Together they developed a virtual learning tool the Wave which preceded the DIVE by several iterations, and played just like a video game. Its system became the foundation of everything he’d built—all that was needed was Wi-Fi and a free console they began handing out for free use.

  She’d quite literally been his muse, pushing him continually be the best version of himself and as they strived to heal the city, he felt himself healing too.

  Macy felt they were giving the next generation a fighting chance to change things, to turn the city into a place someone could raise a child without fear of gang violence.

  They had even been trying to conceive a child of their own, but then Macy, she got sick...and the hope he’d tried so hard to nurture was drowned out once again, as his world crumbled down around him.

  His attention was brought back to the girl, who called out to him and he forced himself to focus on whatever this interaction might entail.

  “I wasn’t sure you’d come Dr. Ohms, these things aren’t always clear for me.” she said.

  Strange, he thought. “Who are you and what do you want?” he asked trying to sound authoritative, but knowing it probably lacked the desired effect as he had a soft spot for kids.

  He took a step forward and as he got closer, he could see her pale, freckled face clearly and the mist rising from the wet ground gave her an almost ethereal appearance.

  She was clad head to toe in black, wearing it as though it were a stealthy set of armor. However, her dark hoody tried unsuccessfully to conceal her wild red hair; the dirty, inky jeans were torn at the knee and the sleeveless denim jacket she was sporting looked older than her.

  He considered briefly that perhaps she simply wanted to meet him. Being the father of the Dive Immersion technology now used in almost every virtual gaming experience, sometimes even the younger generation would often recognize him.

  The doctor turned game designer was a small-time celebrity, at least in the gaming community and around where he lived.

  Regardless, he noted that this girl had the irrefutable look of a kid who’d endured the harshness the streets offered, and he knew all too well that made caution an unfortunate necessity.

  Poverty could turn a person with a heart of gold into something dangerous and unrecognizable from who they were before.

  “You gonna eat that later Doc?” Blu asked, eyeing the Doctor warily and pointing to the container from Tito’s in his hand. She’d hoped he couldn’t hear her miserable stomach growling.

  Blu thought he would be more put together, but then again, she wasn’t in great shape herself, so she really shouldn’t be one to judge.

  She watched as he hesitated for a moment, caught off guard that she had managed to evade his question and possibly inspire empathy in one remark.

  In truth Moorland could feel the memories from pangs of hunger during his childhood, before and after school bubble to the surface.

  It filled him with genuine sorrow because he’d been on the other side of this equation.

  There had never been enough food growing up, but as he got older and learned what companies do with their leftovers. The food people could desperately use becomes rotting trash and withers away the second it can no longer make a profit.

  Despite his love for this country and what it represented, he was often disgusted the greed and bureaucracy that held hostage anyone unlucky enough to find themselves at the bottom of the ever-scheming pyramid.

  “Probably not...it might be a bit smooshed.” He stepped towards her and Macy’s grave came into closer view, stirring a myriad of unwarranted emotions inside. The girl quickly grabbed it and took a few steps back, eyeing him with uncertainly.

  “Thanks Doc, I’ll give you a moment, but then I really need to ask you some stuff.” Blu told him ominously.

  Before he had a chance to ask her anything, Blu jogged over to a nearby bench and her stomach growled embarrassingly as the scent of pizza wafted into her nose, she wasted no time stuffing the delicious food into her mouth.

  He wondered when the last time she had a hot meal was, but more so who the hell this odd kid was?

  When Moorland was satisfied that she was out of earshot, he turned his attention to Macy’s grave.

  Here lays Macy Ohms, beloved daughter, wife, friend. Remembered for the way she spread love and light through every person who met her. Rest in peace, always.

  Moorland knelt trembling beside her headstone, sucking in a deep ragged breath, “I’m so sorry...” He said, having trouble finding the words: shame, loss, and undulated grief stormed violently through him, creating a volatile cocktail of emotions.

  “I know I should have visited sooner... I’ve been trying to...” Words fell away as he choked up, placing both hands on her gravestone.

  “No, no I won’t make excuses—you deserve better, you always have.” he said shakily. “It just hurts so damn much, Mace. Sometimes, sometimes...I can sleep, but then I wake up in the middle of the night and reach for you...and you’re not there. It makes sleep worthless when all I find is an empty bed, empty...like my heart.” Moorland confessed and once he started, he found he couldn’t stop and the tears began falling.

  Blu watched him curiously; but then became uncomfortable witnessing such a personal moment. Still, she had to admit he was certainly more of an enigma than she’d anticipated and not at all what she expected. Although she could only see him from behind, she could tell he was crying, his body shook with grief was both undeniable and palpable...she could literally feel his heartache vibrating in the air.

  She wondered how exactly he was going to react over the fact that Macy, his dead wife was talking to her through these weird visions that constantly plagued her.

  Macy told her what to say, to prove it, but for Blu this was making her regret coming here.

  So much hopelessness and anger filled his aura, that it weighted the air around them and it was almost too much for her to withstand.

