Finally, I am done with school; not that I hate it.  I just find it boring, and a waste of time when I could be having fun.  I throw my backpack on my bed and start turning on my gear and computer.  My tech isn’t the newest, but it does the job.  It connects my brain to the game system and allows me to play the most popular game in the world.  The only one that is really played in year 2153 is Sempiternal Asobu or SA for short.  I put the arm band around my arm; it tracks my pulse and other vitals to ensure I stay safe.  Then I put in the wireless headphones which attach around my ears and send a little pulse into my brain connecting me to the system.  Lastly, I put on the goggles, allowing me to almost be sleeping while playing.  As I pull them over my eyes, I remember when my parents found out about the gear. 

“Wow, I am shocked one game developer would make a whole new set of gear just for one game,” my dad said. 

“Is that really how much is costs?” my mom asked, “Isn’t that on the inexpensive side?” 

As I shut my eyes and allow the game to start, I remember seeing her face and thinking she must be worried about the gear connecting to my brain, especially since they made it accessible by marketing it at a low price.    

Out of the darkness in my mind I see the title load: Sempiternal Asobu.  I appear in a blank white room that seems to go on and on.  I hear the familiar welcoming voice, “Welcome to Sempiternal Asobu!  Sempiternal Asobu is the game made by the creators for players.  It never ends, alluded to by the title meaning ‘eternal play.’  In this world, there are different story arcs, called Time Lines, each being a unique game, making Sempiternal Asobu a game made up of games.  The number of Time Lines constantly increases with each new player and interest outside of the creator’s control.   Sempiternal Asobu is the game where players can live any life they want in the towns and cities that serve as the home of the game.  This game does not have an ending but is considered beaten when a player has completed the original Time Line that the creators intended.  Every player starts with the same Time Line that covers basic controls used throughout the game.  From there players are given a hint on how to get to the next one.  Each hint applies to more than one Time Line and players must figure out which ones to complete to find the whole story.  Players journey to find new story lines, make friends, and be who they want to be.” 

A notification square pops in front of me: Welcome FitzGatsby! No New Messages.  No New Friend Requests.  No Friends Online. Of course there aren’t any friends online; I don’t have any friends.  Another notification appears Last Completed Time Line: Vampire’s Lair.  Next Logged and Intended Time Line: Ancient Mysteries.  Start Game: Yes or No?  After I swipe right to select yes, the blank, blue-white starting area disappears, and a forested path appears before me.     

“Darn it!” I exclaim.  Where I have appeared is the entrance to Ancient Mysteries.  There is a giant gate; it looks like there is nothing behind it, but I can not unlock or break the chains.  In front of me hovers a notification reading: This Time Line requires two players to play through. Please find another player to continue playing Sempiternal Asobu.  I am pretty sure that this Time Line will lead me in the right direction to beat the game, I think as I run my hand through my hair.  I really want to complete this as soon as possible but I really dislike communicating and working with other people.  I don’t have any friends to ask.  I could wait for another single player to come and try to start the Time Line.  My high level listening skill notifies me of movement.  Another player must be coming by.  Never mind, I decide, asking a random player is a horrible idea.  I should probably go.

I turn to leave, passing by the girl who is approaching.  She seems somewhat ordinary; good gear with interesting patterns.  She has olive-toned skin that seems to glow and long, dark brown hair.  As I walk past her, her screen name pops up in the left corner of my vision- DarkOlympia.  I freeze and slowly turn around; she doesn’t notice and is reading the notification from the Time Line.  DarkOlympia, one of the best players of SA, here?  This would be an amazing opportunity to learn about the game and try to beat it if I were to team up with her. 

“Hey!” I hear from in front of me. 

I raise my head.  She’s talking to me?  

“Earth to FitzGatsby! Do you wanna team up and beat this Time Line?”  DarkOlympia asks, “I am on a time crunch to finish this level.”

“Sure,” I say calmly, not mirroring my mental state.  “Are you familiar with the controls for this Time Line?”  I ask.  “One of the preliminaries, Vampire’s Lair, which is how I got here, has the same controls.”  I know that each Time Line has more than one key or path that leads to it. 

“I came from one of the other paths, Medieval Adventures.  I think the two use different controls.  So, I probably don’t know them.”  She explains. 

“Well, Ancient Mysteries should have a training ground.  I could teach you before we play.”  I offer.

She blinks, looking surprised.  “You’re still willing to team up with me; I definitely wouldn’t team up with someone who doesn’t know controls.” 

“Yeah of course!”  I exclaim.  “You’re DarkOlympia; you’ll pick it up fast.  I have dreaded having to do a dual Time Line, but if I have to do one then I might as well do it with one of my biggest SA idols.”

“I’m not that great,” she says.  I have actually been following what you have been doing since Lover’s Quarrel and was hoping to run into you at some point.” 

“Really?  Since Lover’s Quarrel?” I say as I scratch the back of my head. “I didn’t even do that great of a job in that Time Line.”

“You broke the record as being the first and only person to do a dual Time Line solo before they reprogrammed it so players couldn’t do that.”  She says. 

“You ready to start?” I ask her?

“Yeah let’s get going,” she says as she pulls out the menu and sends a Time Line partner request. 

A button reading accept Dual Time Line request from: DarkOlympia.  Accept? Pops up to my right.  I swipe to accept and the chains on the Time Line gate in front of us fall off. 

“After you my lady,” I bow and gesture comically.  I might have finally made a friend, I think, getting to do the Time Line I want to do.  And we walk through the gate.