The Rise of Support Heroes

Chapter 1: The Damsel in Distress

It has become a habit for the sixteen-years old Gabriella Lopez to check her email on the first day of every month before she goes to school. She is expecting a notification whether or not her scholarship has been transferred into her bank account, today.

Sadly, it hasn't.

She curls her lips in disappointment, 'It's weird...' she sighs, 'it never came late before...'

Alas, she doesn't have time to sulk, because her first class will soon be starting, 'shoot! I need to go now!' she is mentally screaming when the clock shows 7.45 AM, 'I have a biology lab in 15 minutes and haven't even showered yet!'

That morning, she decides to skip her shower routine and wears her school uniform.

While looking at her watch, she scurries along the hallway inside the girl's dormitory, where she's been staying for more than one year now. Her short messy dark wavy hair wags to left and right, makes it messier. But she chose to ignore her appearance, as her attendance is more important if she wants to keep her scholarship.

'I'm gonna late-I'm gonna late-I'm gonna late!'

Running along the circular stairs to the main exit, she accidentally bumped into another student.

"Aw!" the other female student yelped while rubbing her forehead. But after she notices who hit her, her expression becomes cold.

"I'm sorry, Fanny! I didn't see you!" Gabriella promptly apologizes, bowing her head over and over as she feels really guilty.

Hence, Fanny Chamberlin just acts indifferently, turns her back, and yelled, "just watch where you're going next time!"

After Fanny leaves, Gabriella fixes the position of her thick-framed glasses, and continues walking to her class with a sad expression, 'Fanny and I used to be close... but not anymore...'

***

In the meantime, a phone rang inside the principal's office several times when Allan Farley entered the room.

He hurries to pick up the phone, located on his working desk, "Good morning, Principal Farley speaking, how can I help you?"

"Allan, it's Richard," the man on the other line speaks, loud and clear.

It never occurs for Allan Farley to receive a call from an important person such as Richard Lewis, the richest CEO in Silicon Valley, early this morning, "Hello, Richard ..."

"I need more students to participate in the game, can you help me with that?"

Allan suddenly remembers that he has signed a contract to approve the students of St. Martin to participate as beta testers for the recent Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Role Playing Game (VR-MMORPG), "Don't worry, Richard, I will help you... I'll force those parasites to join if I have to."

"Good, I need a full quota in each kingdom by the end of tomorrow."

***

This morning is just like another lonely day for the second-year student of St. Martin Senior High School as Gabriella Lopez sits alone in the biology lab while reading a lab protocol that she is about to do. In front of her, lay a nailed unconscious frog that has been placed on a dissection pan.

It can't be any worse when she meets again with Fanny for the second time today in her biology class.

'I almost forget that we take almost the same classes this semester...'