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"How the hell are you going to play Second Life?" My little sister all but screamed, outraged that I could even dream of this possibility. "You are blind, Anna. A game isn't going to give you your sight back!"
"I didn't expect it too!" I screamed back. "But I know for a fact that I will be able to see for the duration of time I am in the game. I called the game developers and asked. They have a special program."
"So you want to only be able to see in a game? You want the first thing you have ever seen be a GAME?" She was confused.
I reached up and felt my face, I ran my fingers over my lips and nose and ran them over my dead, useless eyes. "I would rather have at least seen SOMETHING. How can you try to keep this from me Arabella?"
My sister was silent for a moment, I heard her breathing go slower, a sure sign that she was thinking hard.
"I just don't want you to be disappointed. I don't want your life to get harder! It was hard enough for you to learn Brail in America but once we moved to Korea…" I heard her hair ruffle, which meant she was shaking her head.
"I am willing to take that risk. Now, will you help me put on this helmet?" I held out the box in what I hoped was her direction.
"Of course." She seemed to have given up.
I felt my way back to my bed, the game was played as we slept, and laid down. Closing my useless eyes, I listened to the sounds of Arabella wrestling with the packaging. I smiled. I heard her grunt of triumph as I assume she freed the helmet from the box, and she walked over to me. She fitted the helmet over my eyes, and before she turned it on said "I will meet you there alright sis? My name is "Rosered" Alright?"
"Yep. Turn it on." I was excited. Ideas of what would be the first things I saw flashed through my mind.
All of a sudden I was blinded by this light. Oh my god! Light!
"Welcome to Second Life," A voice said from up above "Are you the girl I was told about? The blind girl?"
I looked up to see… a girl? A boy? I couldn't tell. From the voice, I assumed female.
"Yes, I am sorry but I have no idea what I am seeing…" I started, helplessly waving my arms around.
"I know. My superiors told me. I am to help you at first, to teach you so that you do not go into second life unprepared."
"Before we start my lesson or whatever… Can I see what I look like? I have absolutely no idea. And people telling me that I have red hair means nothing when I don't even know what red looks like."
"Of course!" The girl/boy snapped her/his fingers and a large thing appeared in front of me. The light was reflecting of it… 'A mirror I guess…' I concluded.
I looked it in to see a creature similar to the person I had talked to. I have no idea how to explain how I look. 'Oh my god' I said closing my eyes and grabbing my forehead.
"I am so confused." I said out loud.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“So how are you intending to teach me?” I asked “It would take a lifetime to do it right.”
“No,” The person replied “We are going to flask images through your head and teach you what they mean. It should only take about… oh say, 30 minutes?”
“Alright,” I sighed in relief “Um, if you don’t mind me asking, are you a boy or a girl? From your voice I would assume girl, but I have met boys with very feminine voices.”
The person laughed heartily “I am a girl. And once you create your character, I am going to help you in the game for a while.”
“Oh ok, let’s get started then.”
I gasped as images started flashing through my mind, too fast for me to process them. But somehow, I started to understand. I now knew how to tell if someone was a male or female by appearance, I knew the colors now. I could understand!
I felt as if I was walking on air when the images stopped flashing, no longer was I confused! I could see!
“Now this isn’t perfect,” The girl said. “You will still see things that you don’t understand, although I and a few of my friends will be there to assist you.”
“Thank you so much!” I gushed, and once again looked at my reflection in the mirror.
I saw a tall, pretty girl looking back at me. That was me? I reached up to feel my eyes; the girl in the mirror did the same. I leaned forward to get a better look. So did the mirror girl. ‘Was it normal to have pink eyes?’ I sighed.
As I straightened up, I caught my first real look at my hair; it was red, almost pink. I liked it, I really liked it.
“Let’s start making my character!” I all but yelled; I was super excited.
“Of course,” The girl, a GM I know knew, snapped her fingers and suddenly, I was surrounded by at least a hundred types of creatures!
There were beautiful elves, noble angles, and cute beasts. How was I supposed to choose? I decided to play a humanoid creature, if I was going to only see myself in this game; I at least wanted to look like myself!
“Can I only see the humanoid one? I like the other characters but, I don’t want to play one.” I said apologetically.
“No it’s alright, I wouldn’t want to play one either.” She waved her arms and suddenly there were only about 15 choices.
“I want to look a lot like I do now,” I gestured down at my body.
The girl smiled and waved her arm again. The golden haired angel and a few other characters disappeared.
“There, now these ones will allow you to keep your physical appearance relatively unchanged.”
Ok, so there was the human, the dark elf, the demon, and other varieties of those three.
