Bonnie faced forward again, regarding the surface she was sitting on, her hand brushing it to check for dirt. The place looked real enough, did that mean the danger was too? That if for some reason they were killed in battle they'd die? They had survived zombies in that graveyard but who else knew what she was expected to fight from here?

"Okay, I admit it, my comforting skills could use some work."

"A lot of work," Bonnie mumbled as a means of correcting him, wiping her dirtied hands on her pants. He chuckled and slid down a step, reaching out to take a hold of her shoulders, sitting directly behind her. Bonnie stiffened in response, his dexterous fingers steadily working the tension from her achy muscles.

"Better?" he asked once she'd given into his careful influence and began to lean back into him, relaxing into the space he'd provided between his legs.

"It's a start," she responded, offering him a small smile of unstated appreciation. She wasn't big on fueling his ego but when she did, it was earnest, meaningful and indiscreet.

They stayed that way for a while.

"Okay," he drawled once his hands started cramping, confident she'd had enough time to digest their dispute. "We should get moving."

"But—"

"You want to sit here all day?"

Bonnie peered up at him from beneath long lashes, looking deceptively innocent and far too attractive.

"Because I don't mind, but then I'd rather we do something equally satisfying for the both of us." He thrust against her back lightly, giving her a not-so-delicate hint.

"Can you think of nothing else?!" Bonnie protested as she jumped to her feet, sidestepping a disaster as she turned to face him, saving herself from falling down the stairs headfirst.

"I'm a stuck in a virtual la la land with a beautiful woman and no obvious way out. Can you think of a better distraction to pass the time?" Kai answered.

Bonnie restrained a groan as she turned to face him, overlooking the slight tinge of color that warmed her cheeks and dove lower to take hold of more intimate areas.

"I can actually—" she said, imagining the two of them upon the stairs, their bodies writhing together, a fantasy that came to an abrupt halt when she remembered he'd been with someone else less than an hour ago. Or was it two? "—Me, my bed… away from you."

Kai looked interested, as if he didn't believe that for a second and saw her inner turmoil. "Are you aware that you have a tendency of lashing out when you're frightened?"

"What?" Bonnie asked in a confused murmur. "I—I'm not scared of you."

"Its natural instinct when animals or humans alike feel cornered—"

"I don't need to the chemistry lesson. I know enough about—"

"But do you know that you only do it with me. That you used to do it with Damon."

"What are you talking—"

"I'm referring to your avoidance tactics, Bennett."

"I'm not—"

Kai's lips twitched, curving into a wide smile as if to say 'you're only proving my point'.

"You're afraid to admit that you want me, that there is something between us and that you're ready to fu—"

"Can we not talk about this?" Bonnie interjected cuttingly. "Or Damon and your wild fantasies?" Bonnie stomped past him, making her way up the stairs and into the alley, taking it slow. She had no idea where to go.

"I wasn't talking about Damon," Kai said once he caught up, remaining a relaxed step behind her. "I was talking about us, about you avoiding the topic of sex in relation to the two of us—"

Bonnie whirled around, staring at him, her eyes blazing. "There is no relationship or sex to speak of."

"Nor do we appear to know how to have a decent conversation. Doesn't stop us from trying, does it?"

Bonnie turned away from him for the umpteenth time, putting an end to their conversation while she acquainted herself with the quaint side street. He took her hand before she could walk past the two lengthy staircases they needed to climb and kept a hold on her. When they reached the top of the stairs, he let go of her, speeding past non-playable characters and actual clusters of online consumers gathered around an altar, heading toward a small quantity of stalls on the far right of the castle. When she caught up to him, Kai was already immersed in a discussion with their burly commander, a character that reminded her of Samuel L. Jackson's version of Captain Fury – eyepatch included. He drew her in like a moth to flame, looking far more advanced than the figure she'd come across in that swamp place. A thick mist befell her eyes the closer she got, words hazily appearing before her. She couldn't make them out.

"Can I help you, Lady Bennett?" For an instant she was shocked at being addressed by her surname, heaved from her foggy trance as she abruptly took a step back.

"You can talk," she alleged with some reverence, receiving no response from older man, her eyes once more locking on his fashioned features. He looked pleasant enough, welcome even. She took a step forward again and reached out to touch him, the fog washing in on her, drawing her in, permitting sentences to appear in front of her in magical speech bubbles.

"Can I help you, Lady Bennett?" he repeated in a heartfelt baritone. She wasn't fooled any longer, her attention focused on the words and their monotonous stories. She checked and accepted each message as they came up, springing from their mechanical conversation five minutes later.

"What took you so long?" Kai asked as she took a step back from the man, trying to figure out where to go.

