Assassinate Wonderwind [Book 1 Completed!]

I stared at the text with my mouth ajar. Movie Night Simulator. A game that, as the name suggested, simulated movies. Except, nobody in the world played the game for the movies. Virtual Cinema was much more popular for just hanging out and watching movies with friends. Movie Night Simulator barely even had any movies on it, with an even worse selection than Netflix.

Yet despite that, Movie Night Simulator was popular enough to be downloaded to my headset from the factory.

I accepted her invitation, still shocked to see her actually invite me. The game loaded in.

Right from the menu, the customization options didn’t even allow me to pick a movie. Instead, everything was for cosmetics.

[User Customization and Makeup]

[Wardrobe]

[Performance Enhancement Settings]

[Click To Join Veyra’s Night]

I picked a simple hoodie I could have worn in real life and checked myself in the mirror. That was me, exactly like in real life. I made no other changes, body filled with anticipation as I clicked join.

I half-expected a crazy welcome to a private island, or a butler to greet me in a medieval castle or whatever—both being possible in VR—but instead I spawned, quite normally, to a scent of a freshly cleaned hotel room. The lights were dim and atmospheric, matching perfectly with the wooden floor and the organic furniture. A houseplant grew on the television stand, behind which the windows were covered with blackout curtains. It was clearly night outside.

My breath caught as Veyra leaned against the wall on the hallway, awkwardly drawing circles with her right foot. Her outfit looked so comfortable. Baggy jeans and a white midriff shirt. She wore her glasses, hair brown, having kept the freckles from real life.

She’d made some changes, though. Her left side, no longer paralyzed, wasn’t uneven with her right anymore. Her legs had more muscle and a more defined shape, thicker thighs with the curves a normal girl could have had. Any quirks of her body that paralysis caused, she’d subtly removed.

“Hey…” she said. She glanced at me from the side of her eye.

I held my breath from her sheer beauty. She smiled at me and said, “Not going to compliment me?”

I gaped like an idiot, unsure how to respond. “Sorry. I mean, you’re stunning. You can probably tell from my face. Holy shit.”

She chuckled a little. “Yeah, I just objectively look better here. And I can actually walk.” She pushed herself off of the wall. She added a little too much force, and stumbled on her feet, which prompted a chuckle. “The walking mechanics are a bit different from Wonderwind. One of the games isn’t fully realistic, I think.”

One step at a time, she carefully maneuvered to the large pull-out sofa. She sat by the side. A floor lamp dimly lit her smile—happy, but clearly nervous. Glancing at me, a soft, girly laugh escaped. “What, are you nervous?”

“I can’t believe you’re the same girl who just bombed every top guild.”

I also couldn’t believe she was my girlfriend.

She giggled and plumped her head against the soft bed, moving her legs up and down. She smiled up at me, and quietly asked, “Want to do it?”

I did. Oh my god, I did, to the point I almost dove on her without a second thought.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

I contained myself and sat calmly, lying next to her. “Yeah, I do. But I want you to know something first.”

“Yeah?” she asked, tilting her head to me.

“You’re really not ugly in real life,” I said. “Like, at all. I love all versions of you. I just love you, Veyra. I really do.”

She turned away, as if by reflex. Slowly, though, she turned back to me. “That’s… Now the second time you’ve said you love me.”

We stared each other in the eye. “I’ve been waiting for you to say it back. ” She never did.

“I… I think I’m scared of that word,” Veyra said. “Like, I obviously love you as well, but saying it…” She faced the ceiling, uncomfortable. “I don’t know. It feels like something about me just isn’t ready yet. Like I’m somehow tricking you to like me.”

“That’s a trick I’ll fall for any day.”

She snorted, and I saw the smile from the side of her face. For a while, we lay next to each other, not saying anything.

Her smile eventually fell, and she spoke quietly. “I probably won’t live for very long, Aiden.”

I blinked at her.

