Annie skipped around in circles in the room excitedly like a child on sugar rush, knocking the drowsy Kol onto his feet. “Calm down before you pop a vein, midget!” he snapped after finally having enough.

  “No! —” Annie quickly shot back. “—If anythin’, you ought to be as excited as I am! C’mon, celebrate a little! Honestly, why can’t you just show a little bit of excitement? Just humor me, will you?” She said with her hands on her hips.

  Kol sighed. “You know how I am before my morning coffee, especially if I’m woken up like this... Let's go downstairs.”

  Annie puffed and pouted. “Killjoy!”

  With that, the two headed downstairs to share the big news with their parents

  “Oh gosh, this is wonderful news honey!” Diana brimmed proudly as she handed Kol a cup of coffee.

  “It is indeed.” He replied in between sips, keeping his grumpy face on.

  “What’s the matter, hun? Aren’t you excited?”

  “I am. I just got up on the wrong side of the bed—because of a certain someone—” Kol remarked while gncing towards Annie. It wasn’t uncommon for him to be woken up by his sister’s antics.

  Still, it wasn’t pleasant, even after he got used to it.

  “Annie, honey, what else does the letter say?” Diana asked.

  Annie was skipping around in the living room with her dad, who was as buoyant as his daughter. “It says that we will need to fly abroad to Canada!” She shouted.

  Ben stopped abruptly. “Hol’ up, Canada? That far? How come?”

  “They’ll be setting us up to when we connect to the game! Tours, guides, exercises, so that we’ll get used to the game...” Annie responded, still skipping and shouting. “...And a surgery...” She muttered quietly.

  The room fell silent for a few moments.

  “Surgery?!” Diana gasped audibly. “What’s that supposed to mean??” She half expected she had misheard, but as, she did not.

  “We need it to—”

  “Quit shouting and get your arse in the kitchen, young dy!" Diana’s roar echoed throughout the house, which finally got her daughter to stay still.

  “As I was sayin’;” Annie began. “In two weeks, we have to fly abroad to Canada, where we will undergo surgery to have an impnt pced in our head, which will enable us to connect to the company’s network and the game! It’s all in this brochure.” She expined as she handed the papers to her mother.

  Inside the brochure were various pictures and texts detailing the process and how it was to ensure smooth work, as well as gaming experience. It was a lengthy text all in the fine print, which Diana made sure to read all the way through. “That is arming... Why is this the first time I’m hearing about this?” The worry in her voice was apparent.

  Annie shrugged. “Because you never asked.”

  “But you don’t get to gloss over important details like a surgery! You need to tell us!”

  “Didn’t you say you trust us?”

  “Don’t twist my words, young dy!”

  What proceeded was a long stare off between mother and daughter, with neither saying a word to the other.

  “Hey, don’t start the day off like this...” Ben chuckled nervously, trying to break the ice rather unsuccessfully.

  “Let me see the letter, please.” Kol asked and reached for the letter in Diana’s hand, but Annie broke away from the staring contest and snatched it from them at the st second. “No!”

  “Why not? I want to read it.” Kol said, trying to reach for the letter again, but Annie dodged his reach.

  “Nope!”

  Sensing Annie is up to something, Kol shifted his attitude. “Annie...” his voice shifted to an assertive tone. “Give me the letter...!”

  Annie backed up slowly to the garden door behind her, and before Kol could say another word, she bolted through it and out to the yard.

  “Come here you midget!” Kol yelled as he gave chase after her.

  ***

  The following days fshed by quickly. Pns had been made, bags packed, and with each passing day the house got ever so slightly quieter, until the final two weeks were over.

  Diana stood in the doorway, looking out at her children with a mixture of pride and sadness. It was the first time, in a long while, that she would see them leave like this. “Are you sure we can’t accompany you?” She asked, her voice cracking slightly as she fought to hold back tears. “At least let us drive you there!”

  “Sorry Mum, but Kol and I think it is best if we go alone.” Annie replied with a heartly smile.

  “Did you pack everything, son? You won’t leave anything important behind?” Ben asked.

  “We have everything we need ready in the suitcases.”

  “Good—”

  “Are you sure??” Diana jumped in with a frantic tone. “Are your passports close at hand?? Did you pack enough warm and light clothes?? Annie, did you pack your socks, bra, pa-”

  “MUM!!”

  Ben chuckled, wrapping his arms around Diana. “Darling, stop with those questions! You will tire them out before they even get to the airport!”

  Diana’s expression softened as her eyes flickered between her children. “I know, I’m sorry. I’m just being a mom... a sad, worried mom...” She blinked rapidly.

  “We know, and we would not have it any other way.” Kol spoke with a soft smile on his face to comfort Diana, which is just what she needed to hear.

