Victoria felt that her world was crashing down around her ears. She swallowed then turned her head to look at her friends. The notification followed her gaze. “Uhh, does anyone else see a blue box?”

“Blue box?” Luke asks as he looks around. “Do you mean the mailbox over there?”

Caroline huffed. “Victoria is this like the fairy?”

Victoria vividly remembered the fairy the bright ball of light that had plagued her mother’s garden for months over the summer when she was seven. She swallowed as she remembered a key detail she had forgotten. “It it came on my birthday too.” She said in a hushed tone.

“Uh, Caroline ixnay on the pixeyai.” Luke hissed. “Victoria what does the box say?”

The stunned girl turned to her friend and blinked rapidly. “What?”

“What does the box say?” he asked insistently. She began to read it aloud to her friends. “Happy 17th birthday! You have 24 hours to complete set up and registration or the system will initialize with default settings. Again Happy birthday! Do you wish to enter Set up? Y/N? What does that even mean what system?”

“I don’t know,” Caroline said looking askance at her friend. “I’ve never heard of the system.” She looked at luke and took in his contemplative face as he chewed on the side of hsi lower lip. “Luke?”

“I’m thinking. It doesn’t make sense that’s not real.” He said his eyes darting around.

“What?” Caroline started.

“Please, tell me..” the frightened brunette girl said plaintively.

“Okay, so there’s this book I read something… Apocalypse? I forget the author. But, in it the system is this thing that provides magic energy and well it’s weird but people become like players in a game-like world. But that shits not real.” He says pulling out his phone. Punching a few buttons he comes up with a graphic. “See its just a book.” He looked thoughtful “And we weren’t included.” He said motioning to Caroline and himself. “So yeah…”

“A game? You think this is part of a game.” Caroline chimed in.

“No. It’s not a game!” The dark-haired boy hissed. His eyes darted around the plaza looking at the other students from their school. “There is only one way for her to know what it is though.”

“That is if its not a figment of my imagination.” Victoria sighed. “Caroline?”

“I say, yes.” She looked thoughtful. “From what you said you have a choice to do it now or later. But its going to happen.”

“Here. Though?” Her blue eyes looked around the plaza. “What if something happens?”

Luke got a thoughtful look. “Like you passing out from seeing ghosts, in front of the entire school’s junior class?” Both of the girls gave him the evil eye. ”Look I don’t know. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Well now that you’ve said that it would just be tempting fate for her to do it here,” Caroline said as she cuffed him on the side of his head. “Seriously. You should know better than that. She said as she rolled her eyes at him.

“I’ve got an idea,” Luke said. “The club, you can come there and maybe learn about character creation before you I don’t know?”

“Open Pandora's box,” Caroline said. “You should tell someone.”

“Who?” She asked in a sullen whine. “Who would believe me? I mean can you see Doctor Dorgun talking to me about it. That woman thinks I’m insane as it is.” Her two friends grunted.

“You know if this system thing is real maybe Dorgun really is an alien.” Luke chimed in brightly with a chuckle.

Caroline guffawed. “Oh please with that forehead? Got to be some sort of dark fae.”

“Maybe an orc,” Luke said smiling. “I mean look at that jawline.” He snickered as the other girls joined him in a laugh.

“Luke can you help me? Explain this whole character creation stuff?” Victoria said plaintively.

“I uh don’t really know if I can help.” He said dazed by his friend’s request.” It would probably be easier if we went to the club this afternoon.”

“Why?” Both girls asked.

“Well I’ve only played a few games and they’ve all been pretty much the same. But Mr Lagrand he’s played all kinds of games and probably could give you an idea about how others work. I just kind of know Dungeons and Dragons.” The flummoxed boy shrugged.

“You look so cute when you do that,” Caroline said as she reached over and tweaked him on the nose causing the boy’s eyes to go wide. Caroline looked at him coyly “You know….I don’t have a date to the dance…”

Luke blushed even harder and stammered out. “W… would you do me the honor?” he squeaked on the last syllable.