I decided on the dark elf, as they lived in the darkness as I had my entire life. Plus, I could keep my red hair. As soon as I decided, all other options disappeared. There was just me and the elf. I spent the next hour tweaking my character, making her perfect. But basically, she looked exactly like I normally do.
“Alright, so you are going to the central continent as that is where I currently am, and you are a dark elf. What would you like to be named?” The GM asked.
I thought for a few moments then smirked. “Xia, the Chinese word for ‘blind’”
“Then Xia it is.” The girl agreed with a smile. “I will meet you at the newbie village to help you learn how to fight, OK?”
I nodded, staring at, well myself.
“By the way,” The girl added. “My name is Lollidragon.”
Suddenly, the world went dark. For a second, I panicked, thinking that I had lost my sight again. But then the world was flooded with light again.
I found myself in a beautiful clearing. I saw flowers for the first time, it was so pretty! I saw a red blob jumping around, and remembering some of the instruction that Lollidragon had given me, knew that I should kill them. I looked around for a weapon and settled on a stick. I sneaked up to the blob thing. What was it, Jelly?
I took a deep breath and start to whack it violently with the stick. Soon a loud voice scared me.
“XIA HAS DEFEATED FLESH-EATING SLIME +25 EXP!”
I looked down to see if it had dropped anything. A pouch and a knife, which is, Lollidragon had said, the first loot that a player will ever receive in the game.
I smiled and started attacking the blobs. I was really starting to get used to this, when suddenly a voice spoke to me. I looked around, nobody was there.
“Xia, it’s me Lollidragon! Where are you?” She said, seemingly inside my head.
‘Oh she is PMing me’ I realized. I opened up the chat window and sent back a reply.
“I am still in the clearing where I was dropped at first.”
“Ok, I’ll be there real soon. My team will be with me. Please don’t tell them that I am a GM! I’ll say that you are a family friend, alright?” Lollidragon asked worryingly.
“Alright, I won’t tell. See you in a few?”
“Yeah, see you soon.” Lollidragon signed off of our conversation.
I sighed and sat down to wait for her. What would her companions be like? I suddenly sat up in excitement, realizing something.
‘”OH MY GOD!!!!!!!! I might get to see my first boy!” I squealed in excitement. 19 years old, and I have never really even talked to any boys. It’s not that I am not pretty or that I don’t like boys, it is just that most guys don’t go for the blind girls.
I laid back down with a contented sigh.
After about five minutes I heard a shout.
“XXXXIIIIAAAA!!!!!!!!!!” I heard Lollidragon yell from somewhere to my left. I looked and say a very well-endowed girl. She was beautiful with long pink hair. She was grinning and leading a group of people with her. “See? I knew where I was going! I am not helpless with direction like Prince over there is.”
“HEY! I am not THAT bad with directions! Am I?” A boy, I assume Prince, said defensivly.
“Yes.” Everyone else in his group immediately replied to his question.
Prince started pouting while Lollidragon walked up to me.
“So,” She asked “How are you enjoying being able to see?”
I grinned at her. “I love it! I never knew what I was missing.”
“I’m glad.” Lollidragon said kindly. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to my friends.”
“I can’t wait!”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“So, this is Prince,” I nodded at the white haired elf. “This is Gui,” I smiled at the demon “And this is Ugly Wolf, Doll, and Yu Lian.” I grinned and waved the three who returned my smile.I smiled at Lollidragon and bowed my head “Thank you so much.” I was near tears.“Lollidragon,” Prince complained. “You introduced us to her but we still don’t know who she is.”I smiled, they were kind of funny. I bowed respectfully towards them all. “I am Xia, pleased to meet you.”“Whoa, Whoa!” Price said laughingly. “No need to get all formal! It’s not as if we are royalty or anything.”“But your highness,” Whined Gui “You are royalty. She should treat you respectfully.”Ignoring the now fighting dup, Lollidragon turned to me. “What level are you?”I hadn’t checked yet. “System.” I called out, calling up the screen. “Level… 17. I haven’t used any of my skill points yet though.”Everyone’s jaws dropped. “Seventeen?” “Yeah, I just killed a lot of things like I was supposed to.” I gestured behind me to the meadow behind me that was still littered with the bodies of small prey. “Am I not supposed to get to that level? I was just waiting for Lollidragon.” I looked at Lollidragon for help.“It took us two hours to get here. So she just killed practically the whole time.” I smiled at her thankfully. “Um, how do I get a job?” Gui spoke up, “What do you want to be?” I thought on this. What would let me use my sight to the fullest? Also, would I be content to sit by in a fight when I could actually SEE what was going on. “A warrior,” I decided. Lollidragon sweat dropped. “Great,” she muttered “another one.”Prince had brightened at this answer. “Great! There are not many female warriors!”“Really?” I was surprised.