Hollow Twilight - A LitRPG Novel

Chapter 39

Reid checked the window again, tapping his pencil against his desk. He could so vividly remember the sick sound of the bird hitting it. Now it was just another day in a long list of days. Nobody talked about it because why would they? Birds hit windows, animals died all the time. Everybody moved on.

Was that how it would be inside Hollow Twilight? Paragon was dead, so were lots of people and Pariahs all over as everyone played, people would move on. Nobody recorded the history of that place, as far as Reid knew, so it was just for him and his friends to know about. Everyone else in the class, they had no idea they were in the same room as someone like Reid.

The teen smiled to himself. That was how it would stay and he kind of liked it that way.

When the class ended, he stepped out to find Kari waiting for him in the hall. She was wearing an oversized sweater, enormous bump across the chest where her arm was sitting in a sling. Her bag was down between her feet and she nodded at it as Reid approached.

"You'll help a lady with her bag?"

"If I see one."

"Fine." Kari kicked at the bag and pretended to struggle until Reid rolled his eyes and scooped it up. She flashed him a mocking grin. "Still the same after all this change."

"I guess we keep habits," Reid said, doing his best to keep the strap of the bag from sliding off his shoulder. He was not very successful. "Nobody asked more about the arm?"

"My parents did," Kari answered, shaking her head. "Like a lot. Obviously. And that's why my room has a door."

"Hard to explain a hole in it."

Kari tried to shrug with just one working shoulder. "I fell or something and a thing went through it, like some metal pipe, there's garbage in places, it's believable."

"Sure it is." Reid waved as they passed by Issac and Maple at Maple's locker. The pair were jostling each other, being their usual flirty selves. Reid felt a tiny twist in his stomach as his eyes met with Issac. He was sure that would go away, eventually. Things were looking better, not worse, and he wasn't going to let his old self drag him right back down.

"You're still good to go back in?" Reid asked, turning his attention back to Kari.

"Maybe we take a couple weeks?" she answered, wiggling the bulge under her shirt. "But after that, I mean sure, I guess we get back to it. Figure out some new boss to take down."

"Hopefully we don't have to trick them with axe summons."

"That's really a one-time gimmick." Kari stopped at an intersection of two halls. "We'll figure it out when we've all relaxed a bit, alright?" She pointed down the hall with her good hand. "I believe someone will want to see you though."

"What are you, some matchmaker now? I thought you were bitter." Reid chuckled.

"I can be a lot of things." Kari snatched her bag off Reid as she walked away. "I just know what I would want in that situation."

"Sure, sure." Reid waved her away and sighed. The next class was a minute away. History class that he used to feel indifferent about. Now he had someone to pick up along the way, someone to slip a note or look to whenever something funny or stupid got said. Someone who probably had forgotten to do her homework again because she got too into her soccer league and he would have to help her out.

And this was his life now.