My Virtual Escape 2 - Chapter 1
My name is Eve! Eve Kalder, and today is my 18th birthday. So.. you would think at an age like this, one known for its supposed sense of “freedom”, that I’d be able to do something as simple as playing a video game, right? Well, you’re wrong. At least, that’s what my father, Joseph Kalder, tells me. He contributed greatly to the development of some virtual reality game, alongside a long time friend of our family, Abraham. This thing has been dangled before me time and time again throughout my life, only to be snatched away just as it comes within arms reach; they even named it after me! “E.V.E.”, or in other words, “Everyone’s Virtual Escape.” Why else would they do this if not to spite me?
The reality is, they claim it’s dangerous for someone like me. Ha! What do they know? It can’t be that bad, right? I tried convincing my brother, Isaac, to let me try his headset, even just for a brief glimpse into the forbidden world of E.V.E. But just like my father and Abraham, he shot the idea down in flames, hardly even considering a second thought. He and I are close, practically inseparable, so I naturally assumed he’d be on board with my plan. I guess it seems I misjudged him. Whatever, It’s not like they can control me anymore.
Eve proceeds to close her journal as she lets out a sigh. “Because today’s my big day! I hope this is the year.” the girl snickers to herself, feeling a wave of confidence.
Eve cleans herself up and makes her way through the hallway into the kitchen. “Good morning, dear! I made you some breakfast,” said Joseph. “Eggs and toast with a side of bacon and homefries. Your favorite. Happy birthday!”
“Aw.. thank you dad!” Eve says as she reaches for a hug. “You know me too well.”
"Of course. Anything for my little girl. In a while, your brother and Rebekah will be coming by to say hi.”
“Ooo. I hope they bring Jenny with them!” the birthday girl shouted with glee.
“Alright, you eat your breakfast. Afterwards I’ll let you open one of your gifts. I’m going to give your brother a call to see when he’ll show up.“ Joseph chuckled. As Eve eats her food in peace, she notices the family butler, Adam, preparing the living room for the eventual guests. “Good morning, Adam!” she said cheerfully. “Good morning to you too, Eve, and happy birthday!” the butler said with a smile on his face.
“Thanks!” Eve said. Joseph returns from his bedroom putting his cellphone in his pocket, “Alrighty now, the two should be here any second. House looks nice, Adam. good job.”
“Don’t mention it, Mr. Kalder! It’s what I’m here for.” He chuckles.
A creaking sound was heard from the backdoor. “Hey everyone, hope we’re not late!”
“Isaac! Rebekah! How’ve you been, kids?” Joseph asked, his face lit by a smile. “Could be better, but you know me,” Isaac remarks, a playful smirk plastered on his face. “I’ve been well! We’ve had our hands tied with the dog and moderating the game. Thanks for asking, Mr. Kalder,” said Rebekah.
They reach for a firm handshake, one backed by many years of friendship.
“You’re looking nice today man. Love the tux.”
Could say the same to you, my friend. The new jacket and turtleneck looks sick nasty!” the friendly butler jokingly proclaimed.
Isaac chuckles. “Wanted to try a new style. ”He looks behind him.
“Hey kid! Heard it’s your birthday today. That’s some good shit.”
“Isaac!” Eve says as she goes in for a hug. “18 now, huh?” Isaac says. “Time really does fly fast, yeesh.” “You betcha! and you’re all old and probably have knee problems, hehe” she looks at her brother with a smug face. “I’m only thirty one! thirty one!” Isaac shouted. She smiled, “yeah! That’s old in my book. You’re like dad over there.” “Keep pushin’ your luck, kid.” he smiled back at her. “If you keep it up, you won’t get this cool present I gotcha!”, Isaac says as he proceeds to wave a decently sized box around. "okayyyy" Eve says with a slight smirk.
“Speaking of presents.” Joseph said, “why don’t we open some up?” “Sure!” Eve said excitedly. Joseph goes to grab the wrapped present that lies next to his bedroom door.
“Here you go, dear!” Joseph says with cheer. “Rip into it.” Eve begins to rip the wrapping paper to shreds, and fast. “Yes yes yes!” Eve thinks to herself. She tears through all of the wrapping paper, and the gift wasn’t what she was envisioning. “Ah! a laptop..?” Eve said carefully, but softly. “Me and your mother know your old one got busted some time ago, and with your interest in college, we thought it'd be a great idea to get you a new one so you can use it for stuff like that in the future.” Joseph said happily. Eve, while appreciative, is a bit disappointed, and she doesn’t want to appear ungrateful or upset.
“I see… Well I love it. thank you guys.” she said with a slight smile on her face.
Isaac grabs the box to the side of him. “Here’s your gift from me and Rebekah." “Isaac out of anyone knows how much I’ve wanted a helmet. This has gotta be it!” Eve thinks to herself. Once again, Eve proceeds to tear through the wrapping paper, this time like there’s no tomorrow. “Ah ha! Finally my own E.V-..wait, Roller-skates..?” Eve said, struck with confusion.
