Page 96 of Fractured Fates

I chew on my slice, the grease staining my fingers yellow as we watch his friends play. From what I can tell, it’s some game with elves and trolls and a quest for gold. Andrew explains how it works and after another ten minutes, he turfs his friends off the bed and insists me and Winnie have a go.

Winnie’s obviously played before because she doesn’t immediately end up with an arrow through her head.

She streams through the magical world on screen, firing arrows of her own and collecting parcels of gold.

I take five minutes just to make my character walk in a straight line.

I’m not sure how fun this can be. I’d rather be having my own adventures out there in Los Magicos and beyond. Not pretending to have one back here in the dorms.

“Here,” I say to Andrew, handing the controller to him after I fall down a hole and kill my character for the tenth time in a row. “I think you’d better take over. I’m useless.”

“You shouldn’t give up so easily,” Winnie says, slaying a dragon as it comes swooping towards her. “It’s really fun once you get the hang of it.”

I shake my head.

“How about we try something more straightforward,” Andrew says. “Winnie, do you mind?”

“No,” Winnie says, resting the controller on the mattress beside her and sliding down onto the floor to join Dane and Mickey as they demolish the rest of the pizza. “I’ve completed this game already.”

“You have?” Dane asks, sounding impressed.

“Yep.” Winnie shrugs and I think she just added another admirer to her list.

Andrew snags her spot on the bed, and loads up a new game on the computer.

“This one’s easier,” he says, “you see your puzzle piece at the top of the screen? All you have to do is fit it into the puzzle below. Use the arrows to move it left and right and that key there to rotate it.”

“Sounds technical to me.”

“We’ll start on an easy level.” He picks up Winnie’s discarded controller and I take mine. Five minutes in and I actually seem to have the hang of the thing. Soon, I’m utterly hooked, whooping as my score climbs higher and higher.

“Rhi,” Winnie calls from the floor, stretching, “it’s twelve.”

“It is?” I say glancing at my watch. I had no idea so much time had passed.

“Yep, I’m going to head back to the dorm. Are you coming?”

I begin to lower my controller.

“You can stay a bit longer if you want,” Andrew says. “I never get to bed before one anyway.”

I glance at the screen. The game’s gotten harder, the music more frantic, the puzzle pieces descending at speed.

“Are you sure?”

He nods.

“I’m going to stay a little longer.”

Winnie clambers to her feet, thanking Andrew for the pizza. Two levels later, Andrew’s friends follow her out.

“You’re really good at this,” Andrew says, after I beat him at another level.

“I spent a lot of time completing jigsaw puzzles as a child.” I grin. “Seems those skills have finally come in useful.”

The screen explodes in confetti, trumpets blaring as I complete another level.

I fist pump the air, catching a look at the clock on Andrew’s shelf.