The Aldean Chronicles: Hidden

Paisley can't contain her excitement as we walk to the parking lot. "I wonder who'll be there, I can't believe this is happening."

Axel laughs. "My parents will be proud. Going out with people they approve of."

We both glare at him. "Don't talk about me like that," Paisley says as I say. "Don't talk about my friends like that."

We see a group of people standing beside expensive cars in the parking lot.

"Kat," I say. She and Mika are standing next to a pretty pink car. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Cassie, Mika and I thought we'd tag along." She and Mika share a look.

"And also Jamie is coming." Dan jokes and laughs. He doesn't flinch under her harsh gaze.

Just then, Jamie appears. "Got it, now we can go." He enters the passenger seat of the black car.

"New car?" I ask Tristan.

"Not really, my two-seater isn't big enough for your friends." He taps the hood of the silver automobile.

We all get in our respective cars and are soon racing down the empty streets of the capitol. We reach a very big building and park in the underground parking lot.

"What is this place?" I ask coming out of the car.

"A mall, it has one of the biggest simulators in the capitol," Tristan says. "The manager agreed to close it for us. We only have two hours though."

Kat clears her throat. "He agreed to close it for Mika, her family owns the building."

"This is so cool," Paisley whispers behind me. "I have never been this excited before."

I laugh and Tristan takes my hand in his. "Ready, Princess." He asks and I laugh. "What is it?"

"Nothing, It's just Arin called me that yesterday," I say. "He made it sound so funny."

Kat's smile widens. "I never thought I'd see the day where Arin Hames and funny were used in the same sentence."

I laugh harder. "He sent me a link for this chemistry article today. There was this joke." I get ready to say it. "One tectonic plate bumped into another and said 'sorry my fault.'" I can't stop laughing.

They all look at me, completely lost. I stop out of embarrassment. "Tough crowd." I walk ahead of them.

Tristan jogs up to me and wraps his right arm around my waist. It makes me blush. "Sorry I didn't laugh at your joke."

"It's okay, you didn't get it."

"I should have still laughed. That was so bad." He tries to suppress his laughter.

"Oh, so you found this funny." I press the elevator button and the metal doors slide open.

"You can tell us tomorrow's joke." Dan teases. "Hopefully it will be as rib-cracking as today's."

Kat elbows him. "Shut up."

We get to the floor the simulator is on and walk through the big black door at the end of the hall. An attendant is waiting for us.

"Hi, I'm Talia." She introduces herself. "Welcome to Oasis. Please take your seats over there."

There's a cluster of big black seats towards the West wall. I take the one next to Tristan and pick up my glasses. They're box-shaped and have nice support at the back of my head.

"So what's going to happen is that you will put your glasses on now. Make sure to let me know if you're having any problems. Then the lights will go off and you just press the button on the side. Now, this form of power is new, it's a combination of different types of magic. The glasses will help you see the surreal world created by our team. You can leave the game anything you want, all you have to do is touch the side of your head, the exact place the button is now and you'll be transported back here. Are you ready to select a package?"

"We've already picked one," Mika says. "We want Rypper II." Over a hundred years ago, the terrorist group merged all four elements and created a monster. They were named Ryppers after their creators, they haven't been spotted in decades. They're still a big part of the media today. Movies, books and songs are inspired by the destruction they brought to the world.

"Isn't that supposed to be illegal?" I laugh. "That feels illegal and if not, very immoral."

"It's fine, Cass," Tristan says. "They're not real."

I still feel a bit wary. "I've never seen one before. I doubt I'll know what to do."

"You have nothing to worry about. It's a group exercise and you can't get physically hurt." Talia assures us. "Again just let me know when you're ready."

"We're ready, Talia. We're not scared of some crazy monsters." Dan high fives Marty. Carlos takes off his headphones and puts the glasses on.

"Here, take my hand. No matter what happens in there, just know you have me in the real world keeping you safe." He takes my hand and I smile.

"Thank you." I kiss his cheek.

"Okay," Talia says as we put on our glasses. "I'll switch the lights off, you all should rest your heads on the chairs and just relax." She presses a button on her tablet and the lights dim low. "Now press your buttons in five, four, three, two, one."

I press the button and I'm transported to the middle of a forest. I look down and I'm still dressed in my skinny jeans and grey sweater. We're all standing next to each other.

"This feels so realistic," Paisley exclaims.

"It's pretty good, how haven't we done this before." Jamie walks around.

"Talia," Marty yells. "Some of us need weapons." There's no response. "Talia, Tally." He keeps yelling.

"Over there." Kat runs up to a tree. There's a duffel bag behind it, she opens it to reveal different sharp weapons.

"Okay, that's what I'm talking about." Marty rubs his hand together and jogs up to her.