“Yeah! Roller-skates are sick. I thought you’d find em cool. “
“T-thanks Isaac..!” she says, looking notably down. Rebekah glances over at the kid. “Everything okay, Eve?” the woman says, displaying a hint of concern. “O-oh yeah! I’m just a bit tired still.” Eve chuckles. “I got to bed really late last night. I should probably fix that.” “Does the Kalder family hate sleep or something?” Rebekah grins. “Your brother never comes to bed at a decent time. He’s always working day and night.” “Hey that’s not-” Isaac stopped himself. “Never mind yeah, you’re right.”
Hours go by, and everyone is talking amongst themselves. Eve, still underwhelmed and disappointed on the inside, keeps to herself in the living room.
“Man”. Adam said. “Can you believe the kid is 18 now? It only feels like just yesterday I was greeting you every-time you logged into E.V.E., granted, much to your dismay.” Isaac smirked, locking eyes with Adam, who was awaiting a quip in return from the once hot-headed Isaac he knew during their time spent around one another in E.V.E. Isaac began, his words oozing with a light-hearted, venomous flare, “Yeah, I remember. You were a real pain in my ass. Never gonna forget the time you dressed up as my fucking mom.” The room fell into silence, only to be broken by Adam’s sudden laughter. “Aw come on! It was hilarious. You gotta admit, I got you good.” Adam chuckled. He chirped between hushed gasps of laughter formed after each breath. Regaining his cool, he thought to remind Isaac of a long forgotten interaction between the two. “Never gonna forget the time I helped you that night at Solomon’s. You still owe me one man.”
The words pierced through Isaac's ears, ringing within his head. He was still, unmoving, without a single thought behind his widened eyes, which were fixated upon the dinner table. Adam looked at him with concern on his face. “you okay Isaac?” “...yeah.” Isaac said softly. “Hey man I think me and Rebekah are gonna ring it in for tonight.” he stood up from his chair. “We gotta get home and log on. Left poor Malachi all on his own to moderate for the day. God knows what Jenny is getting up to by herself too!” he lightly chuckles. “Oh. alright man.” Adam put his hand up for a fist bump. “Fun times?” Isaac looked at him with a slight smile, “fun timessss. Let my dad know me and Rebekah rang it in for the night." “Will do, Isaac. Take care.”
As Isaac and Rebekah were preparing to walk out the door, they noticed someone behind them. “leaving?” Eve says, tired and confused. Isaac yawns. “Yeahhh, it’s getting late.” he stretches his back. “I hope you had a good day, Eve. be good for Dad, alright?” “I knowwwwww!” Eve says as she tries to put on her smug attitude, as an attempt to mask her true feelings. “Night, Eve!” Rebekah shouts with glee. “Night, guys. Thank you for spending time with us today.” As the couple left, Eve’s cheerful and snarky demeanor proceeded to drop. She began to make her way out of the kitchen, towards her room.
“Is everything okay, Eve?” Adam asked with concern, noting the blank expression on her face. The girl stopped in her tracks and looked back at the worried butler, she made a quick, false smile. “Y-yeah!” Eve says. “Just tired! It’s been a long day. Girls need their beauty sleep, y’know?” “Ohhhhhhh okay. I’m glad you enjoyed your birthday, Miss Kalder. I’ll let your father know you called it early.” Adam relayed to the seemingly tired birthday girl. “Thank you.. Good night sir!” Eve says, speed walking through the kitchen. She makes her way through the hallway, into her room, where she closes her door. She takes a deep breath. "God dammit!” Eve shouts in frustration and falls back onto her bed. “I’m so sick of being treated like a kid! I’m sick of being treated like I can’t hold my own. I’ll never get that damn headset.. Because no one will ever take me seriously! What do they think I am, a joke??”
All I want is to be treated like an adult.. Is it really so hard to ask?” Eve says as she gets under her blankets and turns off her lamp.
Hours have passed, and sleep offered no respite from her relentless thoughts. With each toss and turn, she would let out a sigh. First, a sigh of disappointment, then of anger, then of sadness.
“Why am I the one that gets treated differently?”, she paused to think, lamenting over the situation. “Wait..” she sits up and ponders with curiosity. “I think I have an idea.. I gotta be quick though.”
She had walked this route many times before. Then, it would’ve been to raid the kitchen fridge for a late night snack. Now, it was to obtain something of far greater substance. She had memorized every possible creak in the floorboards, choosing to carefully maneuver around them with elegance akin to an acrobat. In reality, she looked more like a drunken sailor rocking back and forth on their ship during a storm. She regained her balance, outstretching her arms as if she were walking a tightrope. Before her stood her destination: Joseph’s Office.
Eve reaches for the door handle and slightly pushes it forward, cringing at the irritating creaking sound, praying to the overlord that no one heard it. She makes her way through the dark office, as quiet as a mouse, watching her steps very carefully. “Okay.. okay” she whispers to herself. “If I were the owner of a multi billion dollar tech company, where would I put my assets?”
She began to search the desk from top to bottom, but came up with nothing. She rummaged through the drawers but alas, she still came up empty handed. Eve tippy toed her way over to the last area of the room: the closet.
Upon arriving at her destination, she was greeted by a wall of E.V.E stock units. “Haha yeah baby! I hit the jackpot!” she accidentally shouts. “Oops. gotta be quiet. I forgot.”
