Bryce dribbled the basketball from one hand to the other then between his legs. He looked back and forth from Kaly to Ivy. Tobi stood next to him, arms crossed, sighing impatiently.
They stood in the middle of a basketball court in the courtyard of an affluent apartment building. The complex was quiet except for the rhythmic thumping of the ball against the ground.
“Just choose,” Tobi said.
“Okay,” Bryce said, “Ivy, you’re on my team.”
“Alright,” Ivy said, standing next to him, as Tobi and Kaly walked to the other side of the court.
“Here’s what I wanna do, Ivy-” Bryce stopped talking thinking for a second, “Have you ever played basketball before?”
“Once or twice at Crater.”
“A’ight, bruh, here’s what we’re gonna do,” Bryce grinned, pointing at the two, “We’re about to win, and secure total aryan victory, and send those two back to the dark ages where they belong!”
After Tobi gave a quick run-down of the rules to Kaly, she was ready.
Both teams stood opposite of eachother, with Bryce holding the ball. Before starting he leaned in, whispering in Ivy’s ear, “You think she’s gonna use those extra arms on us?”
“She won’t.” Ivy said.
“How do you know?”
“She doesn’t like using her other arms in front of others.”
“…oh.”
The game started fast. Bryce and Ivy moved smoothly, with Bryce taking the lead while Ivy kept up surprisingly well.
Kaly took a long stride, stopping Bryce from scoring. He doubled back to the center of the court, nodding at Ivy to get into position.
Kaly swiped at the ball, nearly knocking it from Bryce’s hands, and he took his chance, passing it to Ivy. The ball soared over Kaly’s outstretched hand, landing squarely in Ivy’s grasp.
Ivy leapt to take the shot. The ball sailed toward the hoop. She missed—just barely—the ball clanged off the rim and bounced back. Tobi snagged it in mid air, “Got it!” he called, sprinting toward the other end of the court.
“Hell nah!” Bryce shouted, chasing after him. Ivy, already in motion, pushed herself forward, closing the distance with speed. Within seconds, she overtook Bryce, her new combat boots squeaking as she changed direction to block Tobi’s path. Behind her, Kaly charged forward, an arm’s length behind.
“Oh, damn!” Tobi yelped in surprise. It was as if he’d blinked, and they were suddenly across the court. “Y’all are so fast!” He was barely able to keep the ball away from Ivy, holding it high above her head.
“Gah!” Ivy grunted, jumping again, her fingers brushing the ball.
Tobi twisted away just in time, narrowly keeping it out of reach. “Ooh, so close,” he taunted. He passed the ball to Kaly, who wasn’t ready, and fumbled. Ivy darted forward, snatching the rogue ball mid-bounce.
“Got it!” she called. “Oh, hold on,” Ivy tossed the ball to Bryce, jogging over to her pile of stuff on the side of the court. After reading the text on her phone, a grin spread across her face. She yelled, “Okay, they’ve got the door unlocked!”
The space was overwhelming. Floor-to-ceiling windows bathed the room in sunlight, revealing a breathtaking view of the city skyline. The living room was massive, with sleek leather furniture and a state-of-the-art entertainment system. The open kitchen gleamed with polished steel appliances, and the balcony outside featured a glittering infinity pool surrounded by a lush rooftop garden.
“Sheesh!” Bryce whistled, gesturing grandly at the sprawling apartment. “The NFC King’s new castle!”
Kaly lingered near the door. She looked up at the high ceilings and gleaming marble floors, her lips pressed into a thin line. “This place…is yours?”
“Ours,” Ivy corrected, stepping inside. Her voice was barely audible as she turned in a slow circle, taking it all in.
Tobi strolled in behind them, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “You earned it, Ivy.”
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Bryce gave a crooked grin and nodded toward the bedrooms. “And hey, there’s multiple rooms in here, so now y’all don’t have to sleep on each other.”
Ivy glanced at Kaly, who shifted awkwardly, her gaze darting to the floor. “Uh… yeah,” Ivy mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck. “I mean, our way worked too, but… yeah. Maybe. We’ll see.”
Kaly crossed her arms and turned toward the window, her cheeks turning a darker shade of blue. She shook her head and walked to the kitchen, the slaps of her bare feet echoing softly against the polished marble floors. Studying the room, an odd sense of déjà vu washed over her, tugging at the edges of her mind.
Her eyes flicked upward, catching sight of a single amber bulb hanging from the ceiling above the table. ‘I’ve seen this before…’ she thought.
Her heart thudded as she tapped her fingers against the table, looking up at the out of place single hanging bulb suspended from the ceiling. Memories drifted back to her—a dream? A vision? As she went to step onto the balcony, Ivy rushed past her.
