How to Explain Blood Stains to Your Sister

Alex smiled as a tan brown-haired woman wearing jeans and a t shirt opened the door. She smiled as soon as she saw him and went in for a hug, while Alex accidentally went for a hand shake. His hand got squashed between them in an awkward hug, but the woman didn't seem to notice.

"Zain! I was wondering if you were coming home for dinner. Do you remember what day it is?" Abril said. "Why aren't you wearing a shirt? What happened to yours?"

"Mine got all ripped and torn. I had to take it off. Those darn neighborhood dogs tackled me and ripped my shirt up like they do, without hurting me in anyway. This is the fifth time this month," Zain (Alex) said. "And of course I remember what day it is. It's your birthday!"

He lifted her up in the air, and she said, "Whee! You haven't done that in ages."

"I know. It feels like we aren't even kids anymore. Like we're 'adults'. The very thought of it disgusts me," Zain (Alex) said.

"I know. It's sad. Now, every time you pick me up, people think I'm your girlfriend. It's weird. Not that I don't like being picked up. I just hate how people see it," Abril said.

"I know," Zain (Alex) said. "I wish we could be kids again. Life is hard enough without adult responsibilities and expectations."

"That would be nice, but eventually we'd grow old again and face our adult responsibilities all over again. It's better to just accept them and move forward, I think," Abril said smiling.

"Wow. You sound so grown up. What happened to 'I want to be a princess when I grow up'?" Zain (Alex) said.

"Just because I'm an adult doesn't mean I can't be a princess," Abril said swooshing her hair to the side. "But enough talking. More showing. What did you get me for my birthday?"

"You're probably going to want to sit down for this," Zain (Alex) said. "So I was wandering around the bazaar, as I do, and I came upon this woman selling trinkets. She called them curiosities, but I still think they're trinkets. And I know how much you love trinkets so I tried to buy one but I couldn't afford it.

"Then a bounty hunter showed up looking for the lady. I saved her and got her out of there safely, so she gave me all her trinkets. Oh, and I found a duffle bag full of money in an alley when I was walking back home. The trinkets are for you, but the money is for us."

"I don't believe you found a duffle bag full of money in an alleyway, but I believe the part about the lady. That's the kind of insane thing you'd do. Just tell me this, is someone going to come looking for this money?" Abril said.

"No," Zain (Alex) said honestly.

"Ok, good. I don't care where you got the money as long as you didn't rob someone nice and no one is after us," Abril said. "Now, let's eat. I made your favorite, hot pot."

Alex sat down and had a meal with his 'sister'. The conversation flowed easily because of his host's memories that Alex had access to. After dinner they carefully pulled out all the trinkets from the backpack and laid them on the floor.

There were a lot of things he recognized and a lot of things he didn't. Some were smartphones of various makes and generations. Some were various appliances, like an electric can opener, a wine aerator, and that thing that opens pickle jars.

Some things were entirely alien to him, futuristic technology he had never seen before. He picked one up and got a system message.

[New item acquired: Pocket Fabricator]

[Pocket Fabricator: Can create a perfect copy of any nearly any object if given the raw materials. Can also build from detailed blueprints]

He picked up another one.

[New item acquired: Quantum Communicator]

[Quantum Communicator: Can send communications across time, space, dimensions, and universes. All communication is one-way unless the receiver has their own quantum communicator]

And another one.

[New item acquired: Dimensional Pocket]

[Dimensional Pocket: Can store a nearly infinite amount of objects that can fit through the two foot wide pocket opening]

There was one final object that looked like futuristic tech. He picked it up.

[New item acquired: Holographic Disguise Projector]

[Holographic Disguise Projector: Projects the image of another person or creature's likeness over your own. Can't make your body look smaller than it is]

If only he could get these objects to work. They were out of charge though. Then he had an idea. What if he could charge them with electrokinesis? He would get that next time he leveled up and try it out.

Or maybe he could switch out one of his skills right now. Eternity Quest 3 let you do that with certain spell casting classes.

Alex went into his system menu and pulled up his skills. He saw a list of symbols that represented all the powers he currently had and the powers he had available to choose during level up.

The powers he had were lit up and the powers he didn't were dark. Experimentally, Alex clicked on Emotion Control. It went dark.

[Available Skills: 1]

So that was how it worked. Next, he clicked on Electrokinesis. It lit up. Ok. Now to see if his theory worked.

"Wow! This is amazing! So many cool things that I don't don't what they are. Thanks, Zain! You're amazing."

His theory was going to have to wait until he was alone.

"No problem. That's what big bros are for. Getting their sister's useless shit," Zain (Alex) said.

Alex had to admit some of the stuff was actually pretty cool. Like there was that line of balls where if you swung one into the others, the one on the end of the line moved. Some of them just looked like pretty handmade art pieces.

His system hadn't labeled them as anything useful. He tried picking everything up to see if it was anything he could use, but the system either labeled them as ordinary or unknown objects.

Abril loved her gifts and stayed up late looking at and admiring them. Zain (Alex) said he was going to bed. He got out the four trinkets that could actually be useful to him.

He concentrated on channeling electricity into the devices. He had all four of them in his hands, trying to be efficient. He tried to send as little electricity into them as possible, afraid he might damage them.

All four items started blinking lights and making distinct but soft beeping sounds. Alex focused like that for ten minutes, hoping they were at least partially charged by then.

Alex didn't want to mess with any of the items right now, so he activated the dimensional pocket and put the other three items into it and put the pocket in his pocket.

Alex lay in bed, wondering why the game hadn't pulled him out yet. Maybe because he hadn't asked it to. Either way, he didn't care. He just wanted sleep. He had done a lot today and he needed the rest. Alex turned off the light and went to sleep.