Suddenly my mouth had gone dry, no matter how I tried to lick my lips they seemed to stick together. I felt like my world had crashed around my ears and I tried to swallow down my fears as I felt my heartbeat wildly in my chest. I took a deep breath and then another then I looked at Luke and then at Caroline. As I did the blue box followed my gaze. “Uhh, does anyone else see a blue box?”

“Blue box?” Luke asks as he looks around. “Do you mean the mailbox over there?” he said as he pointed to the street corner.

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

I vividly remembered the bright ball of light that had plagued my mother’s garden for months over the summer just after I had turned eight. I shuddered as I remembered a key detail I had forgotten until just that moment. “It, it came on my birthday too,” I said in a hushed tone.

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

Stunned I turned to my friend and blinked rapidly. “What?”

“What does the box say?” he asked insistently. I began to read it aloud to her friends. “Happy 16th birthday! You have 24 hours to complete setup and registration or the system will initialize with default settings. Do you wish to enter Set up? Y/N? What does that even mean what system?”

“I don’t know,” Caroline said looking away from me and fidgeting with her hands. “I’ve never heard of the system.” She looked at Luke and I turned to look at his contemplative face as he chewed on the side of his lower lip.

“Luke?”I asked.

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

“What?” Caroline started.

“Please, tell me...” I said with a plaintive whine in my voice. This whole thing was starting to scare me.

“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 it's 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!” Luke 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 it's not a figment of my imagination.” I sighed. “Caroline?” I asked as I looked to my best friend for help.

“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?” I looked nervously 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?” Caroline and I both 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?” I asked, I knew my voice was a sullen whine, but why me? “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.” My friends grunted in agreement.

“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 we joined him in a laugh.

I looked at Luke then asked for his help. “Luke, can you help me? Explain this whole character creation stuff?”

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

“Why?” Caroline asked, her question mirrored my own thought.

“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.” Flummoxed he shrugged as he ran a hand through his messy hair.

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

Wide-eyed Luke looked on as Caroline ran off before he turned to me and spoke up in a hushed half shock. “I think I got a date…”

* * *

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

“Exactly,” He replied 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,” I replied back in a low voice. “But what else can I do?”

My friend shrugged and sighed. “I still need to figure out what each of these things even mean…” I was distracted as she glanced around the small library conference room that the role-playing club met In. I had caught sight of Michael. He was tall for his age, nearly six feet one inch, and muscular. I wasn’t sure if it was from his playing sports, natural, or something else he did when away from school. I was admiring his darkly tanned skin with dirty blond hair, brown eyes, and best of all, smart. He was giving me a run for honors in our grade. I sighed, he was perfect.

“What?” Luke asked then looked around and caught sight of the center of my affections. “You should talk to him.” He said nudging me toward him. “Heh, I already have a date.” He said with a goofy grin on his face, that really bothered me for some unknown reason.

I ran a hand through my dark hair in an effort to straighten it out, then I looked down quickly to see if there were food on my blouse, and then stepped up to Michael. “Hi, I uh, didn’t know you’d be here,” I said shyly.

He looked up at me 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 me off.

“Yeah, Luke invited me,” I 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 me so quickly I felt a shiver go down my spine. I was really confused I wandered off to see what the other boys in the room were doing. I also wanted to take some time to figure out what was wrong with me. I tried to sniff myself to see if I smelled.

There were five other boys besides Luke and Michael, only one of whom I knew the name of. They were sitting around a circular table reviewing a series of 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 his neighbor. I 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. He was a sophomore on the track team. His long dark hair fit with his deeply bronzed olive skin. I remembered his name was Robert and he was one of the fastest runners in our 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, boy who was also dark-haired.

“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.”

I watched as a fight ensued and found myself smiling at the boys' antics. I wasn’t sure where I might fit in with the group but I was willing to give them a chance. Especially if it might help me figure out my own dilemma.

“I hear we have a possible new member.” I heard an older voice say from the doorway. Turning I 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.” He stated.

“Uh yeah,” I said startled as I looked at him and held out her hand.

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