“HAS YOUR father died yet?” My stepmother asked when I arrived home.

I eyed her with a murderous eye. She was simply irritating me with her constant ill wishes towards my dad.

I could hit her, but a man that hits a woman is not a man and that would not be respectful even if I do not respect her at all. 

I didn’t want to answer that stupid question, so I ignored her and sauntered into my room.

“Looks like he is dead. Time to celebrate.” She shouted from behind me.

I rolled my eyes, trying my best not to insult her. She deserved many insults from me, but it would serve me no purpose in insulting her.

When I arrived at my room, the first thing my eyes caught sight of was my virtual reality headsets. I couldn’t use them that day because of how pained the news of my dad’s illness made me hurt.

But when I glanced at them, my stomach took a sudden leap. There was no better time to use them.

I went into my closet and pulled out grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt. Then I went into the bathroom to get myself cleaned up. After that long day at school, I needed to clean myself up and ease all the stress I was experiencing.

After cleaning myself up and getting fully dressed, I got my virtual reality goggles, ready to use them.

It gave me a black screen the last time I used them, so I was hoping it wouldn’t do the same.

I turned them on after gathering all my courage, but I was disappointed to see a black screen again.

Maybe there was something I was missing. I removed them and went to search in its box for the manual.

Then I saw the sensors which reminded me I didn’t plug them too. Maybe that was what was missing to remove that black screen.

I didn’t know how to plug them, so I referred to my manual. It was weird that I needed to attach the box-like ends of my sensors to my head. I did so and tried to wear my headsets again.

This time, I didn’t see a black screen, but I saw what appeared to be completely white walls. I didn’t understand how that was possible, but I looked around and it looked like I was in a completely white room.

I started walking around that white room, looking for a way to get out. From a distance, I saw a door, so I immediately walked towards it.

I glanced at the doorknob. It was an enormous diamond and reflected light like a genuine diamond.

Out of immense curiosity, I held it. I could feel it. It was as hard as the real thing. I turned the doorknob in anticipation of seeing my new girlfriend.

When I completely opened the door, I screamed in fear of what was before me.

A man. Yes, a man, stood before me. He was a white man, and I didn’t understand why he was before me instead of a girl.

His artificial smile caught my attention. He looked very real that I almost forgot he is a part of the game.

“Hey, sir.” A robotic voice came from his mouth. No surprise there.

“Hey, excuse me, but I am expecting to see a female and not you,” I said bluntly. It was annoying to see him because I wanted to see my new girlfriend.

“Hold on Mr. Kakerr.” The thing said.

“I am not Mr. Kakerr, I am Mr. Corker.” I corrected it. I am very particular about how my name is pronounced.

“Well, sir, I am your virtual guide. My job is to help you with any issues you may have with your invisible girlfriend.” It said, grinning creepily.

I glanced at it, pursing my lips in thought. “So where is she?”

“She hasn’t been created yet.” He tilted his heart-shaped face to the side, maintaining his strange grin, and his chocolate brown eyes were fixed on me, waiting for my response.

What was the meaning of that ridiculous statement? Wasn’t she supposed to be created already?

“What do you mean?” I narrowed my eyes and knitted my brows together.

“She is a character in this game, hence she must be created based on your interests. All males are picky about whom to be with; they can not fall for just any girl. Hence, her character is created by you, the owner.” That made sense, seeing that all males have different requirements in a female.

“Oh, so how do I create her?” I asked. I simply loved the idea of creating a girl for myself. That meant I could choose what I would like her to be like.

“I will process your every request. You just have to answer my questions.”

“Okay, ask right away.”

“What should her name be?”

“Chioma.” That was the first name that came to my mind. It was the name of the first girl I had a serious crush on.

“Request processed. What are some personality traits you would like her to have?”

“I would like her to be humble, kind, trustworthy, great at listening to me, and she should have a great sense of humor. Add a bit of wildness. I like wild girls. They are fun.” I rubbed my chin and nodded my head continuously in excitement.

“Request processed. Describe how you like her physical appearance to be.”

“She should be dark-skinned.” I just had a thing for dark women because my mom was dark-skinned and I would love a woman that looks somehow like her.

“She should have blue eyes. That would be such a cute combo. Make her have this adorable look to her. She should have a huge afro and make her short. I need her to be shorter than me, but not too short. Lastly, make her extremely cute.”

“What about her body type?”

“Just make her ideal, according to most men. I don’t care about her body type as long as she has the things I mentioned earlier.”

“Request has been fully processed. Please enter the white room you came from and exit from the door at the back of the room. ”

“Okay, but how can I find you next time?” I asked. I needed to know so that in case I had any issues, I could approach him.

“They are two doors in that white room. The one at the front which has a diamond knob; the one you opened and found me in and then the door at the back where you can find Chioma.”

“Okay, thanks,” I said, walking away from him, and then I entered the white room again.

I searched the room for the back door and this wasn’t easy because the room was big. My eyes finally caught sight of it and I walked towards it. But I couldn’t enter without thinking of something to say to her.

What do guys say to girls they are interested in?

Am I supposed to say hey only or add some spice?

