"Wow! Peachy, I'm so proud of you," Hector, the twin's stepfather, expressed to Perfida, he and their mother, Ophelia and their stepbrother, Holden were video-calling them later that night from base camp, Perfida told them about volunteering to help Nyles with the art exhibit that got them to being featured in AresDaily.

"Yeah, sis, congrats on making it in the news," Holden said feeling happy for her stepsister.

"I didn't even know that it's gonna go to the news," Perfida nervously chuckled then she already saw her mother's facial expression because she was the only one who didn't seem to share their joy.

"This is gonna go great for your application," Hector said.

"Really, dad?"

"Yes, great job, sweetie."

"Yeah, it's good," Ophelia muttered, Perfida could sense that her mother was just saying it, Archie and Perdita heard it since the videocall was in the kitchen. "But maybe you should've done your college credit in AGA."

Perfida just plastered a smile to hide how she truly feels "yes, mom, maybe I should've," she replied while Archie, Hector and Holden got quiet at the back yet they did feel that what Ophelia did was unnecessary.

"I hope you understand that if you're going to work as an astro-anthropoloist, AGA is the best place to start working not in an art museum."

"Exhibit," Perfida corrected. "But okay, mom, I get it."

"I think there's smoke coming out of Peachy's ears," Perdita whispered to Archie.

"Yeah, I can see that," Archie whispered back.

"Hi! Principal Rudero, I mean Uncle Hector" Bryce popped up to say hello to his sister's side of the family. "Hi! Mommy O, Hi! Holden."

"Hi! Bryce," they greeted back,

"Bryce, why don't you watch cartoon in the living room first," Archie pulled him away from the screen since it was bad timing.

"Okay," Bryce said then left the kitchen.

Perfida saw her bravery medal and thought about showing it to her family to see the other benefits it brings "but there's something else..." she reached to it then Archie stopped her by holding her wrist back, looked her in the eyes and shook his head to tell her not to do it. "I got a ten-thousand ars AresMart giftcard from it."

"Ten-thousand ars?" Hector was floored, Ophelia was surprised at that too. "That's great, sweetie."

"We can use it once you guys come home."

"Yeah!!" Holden exclaimed.

"Thanks but that's alright, Perfida, it's for you, you can do whatever you want with it," Hector told, maybe because after Ophelia did not show how proud she was for daughter's achievement.

"Thanks, dad," Perfida just put out a crooked grin in her face.

"Well, anyway, we better go," Hector interjected. "Great job again, Peachy, enjoy the rest of the summer."

"You too, guys, miss you all, bye," Perfida waved farewell.

"Bye, honey, miss you too," Ophelia said, she didn't realize that she just made her daughter feel lousy over.

Perfida couldn't help but feel so frustrated for her mother to say all those things instead of just complementing her actions she just shit on it "don't listen to her, Peachy, she just didn't look good as you when she was front page in AresDaily," Archie lightened her mood.

The twins laughed at that which meant it did made Perfida feel better "thanks, Papoli," she giggled.

------

"Can you believe my mom?" she huffed talking to her friends about her mother in her room also via videocall. "It's like she can't be happy for me instead of just saying that."

"I'm sorry to hear that but don't let it ruin your day," Vance advised.

"Yeah, he's right," March said. "It's not worth it."

"I know, I know, it's just so infuriating."

"Let's focus on the bright side, we are still in the hot topic of AresDaily no matter what she said," Leyo reminded.

"Thanks, guys," Perfida sighed, she was glad that she had good friends to listen to her problems.

-----

Few days passed, Perfida was going out again to meet the soulpadres, "are you sure you're not coming?" she asked Perdita as she watched her sister getting ready.

"No, I'm good, I don't feel like going," Perdita said still feeling moping yet trying to put up an optimistic mask. "You guys have fun, I really don't want to go, you need it more than I do."

"Uhm... okay, I've already moved on from mom's non-AGA activity, sometimes I need to remember that we just have different view in things."

"That's true, hers is just less fun."

"I guess but at least dad and Holden are happy for me."

"Careful, stepdad is just mom's husband and Holden is not your brother, Bryce is our only brother."

"But they're still family, Purdy."

"Whatever, I won't depend on them so much if I were you," Perdita warned but Perfida would always brushed off her sister's resentment towards her new family.

"I'll be home for dinner, Papoli," Perfida said to Archie once she walked out the front door to get to her RodeCar.

"Alright, Peachy," he said back. "By the way, I called my friend from Thoto and he said that we can go there in three weeks."

"Wow! that's stellar, Papoli."

"Stellar?"

"I've been hearing a lot of people saying it."

"Well anyway, he said that there'll be a lot of rooms in the vacation house, why not ask your friends if they want to come? I'll deal with their parents after besides, March's dad, he's easy to talk to."

"Yes! I will tell them. Thanks, Papoli," she hugged Archie. "You're the best."

"Always remember that, now go," Archie chuckled, Perfida was so happy that she skipped her way to her ride.

-----

Perfida was skipping her way to TocaTokyo, all of a sudden, there a man with his back turned staring at a store front, normally he was just another person standing there, when she got passed him but it gave her this feeling, emotionally. Perfida stopped just a few steps from him and turned around to look at him, the man noticed her so he faced her, to her shock, his eyes was all black "can I help you?" the man said in a frightening tone.

Perfida couldn't understand what she was seeing, she knew it was not human yet she didn't think it was a ghost too so she backed away slowly then the man faded away like dust leaving Perfida baffled yet shook it off and continued walking.

