System initiated

Beth scratched her head in irritation. It was getting too hot in the country. Maybe she should get her air conditioner repaired like her mother had asked her to, she thought to herself. She looked out through the glass doors of the bakery. It was almost sundown. She had such a long sleep. No wonder her tummy was making all sorts of sounds.

"That will be ten dollars, miss." The young boy behind the counter announced, flashing a polite smile at her.

Beth nodded, pushing her hand into the pocket of her pajama. She pulled out a bunch of folded notes and placed them on the counter lazily. Pushing the money towards the boy, she picked up the parcel. Without waiting for a reply, she walked off, blowing air inside her tank top.

"Lady, your bill!" She heard the counter boy call after her.

"I'm good!" She shouted back, pushing open the glass doors.

A burst of hot air blew against her as she stepped out of the bakery. With one hand in her pocket and the other on her parcel, she walked ahead, keeping her head low. She wanted to reach her room as soon as possible. The strange dream had left her with a sense of uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. She needed to get back to reading as soon as possible so that she could forget about it and once again see what the dragon prince was up to.

She had stopped yesterday at a crucial point in the story. The Zhouyu had thrown the heroin inside a spell-wall. She needed to know what happened after that. She hoped that the girl won't get herself into any trouble this time. She wanted Lloyd to come to the heroine before long. She was sure that since they'd be stuck with each other inside the place, they were going to share at least one hot steamy moment.

Beth knew that she couldn't afford to waste her time by talking o her neighbors who were exceedingly friendly most of the time. She hoped that none of them were out, taking a walk or anything. She looked up, taking a quick precautionary glance around. She didn't want to take any chances. Just as she was about to take the turn to her apartment, she saw old Mrs. Walter talking to some boy her age.

"Great! Not this again!" She cursed under her breath, looking left, and right hastily.

She had to hide before the old woman spotted her. Mrs. Walter had been trying to set her up with her grandson for some time. But Beth had avoided it to the best of her abilities, hiding in her apartment and acting dead every time she heard the doorbell ring. But alas! It was too late. The old woman had seen her.

"Beth, darling!" Mrs. Walter shouted, waving towards her.

"Quick think!" Beth murmured under her breath, taking a step back by instinct.

That was when she spotted the alley. Without thinking too much she ran towards the place, ignoring the calls of the woman. She had to escape today no matter what. There was no way that she was going on a date with anyone ever. She'd be crazy to think that anyone would be able to meet her standards. No one would- unless they were a dragon prince who looked like a marble sculpture come to life.

She clutched her doughnuts to her chest as she ran through the crowd, swiftly sliding into the narrow alley beside the sidewalk. Her legs slowed down as the voices of the crowd died. She panted heavily from all the running, coming to a stop near an old discarded chair. Beth turned back to take a final look at the busy street she left behind. A slow satisfied smile spread on her face as she realized that she was alone.

"Way to go Beth!" She said, patting herself on the back proudly.

She was sure that Mrs. Walter would think that she was crazy. But it didn't matter to her. She had never acted otherwise in front of the people in her apartment. It was better like that. She hated small talks and real life. She was rather comfortable in her world of books.

A short ping came from her pocket. Beth retracted her phone from her tracks and checked the notification eagerly.

"Yes!" She exclaimed happily as she stared at the screen.

The author had updated the latest chapter. Though she was at least fifty chapters behind, she loved it when the author updated new chapters. It was like money falling into her account. It didn't matter that she wasn't using it right now, at least, she had plenty of reserve for starved days, she thought to herself, smiling like a fool.

"Out of the way! Police!" She heard a shout behind her.

Beth turned around, confused. "Huh?" She asked, looking at the men who were running towards her.

"Move!" A man shouted, running behind another one. He was waving to her urgently.

Beth suddenly got an idea. This was her chance at doing a good deed. If she caught the man, whoever he was, that should count as a good deed right? She thought to herself, bringing forth her inner hero.

She spread her arms wide, blocking the way with determination. Narrowing her eyes, she started, "Hey, you-"

*BAM BAM*

The loud sound boomed in her ears as she started falling back. A warm liquid oozed out from her forehead, quickly spreading onto her eyes. As her body hit the ground, she felt no pain. Beth opened her mouth to say something but darkness enveloped her vision. This was it, she was dead. Just like that, and she'd never know how the book ended, she thought to herself.

But wait, why was she still thinking if she was dead? She wondered. She couldn't see anything in the darkness. It was pitch-black where she lay. Beth groped around blindly until her hand rubbed against something cold and metallic.

"System initiated."

The sound echoed in her mind as her surroundings slowly started getting brighter.