Chapter 34: Gap Between

As Dave groggily opened his eyes, he noticed most of his classmates in the same disoriented state. Everyone looked drained, probably from their non-stop speedrun inside their individual spaces.

"Get ready for your daily checkups," announced one of the teachers. Her voice echoed across the room, sharp and direct. "During the examination, feel free to ask about any concerns or confusions you have."

The students were ushered into the examination rooms one by one. The process was efficient; each student took about five minutes. Well, everyone except Yasmine and Scott, who were directed to a separate venue for reasons no one cared to explain.

"Dave, you're up next!" barked a stern-looking woman in a white coat. Her demeanor practically screamed don't waste my time.

"All on you, Spark. Don't let them see anything they shouldn't," Dave thought silently.

[Roger that…] Spark responded confidently.

Inside the medical room, a doctor greeted Dave with a curt nod. "Sit on the bed and clear your mind," he instructed.

Dave hesitated for a moment but eventually complied, sitting stiffly. The doctor pulled out a peculiar helmet connected to a strange machine covered in flashing lights and holographic interfaces.

"Put this on your head. Let me know if you feel any discomfort."

Shady stuff... Dave thought but reluctantly slipped the helmet on. The moment it activated, he felt an intense sensation of freefalling.

Meanwhile, Spark projected a convincing simulation of world development directly into the doctor's man-machine-interface. The visuals were flawless—an intricate mimicry of standard growth patterns inside the training space.

The doctor examined the feed with a satisfied nod. "All normal," he concluded, scribbling something on his tablet.

He asked Dave a few routine questions before dismissing him.

Once outside the ward, Dave let out a long sigh of relief. "Sigh…"

"Keep moving, Dave!" someone yelled behind him, but he didn't bother to look back. He was too tired to care and shuffled towards his classroom.

The day dragged on, and finally, it was time to go home. Dave boarded the bus as usual, spotting Yasmine already seated. He slid into his usual spot, exchanging polite greetings. The two talked for a bit—small talk that felt increasingly forced as time went on.

The gap between them was growing, and both seemed acutely aware of it.

After a short, uneventful ride, the bus reached Dave's stop. He waved goodbye to Yasmine and got off along with Daniel, who offered him a quick nod before heading off in a different direction.

Dave trudged home, but the sight waiting for him by the fence soured his mood instantly. There stood Henry, watching him with his usual expressionless face.

No need to ask, Dave thought bitterly. Henry wanted money—again.

With a resigned shake of his head, Dave went inside, pulled $10 from his savings, and handed it over without a word. Neither of their expressions changed throughout the transaction. It had become too routine to warrant any emotion.

Once inside, Dave freshened up and decided to call Samuel, one of the boys from Henry's group who was about the same age as him. Surprisingly, Samuel had turned out to be easy to talk to, and they'd found common ground in their conversations.

"Hey, Sam," Dave began, voice tinged with frustration. "Henry came asking for money again. It's so irritating."

"That's why I told you to confront him," Samuel replied. "Just say no. Trust me, he's never paying you back anyway."

"AHh.. I don't know about that man.."

"Trust me on this. Don't give him anything. Use it for yourself instead. How many times are you going to let him take advantage of you? Just say you don't have any money next time."

"Hmmm… Okay," Dave replied nervously. "I'll try."

"Good. Let me know how it goes. Later!" Samuel said, and the call ended.

Dave sat in silence for a moment, then shook off the conversation. He pulled out his books and went over some classwork. These days, his childhood friends were nothing but distant memories. He no longer played outside. His world had shrunk to his own company, something he didn't seem to mind.

Gone were the days of playfulness for him.

But even in the quiet of his room, he couldn't resist the call of the other world.

"Spark," he whispered. "Let me dive…"

[You can dive in... but aren't your parents coming home soon?]

Dave sighed. "Yeah, yeah..."

"Fine. Just show me the progress without me diving in," he conceded, leaning back in his chair. "I'll watch from here."

[Understood. Loading the feed now...]

As the simulation flickered into view before him, Dave's mood lifted slightly. Despite the chaos in his life, there was something comforting about seeing the virtual world continue to evolve.

He saw scientists looking for people searching for their origin, beast-masters traveling to distant places. It felt oddly comforting. 

As he was watching the feed, the door slammed open. Lila was standing by the door.

Ten minutes ago,

Lila arrived home. "Look at the time, Dave and Daniel should already be home… sigh.." she hurriedly entered going towards the kitchen to make lunch. 

She didn't see Dave nor Daniel in the house. Daniel still went to play outside with his friends but Dave mostly stayed home, so not seeing Dave was not something she had expected.

"Let's make something for them to eat first…." She hurriedly made some noodles for the kids.

Dave's room was shut, Lila was very worried about this son of hers. She had heard of some kids committing su***d. Thinking along the line more and more things started to play in her mind.

She slammed the door open and she wasn't expecting to see something like this.

"Oh.. shit" was the only thing he could say when Dave saw his mom. 

Should I say I was watching p**n?? That would have been easier to explain…