End Online: Volume 5 (23 page)

I head toward an underground subway and catch the next eastbound
train. With my two escorts following behind me, I exit in the middle district
at a station near a popular shopping district. The street I am looking for is
called Chapel Road and is lined with shops on both sides as far as the eye can
see.

The street is as busy as I expected. I hurry through the crowd
for ten minutes before heading into a clothing shop I have never been to
before. Rushing against time, I find a pretty blue dress with long sleeves and
a deep cut neckline and vanish into the changing room. Once I emerge from the
dressing room, I look like someone else at first glance. Next to the counter, I
pick up several trinkets to adorn my neck and wrists, along with some eastern
hair sticks to tie up my hair. A small crimson and black bonnet hat completes
the outfit.

I pay for everything at the front desk with my father’s card and
wear it out of the shop. The clerk is more than happy to pack my old clothes
into some bags for me to carry. Not wanting to be seen as having been clothes
shopping, I dispose of my old clothes on the ground around the corner of an
alley I walk past.

Glancing over my shoulder, I can’t see my escorts among the
heads of all the shoppers on the sidewalk. A few cars buzz by down the street
and I take the break in between them to quickly cross the road, doubling back
on the way I came.

Glancing at the time on my phone, I am still an hour early for
our meeting at Silcone Café in downtown.

Half an hour later, I arrive at the station nearest the café
giggling at how I slipped away from my bodyguards. It was rather easy to lose
them, so much so that at first I was worried that it was too easy and they were
still following me in the shadows. I was looking over my shoulder the entire
time but they weren’t there at all. I can only conclude that I successfully
escaped them.

The location around the Silcone Café is rather quiet, very
unlike the streets I am familiar with. There are only four shops lined up side
by side: a convenience store, a rundown computer store, a pet supply store, and
the café we are meeting at. The rest of the area is residential with only a few
people wandering around. Everyone else is clearly already at or on their way to
work.

“Verity!” A handsome blonde man sitting at a table in front of
the café calls out, waving his hand up high with a gentle smile on his face.
Despite the fact that he is sitting down, his long legs beneath the table prove
he is just as tall as he is in the game, not that it could have been faked.

I instantly recognize this person as Sir Laurence, or Markus
here in the real world. Seeing him dressed up in a plain black t-shirt and deep
navy jeans is strange after seeing him in shining armor for so long. I can tell
that he is definitely quite well off and from the inner districts. His clothing
is from a famous brand name that I can instantly recognize.

“I’m here,” I say gently, sitting at the other end of the table
courteously.

Markus doesn’t have any of the haughty appearance he has in the
game showing in his expression. If I had to describe him, I would call him
aloof.

“Lost isn’t here yet?” I ask, a little nervous at not seeing him
around.

“No, I sent him a message a couple of minutes ago saying I was a
little early. He should be here shortly.”

“I-I’m really nervous for some reason.”

Markus gives me a quizzical look but doesn’t comment any
further. At this moment, a person in a wheelchair rolls past us. Or so I
thought originally, except it came to a stop at our table. Expecting to have to
turn down some charity service, I look at Markus and signal him with my eyes to
make the person leave.

Markus doesn’t notice my message, but stares at the person in
the wheelchair in complete shock. Eventually I turn my head to look and am
equally surprised. “Lost!?”

“Haha, please, call me Hollis,” the man says with an awkward
laugh. He is in his early twenties, around the same age as me. “Markus, Verity,
there is no need to stare so hard.”

I look away embarrassingly, not knowing what to say. Markus is
the first to speak up. “Hollis, I am sorry, I had no idea. Now I understand why
you said you couldn’t travel far.”

“Unfortunately, this is how it is.”

“Can I ask for how long?”

“I have tried to avoid keeping track, but it’s been a bit over a
year.”

Unable to stay out of the conversation, I express my best
intentions for someone I care about. “How can it be okay? You even had to wheel
yourself here! Should I arrange for someone to help you with getting around and
everything else?”

I genuinely meant to help, but Hollis looks at me with shock and
even Markus’s jaw is agape. I instantly regret what I said and try to apologize
but end up shamefully stammering every word in panic.

“Don’t worry about it.” Hollis raises his hand, which I notice
is covered in calluses. “Let’s just talk about casual things like friends
would.”

Sighing in relief, I am grateful for Lost covering my blunder.
From anyone else’s position, I must have looked like a typical rich girl
looking down on the less fortunate and flaunting my wealth.

We order a coffee, which Hollis insists on paying for and even
Markus objects strongly to it until Hollis brings up a sly remark asking if
they thought he was so poor he couldn’t afford a coffee. It was a dirty move by
him, but effective.

We spend until noon discussing our daily lives, and what we do
for a living. I am surprised to hear Markus has recently inherited his father’s
position as the head of an enormous multinational business. Lost is currently
making a living off selling game items from End Online. Despite the massive
difference between the two, I look up to them and am ashamed to tell them that
I currently don’t do anything. My father has been trying to persuade me to
begin several courses to allow me to enter his world, but I don’t have that
kind of viscousness in me so I adamantly refused.

“Also, starting next year, I will be attending university,”
Hollis says cheerfully, rolling a little closer to the table to get under the
shade umbrella and escape the scorching sunlight.

Markus’s interest piques and he suddenly seems wide awake after
hearing this. “Really? That’s fantastic, what are you studying and where?”

“I will be studying philology and semiotics at Cambridge
University.”

