Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 77359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“But it hasn’t?”
She made a point of looking around. “My days are still pretty much the way they were when I lived in New York.”
“But no tutors. No homework,” I pointed out.
“That stopped when I was eighteen anyway. You studied at a university, right?”
“Yes. You have to in my field.”
“I wish I had.”
“What would you have studied?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t even care. It would just be enough to be out there. To go to classes. To talk to people. To make some choices for myself.”
The yearning on her face got to me, and I made a decision. “Come with me.”
She hopped to her feet instantly. “Please tell me you’re taking me to a school to enroll.”
“That’s not my call.” Though I wished it were. “Come on.”
I led her back to my office. She’d been in here a few times and had seemed curious about my work. But she had such little experience with computers that it was hard to explain any of it to her. But maybe there was something she’d appreciate. “Give me a minute to get it set up.”
“Okay.” She seemed unconcerned about what it was I wanted to show her, and that rankled me. It was wrong to keep a bright, cheerful young woman so confined that any break in the monotony was a reason to celebrate.
Leila wandered my office, looking at the electronics on the shelves as I worked at my computer. When she was in the back of the room where I had a record collection—the only low-tech thing in my office—she spoke up. “So, you’ve got your room and this office all to yourself?”
“Yes.”
“Are there any other parts of the house that are yours?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, like, are there any other spots of the house you like to hang out in? Or used to?”
I didn’t know what she was getting at, but I gave it some thought. “I like the gym in the basement.”
She peeked around a large metal case. “There’s a gym?”
“Yeah. I’ll take you down there sometime.” It was one of my favorite parts of the house. I liked the solitude when I was running on the treadmill or lifting weights, but I also liked it when my brothers were down there, and we’d catch up while working out. “Why?”
“No reason.”
She reached into a crate that contained God knew what, rummaging around. I resisted the urge to tell her to be careful. She got enough admonishments from Massimo. A prompt flashed on my screen, and I returned my attention to it.
“Can I borrow this?” Leila appeared at my side, holding an old flashlight.
“Does it work?”
She squinted at it and flipped a switch. A weak beam shown from it.
“There are batteries in that drawer over there.”
Once it had fresh batteries, the beam was much brighter, and she smiled. “So, can I have it?”
“I thought you only wanted to borrow it,” I teased.
She grinned. “Either way.”
“Sure. Are you going spelunking?”
Her pink lips made a circle. “What’s that?”
“Exploring caves.”
“Oh. No. I just… I don’t like to turn on the light to my room when Massimo’s sleeping in case it bothers him.”
“You could just close the door.”
A frown crossed her face. “This’ll be easier.”
“Then it’s all yours.” She aimed it around the room as I continued working. In a few minutes, I called her over. “Come see.”
I moved some files and dragged a chair over for her to sit next to me. Then I handed her a controller and started the game.
She watched the opening sequence—which, admittedly, needed some work, but she smiled. “What’s this?”
“A video game I’m designing.”
Her dark eyes flicked to mine. “You made this?”
“Yep.” I pulled the keyboard closer. “Let’s make a profile and avatar for you.”
I wasn’t sure she knew what I meant, but she watched the screen eagerly. Soon, I had her entered in the system and she was using the controller to tentatively make her character wander the city.
“Is that Chicago?” Her eyes never left the screen.
“It’s Chicago-like,” I said. “Why don’t you go in that store there.”
It took her a few tries to maneuver to the door, and then her avatar was in the shop. “Now what?”
“You can talk to the man behind the counter.”
“Really?”
“Yep.” I showed her how. The storekeeper told her about a strange sighting at a nearby park, and Leila wanted to go there next. But now that she knew she could talk to non-playable characters, she stopped to talk to everyone she saw.
“This is really cool.”
I appreciated her words, but I knew the game wasn’t anywhere near polished. “I’ve got a way to go with it.” Most games set in cities were first-person shooters, which didn’t interest me. I’d set out to make a realistic city that someone could explore with the mystery unraveling bit by bit.
“But it’s so cool. You can go in any direction. Talk to anyone. Do anything you like.”