[Times UP, exiting the virtual world.]
Just as Dave was about to enjoy himself, he was abruptly forced out. The class was over, and everyone was rising from their meditative postures. Scott and Yasmine were chatting about something, their laughter drawing attention. Watching them, Dave thought, They'd make a better couple... sigh. Shaking his head, he headed toward class. It would be a lie to say he didn't have feelings for Yasmine, but was he in any position to love someone? So, what does one do? Just let it be…
But nothing really changed. Yasmine talked the same way she used to. Dave sighed in relief.
Scott and Yasmine both had elemental affinity, prospected to be two of the best in the entire nation or even the world. So, it was only natural for them to maintain good relationship with each other. But good relation developing into something more would be natural, right?
Or was it Yasmine being too dense to feelings around her, or she was just enjoying the attention without committing to anything, only she knew. Could a kid in her 10 have such complicated thoughts?
That day, Henry asked for extra $10 from Dave, to which he readily agreed. He swiftly took the money and gave it to him.
Roger returned home. Everyone got so used to peace these three days that they had forgotten about the source of instability who had yet to return.
Everyone wanted to forget about him, run from their problems. You know when your life gets better for it to only go back to its worst day, that was the feeling Dave had when he saw Roge again.
Roger said nothing as he walked in, his eyes briefly meeting Dave's trembling form before heading to his room—the same room he had destroyed just days ago.
Lila had cleaned it, painted the walls, and replaced the furniture, stepping into the unfamiliar setting, Roger felt suffocated. Home had always been uneasy for him, and after the recent incident, the feeling had only grown worse. Who was at fault? he wondered. He didn't want to think about this issue. Hah!! Doesn't matter. I build this house and bought everything here. No one has the right to point fingers at me. Everything here is mine.
Thinking it through, eased him and soon he drifted to sleep.
Outside Roger's room, an uneasy silence hung in the air. Dave and Lila stood staring at the closed door. After making sure that Roger was asleep they eventually retreating to their own rooms.
When can I leave all of this behind? Dave thought, lying on his bed. It's torture living like this.
In another room, the idea of divorcing Roger and escaping this hell with her sons was becoming more solid in Lila's mind.
The next morning, Roger left for work while early, before anyone woke up.
Not having to face Roger, Dave sighed in relief. He wasn't ready to face his father. Should I make small talks? Should I ask what happened? Should I ask how he was doing? haaaa.. I don't know.
"Let's no think about these things.... sigh.." he thought to himself.
Dave and Daniel got ready for school and walked toward the bus station. As they passed by local restaurant, they briefly heard TV broadcasting and old men chatting.
"Recent investigations revealed that XX Minister has embezzled $3.6 billion from a relief budget granted by the international committee. The budget was meant to be used for building roadways, electric line........." the anchor continued reporting.
Old men sipping tea and smoking cigarettes cursed loudly, their discussions animated. Yet deep down, everyone knew they would likely vote for the same politician again. Embezzlement of billions? Pfff.. It was nothing new, the politicians were really generous this time.
On the bus, Dave waved at Yasmine, who smiled brightly. Her presence no longer made him as nervous as it used to. Was this because of his awakening?
"Good morning, Yasmine," he said.
"Good morning! Sister Yasmine!" Daniel chimed in.
"Good morning to both of you!" she replied cheerfully.
"You seem excited today," Dave noted as he sat down. "What's the occasion?"
"Hehe, I've developed my planet!" she said, beaming. "Tomorrow, my father and Principal Peterson will help me develop eco-system on my planet, and hopefully, its first life.
"Also Yesterday, Mrs. President visited our house and promised to support me. She was so cool."
Damn, Dave thought—not because he was jealous or something. He had already stopped listening halfway through. Instead, he found himself thinking, She's beautiful.
This time, fortunately or unfortunately, he didn't say it out loud. If he had, perhaps things would have moved forward.
Yasmine kept talking while Dave nodded absently. Before he knew it, they had reached school.
In the class,
"Attention, everyone!" shouted Ms. Sanders. "Starting today, for six months, we'll focus entirely on building your planets. Your progress will be strictly monitored by the faculty, so there's no need to worry about anything going wrong."
She paused, letting her words sink in.
"Also, after six months, there will be national qualifiers for novice lords. Your hard work will pay off, so give it your all. Class dismissed! Head to the cultivation hall—you'll practically be living there for the next six months."
Dave's mind raced. Strictly monitored? Sparky, they won't find out about us, will they?
[Negative! Inner space has been masked, there is no issue of detection. Fake information can be projected to simulate normal development of novice lords. The host doesn't need to worry about these things.]
Okay, okay… Dave nodded to himself, following the others to the cultivation hall.
On the way, he spotted Yasmine and Scott laughing together. Shaking his head, he walked away. But the rest of the class wasn't as discreet.
"I told you guys—look! Scott and Yasmine are together. Who the f**k is Dave?"
"Yeah, someone said Yasmine and Dave kissed. Total bullsh**!"
"Right, right."
Some were pointing at him, some were sneering, some were gossiping, all of this really made Dave's blood boil, but he said nothing, hanging his head low as he walked to the hall. Why am I such a loser? he thought bitterly.
Why was he a loser? Doesn't it look like something that only happens in fiction?But I'm afraid to say that this is the reality of many children.
The only difference between fiction and reality is that fiction has to make sense.
He was a loner, so no one supported him. He had a tentative friendship with James—if one could even call it that. But unfortunately, James hadn't come to school today.
Back in his inner-space, he spoke to Sparky.
"Simulate the development of the most ordinary lord among my classmates and project that to the outside world."
Despite his sadness and anger, Dave refused to change his ways. Changing oneself took more than courage—something he still lacked.
He found solace here, in this virtual space he truly felt alive.
Spark has been monitoring all of these things. Being part of Dave, she felt what he felt. As days passed being afraid at home, being mocked at school, she couldn't stand this agony. It felt like being torn apart.
She didn't have love for anyone except for Dave who had saved her. She didn't like seeing Dave like this, so she said something that Dave had never thought about.
[Host! why don't we kill Roger?]
Sounds unimaginable but once idea takes root, it will subtly influence people decision.