Congratulations — You’ve Leveled Up
Ever wondered what the next gaming level will bring?
“Danny…” Christy stammered. “Have you noticed anything weird or out of place lately?”
His head jerked in her direction and the wild gleam in his eyes gave her the answer she dreaded.
“Yeah, you too?”
“Just little things, but too many of them to be ignored. My nail polish has all become one shade of grey. And when I pulled the milk out of the refrigerator this morning, it was pineapple flavored. What’s with that?”
“I don’t know, Christy,” he said. “But we better get to our coding class before the professor marks us absent.”
They entered the Tech Building and stood in front of their classroom door. Christy gripped Danny’s hand and stepped closer to his side. “How come our classroom is three doors down from the entrance? It’s always been the first room on the right.”
Danny patted her shoulder. “It’s going to be okay. I think it’s time to start asking some questions, don’t you?”
“I’m not up for that yet. Let’s skip classes today and just look around, see what else is happening.”
They drove by the doughnut shop, grabbed some breakfast, and headed for the riverside park without any more freakiness.
But that didn’t last long. In fact, before they pulled into the parking slot next to the river, their mouths were open in stunned silence.
Christy stared out the windshield. Where the rapidly flowing river used to be was now what looked like a river of yellow daisies. Half the trees lining the riverbank were cube-shaped. And in the middle of it, stood the Eiffel Tower or its twin brother.
She looked at Danny, who was already staring at her.
Danny’s voice squeaked as he spoke. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve had about enough of this. We’ve got to get some help. Something is bad wrong here.”
Christy clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking. “The river doesn’t bother me as much as they do.”
“What do you mean?”
“Look at them, Danny.”
She pointed toward the picnic tables where several families were enjoying a morning snack at the park. Others were biking, playing kickball, or just strolling along the walking path.
“You're right. They act as if nothing is different. But how could it be just you and me? We’re not crazy!”
An ideal struck Christy with the force of a lightning bolt. “Do you think it could have anything to do with the virtual reality game test we did two days ago for that new gaming company?”
Everything stopped. The people in the park froze in place. Two birds hung suspended in the sky above them. Then they heard the voice.
“Congratulations. You have completed the level of No Return and will now enter the Infinity Portal…”
