When she opened her eyes, she found that she was in the back of an old car. She glanced outside and found that it was raining, the raindrops obscuring the evergreen forest that walled the car from both sides.
"We'll be at the academy shortly Ms. Leigh," said the driver as the pavement soon gave way to a gravel road.
-Violet- chose to name her avatar "Violet Leigh" which was close enough to her actual name in RL (real life). Looking at the car window's reflection, she also remarked that her avatar's appearance was close to her RL appearance as well, aside from the cartoonishly doe-like eyes and her mildly exaggerated breasts. It was that kind of game after all.
Violet looked down to view her sizable chest and noticed that she was wearing a stereotypical school uniform complete with a black blazer, knee-highs, a crimped skirt, and a purple and black neck bow. "It's cute," she mumbled. But I've seen better.
"We're here!" said the elderly man with glee. Violet tilted her head to see more of the "academy" from where she sat and gasped.
Impressive, thought Violet. Before her was a tall, Gothic style building with slender, stained glass windows that seem to loom over a carousel-sized fountain that was planted in the middle of massive field. The field was cut into four quarters by sleek black granite side walks that stretched from either side of the field like a black cross. The academy itself was surrounded by a wall that was twice her height and crowned with spiky, floral barbs that were perfect for placing decapitated heads on.
The academy's walls were further guarded by a gargantuan forest and the gloomy gray bricks of the academy's buildings were covered in a mossy green foliage that seemed to devour the building.
"Welcome to the Amantes Mortem Academy!"
Violet rolled her eyes. Is that his only job?
The car drove around the fountain and parked by what Violet presumed was the front entrance.
Oh well, Violet thought, At least's it's better than waking up to an annoying alarm clock and getting dragged to a butt-fuckingly cliche high school right after.
Before Violet could open the car door herself, what appeared to be a tall man wearing the school's uniform opened the door for her and peeked inside the car.
"Hey!" said a deep, bright voice. "Long time, no see Vivi."
Violet blinked in shock. In front of her was probably the best looking dating game character she'd ever seen. The man--or rather--the boy was the perfect balance of boyish charm and rugged manliness. Reddish brown hair cascaded, curled, and twisted perfectly to accentuate his slender but well defined face. His narrow jawline and smooth thin lips were surely gifted to him by Michelangelo but his golden caramel eyes had a playful spark in them that she couldn't help but find endearing.
"H-Hi," Violet said as she took the extended hand of the boy. She noticed that his hands were long and slender like a pianist's but when she grasped his hand she felt the rough callouses of its palm.
The boy pulled Violet up from the car and Violet immediately grasped at how tall he was.
"Wow, you're really tall," she blurted out. Violet looked up at the boy and figured that he had a good head and a half over her.
"I know," he said while flashing his perfectly white teeth with a smile. "Puberty hit me like a bus."
Then in a blink of an eye, Violet was caught in the tight embrace of the boy, his arms coiled around her and his face nuzzled in her hair. In that moment, Violet had to admit that her RL heart skipped a beat.
"Oh, how I missed you so much," he whispered before ripping his arms away from her and placing his hands on her shoulders.
"Uh. Um. Looks like I, uh, wasn't the only one that grew up," he said, his voice now quiet and his ears a bright pink. Violet noticed the boy was trying to look everywhere that wasn't her face...or her chest.
Well that's cute. Violet covered her mouth to hide her creeping smile.
"Oh no! You're gonna get wet!" said the boy as he scrambled to pick up the umbrella that was dropped on the ground during their quick hugging session. Violet didn't realize she was getting "wet" in the VW (virtual world) as she couldn't feel the rain and looked down at her uniform--more specifically, her white wet blouse.
Great, she thought, her lips tightening into a thin line. My first day at boarding school and I look like I'm entering a wet t--shirt contest.
XOXO
When Violet finally entered the school, she was finally able to access her game stats. Apparently avatar Violet was a second year student who transferred from a nameless ordinary high school. The boy that met her at the front entrance of the school was her best friend since childhood, Jack Invidia who was also a second year student and a vice-captain for the academy's basketball team. Other than that info (and that he calls her "Vivi"), Violet didn't know much about Jack. Violet wasn't bothered too much by the lack of character info though. She'd probably unmask more about him as the game progresses.
One interesting thing that Violet noticed once entering the school was when she was flipping through her game menus (via blinking). She noticed that one frame had hearts above Jack's head. Violet noted that there were two glowing pink hearts alongside three transparent ones floating above him. Below the hearts were two letters, "LG", which Violet guessed meant "Love Gauge". Other romance games had a similar system of determining affection but they were much more complicated, with stats and figures that measured every nuance in character development and interactions to a T.
How simple, she scoffed. But she gave the game the benefit of a doubt since it surprised her with amazing, hyper-realistic graphics that had incredible depth and detail. Also, the first romantic interest's character design was mouthwateringly hot.
Along with that affection system, there were also Interaction Options (IO) which were possible courses of action a player could choose when she is unsure of what to do in a possible scenario. The only two options that appeared to her currently were:
--> Have him help carry your luggage
--> Carry your own luggage
Violet didn't choose either option as the game seemed to be a Freelance Interaction Game (FIG) where players can do whatever they want and say whatever they want in the game as long as said actions fall under the rules of the game.
Besides, if a man--or boy--that was as hulking and as enthusiastic to help as Jack was, who wouldn't take the offer? She was a small petite girl after all.
"So this is your dorm," Jack said, his arms full of her heavy luggage. Despite the amount, he didn't seem tired or bothered at all. Instead, he seemed excited, even eager to help.
Definitely an innocent childhood friend/stock jock character with a masochistic streak. Violet looked up at her lashes. Who also has a long and unbearable unrequited love with his childhood friend/main player/me, she added.
The two walked down a long hallway with windows that faced onto the interior grounds of the school. The trees outside were splashed with reds, oranges, and gold and although the sky outside was a murky gray, Violet could tell that her dorm had a picturesque view of the place.
"Thanks Jack," said Violet. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear as Jack placed her belongings in front of her dorm room.
"You sure you don't want me to put your stuff inside?" Jack said, looking up at her as he placed the last of her luggage on the floor.
"It's alright. Besides I need to change my shirt." Violet slowly unclasped the bow around her neck and started to unbutton the collar of her very transparent blouse. It didn't help that her black lacy push up bra was peeking out from her shirt. What also didn't help was her "unconsciously" biting her lower lip while stripping herself of said wet shirt.
"I, uh, show, around, you, place, uh," Jack stammered, his face reddening and malfunctioning. "See ya at Chemistry," he managed to pull out before sprinting down the hall.
Definitely a virgin. Violet inwardly smirked.
When Jack left her line of vision, a chill slithered down her spine—in the VW and in RL. She twirled around and saw nothing on either end of the hallway. Her eyes slowly looked to the window in front of her and she approached it with legs bearing cement block weights.
She looked down at the base of a tree and her eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat--in a bad way.
Below her was a figure that was neither shadow nor human. It was hard to determine what he--or it--looked like because of the storm outside and the lack of light in the background.
But there was one thing that she was sure of; the figure below was looking directly at her.