Kat retrieves a nice sharp sword from the duffel. "Here." She hands it to Jamie. "This should do nicely, won't it?"

"Thanks, Kat." He tosses it from hand to hand. "Feels nice." Paisley waits for Marty and Dan to pick their weapons before carrying a nice double sword for herself.

"The first year took a double." Dan nods and laughs. "I'll love to see you wield it."

Paisley nods. "I'll love to see you wield yours."

Carlos for the first time since I've met him says something. "Is this thing starting soon?" He seems impatient.

"Where are you running off to, a hot date?" Dan teases.

Before anyone can reply, something jumps at us with incredible speed. I'm shoved against a tree. My head collides with the bark and I let out a groan, I thought Talia said we couldn't feel pain in this.

I can't see what's going on around me but I can hear it. A few seconds later, I try opening my eyes but my head flares up.

"Cass, Cass," Paisley calls. "Are you okay?"

Someone laughs behind her. "Dan, I swear if you don't shut up." Tristan threatens him.

"What, we're barely a minute in and she's already knocked down. It's like she has no stamina." Dan says.

I muster all my courage and sit up, I rest my back against the tree. I open my eyes and they're all gathered around me. "She lied. You can feel pain here."

Axel laughs. "It's not real, as soon as you get out, it stops. I promise."

"Still hurts." I take Paisley's hand. She helps me up and I'm able to stand with the support of the tree.

We hear a growling sound and everyone except me stands ready. Two more of those things burst into our clearing, I get my first look at them. Their bodies are old and decaying. A thin wisp of smoke is emanating from their stomachs and they have a very distinct burned smell. Their faces are almost unrecognizable, just a wide mouth and two shiny black rocks where their eyes should be. They're seven feet tall and have long, thick arms.

They lunge at us and the group jumps into action. Kat races forward and sends out a blast of fire. The figures walk past the flames, unbothered, one reaches out for her. Paisley throws a sword that gets stuck in its elbows. The monster yanks it off and flings it away, the way one would a toothpick.

Carlos twirls his fingers, creating a mini-tornado that knocks the figure off balance. Marty uses that as an opportunity to stab it right in the forehead. The creature is distracted trying to remove it. Kat sends another powerful burst of flames and it writhes around before slowly dissolving to ash with an unsettling hiss.

On the other side of the clearing, the rest are taking down the creature's partner. Paisley slashes its throat. I gag as a thick black liquid oozes from the cut. Jamie aims higher and manages to make a deeper cut on its head. I look away as a gallon of the black liquid trickles to the ground.

My stomach tightens and I struggle to hold its contents. Tristan follows Kat's example and sends his own burst of fire to finish the job. Axel uses wind to fan the flames and the monster is soon consumed. The group look at their work and high-five each other.

"Cass." Kat shrieks. "Did you see that?" They turn to look at me.

"I need to vomit. That was so disgusting and so violent. How are you guys enjoying this?" I heave.

Even Paisley rolls her eyes. "It's a simulation."

"Yeah, Cassie. Soldiers faced this stuff all the time till the '90s. Fighting one and living to tell the tale was an honor." Axel adds.

Tristan offers his hand. I see the liquid from the creature on his sleeve and recoil. "Please don't touch me." I use my hands as a barrier. I laugh drily. "As has been made abundantly clear, I'm not like you guys. Fighting to the death over stupid and meaningless trophies and awards is well...stupid and meaningless. Fighting these things for entertainment is psychotic." I clench my fists. "I can't do this." I tap the left side of my head furiously. "Where is this stupid button, Talia," I scream but there's no reply.

"Cass, it's on the right. Don't worry, I'll go with you, we can go to the cafe on the second floor." Tristan offers.

"No, just please no. Finish your game, don't follow me. I need to be alone." To cry. Hopefully, my tears will wash all this away. I tap the right side of my head and I'm transported back to the simulation room.

I open my eyes and everything I felt from the simulation fades away. The need to vomit, the need to cry, the skull-crushing pain I felt at the back of my head. All of it. I see my hand in Tristan's and yank it free. I shouldn't have taken my anger out on him. In my defense, what was he thinking bringing me here?

I sulk. Part of me wishes I was like them. They're bold and confident and meticulous. Things I'm not.

I check my phone for notifications and see a text from Arin. I decide to call him. "Hey."

"You're not tired of me yet, shocking." He says from the other side. "Then again, it's only been a day. I'll give it time."

I smile sadly and sniff. "I am not having the best day."

"No, no, no. Our friendship does not cover tears. If you can, please loose them."

"I'm not crying, I think I left that in the simulation."

"Simulation, wait are you at that new place in Oasis? I heard my roommate talking about it, it's really realistic."

