Most kids these days attend the Grid for school. It is my professional opinion that this generation is doomed unless you go to the Duelist Academy; now that’s a real education.

  -McCannon O’Malley Interim Dean of the Duelist Academy

  Cyrus

  Cyrus stared at the clock waiting for the bell to ring. He felt trapped in the humid classroom that smelled of body odor; a unique odor that could only be produced by elder teens. Cyrus had a few weeks of classes left before he graduated, and he was still waiting for his acceptance letter to the Duelist Academy.

  “Hey, Yo Cy, you know staring at the clock isn’t going to make time go faster,” Harlow whispered to his best friend.

  “Well, it’s worth a try,” Cyrus mimicked time passing by with his hands.

  “Cyrus El-Gamal and Harlow Al-Banna pay attention! I know we are almost done but we still need to focus these next few weeks,” Mrs. Thatcher gave the two her best teacher voice. The classroom snickered at the idea of anyone taking the last few weeks seriously.

  “Sorry Mrs. T,” Cyrus apologized. He looked out the window of the stuffy classroom and dreamed of learning the best strategies at the Duelist Academy. Even if his dad didn’t approve, Cyrus loved the game of Emblem Duel. Though his father ran a game shop, they couldn’t afford the best cards. Cyrus always blamed his father for their lot in life. His father Bowie hated technology. Cyrus was never allowed to login to The Grid under any circumstances.

  The Grid was a virtual reality society used for everything. Developed by the eccentric billionaire Seth Anderson of S.A. Technologies. People went to work, played MMO games, and most importantly—The Grid was home to the Dueling Championship. Cyrus was told dueling in The Grid was like watching real monsters battle it out in a realistic manner. If you were logged into The Grid, it was like watching a duel unfold in an exciting battle arena. Harlow told Cyrus that a person could feel the fire and ice effects the monsters produced during an attack. Luckily pain was not something The Grid could produce.

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  The Grid was not only a tool but a resource as well. One simply logged in by putting an immersive VR headset on along with haptic feedback gloves. Unfortunately, because Cyrus was seventeen, he needed his dad’s authorization to make an account—a wish that Bowie would never grant for his only son. Most kids Cyrus’s age transferred their cards from the real world into The Grid by scanning them in and most never played the game in the real world. Cyrus appreciated that Harlow would play Emblem Duel with him at his dad’s game shop from time to time.

  Then again, Harlow was weird and among the very few seventeen-year-olds who loved playing tactile tabletop games. Emblem Duel wasn’t his favorite game, that spot was reserved for Dicey Warriors, a strategic game involving cards and dice. It wasn’t popular, but Cyrus thought it was fun. The friends would rotate between games with the understanding that they were the only ones in the world that still played proper tabletop games.

  Cyrus remained lost in his thoughts as he did most days in school. The school bell rang aggressively, and Cyrus was glad to hear the noise of freedom. Most students leapt out of their chairs practically running out of the classroom.

  “Hey Harlow, why don’t you attend school in The Grid? I hope you're not staying on my account,” Cyrus did not want to be the reason Harlow endured the hell of going to school in the real world.

  “Dude, I thought we went over this, I told you to stop bringing it up... or did you forget space cadet,” Harlow quipped in a joking manner.

  Cyrus looked at his taller brown-haired best friend. Harlow’s hair was very curly, and his olive-skinned face had dark features. He came from a well-off family that could afford the best—unlike Cyrus. He was glad Harlow never rubbed it in his face nor did he speak of his adventures in The Grid to Cyrus. It was like an unspoken rule among true friends.

  “I have a few things I need to do before I head over to the shop. The new Dicey Warriors set finally came in. I’ve been waiting for months,” Harlow celebrated with a fist pump.

  “I have a dueling lesson anyways,” Cyrus dismissed. He hated giving lessons to people who could afford better cards than himself.

  “Oh, I forgot, there are still people willing to pay some good money to get an Emblem Duel coaching session from the son of a five-time world champion duelist,” Harlow laughed in amusement.

  “Well, it pays the bills. And it’s only the noobs who ask for the lessons since The Grid doesn’t offer a tutorial,” Cyrus took all the beginner duelists teaching them the rules of the game while his father taught more advanced dueling strategies. However, not many took the advanced lessons once they knew the basic rules of the game. Cyrus knew that the Dueling lessons were what put food on the table for him and his father. Bowie always told Cyrus to never worry, but he always did.

  “I’ll catch you later my dude,” Harlow waved goodbye to his best friend.