The Day Before The Release I

I wake up at my normal time of 6 am and stretch in my bed. Yesterday was so much fun that today feels like a day that will balance it out. A nice day is usually the precursor to a bad one. I stand up and walk into my bathroom. I quickly shower and get dressed in some sweatpants and a nice plain white shirt. Since I don't have to go to work, I can wear whatever I want.

Since my sister will be staying with me for as long as she feels it's acceptable, I should order food to be delivered. My kitchen only has enough food for me, so now that's a new expense I need to take care of. I walk towards my bedroom door, and as soon as I open it, Jessica is there with her knuckle, almost to where the door is.

I look at her in confusion, and she looks frustrated about something. She sees my questioning look and takes a calming breath. "How does the shower work? It's like alien controls in there!" I chuckle at why she has come so early in the morning to my room. She is used to getting up this early every day. I head to the guest room she is staying in, and she follows behind me.

Once inside the room, it already looks like a tornado has been through it. "Don't say a word." She warns me in a slow voice. She is more of a messy person. I shake my head and head to her bathroom room. She already has the sink area filled with lady products, and the shower's shelves are filled with shampoos and conditioners. I look at her, and she glares.

Who am I to judge. Once beside the shower, I move over so she can see how it works. I pull the knob out and turn it to the temperature she wants it at, and I push it back down. It fires on, and the steam quickly fills the room. I don't know how someone can take such a hot shower. "Is there anything you might want for breakfast before we head to your apartment to pick up the rest of your stuff?" She shakes her head no, and I take that as my queue to leave.

I make my way to the kitchen and start pouring a bowl of cereal. It's cinnamon toast balls. Quite tasty for earlier morning breakfast. I take my bowl of cereal to my couch, and I announce it to turn on and go to my favorite channel. Once there, a smile creeps on my face since the segment just started.

It's the same beautiful reporter as usual. She does an excellent job. In my personal opinion, I always hear what she says. "Today, Gaia's Awakening, Lost World, and Genesis Rebirth have all lost some more points in the stock. While one or two stock points may not seem like a lot, it's, in fact, multi-billion dollar losses for each game." A shiver goes up my spine hearing her say that. I couldn't imagine losing billions of dollars. That would make anyone kill themselves, but in the grand scheme of things, that's chump change for them. "In other news, all pre-orders at the 3rd and 2nd tier have been sold out for The Aeternus Universe. With only tier 1 pre-orders remaining, many will lose out on the chances for future bonus content at the early discounted price." Many are sour about that, I bet.

I have a light feeling that goes through my stomach, knowing that I have the only tier 4 pre-order. She continues to talk about the impact The Aeternus Universe has on the current stock of DDVR's and VRMMORPG's. Most of what she talks about I already know about.

Since information about the game hasn't been released, I can only assume that there haven't been any new leaks about the game. "Many have speculated what a VRMMORPG on a universal scale would look like, and many experts have claimed that a single Ultra-intelligent A.I. can't handle that amount of work, which has led many to believe The Aeternus universe is run by more than one of these A.I.'s." That actually makes a lot of sense. I thought that a single one ran the game, but an entire universe would need more than a single Ultra-intelligent A.I.

As I finish my cereal, I hear footsteps enter the room, and soon Jessica joins me on the couch in her pajamas. "I just got a call telling me I'm fired..." I turn my full attention to my sister, and that's when I see the heartbroken look on her face, while it was a terrible place to work. She poured her heart and soul into it. "It's okay. It's actually for the best. I can find a better job now." She is trying so hard not to cry. I reach my hand over, place it on the back of her head, and slowly rub it. It's a habit both of us picked up from mom when we were crying or having a hard time. "What am I supposed to do... That was the only job I could find that paid for my living expenses..." I sigh and set my empty bowl down on the coffee table.

I turn the T.V. down so nothing can interrupt our conversation. "You don't have living expenses anymore. At least not right now." She looks at me with red puffy eyes. "I'm sorry you lost your job. Being fired hurts way more than it ever should. It's like they tell you that you aren't good enough for this job. Remember how mad dad was when he was fired from the factory... He was in a white-hot rage, but then he found his current job as an insurance agent. He makes more money, and he's never been happier." Jessica smiles at the memory of dad storming into the house when we were little cussing up a storm.

That was the first time either of us heard him use those words before. Money was tight for a few months, but he found his new job, and life was back to normal. No, it was better.

I look at the time display on the T.V., and it's almost 7 am. "Let's go get your stuff from your apartment. I'll hire some robot movers and a moving van and have them meet us there. You can talk to your property manager once we get there. Hopefully, you won't lose your deposit..." In truth, she won't get her deposit back, but there is nothing wrong in hoping. She stands up herself and makes her way to the garage as I clean my bowl and put it in the dishwasher to dry.

I meet her in the garage, and I unlock the car with the keys. She hops in, and I can tell she is a little bittersweet about losing her apartment. I get in the driver's seat and turn the car on. I press another button, and the garage opens.

I back the car out and start the trip back to her apartment. "So what did you do to get so much money anyway? I know that you sold a game item for real-world currency, but was it just the one, or was it more?" I have sold so many items over the last 5 years that I honestly don't know. All that I can say is my bank account is way bigger than it should be for a 20-year-old gamer. "On second thought, don't tell me. It'd just make me more jealous of you." I chuckle at her 180 degrees turn from wanting to know to not wanting to know.

After I started playing Gaia's Awakening I started at level one, just like everyone else. I came across many rare and expensive items in my travels. I never cared about any of the things I couldn't use, so it was easy letting them go.

While I wasn't a top player, I still made a fortune on the game. All the things that I learned playing Gaia's Awakening taught me that players of the DDVR and VRMMORPG Genre are ruthless. If word got out, you had something worth stealing. You would be targeted, which was why I was a solo player. I even had a nickname among my famous customers. The Lone Wolf. While not known as a great fighter and high-level player. The best and richest players respected me since I had uncanny luck when it came to finding items.

That is what my Gamertag will be once I log into The Aeternus Universe for the first time. Lone Wolf, it's just how I do things. I focus back on the road and groan as the morning traffic starts. That's one thing only the super-rich can avoid, the morning traffic of LA. Even in 2415, we are still confined to roads—some terrorists in 2334 ruined flying cars for all of us.

We ride in silence until we make it to her apartment's street. I pull up in front of her building complex and get out. "I'm going to call the robot movers. You go talk to your manager." She nods her head and heads inside. I pull out my phone and make the necessary calls. After about five minutes, Jess comes back out with a sad look.

She must have lost the deposit. She stands beside me as we wait for the robot movers. After another 15 minutes, they get here with the moving truck and stand by for instruction. "Well, go ahead and give them orders. It's your apartment, after all." I smile, knowing my job is done. She sighs and orders the robots to follow her. Today has gone well, but it isn't over yet.