“Wow, Kaly, look at that pool!” Ivy skidded to a stop right at the edge.
Kaly stared wide-eyed, her gaze swept over the rolling hills stretching into the distance.
“What? You don’t like this place?” Noticing the odd look on her face. “We can go somewhe-”
“-No,” Kaly interrupted, “This place is great!” She forced a smile. She wasn’t lying; she legitimately didn’t have any complaints. ‘I mean, anything would be better than back then.’
Kaly moved back into the kitchen. Her pulse quickened as memories from the dream replayed with startling clarity. She looked over to the living room, seeing Tobi messing with the Tv, and Bryce chilling on the couch rolling a blunt.
Kaly walked over to the fridge, examining it. She knew next to nothing about technology, but she was able to pick up the basics. As far as she could tell, the fridge was a normal stainless steel refrigerator. Kaly reached for the handle and pulled open the right side. The cool air spilled out as she scanned the shelves—leftovers, fast food containers, and a few scattered groceries. She closed it and opened the freezer.
Kaly stared into the freezer, cold air hitting her in the face.
“Hey!” Bryce coughed, “Close that! It’s cold in here.”
Her eyes locked on to an object tucked neatly on the top shelf. Her fingers brushing over the object. It was a golden champagne bottle. Frost clung to its elegant surface. She slowly lifted it from its frosty perch, the cool metal sending a shiver through her hand. Her breath hitched as the dream rushed back in vivid detail. She turned it over in her hand, seeing etched into the glass in ornate font was a singular letter: L.
Ivy looked over at Kaly.
Their black, skin-fitted body-suits glowed a subtle red, an indication of their team color. Behind them, three other men from the NFC roster stood silently, adjusting their gear. The faint hum of energy buzzed around them, as if the suits themselves were alive.
Just as she was about to ask if Kaly was ready, the dark elevator room flooded with light as the doors opened. As they all stepped onto the concrete platform, the doors behind them shut with a metallic clang.
Above them, a holographic image flickered to life, and told them this was their team’s shopping area. It began cycling through information: The scoreboard, a timer counting down from 5:00, and a map of the arena.
The scoreboard displayed multiple stats for every fighter in the arena: Kills, Deaths, Assists, and Gold. Everyone started out with 500 gold.
At the back of the platform stood a spindly man, covered in what looked like a green body suit made of scraggly wool. On his back perched a massive rucksack about three times his weight, with trinkets and bells that hung off it, jingling with every slight movement of his. Under his broad straw hat, which cast a shadow over his face, his beady eyes followed them, his smile unsettlingly wide.
“That must be the shopkeeper,” Kaly said. “We’re supposed to get what we can, and go to our starting spots…Lets see, I chose to be in the middle, so I would straight there,” She pointed forward off the platform past a massive statue at the center of their base, twenty feet tall, and to the main part of the arena.
Ivy looked up at the clock again. “Jeez, it’s already been a minute?!” She sprinted over next to the other three, who were already talking to the shopkeeper.
Kaly took a second to study the arena. There were three paths that cut through the forest, creating three ‘lanes.’ Through the trees, she was able to see the occasional glow, and flicker of movement. She walke over, and stood next to Ivy. The shopkeeper spoke in a raspy and hushed voice, explaining the rules.
“The basic format of this kind of game revolves around the lanes and jungle. Each team has three lanes—top, mid, and bottom. Most of the fighting happens there because they’re direct paths to the enemy base. But between the lanes is the jungle, which has camps full of neutral entities that give gold and other rewards when defeated—you don’t have to pick up the gold, your suits sense who was assisting, and who was the killer, and applies the gold to your account. Controlling the jungle means you can outpace your opponents in resources.”
“You’re saying we need to manage all of that at the same time?” One of their teammates asked.
“Exactly. But it’s about strategy, not doing everything at once. Each one of you has a role. For example, she’s the mid,” He pointed a green finger at Kaly, “so her job is to hold the middle lane, collect gold to purchase my powerful items, and keep the pressure on the enemy mid-laner.”
“And what about the rest of us?”
“One or two will focus on the top and bottom lanes. Then there’s the jungler. They roam the jungle, take camps, and help wherever they’re needed.”
Ivy frowned, her brow furrowing as she took it all in. “Okay... that makes sense, I think. So we’re not just fighting—we’re juggling all this other stuff, too.”
“Exactly. But the end goal’s simple,” The shopkeeper said, smirking as he pointed to the far end of the map. “Destroy the enemy’s main statue—see that glowing dot? It’s their statue, just like ours. If you take it out, you win.”