  The four of them embraced each other in a big, tight hug. No words were said, but the warmth of the moment made it almost impossible to let go.

  Eventually though, Annie pulled away. “We gotta go, or else we’ll be behind schedule!” She said in her chipper tone. “I want to be at the airport an hour early.”

  “Yes, yes... Just a few more seconds.” Ben nodded, still reluctant to let go.

  “Dad!”

  Ben sighed loudly and stepped back from the hug. “Okay, you’re free—off you go now!”

  Annie and Kol climbed into the car, their suitcases packed neatly in the backseat.

  “Bye Mum, bye Dad!!” Annie called out she pulled out of the driveway.

  “Bye honey!!” Diana shouted back, tears now streaming down her face. Just as she was about to exit the driveway though, she tapped on their window. “Honey...?”

  “Yes, Mum?”

  “We love you two, so, so very much...”

  Annie’s lips quivered slightly as she smiled warmly. “We know. Thank you for everything.” And with that, she pulled out of the driveway and drove away, leaving Diana softly sobbing in Ben’s arms.

  “They are adults now, darling, off to carve their own paths.” Ben whispered softly, though his own voice wasn’t as solemn as he led to believe.

  “I know,” Diana whispered back, tears falling freely now. “It’s just... Why does it have to hurt so much...?”

  Several minutes after they merged onto the highway, and the town faded into the horizon, Kol spoke. “You still haven’t told me where we are going.”

  “I was meaning to tell you just now,” Annie said. “We are going to London, and then nd in Toronto!”

  Kol flinched. It wasn’t obvious—just a slight twitch on his face—but Annie noticed. She always did. The silence stretched on for a bit longer before Annie broke it. “Want to visit them? Kingston is about three hours away by train...”

  Waves of memories washed over him, and he didn’t give a response right away. “... Once we’ve settled in, yes...” Kol answered, though his voice suggested the opposite.

  “Alright, then...”

  After a short break in the conversation, Kol spoke.

  “Is that the reason you hid the letter from me?”

  “Yep!” Annie answered. “Otherwise, you’d have chickened out of coming.”

  Kol grunted.

  The ride was mostly uneventful after that, with Annie listening to the radio while Kol stared into the distance as usual.

  ***

  The moment Annie and Kol stepped out of the airport the sharp, icy air of Toronto hit them like a wall. Even though it was te spring, Canada’s chill was different from what they were used to in the UK. Annie pulled her hoodie tighter around her, while Kol simply adjusted his coat, exhaling slowly as gnced around.

  A sleek bck vehicle with tinted windows was waiting for them outside the terminal. The driver—a tall, broad-shouldered man with a badge that read DRE Transport—silently loaded their luggage into the trunk. He barely said a word beyond a curt nod before gesturing for them to enter.

  The ride through the city was more memorable for some than others. Annie looked through the windows in amazement, watching the towering skyline of the city pass by. Neon billboards fshed advertisements for high-tech products, some even showcasing The Gateway.

  Meanwhile, Kol stared at his own reflection in the gss, not paying attention to the bustling cityscape in the slightest, for he had seen everything before.

  Eventually, the shuttle approached a steel gate in an urban area, far beyond the edge of the city. Stamped on the gate was the DRE company logo—a globe of mass rootsy tendrils—Which was Identical with the logo of The Gateway.

  A red light fshed on the arc of the gate, them, after a second, turned green, and the gate opened its doors.

  Even after they passed through, the car drove on and did not stop for another five minutes. That is to say; the compound was that enormous. Several buildings across acres of nd, some resembling corporate offices while others looked more like research bs, and even dormitory structures, their windows glowing faintly under the night sky.

  When the car finally came to a stop, it was in front of one of those dormitories. A woman in a professional grey and bck uniform stood rigidly, waiting for them.

  “Kol and Annie Hoover,” Her accent was heavy, and as unreadable as her expression. “Follow.” she stated, not asked, and promptly turned on her heel and started in the building.

  “What about our luggage?” Annie asked.

  Without even stopping, the woman spoke. “We will take care of those.”

  Annie shot Kol a gnce, raising a brow, before proceeding to follow her.

  Inside, the facility was clean and polished. At its entrance was a wooden panel on the wall. Pinned on it were schedules, maps, and beside it was a crate, filler with newspapers reading; Gate-news.

  Walking past the board was hallway leading to a rge room filled with couched, tables and chairs; the lounge, presumable. There was even a section of what seemed like a kitchen at the far end of the room.

  The woman led the past the lounge and up a flight of stair, and stopped at a set of doors, room 11 and 12. “Your assigned rooms.” She stated, handing each of them their keys, one for each. “There a book inside your rooms. Read as you wait for luggage.”

