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I CROUCHED BESIDE A small wooden platform with my arms wrapped tightly around my knees in a corner while my fellow players danced and ran around the loading arena jubilantly. It seemed like sheer madness was erupting all around me.
"What in the world are you doing in that corner?!" demanded a pink-haired man with a bandana.
"Nothing at all," I muttered. "I'd rather sit here and wait for it to start."
"Well, you are not going to survive the storm and your ninety-nine other competitors with that attitude, young lady," the man laughed.
To my horror, he pulled out his pickaxe and advanced towards me, swinging it wildly as he ran. I was taken aback for I was rather unfamiliar with such uncouth behavior.
"Get away from me!" I shrieked.
"Leave her alone!"
I looked up to see a muscular woman staring intensely at the man who was charging at me.
"Why do you have to spoil the fun?" the man asked.
"You're not helping the community if that's the way you treat newcomers!" declared the woman. "Didn't you hear her? Get away!"
Gwen had always maintained that Fortnite was one of the best games out there.
"Wendy, you've got to try it," she would say.
Every time she insisted on me picking it up, I moved a step closer, in my mind, to actually trying the game. On one fateful day, I finally decided to log on to my computer and download the game. Although I had always loved games that took me deep into single-player experiences, it was not often that I found myself facing other players in an all-out gladiator-style battle royale.
Gwen was my best friend. She would often dive straight into multiplayer games right after college. Her ability to socialize was exemplary, to say the least. I often found myself trailing behind her, hoping to be as bright, friendly, and attractive as she was, but somehow, it never worked out. Although Gwen had a massive fanbase in college, she always stuck with me for reasons that are completely unknown to me to this day. Perhaps she felt like my quiet exterior somehow complemented her boisterous spirit.
Here I am now, unsure why there are random people all around me dancing and firing guns in a pre-game lobby, while a woman I have never known before is trying to be nice to me!
"What's your name?"
"Wendy," I replied curtly.
All of us were now stuffed inside the game's iconic flying bus. Everyone seemed eager to simply leap off the vehicle and into the chaos below.
"I'm Anna," said the woman cheerfully. "Is this your first time on the bus?"
"Yes."
"I don't suppose you have played too many of these games," said Anna sympathetically.
I shook my head and sighed.
"That's fine," said Anna. "Remember, it is far more important to focus on the game and simply have fun! Don't worry about what the other players think of you. If it all seems a little too violent and random at first, you'll get used to it."
"I hope so," I whispered.
"Well, I'll be getting off here," said Anna as she put on her wingsuit.
"Wait, Anna!"
I grasped her hand tightly and pulled her back an inch.
"Thank you for helping me back there," I murmured.
Anna gazed at me with a slight smile.
"It was my pleasure," she said. "Don't forget to get off the bus soon. You'll be hard-pressed to find supplies if you land in a completely unpopulated zone!"
"When should I jump?"
It was too late. Anna had already leaped from the bizarre flying bus with a hoot of joy before she even heard my question.
The wind swooshed all around me as I nosedived towards the surface. It was hard not to enjoy the descent into the vast stretches of lush green land below. For a moment, I forgot that I would soon have to face everyone I saw on the bus and fight to make it to the center of the storm.
I did not know much about the world of Fortnite apart from its most basic rules. Gwen would drone on and on, for what often seemed like an eternity in the college bus, about all the nuances of Fortnite, but I had never bothered to listen carefully.
I dismissed the thought of paying attention to Gwen's rants in the future. The ground was approaching fast and I needed to deploy my parachute.
Before long, I was gliding smoothly towards what seemed to be an uninhabited piece of grassland.
With nothing but a pickaxe to defend myself, I looked around timidly, expecting the man with the pink mohawk and bandana to charge at me with his pickaxe again. Luckily, it did not seem like anyone was around for miles. I hacked away at a few trees and rocks and collected the raw materials they dropped. I could see a cabin in the distance.
I cautiously moved through the grassland, making sure to crouch all the way to the cabin. I peeped into the cabin with my pickaxe raised. There was no one inside, but a chest lay in one of the corners.
I rummaged through the chest and found all sorts of strange materials, weapons, and drinkable potions. As a complete first-timer, I did not know what exactly to do with any of it. I switched to my newly-acquired shotgun and trotted out of the hut.
It ended quite swiftly, long before I even knew what was going on. As I walked carelessly in the open, a sniper bullet fired from a hill nearby whizzed through the air and found its mark in my avatar's head.
"That was not too bad for the first time!" exclaimed a friendly voice beside me.
I jumped out of my gaming chair in shock, causing my headphones to get yanked off my ears.
"Gwen! When did you get here?!"
"I've been in your room for the last five minutes, Wendy," chuckled Gwen. "I'm surprised you didn't notice."
"I suggest you knock before barging in," I said coldly.
My pride was marginally hurt because Gwen had caught me playing the same game I had bad-mouthed for weeks.
"Good heavens, Wendy, there's no need to be rude!"
"I'm sorry," I sighed. "It's just that you startled me."
"Why didn't you tell me you were planning on getting into Fortnite?" asked Gwen.
"Well, I just wanted to try it," I said sheepishly.
"That's how it all begins, my dear Wendy," laughed Gwen. "You'll fall in love with the game soon enough!"