Eve quickly grabs a helmet of her choosing and proceeds to make her way back the same way she came, as quiet as possible. She reaches her bedroom and enters, locking her door. “Well that wasn’t so hard, now was it Miss Kalder?” she snickers to herself, ecstatic her little plan worked. She places the white box on the floor and opens it up, being met with some sort of letter.
“A manual? It’s signed by.. The Overlord?” Eve tosses the piece of paper to her side. “The helmet seems pretty self explanatory. What the hell do I need a manual for?” she shrugs. “Okay! No more playing around!” she proclaims with confidence. “Time to see what this is all about. About the helmet that’s been ripped away from me every chance I get. Here goes nothing.” She puts on the helmet, and before long finds herself within another world.. Within her own virtual escape.
The girl was immediately met with a cool breeze, and the sound of crickets in the night sky. Her eyes once closed began to open. “W-woah.. This is trippy.” Eve proceeded to walk and explore her surroundings, noting how familiar it is. “This looks like my backyard.. like real life! It’s pretty chilly though.. They gotta fix the AC.” She quickly took note of a small bag residing next to her shoe and bent down to retrieve it. The contents inside were akin to small, colorful crystals. “Aw sweet! Few minutes in and I already found myself some loot. This is awesome!” she snickered to herself and took a step back.. *THUD!*
She looked up and was met with Isaac’s face, irritation and nervousness visible clear as day. "I-Isaac?" Eve says, in shock. Eve looks into Isaac's eyes and sees a vast array of emotions. She can't get a read on him. "I- uh…"
"You can't be here. You need to log out right fucking now." Isaac demands, shooting a glare at the young girl's eyes.
Eve is taken aback. This is the first time she's seen him like this. Isaac looks away for a moment and puts his palm on his face. "Sorry." "Isaac, are you okay?" Eve asks, worried and concerned about her brother. Isaac turns back to face her, now with tears welling up in his eyes. "I'll be fine if you log out." "I'm 18 now, Isaac. I can make my own decisions." "I don't fucking care! I'm not going to just sit around while you make a stupid decision." Eve scoffs, taking offense. "Stupid decision? Really? Or are you just saying that because I finally did something on my own for once?"
Isaac grinds his teeth in anger. "Yeah, it is a stupid decision! This game is fucking serious, Eve. You could…" Tears begin to fall down Isaac's cheek, but he maintains his composure. "You could die. And if that ever happened again, I wouldn't be able to live with myself." "Again?" Eve asks with curiosity.
Isaac breaks eye contact with her. "Nothing… it doesn't matter. I just can't lose you." silence fills the air for some time, until Isaac looks back at Eve as she walks forward and gives him a hug. "Well, you don't need to worry about that." Eve says with a cheeky smile. "Because I have the best teammate in the game.
Eve winks at her brother, who is confused and feeling a wide range of emotions currently. "You, obviously!"
Isaac's eyes widen. "Eve. No."
"Isaac, you and I both know that I'm too stubborn to quit playing, so stop this concerned-brother thing and team up with me!" Eve announced, a confident grin plastered on her face as a result of her offer. Knowing Isaac, he would accept her proposal in a heartbeat if it meant protecting her. Eve was more than aware of that. However, the Isaac standing before her was one she had never before encountered:
“Don’t pull that shit with me!” Isaac exclaimed, a newfound fury tainting his words as a result of his concern. “I know what you’re going through, okay? I get it. I used to think I knew better than the people around me, but looking back, they were always right. They only wanted to help me. So why should I be seen any differently?” he asked through sharp breaths. This reaction was not what Eve had come to expect of her brother. Despite already knowing that he would do anything to protect her, she couldn’t bear seeing him like this, knowing that she had brought it on. “I understand,” she began, realizing the severity of her situation: “I gotta ask though, since this game is just so dangerous…why are you here? What’s in it for you?” she inquired.
Isaac looked down, releasing a heavy sigh. “I’m a moderator, Eve. I’m just trying to guide you… guide you out of this shit. I don’t want you seeing even half of the shit this world has to offer. So just get outta here, okay? It’s better for both of us.” Eve felt a tremble on her lips as a result of a new feeling she hadn’t felt before. Was it guilt? Was it despair? Whatever the case, she didn’t like it. If leaving this world would make her brother feel better in the meantime, then she would abide. From her trembling lips, she would let out a hushed apology: “I’m really sorry, Isaac-” she began, only to be cut off instantly: “Don’t start with that shit either, okay? Just please don’t come back here,” Isaac begged. Eve spoke not another word, turning away from her brother, before taking off her headset. Just as quickly as she had arrived, she would depart from this world, the surrounding environment dissipating from view. She crashed onto her bed, recollecting on what had just happened.
"I've never seen him like that before.. so vulnerable.. but that game. it's so immersive, it's like real life. it's so cool. I don't want to go behind Isaac's back, but I need to see what else this thing has to offer. maybe I can prove to him I have what it takes. best to stay on the low though." after a few more minutes of recollection, Eve grabs the headset once more, returning her to this mysterious world.