Jade's alarm blared 5:45 AM from the bedside table, her phone buzzing insistently beside it. She needed to get up, but sleep had eluded her, the night lost in the pages of a book. Finally, with a sigh, she reached for the insistent phone.

  In the bathroom, she turned on the shower to warm while she brushed her teeth. A quick rinse, a quick shave, and she stepped out. Her reflection gave her pause. Tired. Sooty lashes did little to conceal the shadows beneath her green eyes. Her short blonde hair, versatile enough for a fohawk or a pixie cut, framed a face etched with fatigue. At six feet, she often towered over most men, possessing a striking, Amazonian beauty – or so she'd been told. Lean muscles moved beneath a black tank top and blue jeans. It was time to leave before she was late.

  The cafe buzzed with energy Jade didn't share. She hadn't seen her sister, Dawn, in years, the reunion prompted by a cryptic phone call about a project that needed her – an opportunity, Dawn had insisted, for Jade to finally make something of herself. Jade reminded herself that the girl she remembered was long gone, replaced by a grown woman with a knack for trouble and questionable taste in men.

  Then Dawn walked in, and Jade was unprepared for the transformation. A decade had reshaped her sister. Sharing a mother but different fathers, their only real similarity lay in their green eyes. Now, those familiar eyes stared back from a face Jade barely recognized. Small-framed, maybe five-foot-six, with long, wavy chestnut hair and a perpetually sun-kissed complexion Jade envied. At twenty-five, Dawn radiated a vibrancy that made Jade, at twenty-eight, feel her age. Whatever Dawn did, it clearly paid better than bartending.

  Jade remembered a little girl full of smiles. The woman before her now had lips pressed into a hard, evaluating line, her gaze lingering on Jade as if finding her wanting. Jade took a slow sip of her coffee, waiting for the assessment to end. "Jade, thank you for coming," Dawn finally said. Jade arched an eyebrow, silently prompting the reason for this unexpected family gathering. Dawn grimaced. "There's a project my boyfriend and I are working on. We've found something, Jade! Something with so much potential for growth. It's a chance for me to start over, to finally be who I'm meant to be. But there are…bugs. That's where you come in." Dawn paused, her eyes narrowing. "Before I say more, you need to sign an NDA." She saw Jade's flicker of displeasure. "Oh no, don't give me that look. You owe me after leaving me with Mom and Dad. If you had stayed, maybe things would have been different. But no, you had to run off and leave me. This is the least you can do!" Dawn's voice held a familiar edge of resentment. Jade had heard it all before – the accusations of abandonment, despite her own difficult childhood. It didn't matter that she'd been pushed out or that she'd tried to maintain contact. With a sigh, Jade agreed. Not today. Dawn wasn't worth that fight.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Jade watched Dawn across the small cafe table. "What do you need from me?"

  Without a word, Dawn slid a folded piece of paper across the worn surface. It bore a hastily scribbled address and a time: 8 PM tonight. Jade nodded, tucking the paper into her jeans pocket. Dawn stood to leave, a flicker of something unreadable crossing her face. For a fleeting moment, it seemed she might say more, her lips parting slightly. But before Jade could decipher the unspoken words, Dawn turned and was gone, disappearing into the cafe's brunch time bustle as quickly as she'd arrived.

  Jade watched her go, a knot of unease tightening in her stomach. The secrecy, the cryptic invitation, Dawn's barely concealed resentment – it all felt…manipulative. She unfolded the paper again, staring at the nondescript address. What awaited her there? And what kind of "bugs" required her involvement?

  A thought struck her. Dawn had mentioned potential, a chance to start over. Could this project be some kind of immersive game? Jade had dabbled in a few VRMMORPGs in her downtime, appreciating the escape they offered. Maybe Dawn and her boyfriend had gotten involved in something bigger, something…realer.

  The idea sparked a flicker of reluctant curiosity within Jade. Despite her apprehension about working with Dawn, the possibility of something new, something beyond the mundane routine of her life, was undeniably tempting. She finished her coffee, the bitter taste lingering on her tongue. Tonight, she would find out what Dawn was truly up to. And maybe, just maybe, this unexpected detour could be the change she didn't even realize she was looking for.....

  Ps this is my first try at writing so any feed back is welcome.