"How did we get here, anyway?" Zahra said to Demetra as they sat at the
barrier to level five at Lava Mountain. "I can barely remember now."
Zahra Stawara still scarcely remembered the excitement that filled her heart as she ran home with the "greatest video game ever made." Little did she know the mess she would get caught up in.
As soon as Zahra got home, she took a shower and did her homework, more to pass the time then to get things done. Because at midnight (luckily this was a Friday) she would log on and play "Game Over". Everyone who was anyone in the world was logging on, some simply to meet people. It was possible for people like computer nerds or just people who knew a lot about computers to change their appearance while on the net, but Zahra wasn't one of those people.
At midnight, Zahra made sure her parents were asleep and logged on. She started at level one, where at once frogs on pogo sticks dogged her but she knew what to do. "Toymaker, copying off of Frogger are we?" she whispered under her breath.
She grabbed one of the frog's tongues and pulled on it. It flew off of the pogo stick and she swung it around to hit all of the others and knock them out. Then she threw the frog into the distance. As she watched it fly out of sight, Zahra heard clapping behind her and turned around to find a boy standing there behind her. He had brown hair and strangely alluring dark eyes. "Very impressive," he said, "But you're on level one. You have to be a new player." "Yeah, actually, I am. What's it to ya?" she asked trying to be casual. "Oh, nothing. I was just wondering how a new player could get so good." "Video game addict," explained Zahra. All this time, they were slowly walking closer to each other. When they got close enough, she extended her hand. "Zahra Stawara." "I'm Rez," he answered, shaking her hand. "So...on here to meet people or to play the game?" "A little of both," Zahra answered. "My boyfriend should be on in a few minutes, so...yeah...."
Just then, a boy appeared right in front of them. And Zahra knew. "Brian!" she yelled and ran over to give him a hug. She loved Brian so much. "What took you so long?" "Zahra, I'm only late by two minutes," he answered. "Oh, two eternities it seems have passed." "Uh...I'll just leave you two alone now," interrupted Rez. "Oh, oh no, you don't have to do that. Brian, this is Rez. Rez, this is my boyfriend, Brian," she said. "Nice to meet you," said Brian casually. "So Zahra, I—oh my God is that a Singmotion?" "What's a Singmotion?" asked Zahra, a little confused. "They're really rare," said Rez in amazement. "I've never seen one except for in the tech manual." "So who gets it?" she asked. "Not me. Don't you understand? When you get the Singmotion, you sing whenever you have some sort of extreme emotion. It can be random or an artist of your choice. But be warned, you will sing, whether you like it or not. And you can't lie about your feelings either." "Hey, I don't want it," said Brian. "I suck at singing. You take it Zahra. You have a great voice." "Okay, I guess."
Zahra moved slowly forward and took the Singmotion, a figure floating in midair shaped like a note. "Crush it in your hands."
She did. It was easy, or maybe that was just how it was programmed to be. Instantly a menu popped up. "Congratulations," said a cool female voice. "You have encountered a Singmotion. Do you want the music you sing to be random"—a button popped up on the screen—"or a band of your choice?"
Zahra extended her hand to the button that said "Band" and touched it. The screen was cleared and an alphabet popped up in its place. "Choose the first letter of your band," said the voice.
Zahra already knew which band she wanted. She chose "L" and then "Linkin Park." A few steps later she got to try it out. She was put into a situation where an extreme amount of stress was applied. In this case, it was a fight at school with another girl. She sang Linkin Park's "Place For My Head". It signified that the download had been successful. The menu closed. "You are a good singer," commented Rez. "You're not funny, stop thinking you are. I'm no good, and I know it." "Whatever you say, baby," said Brian from behind her. He put his hands on the tops of her arms. She leaned back onto him. "Come on," she said breaking free of him after a moment. "Let's go beat this game."
She walked over to Rez. "You're apparently not a new player. So you must be a Beta Surfer." "One of the first groups able to roam cyberspace," he said braggingly. Just when he finished saying this two other boys appeared out of the shadows. Rez seemed to know them. "'Sup guys? Zahra, Brian, this is Arnold—" he gestured to a boy with glasses on that wrapped around his head "—and Francis." He gestured to another with normal glasses. "My fellow Beta Surfers. Guys, Zahra and Brian."
