Day 10: Sparks Under Skin

“Did you miss me?” Sally said, teasing.

“I was in Nagano for the weekend.”

“Look, look.” She proudly showed the photos. “Well… I hope you’re ready to play like crazy.”

The chat reacted immediately.

“Hurry, my fingers are getting cold.”

“Don’t forget how to play, okay?”

One message stood out among the rest.

Kam:
“So you’re coming to class, from what I see.”

Sally:
“Miss Kam… shouldn’t you be studying?”
“Please pay attention to your class.”

She sent it with a serious tone… then laughed quietly to herself.

Sally:
“Kam, text me during break.”
“Alright… time to play, damn it!”

The chat let out a war cry.

After a while of playing, a private window popped up.

Kam:
“Sally, did you see what Bastian posted?”

Sally:
“No.”

Kam:
“He uploaded a video.”
“He uploaded a video saying he’ll leave his channel for a while.”
“And his socials too.”
“Since he’s joining the army.”
“He wants to know what happened to his brother.”
“Because he was that soldier engulfed in flames in the video.”

Sally stopped moving the mouse.

Sally:
“He should be careful.”
“If something happens to him… everything could go to shit.”

Everyone knew what online communities were capable of.
And worse when a creator suffered a tragedy.

Another message from Kam arrived.

“I told my dad about transferring.”
“He said I can.”
“But he wasn’t sure about you since your guardian has to decide that.”
“Do you think your mom will agree to transfer you?”

Sally froze.

The cursor blinked.
Once.
Again.

The screen felt heavy.

Sally:
“I live alone.”
“I ran away from my mom’s house.”
“She used to mistreat me.”

Talking about her was something she avoided.
Her mother was…
trash.

Sally’s mind darkened.
The game felt distant.

A tingling ran through her arms.
Then a glow.

Small currents of energy appeared across her skin.
Luminous traces.
They flowed like water.

The chat went wild.

“What the hell is that?!”
“That looks insane.”
“Isn’t that an effect?”

Sally narrowed her eyes.
The energy breathed with her.

She smiled, but said nothing.

The currents kept moving under her skin, glowing like liquid threads.

“Relax,” she murmured into the mic. “I’m just… testing something.”

Her reflection appeared on the screen, those sparks moving beneath her skin.

It was beautiful.
And at the same time… strange.
Unfamiliar.
Dangerous.

She felt the energy pulsing under her skin, soft, as if it were waiting for her to take the first step.