Gamer Girl Read Online Free PDF Page A

like an anger management problem than a name to me. Finally,
after some thought, I chose Allora-- which was beautiful and exotic
and fit my elf perfectly.
    After a
dramatic introduction with sword clashing and spell casting and
rather thrilling music, the game cut to a cartoon scene of Allora,
standing in a small, colorful elfin village. She was dressed in a
low-cut red robe and carrying a big stick. She looked up at me and
smiled, giving me a sly wink, as if she knew I was there, watching,
ready to take control of her destiny. Kind of weird, actually. But at
the same time pretty cool.
    I used the
mouse and keyboard, as the instructions stated, to run Allora around
the village. There were thatch-roofed huts, grassy paths, and droopy
weeping willow trees with cartoon faces carved into their trunks. I
bumped into several other characters, dressed in medieval-style gear,
also wandering about. A man in a beige tunic winked at me. A woman in
chain mail waved hello. I stopped, realizing that all of the
characters on-screen were being controlled by real-life people,
logged on from their own computers in their own homes. I watched in
amazement for a moment as the various elves, halflings, and humans
bustled about town, going about their business as if this were their
everyday existence.
    Who were these
people? Where did they come from? And what possessed them to take on
a character and play this game? Were they bored? Lonely? Did they
seek adventure? New friends? Or were they just trying to escape real
life for a few hours?
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    The whole
concept was so cool. Being part of an online community where people
mingled and made friends with those they'd never met in real life. In
the game, no one had any clue who I was, and they didn't care either.
I wasn't a loser who hadn't made a single friend at her new school. I
was a beautiful elfin princess who was studying to be a mage. And no
one had any idea I once spent a whole day wearing frolicking unicorns
on my chest. Thank God.
    I smiled. So
cool. I couldn't wait to thank Dad for getting me the game. In fact,
maybe he was online right now. I scanned his letter to find his
character's name.
    RockStarBob.
    Oh-kay then.
Not the name I would have picked for a medieval fantasy character,
but whatever. I followed the instructions and typed him a message
using the game's instant messaging feature.
    [Allora] Hey, Dad! I got the game!
    [RockStarBob] Hey, kiddo! I'm glad! How do you like it so far?
    [Allora] Well, I just logged on, so I haven't really done much exploring. [RockStarBob] Ah.
    [Allora] Um, do you want to come ... meet me ... I guess? [RockStarBob] Um ... [RockStarBob] Hang on a sec, hon. [RockStarBob] kk, back. Um, I didn't realize you'd be online now. So I started
playing with some friends. We're
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    in this big
dungeon, right in the middle of fighting some monsters.
    [Allora] Oh. Okay. Can I come watch you? [RockStarBob] Heh. No,
sweetie. You're too low a level. You'd never make it in alive. [Allora] Oh.
    [RockStarBob] Um, why don't you play by yourself for a bit and level up? And then
later in the week we can play together. I can meet you after school
on Thursday, around five. Just go to the Elf Tree Cafe, okay? I'll
meet you there. [Allora] Okay! Cool. Sounds good. See you
then! Thanks for the game!
    [RockStarBob] You're welcome, kiddo. I think you're going to love it!
    "Maddy!
Cake time!" my mother called. Reluctantly, I logged off the game
and trudged downstairs. I guess it was too much to expect my dad
would just he sitting around waiting for me to log on. After all, how
would he know when we were celebrating my birthday? Not like Mom sent
him an Evite. And he did say he'd meet me Thursday. That'd be cool.
    At the very
least, it would give me something to look forward to when trying to
survive yet another week of high school.
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    CHAPTER 4
    I n what state
of mind is Romeo when we first meet him?"
    Monday morning
and I was in English class, sketching in the margins of my