Once she got to the TocaTokyo, her friends were there already drinking their milkteas "hey! guys, you wouldn't believe what I just saw..." she greeted, the boys glanced at her and they got taken aback at what they saw in her face. "What?"

"Your nose, it's bleeding," Vance gasped.

"What?" she took out her phone, tapped the camera and put it on selfe using it as a mirror, she saw that she was having a nose bleed. Minutes later, she sat with them and had her milktea while putting a hankerchief on her nose.

"It is very hot," March reasoned.

"I guess," Perfida thought as she wiped her nose clean and three the paper napkin in the trash. "Oh, by the way, my grandpa invited you guys to go to Thoto with us, you guys in?"

"Yeah! I wanna go to Thoto!" March cheered even the two boys agreed to go once Perfida arrived in TocaTokyo with them.

"Stellar! I'm gonna tell my grandpa when I get home later."

"This is so exciting."

"Yeah, thanks, Perfida," Vance said. "And tell your grandpa thanks too."

"Sure," Perfida said to him.

Toca walked inside his restaurant with Brett "I'm just saying to him that maybe he made a mistake in the program and for that he snarled at me," Brett said to him.

"I think you two need to chill," Toca said back. "Milkteas on me" once he told his waiter to make a couple of drinks, he saw the soulpadres straight ahead and decided to say hi first. "Yo, guys!"

"Hi! Toca," the soulpadres greeted back.

"This is my friend, Brett," Toca introduced. "Brett, these are my best customers and also my friends, Perfida, March, Leyo and Vance."

"Nice to meet you," Perfida said.

"You too, aren't you guys in the AresDaily hot topic?" Brett recognized.

"That's us," March confirmed feeling flattered.

"Stellar."

"So what are you now guys upto aside from being in the hot topic that is?" Toca asked.

"Nada actually," Perfida answered which gave Brett an idea.

"You know, we're opening a virtual reality park, do you wanna check it out?" Brett offered, the soulpadres seem interested. "You'll be inside the game and experience it in a whole different world."

"But it's not ready yet," Toca said looking confused.

"What he means is that it's not open to the public yet, come on, no charges as long as it's not officially open."

"Yeah, why not?" Perfida accepted the invite since everyone was on board.

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" Toca pulled Brett to the side to talk to him privately. "I thought you said there were problems, are you sure it's safe?"

"Yes, the problems are nothing major, I just want them to survey it like what you call it in the food business, taste testers."

"More like lab rats which I don't do, what if any of them got Void?"

"They won't, they are my target market, it's business marketing, you know that, a happy client is a return client, I would never ask them for anything dangerous," Brett assured him, Toca gave him this look out doubt. "I promise nothing bad will ever happen to them."

"Fine, but if something happen, it's on you."

"Yes, yes," Toca exasperated.

------

Later, they got to the VR park and the outside looked run down that the soulpadres were not sure about what they were getting into "V and R park?" Vance read an old signage out loud that was on top of the entrance.

"That's not ours, it was the previous owner's," Brett explained then they all went inside.

The soulpadres were wowed at the glowwave interiors since they did not expect the inside were not as worse as the outside, it was way better "nice," March impressed.

"Yeah," Perfida agreed at March's reaction then she took off her specs since it didn't hurt her eyes.

"Welcome to our humble arcade," Brett said with a funny Dracula accent then Crol came out from the control room. "This is Crol, my business partner."

"Hello," Crol said to them in a friendly yet stiff tone.

"Hi!" the soulpadres politely said.

"Cool place you got here," Vance complimented. "Kinda feels like I'm in the 1980s."

"Thanks, that's the kinda vibe we're going for," Brett said. "Good eye."

"It's stellar to be here in... I'm sorry, what's the name of the place again?" Perfida asked them.

"Oh! actually we don't have a name yet," Crol said.

"But I was thinking, SimulaStar," Brett suggested thinking it was a good company name, everyone were cringing yet trying not to hurt him by telling him what they thought about it. "I know it's lame, we were planning to keep V and R park but that's the only thing we can't get."

"Names are easy, you'll think of something," Toca assured them.

"Yeah. Anyway, what are we standing here for let's start playing, shall we?". They were inside the simulation room and they were already sitting on those comfy chairs "so what do you guys want to play?"

"Something multiplayer?" Vance suggested as they were browsing a game to play.

"Yes let's do that," Leyo agreed.

"Oh! cool, they have Survival Warzone," Perfida pointed.

"It is a multiplayer game and we can work together to fight those zombies," March voiced.

"Survival Warzone, it is," Vance tapped the game.

"Okay, kids, goggles on," Brett told them from the computer room through a communicator. The soulpadres sat back and wore the VR goggles so first. all they saw was pitch black. "Now relax and it's going to start in three, two, one," after that, they were all transported to the virtual world of the game they chosen and they were wearing the military fatigues with the guns that they were already holding.

"Now, this is stellar," Vance expressed.

"Is it possible to take a picture of this?" Perfida asked Brett.

"Good question, no but we can screenshot," Brett replied.

"That'll do."

"Just give me a sec,"Brett started pressing the keys for screenshot. "Alright, say VR."

"VR!" the soulpadres posed and smiled once the picture was taken.

"Got it, I'll save and send me you SnapGram username after this."

"Thanks!" Perfida told him. Eventually, they started playing and shooting the zombies that were coming to their defense line.

Perfida admired the graphics in the simulation, there were people in the game that they need to protect, that was the objective of the game and they were moving but it was like they in boomerang mode until she notice one of them was just stood there like a statue that was just staring at her which gave her the creeps, a male, he has dark skin, medium stubble with a undercut hairstyle wearing grey hoodie and pants.