ODDILY (9 page)

Through the windshield, Maxim searched the tree shadowed road and turned the headlights on for a better view. Oddily couldn’t have gone far in such a short time, unless she had found a ride.

Without warning, something small darted out in front of him. With one swift motion, the car skidded and swerved, spinning out of control before he came to a stop. Whatever it was that jumped out, he had barely missed it.

Maxim stared at the empty road until he heard a tap at the side window. After peering into two green eyes resembling a frightened deer, he flung the door open and jumped out. “Are you out of your mind? I could have killed you!”

“
I know,” Oddily frowned. “I wanted you to, but you screwed up!”

“
I screwed up?” he stared at her while his insides exploded with more rage.

“
I didn’t know any other way to end this game,” she complained. “Please don’t be mad at me.”

“
You’re lucky no other cars came down the road.” His voice was loud and passionate.

“
Several cars did pass by, but I waited for you,” she touched his arm, but he shrugged it off.

“
So you wanted me to kill you?!” He glared down at her.

She nodded her head.

“
Look…you picked the wrong guy!”

Oddily frowned at him. “I was just trying to make the game end romantically. You know—like the ‘Prince Charming’ thing.”

“
What on earth made you think your death would end the game, unless…wait a minute. Have you already experienced a simulated death?”

“
Do you mean like a pretend death?”

“
Of course, you did.” Maxim didn’t wait for her reply. “That’s how you found out it was a game, didn’t you? You witnessed the ‘Game Over’ sign on the screen after you lost.”

She nodded, her mane of red hair bobbing on her head.

“
Oddily,” he grabbed her face between his hands, “I understand, but what happened to make you believe you are in a game right now?”

Oddily had trouble thinking while this handsome guy touched her, but she forced herself to ponder how wonderfully different this experience felt in comparison to her usual dream sprees. This virtual game was more realistic and exciting—an unfamiliar new way for her to dream.

“
I won’t tell you.” She crossed her arms over her chest, fearing any shared information would somehow jeopardize her use of the game.

Oddily answered his question with a question. “Haven’t you ever played make-believe games before?”

Maxim took notice of her closed off body language while picking his words carefully. “Sure I have. The stores are filled with games that create pretend worlds.”

Oddily frowned because he didn’t mention the glasses she found in his car—the same glasses that were now hidden in her underwear. If he kept secrets, so could she.

“
Please speak to me, Oddily.”

“
I’m keeping my mouth shut!”

Maxim grimaced when she pretended to zip her mouth closed and throw away an imaginary key.

“
I’ll admit,” he began warily after releasing her face, “there are more advanced, ‘State-of-the-Art’ games in existence that, unfortunately slip into inexperienced hands. These games are not intentionally created for mainstream entertainment. They are so intricate, they adjust to the tone of the player’s voice. This gives the player the ability to control the game with personal commands such as start, menu, pause, stop, or exit.”

His information seemed to strike a chord with Oddily, because her eyes grew wide with interest, right before she squeezed them shut and mumbled the word, exit. A moment later, her eyes fluttered open and glanced around.

“
Your instructions didn’t work. I’m still here!”

Maxim grabbed his head, as though he were going to pull his hair out. He didn’t know what to do, but his decision was becoming more and more evident.  He needed to erase Oddily’s memory again; however, the process would be risky when so much had happened. At this point, he would have to remove the whole experience of himself and the game glasses from her memory, which surprisingly bothered him. Alternatively, he had the option of telling her the truth—which was out of the question. But if he didn’t do something soon, Oddily was going to die, and he would be to blame.

“
This is not a game.” Maxim growled in frustration through gritted teeth as if his firmness would snap her back to reality.

“
It is too, and I’ll prove it,” she smiled. “Lower your head.”

Maxim did as asked, and she gave him a hard knock on his head with her knuckles.

“
Hey,” he dodged her fist as she attempted to hit him again.

Oddily looked surprised by his reaction. “You felt pain?”

“
Yes, I felt pain!”

At first, Oddily believed him because he was rubbing his noggin, but then came up with an explanation. “Maybe you’re just programmed to think it hurts so this game will appear more convincing to the player.”

Oddily’s comment gave Maxim an idea—another attempt to get through to her. “You say you can do anything you want and you won’t get hurt, right?”

“
Yes, I’m positive.” She remembered her pain free grooming from Bobbitt, the giant.

“
Then, you won’t mind if I try an experiment on you.”

“
No, that’s fine with me.”

The way Oddily gazed so innocently into Maxim’s eyes reminded him of a curious child. He hated to wipe that look away, but he had to for her sake. He reached over and pinched her forearm.

“
Ow,” she stepped back, grabbing her arm. “You hurt me!”

Maxim regretted his stunt, but grabbed his chance while he could. “Tell me—how was I able to hurt you if you can’t experience physical pain while in a game?”

“
I don’t understand,” she frowned, torn between two possibilities. Was it true she wasn’t in a game? Oddily shook her head in disbelief. No, that was impossible. Kip’s truck was toilet papered with no problem; and, she took Starla’s Mini Cooper to the shopping village without being pulled over. What about the fact that she wasn’t arrested outside the department store after leaving with items she hadn’t purchased?

“
No, this is a game, Maxim. I’m just not sure how to play it yet.”

Maxim threw up his hands and started to pace back and forth in front of her. At the moment, he needed more time than he had to figure out this whole assorted mess.

“
I’ve got it!” He blurted after a new approach finally took formation in his mind. He turned to the bewildered Oddily and asked, “If I am your Prince Charming, then you must be my Princess, right?”