I hadn’t heard of the university before, but I understand what
the course is about. With the countless ruins of ancient civilizations around
the world, the archaeologist occupation people take after the course is quite
popular.

Markus smiles mischievously at Hollis with a plot obviously
unfolding in his head. “It’s funny you should mention Cambridge University. I
also will be studying international law there next year.”

Stated as a matter of fact and completely unlike the Sir
Laurence that I am used to, I don’t know how to respond to the situation.

Hollis is also taken aback. “Wait, what!? Since when!?”

“Since now.” Markus laughs heartily at Hollis’s ghastly
expression. “Verity, why don’t you come study there too? I hear you have been
looking to attend university as well, just holding out for the right one,
right?”

“W-where did you hear such a thing!? Whoever s-spoke such things
must be lying!” I stammer profusely as I am caught up in Markus’s web that he
uses to try and tie us all together. “And you, Markus, didn’t you say you were
running your business, since when do you have time to go to university?”

“I have time for End Online, I have time for university.
Besides, there are plenty of people who work beneath me to take care of the day
to day needs, and studying international law is also helping my business, you
know.”

“Urgh, fine.” I try to refute him, but end up defeated with
every word. This is truly a side of Sir Laurence I have never met before.

The thought of attending university with the two of them isn’t
bad, but my father would never allow such things. We finish one more coffee
each, which Hollis agreed to let Markus pay for. A while after lunch Hollis
tells us he is expecting a call from his little sisters and takes his leave.
The thought of a little sister leaves me feeling quite warm and comforted
inside. I only regret that I don’t have one of my own. Hopefully I will get to
meet Hollis’s little sisters one day.

Markus and I also head off from there. Markus offers a lift to
Lost and myself, which I refuse and Hollis decides to accept after Markus
whispers something in his ear. The two happily chatter away inside the
chauffeured car which conveniently has a large boot space that Hollis’s
wheelchair folds into perfectly.

I watch the two leave, then jubilantly head back to the station
to return home. Halfway there, I panic and decide to return to the shopping
district from this morning. I find my clothes from earlier surprisingly still
hidden around the corner where I left them. I slip back into the shop I was in
this morning and with a wink to the shopkeep, get changed back into my original
clothes.

From the busy shopping district, I return home in high spirits.
Back at home, I notice the two escorts aren’t back yet, and begin to worry
slightly. I feel bad that they may have been fired for failing at their jobs.

“I’m home!” I call out after entering the large apartment on the
71st floor.

“Sweetie, I’m so glad you’re back!”

My father surprises me by being home already and is eating a
late lunch in the kitchen.

What makes me the most concerned is that neither he nor my
mother seem to be aware of my short disappearance or just don’t care. Something
inside of me is telling me something strange is happening here that I am
missing.

I spend the entire day suspicious of my parents. Hollis and
Markus agreed that we will log back on tomorrow so I have nothing at all to do
today. I spend some time browsing social media websites, the local catalogues,
and practicing cooking with my mother.

The strange feeling increases at dinner, where father decides we
will be going out to a restaurant he has been fancying all day. We take his
executive limousine to the expensive eastern restaurant in the upper district.
The waitresses here are extremely gaudy and lavishly adorned. What catches my
eye the most is how they all have their hair tied up by two eastern hair sticks
adorned with gem encrusted flower designs or dragons at the end. The hairstyle
is extremely similar to how I had my hair today.

‘No, there is no way possible he knows. This must be a
coincidence.’
Despite the sinking
feeling in my stomach, I vehemently reject the notion that we are here tonight
because of my short escapade today.

“Verity, have you reconsidered the option of studying corporate
management at university?” My father asks curiously, giving me a quick glance
from the corner of his eye.

“I’m sorry father, but I have no wish to live in that industry,
and I will tell you the same every time you ask.”

“Is there nothing I can do to convince you?”

“Nothing, father.”

“I will let you study at any university that offers it of your
choosing though.”

“No- wait, any university of my choosing?”

My father gives me another quick glance which causes my
suspicions to climb. “Of course, any university.”

“Then I want to study at Cambridge University, but I still won’t
take over your business.”

“Fantastic! The application has already been sent off!”

It takes me nearly a minute to comprehend what he just said,
before I stand up in a flush, my chopsticks dropping to the ground. “H-h-how!?
Y-you followed m-me today, didn’t y-you!!?”

My shout causes an uncomfortable silence to come over the entire
restaurant, yet my father doesn’t respond. He continues to eat his dinner as if
nothing is wrong. In fact, he even has a slightly gleeful expression on his
face after finally getting me to study the course he has been wanting me to for
so long. The pedigree of the school doesn’t matter either, he will simply
replace all the teachers related to my course.

I feel a headache coming on and excuse myself from dinner,
taking the chauffeured car back home and secretly hoping my parents are
stranded there at the restaurant.

Back at home, the troubles only increase when I find a variety
of eastern hair sticks sorted by size in one of my drawers. There is a little
note on top of them in my mother’s handwriting that says, “You looked so
beautiful today, I arranged for some more hair sticks in the hopes you will use
them more often.”

I go to sleep early while screaming into my pillow in
frustration. Tomorrow is the day I go back to End Online and can take out some
of this frustration on some players from other kingdoms. I don’t care about
Lost’s opinion, we are going on the offensive!

***************************************************
***************************************************

-Hollis(Lost)-

As I am lying on my bed staring at the ceiling, I replay today’s
events in my head. A coquettish smile adorns my face in response to my peaceful
and elated mood.