"I—I had to listen, read—"

"Don't bother next time," Kai advised. "I know my way around, if we take the same quests… it'll be easy-"

"I like to know what I'm getting myself into," Bonnie said, referencing both their relationship and current predicament. Kai knew that, could sense it in her stinging tone and smiled.

"It'll be easier and far faster if you just trust me. Live a little."

"Trust is earned."

Kai couldn't argue that and wouldn't, he knew they were beyond that. He rose a hand, gesturing for her to lead the way. Bonnie fell silent, reaching into her bag for the map, unaware of how to conjure things from the air like he'd been doing time and time again. She strolled forward, walking through stalls, down stairs and toward the market place on the opposite side of the map, making sure they opened up everything. He followed her without a word, refusing to cave, waiting for her to come to him. That was the only way this was going to work. When they circled into a dead end for the third time she seemed frustrated.

"Ready to trust me yet?" Kai asked once she staggered down the stairs tiredly, turned around three times and stared at the drains bars. Bonnie threatened to rip her map in two, her eyes darting toward him defiantly.

"No."

"We've been down here already. Twice."

"I know that."

"Then what are we doing here?"

"I like the view," she snapped, focusing on her map again, appearing in deep concentration mode.

"Sure you do," he muttered, reaching into his bag to pull out a beer and to munch on another piece of watermelon. They'd been walking for quite some time, running at others and he'd worked up a sweat.

"Fine," Bonnie said after a minute of silence. "I give."

Kai said nothing for the first few seconds, watching the empty bottle disappear into thin air, busying himself with sliding his bag back into place on his back. He turned around, walking away from her without a word, knowing she'd follow. He didn't walk far either, stopping short of an alley that looked like the exact replica of the one she'd just been in.

"What is this?" she asked as he came to stop in front of a similar looking drain, a 'your party members are waiting for you' message flashing up overhead annoyingly.

"Where we need to be."

"You knew this was here?" Bonnie asked.

"Of course I did—"

"Then why didn't you tell me."

"Because you didn't want my help—"

"I—"

"Can we go?" Kai said, cutting short whatever explanation or blame she wanted to cook up. Bonnie started toward him, gasping as the messaging disappeared and was replaced by the sheen of light. She backed away, seeing the message appear overhead again. "We have to travel."

"What if I—what if…"

"There is nothing we can do about this, not in the beginning. It'll get better the more places you visit, for now, just know I'll be on the other side to catch you."

Bonnie stared at him long and hard. She might give him grief, might allow her jealous to flare beyond unspeakable measures, but she never—not even for a second—doubted that he'd be there for her. He had been, even when she'd been doing her best to push him away in the past.

"Come on," he said, his lips twitching into a provocative smirk. "I know we could both use some action."

Bonnie stepped forward, refraining from taking his hand as she did before but stood close, closing her eyes as the ring fell back into place and the short count down began.

By the time she appeared on the other side and inside the sewer, he'd already slain of the creatures, collected some eggs and was busy tending to a wound. Bonnie wrenched, digging around in her bag for some watermelon, stuffing her face as she had done before and waited. It didn't take long for the nausea to subside.

"What happened?" she asked, straining to see him in the poor light.

"I got overzealous with the slashing and stepped into a spikey booby-trap. It happens. I'll heal." Or at least he hoped so. He couldn't be sure.

"Let me take a look—"

"No," Kai said, drawing back from her, flashing her a smile to cushion the blow. "Let's just get this over and done with so we can move onto the next task. I'm bored."

"Are you kidding me?" Bonnie asked, watching as he pulled out a sizeable weapon and started deeper into the dingy corridor.

They fought side by side, falling into an easy cadence of destroying their foes, at least once Bonnie had gotten over the horror of killing a barrage of walking-talking rats. She struggled a bit with the boss, a louse that was three times their size and had taken a large chuck out of the both of them. The boss hadn't been an easy kill, not with a first timer at Kai's side and without his usual modes, but it had been fun. Bonnie stood close by as Kai rifled through the treasure chest, awaiting her turn and looking dumbstruck.

"That was amazing," she said at least, excitement written all over her face. "Did you see what I was able to do, the power—I… I didn't even get a nosebleed." There was something unexplainably liberating about that. Kai smiled again, pulling free his treasures, making space for her to take his place. She did, falling into step, looting within seconds.

"Oh! Something new—" She proclaimed happily, rifling through her bag, pulling free the new armor she'd collected. She stripped without a care, replacing both her pants and top, exchanging her ruddy weapons for better and iron with a bit more damage. "Now what?"

He stepped up to the exit, the party message appearing onscreen, making her stomach drop. "It'll be easier this time."

She raised her bag off the floor, popping a piece of watermelon into her mouth in preparation of getting stuck and joined him at the door. The two disappearing into blackness seconds later.