Versus (Parts I and II)

Chapter 2- Vision

Catalina closed her Augmented Design course for the day. As much as she loved fashioning buildings, rooms, and ImaginationStation maps for kids, she still needed a break every now and then. The human mind needed time to relax.

Her parents were at work and Carter was sleeping— as always. That boy was the definition of lazy. Like many other humans were in this day and age. Calista was out with her masky friends, probably at the Thinning Spa. She could never be too thin. If her waist was ever so slightly thicker, she had to get treated. No exceptions. She was lucky Danica shared her membership with her and the other SociaLights; their parents could never afford so many treatments.

What had those girls done to her sister? Catalina could just barely recall a time when Calista was so determined and passionate, training every day in all sorts of fighting disciplines. She would go on and on about entering the USA's fighting school, the top school on Earth.

Ever since she was rejected by the Junior program for the second time, she'd devoted her life to the SociaLights channel. She didn't even choose to complete her secondary education level. She stopped at Year 8 and went to waste her time on those fake, annoying girls.

"Calista Medley has arrived," AIDA announced.

Catalina left her room and took the teleporter to the first floor of the house. At the front entrance, Calista looked absolutely exhausted. She was as thin as ever, her makeup and hair perfectly done, her fingernails painted. To everyone else, she was a pretty and put-together Socializer.

But as soon as she teleported into the house, the mask came off. Calista looked so mentally drained that her makeup seemed to slip off her face. She went to the Holo-Augmented Reality Projector room and crashed onto the sofa, activating the computer. A Phoenix game instantly showed, the holographic projection playing out around Calista.

"AIDA, play the latest episode of Astrana," Calista said. A few moments passed, but the AIDA didn't obey. "AIDA?"

"I apologize. Playing Astrana, season 8, episode 34." The Phoenix game vanished, morphing into a medieval fantasy world. Calista shook her head at the defective AI, muttering under her breath.

Catalina entered the HARP bubble. She leaned back, startled, as the Prince Rainer character swiped his sword. She then went through the hologram, plopping next to her sister. "Hey..."

"Hey," Calista sighed.

"I see you Thinned."

"Yeah, it was overdue. I haven't done it in a while. Can't let myself go."

"You looked fine."

"I don't like fine."

Catalina sighed. She knew this conversation would be futile, but she started it anyway. "You know... they're offering free self-defense courses through-"

"Nice try."

"Calista-"

"I told you; I'm not doing it again. Stop. Applications close in a week, anyways. That's all I heard on the way to the spa." She rubbed her forehead. "Nothing but news about how Lisa White's Dean of the Fighting School now. Like that's gonna change anything. Sure, she's great, but I don't think we'll have a human winner just through her."

"We had one last time."

"Who, Harrison Smith? He didn't place. And people say he cheated, so... doesn't count." She shook her head. "Why are we even talking about this? I'm not going back to that."

"But look at you, Cali, you're miserable." Catalina scooted closer. "You're drained by those girls. They're so fake and-"

"Masky?" Calista rolled her eyes. "You say that. All. The time. Uber-annoying."