Prolog: Mirror, Mirror

Let us be grateful to the mirror for revealing to us our appearance only.

- Samuel Butler

Mokuba came into my room with all the seriousness of a solider about to go to war. I knew this was going to interrupt a good deal of my morning so I set my phone down, reading the news as I drank my coffee. The latter I knew I would need. "What?"

"Why did you make a me a girl?" my brother demanded. I let out a breath, knowing this was coming sooner or later. We'd both gotten over the betrayal and situation we had been in and I expected questions. They hadn't come, not before I told Mokuba about the new virtual game I was working on.

"Because I didn't put myself in the game now, did I? No one could say I was treating you special if it wasn't actually you. Some of the people from development said that, with your long hair, you'd make a good strong female lead. I thought you would be happy I made a character off of you that was all but the leader of that world." Considering the players themselves filled in the role of the heroes.

"You made me a princess!" He stomped his foot. I smirked.

"And I made you a princess," I counted. "I couldn't make you a prince and I didn't make you a queen. What better alternative would you have had me taken?"

"Anything," Mokuba demanded. "You could have made me a knight or something and put something over my head or tied my hair up."

"You hate your hair tied up."

"You said it had to be different so that's different! It's better than putting me in a dress."

"You didn't like it? I designed the dress myself." I took a sip of the coffee. "I used what I thought would be least offensive to you, since going with anything sleek or modern would have ruined both the story and likely any conversation you would have with me for the next few years."

He didn't seem to have anything to say to that but he was still mad. I knew he would be but I knew he'd get over it as well. To not have put myself in my own game showed it meant a lot for anyone I knew to be in it, even dressed as a girl. I held my hand out to him. "Hair brush?"

Mokuba colored a little and walked up to me, handing it over. "Here. Stop making it even worse."

"If you would cut your hair so you could brush it yourself then I'll stop."

Mokuba turned to me so I couldn't see his face, letting me brush his hair like I did every morning. I could never understand how it was so long and thick. Our mother had the black hair and hers had always been thinner and straight. I didn't know more than that, since I hadn't seen much of her or our father and I couldn't care to look into it. "I don't like short hair."

"Why? I have short hair." I hadn't asked Mokuba that question before. For so long I simply accepted the statement without question. I could understand that there were likes and dislikes. I hated my hair longer, simply because it itched and was irritating.

"Well… dad has short hair," he admitted. "And you kind of look like him, or so you've told me. So I figured maybe I could look like mom a little. We're still a family, even with them gone. It's a nice way to remember them."

I continued brushing his hair, having nothing to say to that. We were at a close friend of parents when we were told they had died. We went to the funeral but everything had been whispers and conversations that we weren't supposed to hear. I guessed early on that they'd been a part of something I'd not have my brother involved in but I hadn't ever wanted to share that information. I wasn't sure on it myself, though our father and I had had a few conversations towards darker things. Still, there was no point making accusations I couldn't back up. We didn't have their names anymore and whatever had happened back then, it didn't matter now. "We're still a family, no matter length your hair is. You can cut it if you want."

"It's kind of… I'm used to it now. Thanks for brushing it all the time. It's really hard to reach."

"It's okay. I don't mind." Even if I didn't see Mokuba for the rest of the day, I was usually around at some point to help him brush it out. It may have been one of the things that made it easier to turn his character into a girl. "As long as I have time."

"Is that all you were eating for breakfast?" Mokuba asked, turning but trying not to pull the brush as he looked at my coffee.

"I'll have something later. I'm going to go over the new game later today."

"Again?" Mokuba couldn't turn to me but he twitched as if he wanted to. "Can I help today?"

"No. It's all coding. I won't be doing anymore testing until next week at the earliest, depending on how far I get."

"You promised to make me myself this time. You'd better keep that promise."

"You'll be you. I'm still figuring it all out but once I get it down you can't be anything other than yourself. I want this to be live action role-playing game while being virtual as well as a card game. I'll figure it all out. Whatever group I'm not appealing to, I'll edit to get the support for it I need."

"You're really good at telling fairy tales. You should have kept doing that. In an open world where it's just… just players making decks and fighting us…. There should be something big, something more." He did turn to me now, as I finished brushing his hair. "Something you."

"I know how to appeal to kids. That doesn't make me the best at coming up with stories that I can get all age groups into."

"I liked the stories you used to tell me when I had nightmares. I don't know why you stopped doing that." Mokuba looked somewhat sad as he smiled. "You're busy though, I get it. I still think you should add a story of your own in there."

"I'll think about it." That would be a lot more work on top of all the environmental details and add-ins that I was creating to make my world as real as I could. It would surpass everything that everyone knew about dual monsters and virtual reality. My previous game would look like a five-year-old's attempt compared to this one. "What kind of story? You and I are the final bosses of the game, so I don't think making us the villains will get us many fans." I didn't need them but going from being a princess to a villain didn't suit Mokuba well.

"Hm. You can have the good guys be the bosses too. I'm sure there was a way."

There was. It wasn't that well used and it wouldn't work for me, being the final boss, but it could work for Mokuba. I could easily make him a hero beside the person who made it to the end to battle us. That would mean I would have to be a villain instead of simply an obstacle, but Mokuba would be happy with the ending. I smiled to myself, noticing the world around me after a few seconds of forgetting about it and seeing my brother smiling back at me.

"Had a great idea, huh?"

"Something I can roll with. I'll have to work on NPCs outside of the normal quests for an overall story quest, but I have the basics worked out already."

"See? You're a great storyteller. I would never have been able to think of something that fast. I bet it's going to be awesome."

"I'm making it. Of course it will be."

Mokuba started to roll his eyes but he looked happy enough. He took the brush back and waved to me with the hand holding it. "I'll see you later, big brother. Make sure to have breakfast."

I watched him go, new ideas swimming in my head. It could all work out, and no matter the audience, it would be appealing, even if all age groups were able to play. I felt my lip turn up in a smile again as I stood and went to my laptop case to retrieve it and start up the coding while I kept a hold of the story I'd be integrating into the game. I'd have it out by the end of the year.