His surroundings lurched and jumped and hiccuped.

Hall was back in the VR experience, blue above, green below, blocky geometric shapes floating around him.

He ripped off the helmet and threw it across the room.

‘Yo, Hall-dude, what the heck’s the matter with you?’ Max raced towards him from across the shop. ‘This stuff is expensive.’

Hall ignored Max. He was back in PlayTime. Back in his own world.

‘Sorry, Max.’ He started to laugh uncontrollably as he peeled off the data gloves. He put them carefully onto the trestle table. Then he picked up the helmet and held it out to Max. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Yeah, well, if it’s damaged … you’ll be hearing from my lawyer.’

Hall laughed again. ‘Sure. That’d be great.’

Max snatched up the helmet and peered into it. ‘Hey. There aren’t any loose wires in here, are there? This didn’t like, fry your brain or something. ’Cause if it did, it’s not my fault. I just rent the equipment. You can’t sue me for brain damage, you know.’

‘I’m fine,’ Hall assured him. ‘I’ve gotta go.’

Hall raced for the door. He stopped at the sound of the laser-fire in the doorway and turned back.

‘Hey, Max,’ he called. ‘How long was I in there?’

‘What do you mean, dude?’ asked Max. ‘You’d barely gotten two minutes into the simulation.’

Two minutes? Time must move differently in that other world.

‘Yes!’ Hall punched the air and ran out.

He was, of course, gasping and wheezing by the time he had run all the way home. But he didn’t care.

He booted up his computer.

There were five messages waiting.

<RandomizarBian: OMG. OMG. OMG. Are you there? Tell me it was all just a game. That none of it was real.>

<RandomizarBian: OMG! It is real, isn’t it? I knew it! As soon as you get back. If you get back. Message me.>

<RandomizarBian: I’ll be here at my PC. Not going anywhere. Ever. Message me.>

<RandomizarBian: Still here. Still waiting.>

<RandomizarBian: Please come back. I don’t think I could deal with you having sacrificed yourself for me.>

PING!

Another arrived.

<RandomizarBian: I’ll let you win next time.>

Hall smiled, then hit the keyboard …

<HallsOfAwesome: Let me win? You wish! I wiped the motherboard with you last time.>

PING!

<RandomizarBian: You’re back. How? What happened?>

<HallsOfAwesome: It’s a long story. How about lunch? I’m starving. Oh. Depending on where you are? Are we even in the same country?>

PING!

<RandomizarBian: I remember your address. Guess what? I’m two streets down on Douglas Avenue.>

Linked, thought Hall. We seemed to be linked.

He wondered if this was because of the world they had visited. The OTHER WORLDS site did say people felt a connection to it. If he and Bian shared a connection to that world, perhaps the bond extended to each other in this world. He hoped so.

<HallsOfAwesome: Come on over? I’d like to meet the real you in the real world.>

PING!

<RandomizarBian: Be there in ten.>

Hall pushed back his chair and stared in horror at his room. Ten minutes to clean up.

He raced around like a tornado, piling books and magazines onto the shelves, throwing old clothes into the closet, and hiding the plush toys that were on the bed.

Then he found a fresh T-shirt and pulled it on, just at the doorbell rang.

‘There’s someone here to see you, Hallsie,’ his mum called from downstairs.

He cringed. He hated that pet name. Thankfully his mum was the only one who used it.

‘Just tell her to come up,’ he shouted down.

He really didn’t want to meet Bian in real life for the first time, with his mum hanging around.

Bian appeared at the top of the stairs. Wearing a baggy black T-shirt over strategically torn jeans and expensive looking high-top sneakers, she looked at him from under her wave of black hair and grinned.

‘Hallsie?’

Hall’s face fell.

‘Relax,’ said Bian, ‘I think it’s kinda cute. Sort of.’

Hall showed her into his room, surreptitiously kicking away a pair of old socks he’d missed earlier.

‘So I guess that OTHER WORLDS website was real,’ she said. ‘Maybe we should tell them our story?’

‘I guess.’ Hall shrugged.

They stood around awkwardly for a few moments.

‘How long –?’ started Hall, just as Bian said ‘Are you –’

They both giggle nervously.

‘You first,’ they both said together, then giggled again.

‘Um,’ said Bian. ‘Are you okay? How did you get out? I thought you’d be trapped.’

‘Yeah, I’m fine,’ said Hall. ‘And I got out because I realised that staying had to be a genuine choice … not one you were tricked into. I’ll explain over lunch. We always have pizza on Saturdays. Yeah?’

‘Sure. Now, what were you gonna ask?’

‘Oh. I just wanted to know how long you were in there,’ said Hall. ‘I know it seemed like ages … but it was less than a minute here, in our world for me.’

‘Same here,’ said Bian.

‘But you disappeared a few days ago.’

‘What? No.’ Bian laughed. ‘My dad confiscated my computer ’cause I forgot to change the cat litter. He’s way strict. I only got it back this morning.’

‘I wonder …’ said Hall.

‘What?’

PING!

They raced over to the computer. There was a message.

<SiggyJnr: Thanks.>