“Yes!” Caroline exclaimed and hugged the startled boy then ran off squealing.

“What just happened?” Victoria asked.

Wide-eyed her friend looked on as Caroline ran off. “I think I got a date…” he said surprise in his hushed tone.

X X X

“So let me get this straight,” Victoria said as she eyed Luke. There are six base attributes in dungeons and dragons: Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma.”

“Exactly,” Luke said a bit distracted as he kept glancing around. “But whatever it is you can’t guarantee it will be anything like a game system.”

“I know.” The dark-haired girl said in a low voice. “But what else can I do?”

Her friend shrugged and sighed. “I still need to figure out what each of these things even mean…” Victoria was distracted as she glanced around the small library conference room that the role-playing club met In. She had caught sight of Michael. He was tall for his age, nearly six feet one inch and muscular from his playing sports. Darkly tanned skin with dirty blond hair, brown eyes and best of all, smart. He was giving Victoria a run for honors in their grade. She sighed.

“What?” Luke asked then looked around and caught sight of the center of his friend’s affections. “You should talk to him. “He said nudging his friend toward her interest. “Heh, I already have a date.” He said with a goofy grin on his face.

Victoria ran a hand through her dark hair, looked down quickly to see if there were food on her blouse, and then stepped up to Michael. “Hi, I uh, didn’t know you’d be here.” She said shyly.

The big boy looked up at her a little surprised. “What, oh hi. Vicky right.” He said looking at her then looking around the room. “I think we have the afternoon here for our club.” He said brushing her off.

“Yeah, Luke invited me.” She said with a small smile.

”Oh.” He said his eyes flicking around. “Well have fun. I have to finish this. “ He said gesturing at the page before him. “Calculus homework isn’t going to finish itself.” His attention left her so quickly she felt a shiver go down her spine. Confused she wandered off to see what the other boys in the room were doing. There were five others besides Luke and Michael, only one of whom she knew the name of. She found them sitting at a table reviewing a series of what looked like older books and a page that appeared to be instructions.

"So you roll four six-sided dice and drop the lowest one?” One of the boys asked. Victoria noticed him only because of the question he asked without looking up from the page in front of himself. He had brown hair, brown eyes, and an ability to blend into the background. He shook the dice, they rattled in his hand before letting them tumble forth on the table. Quickly he counted up the sum. “Yes, a sixteen” He cried in jubilation before noting the figure down on his page. Reaching out his hand he took up the dice for another rhythmic shaking before letting them loose again.

One of the boys was sitting head down at the table dozing. His sheet appeared to have been completely filled out. This boy was a sophomore on the track team. His long dark hair fits with his deeply bronzed olive skin. Robert was one of the fastest runners in his state division.

“Achoo.” Another boy sneezed as he rolled his dice going all over the tables. “Sorry,” he sniffed.

“Ron,” a boy said offering a small bottle that rattled slightly to the sneezing boy. “Take these it will help your allergies.” Said a shorter rounder, dark-haired boy.

“Can’t we just get started yet?” whined another of the players. “I know how to fill out my character sheet.” He remarked as the boy with the pills picked up his sheet and examined it owlishly then adjusted his glasses giving the boy an odd look.

“Uh, Tim none of these numbers are right and I have no idea how you got a twenty-one for a stat.” He said pointing.

“You said roll four D six,” Tim whined.

The much put upon boy sighed. “And drop the lowest number.” He thought for a moment. “You need to reroll man.”

Victoria watched as a fight ensued and she found herself smiling at the boys antics. She wasn’t sure where she might fit in but she was willing to give them a chance. Especially if it might help her figure out her own dilemma.

“I hear we have a possible new member.” Victoria heard from the doorway. Turning she found an older man in his late thirties with a shaved head, Panama hat dressed in business attire, a button-up shirt, and a thin tie. “You must be Victoria.”

“Uh yeah.” She said startled.

She heard a startled squeak from behind her then a voice she didn’t know. “Oh my god, when did she come in?”