"Yeah well, met my first Rypper today. It was bad, everyone else was so ready and just charged like it was nothing. I couldn't, I lost my cool and went off on them." Well, Tristan in particular. "I miss my former life, when's the next science fair? I need some sense of normalcy."

"It's next Friday." He says. "Can you wait till then?"

I laugh at that. "I'll be fine, thanks. I wish this school had more academic clubs or something. I'll be interested in that."

"Then start one." He says like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"I can't do that, the school has strict procedures in place."

"You're a princess, Princess. You can do whatever you want."

"I'm serious, Lilian won't let me," I say. "And it's best if I don't, it's one thing to be a member, another to be a founder, president and possibly only member."

"What club are you in right now?" He asks. "Maybe you can recruit some members from there."

"Equestrian."

He whistles. "Here they're pretty elite. How did you manage to get a spot?"

"The same way I got into everything else. I barely remembered Brimstone's name when I got in while my roommate spent years preparing for it."

"Poor little rich princess. However will you go on." He teases.

"Oh catch yourself. You're rich too."

"I am, and I decided not to use my connections to enter Brimstone. Even though I could have gotten in on my own." He claims. "Anyway, I'm proud of Grovehills."

I smile. "That sounds nice, I've been feeling like a fraud since I got here. For many different reasons."

"Sorry." He sounds like he means it. A grunt startles me. Axel is back and looking frustrated.

"That thing got me, forget I was ever here." He rests his head on his seat. "Who are you talking to?"

"None of your business, go back to your game." He presses his button. "Sorry about that brief interruption."

"It's alright, sounds like they're having fun."

"To each their own, I guess." I smile even though he can't see me. "I don't know why you don't have more friends, you seem alright."

"You don't think you're my only friend, do you?" He asks seriously. "My grandfather was exaggerating. I have friends at school."

"Of course you do, sorry about that."

"You should be, I really am offended." He sighs. "Anyway, I got to go."

"I said I was sorry."

"I know, I forgive you. I need to get back to studying. I was so busy with the stupid competition I forgot I had an assignment due tomorrow."

I smile at 'stupid' competition. "Thanks for the talk, Arin. Good luck with your paper."

"Of course Princess, good luck with your little games." He laughs and cuts the call.

I sigh deeply and look at everybody sitting there unconscious. I remove my glasses and leave my seat. Talia enters the room. "Hi, do you need help getting back in?"

I shake my head. "I'm good, I'm not going back. Just looking for somewhere to get a drink."

"Of course, there's a restaurant a few floors down. Go to the third floor, you can't miss the sign." She directs.

"Thank you." I follow her instructions and arrive at the restaurant. I order a drink at the click-and-go station. It arrives and I quickly pick it up and scramble out of the restaurant. Luckily no one recognizes me.

I go back to the floor with my group but stay outside. I finish my milkshake and toss the empty cup in the bin. A minute later, they flock out of the room chatting excitedly.

They lower their voices when they see me. Tristan walks up to me shaking his hands. "No Rypper fluid." He jokes. "Can I hold you now?"

I respond by wrapping his arms around me. "Sorry for how I acted in there. I shouldn't have said that."

"It's okay, I shouldn't have brought you here. That was pretty brutal." He pulls me even closer.

I rest my head on his chest. "Yeah, it just felt so real."

"And we took them down, didn't we," Dan says happily. "See Cassie, there was nothing to be scared of."

I let go of Tristan. "Whatever, let's just go." I'm more than ready to leave. I get a notification on my phone and see that the text is from Arin. He's asking if I'm still shaken up, how sweet. I reply that I'm fine and shove my phone in my pocket.

"Who else is hungry, why don't we go to this restaurant a few buildings from here." Mika offers.

The place is so close, we walk. "Sorry but our largest table can only fit eight people." The hostess explains when we ask for a table big enough to fit all of us.

"Perfect. You guys can take that and Cass and I will take a table for two." Tristan interrupts.

Dan and Marty clap slowly. "So this was your plan all along, invite us only to ditch us the first chance you get," Dan asks.

"It was, thank you so much everyone for tagging along. We'll see you after lunch." He takes my hand and smiles. "A reservation for Mr. Oisin, please. I confirmed it an hour ago."

She looks at her computer screen. "Yes, we have it right here."

Kat narrows her eyes. "How were you even sure it will be this restaurant."

"I wasn't, I made reservations in as many fancy restaurants in the area." He replies as we follow the hostess to our table. "Bye."

I laugh. "It's a wonder you still have friends."

"They'll be fine, as for us. How would you like that second date we missed out on." He offers. Our table is in a nice tucked-away corner. He pulls my seat out for me and I take it happily.

"I love this, thank you." I pick up the menu. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the rest of our friends at a big table. They spot us and boo in our direction. Tristan and I just laugh.