“I’ll be lucky if I see my forties.” She spoke at the ceiling. “That’s what the doctors say. I think I believe them. I already feel like I’m dying most of the time. I’m not just paralyzed in real life or puking every now and then. It’s really bad. I wouldn’t wish my illness on anyone.”

We lay in silence for a moment. “Is that why you feel like you’re tricking me? Because you think you’ll pass before me?”

The silence continued. I I’d definitely killed the mood. Veyra had avoided this topic for months. I knew it was the most uncomfortable thing in the world to her. We were supposed to talk about it tomorrow. I had no rush.

A sniffle came from my left. I blinked and saw Veyra wiping her eyes.

“Yeah,” she said through a sniffle, a tear flowing down her face. “I love you too, Aiden. I just…”

More tears came. She kept wiping her eyes, fighting back. “Sorry… Sorry!”

“I love you, Veyra,” I said again and gently hugged her head.

A sob broke free as she lost the fight. She pressed her forehead against my chest, my face on her hair as she continued crying. I gently stroked her hair. “It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere.”

Her hand squeezed me, hugging me tighter, sobbing in my arms.

“I’m dying, Aiden,” she said. “I’ll leave you alone…”

That was all she managed to say before breaking into more tears. Those spread to me as my eyes blurred. Her head still smelled like her shampoo, hair so soft and fragile.

So this was what bothered her. It should have been obvious. Of course. I kept stroking her hair, while reassuring her that I wouldn’t be going anywhere.

I wasn’t sure how many minutes we spent there. More than five, definitely. Slowly, Veyra’s sobs slowed back to occasional sniffles, until we merely hugged, sharing each others’ comfort.

“Sorry…” she said.

“I’m not letting you go, Veyra,” I said.

She hugged tighter.

“It doesn’t matter how many years you plan to live. I’ll stay with you through all of them.”

She kept hugging me. It took her a while to form words. “I want to spend a long life with you as well. I just… This is one of the reasons why I didn’t want to date anyone.”

A deep breath was all that saved her from more tears. “I really want to live with you… I want to spend my life with you without just puking every day, or—”

Her words were cut off as a notification box appeared, a sound coming above us. She turned her head to it.

She winced, face cringing. “Or this!”

“Forced log-out?” I asked.

“Shit…” she said under her breath. “It’s not a false alarm. I felt awful today.”

The forced log-outs were always awkward, no matter when they happened. No matter how awesome of a day we’d had, Veyra’s enthusiasm always dropped. I never knew what to tell her.

Now, though, my next words felt obvious. “Can I come over?”

She bit her lip. Every other time, she’d declined me. If she was sick, I wasn’t allowed in.

“Alright,” she said. “I’ll call you. How about that? I should have my phone in my pocket.”

“Sure. See you in a bit. I’ll come over to help.”

“Mm,” she said, and the log-out went through. She disintegrated back to the real world, and the comforting weight on my back disappeared. I logged off as well.

***

Out in the real world, I rubbed my eyes awake and quickly tossed my phone to the charger, having only 20% battery. I grabbed a glass of water and drank it before staring at my phone.

It buzzed, and the call came through. I picked up immediately.

“Hello?” I said. “Are you feeling well?”

“Uh…” she said, voice hazy. “No. It wasn’t a false alarm.”

I checked the time. It was ten-thirty PM, a little past the time Veyra’s evening assistant usually left. She’d be all alone for the rest of the day.

I heard a heavy breath through the phone. “Aiden? I… could use some help.”

I took the phone off of its charger. “I’m coming! Is it urgent?”

“No, no. It’s just—” There was a hiccup, and the phone went on mute. She came back a bit later. “It’s just disgusting. I’m not dying yet. You’ll, just uh… have to clean up a bit.”

“Alright,” I said. “I’m coming. Give me ten minutes!”

I grabbed my wallet with my hotel key card, leaving everything else inside, and burst out of the door. The cabs could screw themselves; it was faster to walk anyway.

I ran to Veyra’s apartment.