Zahra nodded in greeting.
Zahra Stawara still scarcely remembered the excitement that filled her heart as she ran home with the "greatest video game ever made." Little did she know the mess she would get caught up in.
As soon as Zahra got home, she took a shower and did her homework, more to pass the time then to get things done. Because at midnight (luckily this was a Friday) she would log on and play "Game Over". Everyone who was anyone in the world was logging on, some simply to meet people. It was possible for people like computer nerds or just people who knew a lot about computers to change their appearance while on the net, but Zahra wasn't one of those people.
At midnight, Zahra made sure her parents were asleep and logged on. She started at level one, where at once frogs on pogo sticks dogged her but she knew what to do. "Toymaker, copying off of Frogger are we?" she whispered under her breath.
She grabbed one of the frog's tongues and pulled on it. It flew off of the pogo stick and she swung it around to hit all of the others and knock them out. Then she threw the frog into the distance. As she watched it fly out of sight, Zahra heard clapping behind her and turned around to find a boy standing there behind her. He had brown hair and strangely alluring dark eyes. "Very impressive," he said, "But you're on level one. You have to be a new player." "Yeah, actually, I am. What's it to ya?" she asked trying to be casual. "Oh, nothing. I was just wondering how a new player could get so good." "Video game addict," explained Zahra. All this time, they were slowly walking closer to each other. When they got close enough, she extended her hand. "Zahra Stawara." "I'm Rez," he answered, shaking her hand. "So...on here to meet people or to play the game?" "A little of both," Zahra answered. "My boyfriend should be on in a few minutes, so...yeah...."
Just then, a boy appeared right in front of them. And Zahra knew. "Brian!" she yelled and ran over to give him a hug. She loved Brian so much. "What took you so long?" "Zahra, I'm only late by two minutes," he answered. "Oh, two eternities it seems have passed." "Uh...I'll just leave you two alone now," interrupted Rez. "Oh, oh no, you don't have to do that. Brian, this is Rez. Rez, this is my boyfriend, Brian," she said. "Nice to meet you," said Brian casually. "So Zahra, I—oh my God is that a Singmotion?" "What's a Singmotion?" asked Zahra, a little confused. "They're really rare," said Rez in amazement. "I've never seen one except for in the tech manual." "So who gets it?" she asked. "Not me. Don't you understand? When you get the Singmotion, you sing whenever you have some sort of extreme emotion. It can be random or an artist of your choice. But be warned, you will sing, whether you like it or not. And you can't lie about your feelings either." "Hey, I don't want it," said Brian. "I suck at singing. You take it Zahra. You have a great voice." "Okay, I guess."
Zahra moved slowly forward and took the Singmotion, a figure floating in midair shaped like a note. "Crush it in your hands."
She did. It was easy, or maybe that was just how it was programmed to be. Instantly a menu popped up. "Congratulations," said a cool female voice. "You have encountered a Singmotion. Do you want the music you sing to be random"—a button popped up on the screen—"or a band of your choice?"
Zahra extended her hand to the button that said "Band" and touched it. The screen was cleared and an alphabet popped up in its place. "Choose the first letter of your band," said the voice.
Zahra already knew which band she wanted. She chose "L" and then "Linkin Park." A few steps later she got to try it out. She was put into a situation where an extreme amount of stress was applied. In this case, it was a fight at school with another girl. She sang Linkin Park's "Place For My Head". It signified that the download had been successful. The menu closed. "You are a good singer," commented Rez. "You're not funny, stop thinking you are. I'm no good, and I know it." "Whatever you say, baby," said Brian from behind her. He put his hands on the tops of her arms. She leaned back onto him. "Come on," she said breaking free of him after a moment. "Let's go beat this game."
She walked over to Rez. "You're apparently not a new player. So you must be a Beta Surfer." "One of the first groups able to roam cyberspace," he said braggingly. Just when he finished saying this two other boys appeared out of the shadows. Rez seemed to know them. "'Sup guys? Zahra, Brian, this is Arnold—" he gestured to a boy with glasses on that wrapped around his head "—and Francis." He gestured to another with normal glasses. "My fellow Beta Surfers. Guys, Zahra and Brian."
Zahra nodded in greeting.