“Nope not that many. So anyway, You need ten wolf teeth.” Prince got excited “I’ll go with you to kill them!”“Great!” I replied.------“XIA HAS KILLED WOLF +250 EXP! SKILL LEARNED: BLIND SWIPE!” Prince paused in cleaning his blade after a particularly messy kill. “Why so you close your eyes when you fight? Doesn’t it seem safer to keep them open?”“No,” I replied. “I move better when I can’t see.” I left it at that and went to go collect my spoils from the wolf. “There! Ten wolf teeth and ten claws!”“Why the claws too?” Prince asked.“In case you remembered the wrong part of the wolf.” I said “Worst case scenario I sell them.” Yu Lian nodded her head in approval of my statement. “It is the fang that you need though,” She said helpfully. I smiled and nodded my thanks. We got to the newbie village and I got registered as a warrior. As I stood outside the shop and pulled out my weapon I gasped. It was beautiful! I looked at Lollidragon silently PMing her to ask what it was.“Katana.” Was her immediate response.And it was beautiful! Unfortunately, I heard dimly my alarm clock. “I am sorry but I must log off. I start school this morning!,” I was so excited. “I will hopefully see you again!” “Goodbye Xia!” Everyone called. I logged off and opened my eyes… to nothing.“Are you sure that you won’t reconsider?” My mother asked as she drove me to my first day of school. “Singblain is a wonderful school for the disabled!”“I am still going to go to some of those classes mother! But I want to go to regular university like everyone else!” I said sadly, caressing my eyelids that covered my useless eyes. “Will you go to lessons? I sent your instrument here.”“Yes mother, of course! I am going after my first lesson!” I heard a soft puff of air. My mother was smiling. I felt to car stop and waited for her to open my door and escort me to the office. I was assigned a guide for my duration here at school. Her name was Mai and she was very nice.My first class was a lecturing class, hardly any worksheets at all. The final project of the year was a speech. This was the class for me. It was taught by a teacher called Professor Min. I wonder how long it will take him to figure out that I am blind… Mai led me into class and to a desk near the middle of the room. As we waited for the teacher to arrive (Mai had the same schedule as me) Mai described the room to me in great detail. “Thank you so much!” Class went by quickly with no one really taking to me much. To my great surprise, no one asked if I was blind. I think they assumed I was falling asleep at my desk as I had my eyes closed. As the bell rang, I was guided out of my class by Mai who led me to the music room, which was conveniently, located across the hall from Professor Min’s room. Mai led me to my Piano.Oh, are you surprised that I play? Most people are. I have a very special piano that focuses on the feel of the keys to allow me to play as well as anyone else with practice. Mai didn’t notice Professor Min slip into the room. He had seen my distinctive hair color and followed me. He was going to ask what I was doing when I started to play. I wanted to impress Mai, so I played the hardest song I knew. Gaspard de la nuit by Maurice Ravel. It is considered worldwide as one of the hardest songs ever to play. Even when you can see. I have been learning it since I was nine and I finally have it down. I couldn’t see but both Professor Min and Mai stood amazed as the beautiful music flowed out of the piano, coaxed by my blind hands. I played the seven minute long song and stopped, grinning. I was so proud of myself that I could play that. I startled when I heard a male’s hands clapping. “Brava!” He complimented. It was Professor Min. But wait…“Gui?” I asked confused.“Hello Xia. I saw you in my class, but I am afraid I didn’t catch your name.”“Anna. I am Anna.” I hadn’t turned to face him. I was afraid of him discovering my secret.“Oh, I know who you are now.” Gui said kindly. “Will you turn around? I really don’t want to keep talking to your back.” I sighed and turned around. I looked in what I hoped was his direction. He gasped as I met his kind gaze with my cloudy, useless blind eyes.“My god,” he breathed. “Xia, Anna, you are blind?”I smiled. “Since birth.” I told him, turning back to the piano. I started doing some regular warm ups. “Don’t you have class to get too Professor Min?”“Yes but_”“Goodbye.” I hoped he didn’t see my tears. Would he treat me differently now that he knew?------That night, the Odd Squad had met in a tavern as they waited for Xia to log on. “I have an announcement.” Gui said.“I don’t love you back, and no, I will not marry you.” Prince said, stuffing his mouth with food.“That’s not what I was trying to say.” Gui said. “I saw Xia in real life today.”“What?” Everyone looked interested.“Yeah she is_”“Blind.” A new voice said from the door. “I’m blind.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Anna is_”“Blind,” a voice said from the doorway “I’m blind.”Everyone but Lollidragon seemed shocked, and stared at me with their jaws dropped. I sat down next to Prince and, grabbing some of Prince’s meat buns, glared at Gui. He at least had the respect for me to look ashamed at what he had done. How DARE he?!?!? He had no right to do this to me!