Video Game Life

Chapter 001 - Awakening

Tuesday, November 15th 2050

The alarm erupted beside Derek's head.

His hand shot out from beneath the blankets, slapped the top of his nightstand, missed the screen entirely, and knocked an empty water bottle onto the hardwood floor. It landed with a hollow clunk, bouncing a few times before coming to a stop.

Derek groaned. "Shut up."

The alarm continued.

He cracked one eye open and found the glowing display beside his bed. With considerably more effort than should have been required, he dragged his finger across the bottom of the screen.

Silence.

He rolled onto his stomach and buried his face in the pillow.

Much better.

"Good morning, Derek," said the soft voice of his alarm clock AI.

"No."

"Today is Tuesday, November fifteenth, twenty-fifty. The time is seven-oh-five a.m. You have one voice reminder scheduled for this morning."

Derek's eyes stayed closed. "Cancel."

"This reminder was marked mandatory by you when it was created and cannot be dismissed until it has been played."

Derek opened one eye.

What asshole did that?

Before his memory could answer his own question, a second voice boomed from the speakers at a volume that was completely unnecessary at seven in the morning.

His own.

"Hey! Wake the hell up already!"

Derek flinched and dragged the pillow halfway over his head.

The recording continued with an amount of enthusiasm that seven-o'clock Derek found personally offensive.

"It's your birthday, dumbass! You're seventeen, and your Aeon Nexus is downstairs waiting for you!"

Both eyes opened.

Oh.

Right.

Past Derek.

Apparently, past Derek was the asshole.

His recorded voice continued. "So, get up. Shower. Fix your hair. Try to look somewhat presentable because you know you're taking about fifty pictures the second that thing comes online."

The recording ended.

Derek stared at the ceiling for another few seconds. Then the corner of his mouth lifted.

Okay. Past me had a point.

He threw the blankets aside, and cold air immediately attacked every part of him that had previously been cozy and warm.

"Jesus."

His feet hit the hardwood. Something hard pressed into his heel, and Derek jerked his foot back.

A game controller lay upside down beside the bed.

"Of course."

He picked it up and tossed it toward the desk chair. It bounced off the hoodie already hanging there and disappeared into the pile of clothes underneath.

Close enough.

His bedroom wasn't exactly messy. There was simply too much stuff and not enough places Derek considered worth putting it.