  Blu stopped chewing as nausea suddenly came over her and decided she’d be better off to save the rest for later. Plus, she would likely need it once this guy laser focused all his unchecked anger on her.

  She padded over and felt sorrow gnawing on her heart like some ravenous parasite that fed on emotions. When she came into earshot, she realized he was still talking and she was suddenly hit with another wave of grief, it washed over her with the weight of his compounded sorrows and she stumbled feeling a physical toll.

  “I did do what you said Mace, but the world, it feels dead to me since you left. I hope and pray your sacrifice is going to change everything. We did it baby, better late than never” he said looking upwards.

  A few stray cherry blossoms fell beside him, the color immediately brought forth the memory of the soft rose-colored casket being lowered into the cold, hard ground.

  Blu fidgeted with the blossoms in her pocket, she found she liked the scent they gave off, and she watched as his jaw clenched, his breathing became more and more shallow. She had the urge to place a hand on his shoulder, but something made her keep her distance as she listened further.

  “You know, your mother came to see me shortly after your funeral. She wanted me to know that she didn’t blame me for your death, she said I did everything in my power to try and save you. She told me, God’s will is not always for us to understand.” he said bitterly, before adding. “That sometimes when he walks along his garden, he plucks the most beautiful flowers to decorate his kingdom.” his voice trembled as he forced the words out.

  “She kissed me on the forehead and left me a homecooked meal, but I can’t help feeling that if there is a God, he has a cruel sense of humor.” he paused struggling to put words to his feelings.

  “I’m still trying to honor the version of God you believed in, you said he was love and if I’m working in alignment with love someday, I will know him.” Moorland said standing up and wiping the mud off his sweats.

  “I will know him.” he repeated, as the sun glimmered through the remnants of rain, through the blossoms both young and old. The sun is shining just for you, he thought embracing its warmth.

  Blu swiped at a stray tear and moved closer clearing her throat, not wanting to startle the doctor. “For what it’s worth Doc, she seems like a beautiful soul, like she understood the fragility of life. From our birth to our death, there are unseen threads that connect us, some good and some bad, but connection all the same.” Blu said and the words almost didn’t seem like her own.

  “That’s a very wise observation of life for someone your age.” he said peering at her with intrigue.

  Moorland also noted she spoke of Macy in present tense, and to be perfectly honest if Tito hadn’t mentioned the girl, he would have thought she was a figment of his deteriorating mind.

  “Cherry blossoms are her favorite right?” she asked innocently enough, but something about the way she said it made his grief shift to a sharper emotion.

  He wiped tears from his bloodshot eyes and sized up this potential new threat.

  His voice was raw from emotional exhaustion, “I’m tired of games, using her like this, it’s despicable so whoever you’re working for make sure they know; that they can hack as many servers as they want or dig into my past or threaten me, but they’ll never find what they're looking for. It’s locked in here.” he said tapping his skull.

  “It will die with me.” he added solemnly.

  Blu could feel his turmoil, the protective fury that fueled him right now and she was taken aback by his rebuttal.

  “You’ve got the wrong idea Doc, I’m not with anyone.” she held up her hands mortified.

  “You were behind the hack though, my implant lets me see all sorts of virtual threads, and no matter how good you might think you are, I did code the entire Dive, so anyone using it goes through an invisible processor, one I always have access to.” he told her.

  Blu responded enthusiastically clapping her hands together, “That’s so freaking awesome, I mean I knew you were good, but this is like some Iron Man shit, minus the suit... you don’t have a suit do you?”

  Moorland raised an eyebrow, “No suit kid sorry if that’s what you expected to see, I’ve had plenty of people try to push me out of the business with all sorts of creative threats, so whatever you think you have I can assure you it isn’t enough.”

  “The master at work everybody.” she said with a slight bow, “I mean a little self-righteous, but still awesome. I gotta say though, your generation always underestimates mine; our resourcefulness, our adaptability and our learning curve when it comes to the future of tech.”

  “What sort of future do you think crypto-thieves have?” he asked her pointedly.

  She sighed like someone far older than herself, “They probably end up working for the government, which isn’t what I want. I don’t trust them, but I’m also not here to blackmail you Doc, you see I didn’t steal your data on purpose.”

  He looked at her befuddled, “You admit to stealing, and your defense is you didn’t do it on purpose, the authorities ought to love that.” he scoffed.

  “I didn’t think you were a big fan of cops, of the system in general actually, because they end up putting away far too many innocents.” she replied coolly.

  “Is that what you are, the innocent thief?” he asked.

  “This time around.” she remarked handing him a file. “As a show of good faith, here’s my personal info and the log from when your servers were accessed remotely.”

  “Let’s see; name Miss Blu Knight, age thirteen, general information. Your Dive account user info, search history etcetera and what you expect me to believe this made-up history of yours?” he mused.

  “I gave you my user ID info. Protected info courtesy of your system, so you can check everything right now with your implant, can’t ya?” she asked.

  Moorland sifted through the different information, his eyes flickered back and forth trying to figure it out, before finally admitting with a frown. “I don’t understand, this doesn’t make any sense.”