“Hey, spicy Cheeto.” I practiced aloud, trying to deepen my voice dramatically, but it sounded so pathetic.

No, that would not work, maybe a pickup line would do justice.

“If women were boogers, I’d pick you first,” I said abruptly and laughed at how stupid that sounded. Where did that even come from? That was not the right one to use.

“If you were a transformer, you’d be Optimus Fine.” I nodded at how good that pickup line sounded. Yes, that would be the one I would use.

I took a deep breath, placed my hand on the doorknob, and opened the door.

My jaw fell when I didn’t find her, but I saw a tiny house. It was painted blue completely, and it looked like it could be a 3 roomed house.

Maybe that could be where I would find her. I walked towards the front door. It was painted dark blue, and the doorknob was a diamond as well.

Was I supposed to open it or do I need to knock?

I knocked and then I heard a tiny high-pitched voice. “Hold on, I am coming.”

Her voice was so perfectly sounding, it brought me anxiety. I prepared myself to say the pickup line.

The door slowly opened, and she stood before me. She was so short, I had to lower my head to glance at her.

Her dark skin was so beautiful. Her electric blue eyes narrowed as she glanced at me. She had to raise her head to look at me. Could anything get more perfect?

“Are you done eye raping me?” Her eyes crinkled, and a grin spread over her face, revealing her perfect teeth and dazzling dimples.

I stared in awe. A little too awestruck to say anything. She was just gorgeous. Even better than I imagined her to be.

“I believe I am talking to a human and not a zombie.” She said, snapping me out of my reverie.

“I am s... sorry... sorry about that.” I stuttered.

So smooth bro. I mentally insulted myself.

“You’re shy. That’s so adorable.” Her voice softened, and she giggled slightly.

“It’s just you’re so gorgeous. I can’t help but stare, and that’s making me nervous.” I said, looking into her eyes.

That come out smoother than I expected. I did it. I flirted!

“Now you’re flattering me.” She gleamed. “Why don’t you come in?”

I smiled deviously. A girl just invited me into her house.

“Take a seat on that sofa.” She said. I glanced at the sofa, not shocked at the color it was. The entire room was blue, starting from the walls to the sofas and curtains, which made me wonder what kind of obsession for a color that was.

“So what’s your name?” She asked with a smile on her face.

“My name is Luca Corker.” I beamed.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you. I am Chioma. Don’t mind the silence. My parents went on a date night and they love to take their time.” She winked at me and I laughed, knowing what she meant.

I found it weird that she spoke about parents but I guess the game creators wanted to create her like a real human.

“So what were you doing before I showed up?” I asked to see if she was created like a human. Humans are always active even without commands. So she should be able to do the same.

“ I was baking. Wanna try out my muffins?” She got up from the sofa she was seated on, really excited.

Could I even eat in this virtual world?

“Yes, I would love to,” I replied. She run to the kitchen and it was funny to watch her tiny self sprint to the kitchen.

“Here you go.” She said giving me one muffin. I held it for some seconds. I wondered if I could eat it. I wiped away all those thoughts and took a bite.

I could taste it. The taste of blueberries filled my mouth and it had a touch of softness and sweetness.

I chewed it continuously until I finished the whole thing. Why did I feel like I was eating a muffin in real life?

“This was amazing.” I glanced at her who grinned widely at my compliment.

“Thanks.” She said, sitting next to me.

The distance between us made me a bit uncomfortable but I needed to get used to it. “How did you learn to bake?”

“My mom loves baking and so she taught me everything I know.”

I think she meant to say she was programmed to know how to bake. My mom also loved baking and she would always bake me blueberry muffins, so this was not coincidental that she gave me one.

“My mom taught me how to bake too. Next time we can bake together.” I suggested.

“Yes, that would be so fun, Luca.” She grabbed my hand into hers and held it. That was so unexpected it sent tingles to my belly.

I glanced at our hands and then at her. “Yes, that would be fun.”

She pulled out her phone from her pocket. She glanced at it for some time.

“What’s up?” I asked, wondering how she had a phone and why she seemed disturbed by what she was looking at.

“My mom just texted me she will come home soon.” She said.

“So why is that making you sad?”

“Luca, you can’t be home when she comes. She will get worried about how a guy is in her house with her daughter.”

I smiled. The game creators did a good job with this game.

“So that means I have to go,” I said, laughing. I found it funny that it all seemed so real.

“You’re cool Luca. You should visit again.” She hugged me.

Another unexpected move that made me explode inside. I hadn’t received a hug from a girl ever since primary school. The only reason I got that hug then was because she was dared to. Even in primary school, many people hated me. So no girl would just hug me.

But when I hugged her back, I don’t know how it was possible, but it felt real. I felt the warmth of her hands wrapped around me. It had been so long since anyone admitted to liking my company.

Being with her for those few minutes provided me delight, and all I want is to feel that way all of the time.

____Authors note_____

In case you got confused, the sensors are some sort of technology that make everything he does in the game seem real. They technically mess with the brain . (just clarifying the questions I was asked)

What qualities would you like in someone?

I would love all the qualities Luca mentioned. How about you?