Page 27 of Akarnae

“You don’t say?” Fletcher said, his tone dry.

Both boys nodded and Alex concealed a smirk, knowing that the doctor was barely refraining from rolling his eyes.

“Then on that note, it’s time for you three to leave,” Fletcher said, shooing them off the bed and towards the door. “Try to wait a few days before visiting me again, Alex.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Alex promised with a wave as she followed her friends outside.

After they left the Med Ward and had a quick dinner, Jordan and Bear decided to give Alex a more complete tour of the academy to show her where all her other classes were held. It didn’t take them long, and the three of them soon headed back to the dorm building.

“There’s one more place we need to show you,” Jordan said as he and Bear guided her down the staircase and into the basement.

“Welcome to the Rec Room,” Bear announced, leading her through a doorway and into the room beyond.

Alex glanced around with wide eyes. “Whatisthis place?”

“It’s our Recreational Room,” Jordan answered. “It’s where we come if we want to just chill out for a while, or if we don’t want to study in our rooms. As you can see, it’s pretty well equipped.”

Alexcouldsee that. The Rec Room had everything from a roaring fireplace surrounded by comfortable couches, to study tables with supportive-looking chairs. There was even a mini dining area up the back of the room.

Bear saw where she was looking. “You can order food just like in the food court, but the menus are limited to snack food.”

Alex nodded as she took in the rest of the room. She was pleasantly surprised to note the relaxed atmosphere as students chatted easily with one another. Some looked like they were working on their homework together, some were snacking on a late-night supper, and some were even roasting skewered marshmallows in the fire.

“Come on,” Jordan said, leading the way over to a doorway in the far wall.

The room she followed him into was an entertainment area. Lounges, cushions, beanbags and every other comfortable object imaginable filled the space. There was also a huge screen covering the wall, offering their very own mini cinema.

Jordan walked over to a touch-screen panel and scrolled through what looked like a menu before pressing an option on the list with a satisfied smile. Almost immediately the screen came to life.

“Here,” he said, handing her a silver ring.

She looked at him quizzically and slid it onto her finger. The moment she did, her world turned upside-down and then, amazingly, she wasinsidethe movie that was playing on the screen.

“No way!” she cried, glancing around in awe.

“Virtual reality at its finest,” Jordan said as he stepped up next to her.

Bear appeared a moment later and the three of them stood side by side amongst the ruins of an abandoned castle. It was half-overgrown by the encroaching forest, with the stone foundation crumbling in places all around them.

“This is amazing!” Alex exclaimed, trying to take in everything at once. “What can we do in here?”

As she spoke, a scream sounded from somewhere to her left and a woman dressed in a bloodied wedding gown ran in from the woods, seeking refuge in the ruins.

A wolf the size of a small horse hurtled out of the trees, chasing after the bride as she disappeared further into the crumbling castle. The creature jerked to a halt only a few steps away from Alex, and it was so real, so lifelike and soclosethat she actually gasped and flinched away from it.

“Jordan, buddy, what setting do you have it on?” Bear asked, his voice much quieter than normal.

“I didn’t check,” Jordan said. “Why?”

For some reason the wolf seemed to have lost interest in chasing the woman. Instead, it remained where it was, staring intently at Alex and her friends while growling low in its throat.

“Didn’t you hear about the upgrades?” Bear whispered, backing up a step and pulling Alex and Jordan with him.

“Is something wrong?” Alex asked, watching a glob of bloodied saliva drip from the wolf’s snarling mouth.

Talk about high definition. The quality of the scene was incredible.

“We need to get out of here,” Bear said urgently.

---