  She twirled a lock of her fiery curls, “Why my mum named me Blu with hair like this, I often wonder that myself.” she quipped.

  “Not that.” he waved his hand dismissively. “How did you bypass my security, how were you able to obtain this from outside the Dive?” he asked growing increasingly agitated with Blu’s carefree attitude.

  “I told you I didn’t steal it Doc, I didn’t get it from outside the Dive, it came from inside.” she said smugly.

  “What are you implying, no one else has access except me.” he said a chill rising up his spine.

  “There is someone else that has access.” she said.

  “Enough with the suspense then, otherwise this conversation is over.” he threatened.

  “Was just trying to lead you to the answer Doc, the AI you designed to oversee everything, there’s a ghost in your machine Doc.” Blu told him.

  “That’s not possible, even though it’s AI, it still has a very strict and specific set of parameters to follow.” he said.

  “Yet here I am.” she replied.

  “I don’t have time for this, you know this is my wife’s grave. What kind of person ambushes somebody here?” he asked growing impatient.

  She stepped closer and for the first time with the sun peeking out Moorland noticed a purple bruise around her neck.

  “A desperate one.” she told him honestly, her heart pounding in her chest.

  His demeanor changed from anger to apprehension and he rubbed his chin in consideration. “If someone is making you do this, I can help you, but you’ve got to talk to me.” he told her.

  “No, I’m here because she wants me to talk to you Doc.” she said.

  “Who Blu, your mother?” he asked.

  Blu shifted uncomfortably at the question, and she could feel her body language shrink.

  “My mom’s not here anymore, I don’t think she really wanted me to be honest, it’s probably part of why she did what she did.” Blu said the heartache bubbling to the surface.

  “What did she do?” Moorland asked uneasily.

  “Well, I’ve got a photographic memory, so I remember vividly the day she put me in a floatie and got in the tub, a bottle of vodka in one hand and a handful of pills and a knife in the other. She stared at me a long time, with this cold unmotherly look like she was trying to muster up enough hate to take me with her.”

  Moorland’s breath shuddered, “Shit, I’m sorry. You really remember all that?” he asked begrudgingly debating whether or not to believe her ever embellished story and yet something about the way she spoke was soaked in painful sincerity, that made him tend to want and believe her.

  “I remember almost everything, I was only a few years old when she downed the pills and booze then took that knife and opened up her wrists. I floated there for a long time in the bloody water, that coppery taste filled the air till it was all I was breathing. My toes and little feet were tinged crimson, eventually her breathing became weird and her body slumped splashing into the water. I wish I could forget that Doc, I really do.” she told him on the verge of tears.

  His heart broke for the girl, Macy was gone because of early onset Alzheimer's...her memory slipped away like trying to hold water in your hands and here was this girl on the opposite end of the spectrum, unable to forget such pain so early in her life.

  He studied her again and could see that her clothes hung on her, there were also other cuts and bruises.

  “Where do you live Blu?” he asked softly.

  Her eyes widened, she was caught off guard by the sudden change in his demeanor, but decided to tell the truth as closely as she could.

  “Umm on the other side of the bridge, there’s a place that’s pretty warm and dry most of the time.” she said.

  He knew there were protests and shootings happening almost weekly across the way, stuff was getting more treacherous the farther out you went from his little alcove.

  Blu fidgeted with something in her pocket, “This is way outside my comfort zone, it’s usually better to avoid people, but this feels important whatever she wants from me.” she said handing him a little brown packet.

  Moorland felt his body go cold, flashes of Macy laughing danced through his mind, the memory of when M&M became their little inside joke.

  Mo and Macy. M&M

  “Who put you up to this?” he asked his voice shaking.

  “You’re getting lost in your memories Doc, that’s why you spend hours in the Dive. You can’t let go.” she told him, genuine empathy in her voice.

  “How could you know this?!” he said quaking with righteous anger. How dare they invoke his dead wife in an order to manipulate him, how dare they use this girl to deliver such a fatal blow.

  He grabbed her shoulders harder than he meant to, “Who put you up to this!? Who!?” He practically growled.

  “I didn’t ask for this, I didn’t ask for the voices or people getting mad at me when I tell them something important!” Blu snapped and for the first time he realized perhaps just how vulnerable she was underneath all the bravado and posturing.

  Nor did she deserve his rage. “Blu, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to—” he started to apologize.

  She took a deep breath regaining her courage, “Look I know you’re a man of science, but isn’t it possible that if she still talks to you, that maybe her light could reach other people and places?”

  His rationale mind just couldn’t accept what supernatural nonsense she was getting at, but his heartache felt something different, some sort of unseen connection between them.

  “Do you think you’re some kind of psychic or something?” he struggled to even say the words.

  “I don’t know maybe.” she said and her chilling stare felt like it was piercing his very soul.

  “Who are you, really?” he asked.

  “I’m nobody Doc, but I do dream of people no longer in this world, I thought I was crazy, until I saw her. Your Macy appeared among my demons like a guardian angel.”

  “I don’t understand, I can’t believe what you’re saying there has to be some sort of scientific explanation.” he told her.

 

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