  With that, she walked away.

  “Let’s just hit the sack.” said Annie, barely keeping her eyes open.

  Kol grunted in response and let out a tired sigh.

  The rooms themselves were fairly simplistic—a bed, a desk and a chair, some shelves and a wardrobe.

  On the desk was the book with the same logo on its cover as the company’s, titled simply; Guide-book. The one the woman had mentioned earlier.

  A short while ter the luggage arrived, allowing Annie and Kol to finally rest.

  ***

  The clock rang early in the morning. Its sound was like an arm of a military institution, echoing across the halls so that everyone heard it.

  This of course meant it was time to wake up and get ready for work.

  Following the arm were the muffled sounds of people jumping to their feet and pacing about in their rooms, running up and down in the corridors, and swearing at those who like to have the showers to themselves on the ground level.

  Chaos left and right, scrambling to make themselves presentable in time for the very first official briefing.

  The garden of the compound was already bustling with early risers who had somehow managed to get ahead of others. Some were stretching, loosening up stiff muscles in the chilly Canadian morning air. Others formed small groups, getting to know each other and talking about how the day ahead might go. A few had even secured their morning coffee—though how, no one knew.

  A sharp whistle cut through the air, coming from the stage which they gathered in front of, signaling the beginning of the briefing.

  A woman stepped on the stage. Her face was stiff and calcuted, yet oddly captivating and at odds with her long curly bck hair, braided in many short locks surrounding one long stroke. She wore a white and brown uniform with bright blue outlines. The stylization of her attire was evident.

  “Greetings interns,” she said, her voice booming through the air through no visible speakers in sight. “My name is Akira Ishizaka. Welcome to the DRE internship program!”

  The murmurs died the moment she said her name. Not because she demanded silence. She didn’t need to. Everyone had heard of her before. She was a well-known face among the fan base, recognized as one of the most respected figures in the company.

  She surveyed the crowd silently, taking her time, letting the weight of her presence settle over them. Then, she spoke—calm, clear, absolute.

  “First off, congratutions to everyone on reaching this point. Not many people are accepted into this program.

  “During your stay here, you’ll be required to do three main tasks, the first of which will be to learn and adjust to The Gateway’s gamepy. On the surface it is a simple task, yet it is quite the opposite. Takes a high toll on the human psyche.”

  She paced slightly, hands csped behind her back.

  “The next two tasks come hand-in-hand; pick a mission of your choosing and complete it, and make a report after each session. More on those when the time comes.

  “Of course, there are rules to follow, many. Some of you may have already noticed that a book was left in your quarters, which contains all do-s and don’t-s, but I’m inclined to recite three chief rules. They are as follows;

  Number one: The Gateway operates as a living world, and interns are expected to engage with it accordingly.

  Number two: You will be evaluated at all times of the day.

  Lastly, number three: You shall not disclose any information reted to The Gateway to any who are not company personnel.

  “Viotion of the rules results in disciplinary, then termination from the program. No amount of money or influence will change that, so make sure to keep them in mind.”

  No fluff. No embellishments. Just facts, delivered with the kind of certainty that made it clear—this was not a pce for second chances.

  “Following this speech, you’ll be led to the medical wing, where you will be impnted with a chip, which will link you directly to our system. This technology will allow you to connect not only to the game, but to the network of the company—instantly and without the usual bureaucratic barriers. Recovery after the procedure is quick, and the company bears all costs, as stated in the agreement you’ve all signed.”

  Akira came down from the stand. “That will be all. Please follow me.” She said, heading towards the garden exit.

  While they walked, Akira integrated a smaller tour along the way. She pointed out the other dormitories—where interns had already undergone the procedure and were resting—as well as the science and marketing departments, which were actively testing new products. There was even a gym.

  When they arrived at the ward, Akira turned around to face the crowd.

  “Each of you’ll be assigned a room,” Akira told them. “Where after a short while one of our doctors will meet you and hook you on sedatives, taken to the operation room, then wake up after the procedure is complete. Any questions?”

  Someone raised their hand. “Yes. How long will it actually take for us to recover?”

  “Our estimates range from an hour to as little as thirty minutes. After that, you’re as good as ever. But to let everyone adjust to the new environment, a grace period of seven days is given.”

  “Excuse me,” Another one raised their hand. “Is it really necessary to sedate us before entering the operating room?”

  “For your sanity. Some of the equipment can be… off-putting.” Akira answered, her tone had become drier than before. There was more to this answer, yet no one had the courage to inquire more.

  A collective silence fell on the group. Hearing no more questions, Akira left them in the ward. One by one, everyone was escorted into their designated rooms, and given sedatives.

  After a short while, everything became a blur.