“Xia,” A quiet voice broke into my angry thought process. I stopped glaring at Gui and stared at the girl known as Doll. “Are you really blind?” I smiled sadly. “Yes Doll,” I chuckled sadly “I have been blind since birth. In fact,” I paused to gesture around my head, as if at everything in general, “This game is the first thing I have ever seen. I didn’t even know what I looked like until I started playing.” Everyone was silent for a moment, taking this in. Gui was looking more and more ashamed as everyone started turning their angry gazes toward him. “Wow,” Prince finally said “You are so brave.”I stared at him shocked. I had not expected that, pity maybe, but not admiration. Not wonder.“For what?” I asked, looking down at my clasped hands. “All I did was buy a helmet and push a button.” “No,” Prince shook his head, looking at me with shining eyes “You were brave to decide to do this. You are glimpsing, through a game helmet,” his eyes started to glisten, as if tears were threatening to start falling “A look out on a world that isn’t even the one you belong to.” He kept talking as a single tear escaped and made its way down his cheek unnoticed; everyone was looking shocked at the serious speech that was coming from their friend. “You now know what you are missing as you go through everyday life! Now, you know about colors and all the beauty that is in this world! And you lose it every day once you open your eyes.” I was shocked; no one had ever cared for me that much outside of my family. But Prince was giving me something I had never known I lacked, acceptance and understanding. A small sob escaped my lips. Prince pulled me into a tight hug as I cried out a lifetimes worth of tears. He stroked my hair and whispered that everything would be alright. I finally stopped crying but I didn’t leave the safety of Prince’s embrace. “How could you do this to her?” Prince asked Gui severely over my head “I expect you to respect my personal life, and you should respect everyone else’s as you would mine!”“But,” Gui tried to defend himself “I thought that everyone deserved to know!” He looked at everyone, searching for support. When he got none, he sunk down lower in his seat.“This was supposed to be a haven for her!,” Lollidragon hissed “A place where no one would try to make things easier for her, just because they knew she was blind!” Everyone looked at her, “You knew?” Yu Lian asked.“Yeah,” Lollidragon said. “I am the one who helped her get set up on this game.” It was technically true, she just didn’t tell them in exactly what WAY that she helped me. I smiled into Prince’s chest, as my breathing became regular again. I sat up, giving Prince a thank you hug. “Thank you!” I whispered into his ear.Prince’s chuckle was a rumble on my throat. “Do you want to meet me in real life?” Prince PMed me.I smiled at him and nodded. “Where?” I asked him back.“There is a coffee shop near the university, it is called “Caffeinate Me”. How about we meet there after school?” Prince said looking into my eyes.“Ok! But you will have to come over to find me, blind remember?” I chuckled.“I will,” Prince nodded, smiling.“Hello?” Lollidragon waved a well-manicured hand between Prince and me. “There are others in the room? Remember?” For some strange reason I found this hilarious. I started laughing, giggling loudly. Everyone looked at me in amusement as I giggled like a little girl. “I’m sorry everyone,” I said catching my breath. “I_crap!”Everyone looked at me confused as I cocked my head as if listening to something. I sighed and looked sad.“Time for me to get up… I have to walk Zhinan.” I said quietly.“I’ll see you after school.” I PMed Prince and he nodded in agreement.I sighed as I took of the helmet and felt for Zhinan beside my bed. I smiled as his rough, wet tongue licked my hand.“Ready for a walk boy?” I asked. He barked in affirmative. “Great!”--Meanwhile, back in Second Life…“You IDIOT!” Prince screamed as he punched Gui with every syllable. “Why did you think we needed to know?”Gui’s face contorted in rage, and to everyone’s amazement, he punched Prince right back. “Because,” He said getting his breath back “You didn’t see the trouble she had at school. I just wanted you to know so that if something happened we could help her!”Prince was shocked, both at the punch and at Gui’s statement. “What?”“It is true…” Gui said truthfully, looking Prince in the eyes. “You better hope its true” Prince said angrily “For Xia’s sake as well as yours.”I decided that morning to actually use my cane and guide dog like I was supposed to. Zhinan was my friend anyway…The day went by very fast. Professor Min had apparently tried to speak to me after class, but Mai had been told that I don’t wish to speak to him so she and Zhinan quickly guided me from the room.Finally, the day had ended and Mai was taking me to “Caffeinate Me” so that I could meet up with a friend. She was scared to leave me alone but I assured her that my friend would help me get home.I waited for twenty minutes, when I felt a light tap on my shoulder. “Prince?” I asked.“Promise you won’t be disappointed?” A strange voice asked.“I can’t see you, what is there to be disappointed about?” I asked looking up and around for the source of the voice.“The fact that… I am a girl.”--