Day 1: 1,236 words

Thus it begins:

Chapter 1 Part 1 In which we learn that our heroine lives alone with two cats, plays an online video game, is going on a trip and has a hunky neighbor.

Chapter 1

“Your adventure has ended.  You are dead”.

The white letters filled the black screen with an ominous finality.  Allison stared at it a few seconds waiting for the letters to fade as they had the countless other times she had seen them appear.  After a few seconds they did fade to be replaced with a graphic of a skull and cross bones, centered in the space.  Below it were the words in the same stark white font, offering her a choice of icons to click.

“Select your site of rebirth, adventurer:  Your home or Your capital city”.

She sat a few moments and thought.  Despite boasting a gaming population of over seven million registered users, Allison had been playing in “The Realm” alone.  There was no real need to rush back to the virtual landscape where she had “died” as there was nothing there but the same monsters that had prompted this bleak display.  She sat and thought about what still remained to be done, and absently moved her computer mouse, the pointer oscillating lazily between the two options.

She did not flinch, then, when one of her cats leapt into her lap to see what had happened.  He turned once across the tops of her legs until he could see the screen himself, his head rocking to and fro as he followed the motion of the pointer.  Absently she reached down to scratch him behind his ears.  He paused watching the simple yet captivating motion to look up at her and mew appreciatively.

“I know, Mal,” she said finally.  “I should call it a day.”  She settled on a choice and clicked the icon labeled “Your home”.  The screen slowly faded up on the image of a medieval apartment.  Moving the mouse with a practiced hand she scanned the space, the image on the screen moving as though she were looking on the space with her own eyes.  The room was not overly large, but enough to accommodate an ornate bed, a well laid table and chair set and several pieces of sitting furniture.  On the walls hung several weapons, each unique and detailed.  As she paused her motions to center one in her vision, a small parchment appeared next to it, explaining where she had obtained it.  In this case she had focused momentarily on an axe titled “Vengeance, the great axe of Frothmoor, dark troll.”  Mal made another sound, and she sighed.

“Yeah, yeah,” she grumbled.  She clicked on the bed in the room and soon the visual of the apartment was gone, replaced with her computer’s desktop.  The time in the bottom corner of the screen declared it nearly four PM.  “You’re right,” she conceded to the cat.  “I do need to get packing.”  She surveyed the humble “just off campus” apartment her real world self called home.  The bed wasn’t made, there were small piles of laundry scattered around the far wall, some dirty, some clean, and two posters featuring Weird Al and the Ramones hung with liberal use of duct tape.  Next to the computer monitor hung a cork board covered in neat handwritten notes marking off upcoming dates and appointments, though most of them related to goings-on in the Realm.  Mal jumped off her lap and made his way around the piles of books and binders to the bedroom door where he turned once and mewed for her to follow.  She frowned.

“It is not dinner time,” she reminded him, getting up from the computer and making her way over to the closet to fish out her suitcase.  As though to prove that she was the minority her other cat, Inara, appeared in the doorway next to Mal to echo his sentiments.  Allison ignored them both as she dragged the oversized piece of luggage to her bed and flipped it open.  One after another garment bags of costumes were taken from the closet, checked for contents, and then folded neatly into the suitcase.  The two cats maintained their vigil from the doorway, now taking in turns to pace across the space or to lounge just inside the room.  Her costumes stowed she paused her packing to survey the piles of laundry and began to pick through them for clean underwear, pajamas and a few random t-shirts and shorts.  Those packed she pulled the top of the suitcase down and zipped it shut.  At this sound both cats perked up again.

“Yes,” she declared, “you can get fed now.”

With apparent understanding the two felines turned and began down the short hallway to the main room of the apartment, which featured the dwelling’s kitchenette as well as living room, dining room, and foyer all in a neat ten by thirty space.  She took out their food and filled the two bowls silently, debating on when to eat her own dinner.  A sudden knock at her door made her leap with surprise.  She crossed the short distance to the door and cracked it open.

A guy in his early twenties stood in the hall, looking absently down way waiting, his weight rocking back and forth on his feet as he did.  His jeans were a little faded, but no more than was fashionable, and his sweatshirt declared itself the official property of the university athletics department.  At first he didn’t notice her but looked up after a moment.  “I’m sorry to bother,” he started in a sincere voice.  She didn’t recognize him and held the door open only a crack.

“Yes?”

He grimaced a bit, and paused before beginning again.  “Yeah, I know you probably don’t know me.  I’m Jason.”  He smiled, a fairly easy smile, but one that looked nervous as well.  “I moved in last week, right,” his voice trailed off as he looked down the hall, first one direction, then the other before finally turning around and pointing across the way at the door opposite hers.  “There,” he finished.  There was a pause as he stood with his back to her.  He chuckled and turned back.  “I’m sorry.  I’ve been down to the end of the hall and back looking to see if anyone’s got a menu for a decent pizza place.  Seems either no one lives here or everyone’s home for the week.”

Allison nodded.  She had seen that someone had moved in across the hall but had never managed to introduce herself.  Plus the last week had been a bit busy with getting ready for this weekend’s convention, last minute costume sewing, and a few final marathon play sessions in the Realm before classes resumed next week.  She took a breath and opened the door wider.  “I’m sure I have one,” she offered politely.  “C’mon in.”

Finished with their food, Mal and Inarra had come to see what was keeping their pet from refreshing the water as well as the food dish.  Jason stopped in the door way as the two cats came up and stood directly in front of him.  They both let out a sound and set their heads to their sides quizzically.  The two cats considered the strange human as the strange human hesitated and considered the two cats.  A few seconds passed as Allison rooted around in one of the drawers in the small kitchen area.  Finding the one menu for Big Tony’s on the corner she turned around to offer it over and saw the standoff in her doorway.