“
Oh Maxim—of course I am!” She clapped her delicate hands together and applauded with delight. She started to recite strange lines like a poet, or an actress in a girly fairytale. “I have been looking for you all of my life. I beg you to rescue me from my tortured life and fill my heart with your undying love and devotion. Shower me with all the nice and sweet compliments you can imagine, and I’ll soak in every last drop!”

Maxim cringed, due to her outpour of affection. His heart started to pound in his chest when he realized his ingenious plan was cruel. He had no other word for the insensitive plan, and he didn’t want to go through with it. “Oddily, will you do me a favor?” His voice was kind and sweet—his anger dissipated.

“
I’ll do anything you ask of me,” she smiled lovingly up into his face. He looked away embarrassed.

“
When I bring you home, will you promise me that you will sneak into your bedroom and stay there without speaking to anyone until I come for you in the morning? We need to talk.”

Maxim was convinced he had to make up a story that at least had some semblance of the truth. He could think of no other way without the risk of fully breaking this odd, naive girl’s spirit.

“
But I want to go home with you,” she frowned. “That’s where I belong. You’re supposed to sweep me off of my feet and carry me to your palace. I’m not heavy, honestly I’m not.”

Maxim couldn’t help but be amused over her dissertation and had to ask, “Do you normally talk this way to guys?”

“
No way!” she laughed at the absurd question. “This is just a fantasy—a very unusual game I found, and I’m simply trying to experience a love I’ll probably never know in the real world.”

Oddily gazed up into his stunned face. “I don’t think you realize you’re a character in this game,” she whispered, “and maybe you’re not supposed to know.”

Maxim took her by the arm and led her around the car to the passenger’s side and opened the door. “Get in. I’m taking you home—to your house. Like I said, we’ll talk tomorrow.”

Oddily did as he asked.

14

Oddily intended to follow through with her promise to sneak into her bedroom, but she had no need. No one came home yet. Her stomach hurt from eating too much cake, so she decided to go to bed early. She flipped on the light to her room, wondering what game allowed players to sleep. If anyone asked her opinion…which no one would, but if they did, she would have told them it was a pointless waste of valuable time.

She hung up her lovely new dress in the closet and placed her new boots on the floor underneath. She became both anxious and excited to show off her new outfit at school in the morning.

“
Someday, I’ll have hundreds of pretty shoes to choose from,” she mumbled. “Unless of course, this game ends before that happens.”

After retrieving the glasses from her underwear, she laid them on the bed while slipping into one of her old hand-me-down-dresses. She never cared much for sleeping in pajamas because she needed to be ready for a quick escape in case some unimaginable scoundrel came into her bedroom. When her clothing was changed, she flopped down on her bed, not wanting to waste one more dull moment in her bedroom when she could go on another simulated adventure.

“
Hmmm—a game within a game,” she smiled, slipping on the device. After a kaleidoscope of colors, she found herself on the dirt path again where she knew the monster dog with the pink rhinestone collar would be coming for her. She honestly didn’t want to return to the world of giants, and wondered if she had any other options. That’s when she remembered Maxim’s comment concerning high-tech games and how they worked.

Menu,” she stated, and kept an eye on the dirt path while it disappeared. In its wake, a list of worlds appeared.
Water World—Deserted Island—Haunted Manor—Heaven—Land of Giants—Fun House…
but wait!

She ignored the rest of the list because the seventh game choice captured her attention. She wasn’t sure how to activate it, but she at least had to try. She whispered a little prayer before breathing the word,
seven
.  Nothing happened, so she tried again with the ‘Stream of Dreams’ command.

Suddenly,
Oddily’s vision became a blur of colors. She was magically transported into another virtual world. She blinked at the new view before her—a vast cavern with its arched roof towering overhead.

“
Ahhh!” she sighed in wonderment when she spotted what must be the stream for dreaming. A waterway flowed gently through a narrow canal. It entered the cavern through an arch on one side, exiting through another arch on the far side. The water glowed with a silvery yellow hue; and in its depths, she could make out a bright silver, sparkly substance, she was unable to define.

Without a word, she rushed over to the waters edge and peered more closely, trying to determine what the sparkles were until a gentle hand touched her shoulder.

“
Maxim, you came back for me!” she gasped in surprise. Her excitement dwindled when she noticed his stiff mannerisms.

“
My name is Lucas,” he corrected her. His sky blue eyes fixed on the water with an expression which should have been filled with awe at the stream’s beauty; but, his handsome face remained expressionless. In her bewilderment, she impulsively reached down to touch the water all the while thinking about how much Lucas reminded her of Oliver.

“
No!” Lucas caught her hand just in time. “Do not touch the water.”

“
Why can’t I?” she tucked her hands in her sweater pockets.

“
I am programmed to stop you,” he stared at her blankly. “Do not touch the water.”

“
I heard you the first time,” she moaned, succumbing to disappointment as she sat down by the waters edge. Was he Maxim and pretending not to be, or was he truly someone named, Lucas? She watched him walk to the back of the cavern, retrieve a tiny silver bell hidden in the cranny of a rock, and ring it.

A clear, ear shattering chime rang out causing no response at all from Lucas, but it sure did with Oddily. She was so caught off guard by the horrendous chiming sound, she almost danced to her feet not knowing which way to go. She ended up running in a small circle resembling a puppy chasing its tail.

Suddenly, a silver dinghy emerged inside the cavern without any obvious means of propulsion. The rubber raft drifted down the stream until it reached where she stood, and stopped. Did the bell summon the raft?

Oddily was immediately drawn to the dinghy and climbed aboard. Lucas followed suit, hopping in after her. The raft barely held the two of them while they sank into soft cushions, and then the dinghy moved forward.