The Unexpected - Chapter 3: Bondings

             Previously, on The Unexpected, Dexter Gonzales stumbled upon a bright room after escaping from a horrifying experience in the basement, greeted by an entity named A.L.E.X.I.S. who decided to become Dex's partner by entering inside Dex's mind and bestowing upon him the power to summon anything he could think of with a swish of his arm. After realizing the power he possesses, he has now stepped onto the first leg of his rollercoaster adventure. What lies next on their first journey together as a duo? Will they be able to form a strong bond together already or it'll be delayed in multiple seasons? Let's find out.

             It's night time after exiting the crummy old building. I was heading home after an exhausting battle between me and that monster, and a really long talk between me and A.L.E.X.I.S. who became my partner for life, I guess. I was gonna eat the pizza I made but I wasn't hungry at the moment so I put it in a pizza box I made with this newfound power A.L.E.X.I.S. gave me. Apparently, this power of mine is so accurate that it actually made a pizza pie I've thought out in my mind. However, it was cold because I forgot to think of a fresh-from-the-oven pizza. Anyway, while we were walking on the sidewalk, A.L.E.X.I.S. doesn't stop talking so much about the world around us. "Fascinating, humans are still stuck in the automobile era since the late 1800s but they became innovative with their inventions. Outstanding, humans have invented wireless telecommunication so that they would glue themselves to these tiny contraptions for several months. Remarkable! Humans even have pamphlets still giving out to other humans despite the age they're living in. Maybe they weren't so miniscule after all." Drowned over her monologuing, I lost all energy and replied, "Yeah, that's the digital age for you. By the way, here we are, my humble home." Still in the fascination mood, she asked "Is this what you call an apartment, Dex?" "Yes, it's my apartment", I said.

             I entered my apartment complex, to be greeted by the landlord. He has been bugging me about my 3-month unpaid rent but what do you expect from me? I have my own problems but I think my excuses won't stop him from making me pay the rent. Good thing I have A.L.E.X.I.S. with me because before we left the bright room, I asked a lot of questions from her regarding this power of mine. "Don't you think this is making me overpowered for a human being?" She said, "There is nothing to worry about. It is true that this power is based on your thoughts but this won't defy the laws of reality unless you plan to use this for your own personal gain or a fate worse than anything unimaginable." Nervously, I just went with "Ooo...kay. Let's say I can make money out of thin air, isn't it going to be counterfeit or stolen from people's wallets or anything like that, right?" She answered, "Of course not, this isn't as criminal as you might think. It can duplicate legitimate resources like lost cash dropped by several people for months or years passed. And you can make it as fresh as the present times so you don't have to worry about getting arrested." Feeling a sigh of relief, I can make money as long as it's not owned by anyone or stolen so I thought of money, and pulled out my empty wallet and put it on the coffee table. Don't judge me, okay? Anyway, I processed my image of money going into my wallet and used my hand to pour cash into the wallet. Well, I didn't see cash money coming out of my hand but my wallet looked bigger now. I picked up my wallet and it did feel thicker than I imagined. I peeked inside and I saw about thousands worth of cash in my wallet. Did people really lose this much money?

             With the wallet full of money, I pulled out a few bills to pay off my debt. The landlord was so shocked that he even asked me where did I get this much money? I told him that I won it at some alleyway gaming tournament downtown. It's the only way he would be convinced because he's been checking all of the tenants' apartment rooms and he only sees consoles in my living room so he concludes that I'm a shut-in gamer but I'm technically not a shut-in. Yet I hear A.L.E.X.I.S. laughing so she thinks I'm lying, and she's right.

             Gaming has been a part of my life that it became an unhealthy habit of mine. I play several hours a day, everyday until late at night. I fall asleep in every class but the teachers haven't caught me or scolded me which is very odd, don't you think? Well, I always pull an all-nighter, doing assignments and projects everyday, keeping my grades to a high minimum of 1.5 which impressed them and my classmates. By the way, I took programming because it's closest to gaming, hence my specialty. It's kind of a given that many gamers would be sleepy but still be able to get high maintaining grades in every semester. Well, some of them at least. I guess they weren't as dedicated as me because I have a dream: to become a true gamer. Playing games isn't enough, I had to make one myself. In order to do that, I have to know every concept of gaming by taking part in them so I think A.L.E.X.I.S. can help me with fulfilling my dream. I just hope my lifespan isn't shorter than my dream fulfilling day.

             After passing through my landlord, I go up the stairs and into my room. Despite my unhealthy habit, I am a bit of a clean freak. As you can see, everything is spic-and-span just like before I left to go to that building. The fridge, however, is almost empty. Only a milk carton, an egg cart filled with only two eggs left, and some water bottles. I showed A.L.E.X.I.S. around and she's still as amazed as usual. Without hesitation, she barraged me with these questions, "Do you actually live here without your loved ones? You were telling the truth about having a rough time providing needs for yourself without any financial support? You also have a collection of compact discs filled with gaming titles?" I answered, "Yes, yes, and sort-of yes. Honestly, I don't even know how I even survive this long. Without you, I would've been kicked out of my apartment for sure, gone broke and homeless. Anyway, now that we're here, let me ask you about yourself. Who exactly are you and why are you here? If you were invading us, you could've done that without a hitch." Planning to get a straight answer from her, she replied "If you truly want to know me, you have to prove your worth by beating me in one of your games." Flustered, I said "Huh? Are you sure? I mean you haven't tried out any of my games, plus you haven't shown me your physical appearance because you're inside my head." She said, "Technically, I'm inside your mind, more likely your brain. But if you insist, create an avatar for me." "Wait, like I'll make your character here, in my room?" I exclaimed. "Correct. However you created me in your imagination, this is how you see me now so do your best and don't oversexualize it. I am not your personal slave or someone you see in a fantasy show, are we clear?" If I had a girlfriend, I hope she doesn't have the same personality as A.L.E.X.I.S., really annoying to bond with. Frustrated, I said "Yes, I won't oversexualize it. Who do you think I am, a degenerate?"

             As I was about to make a character for A.L.E.X.I.S. so I can learn more about herself, a doorbell rang at my door. Who could it be? I notified the person waiting on the other side of the door that I'm coming, I stood up, walked to the door and opened it. It was my next-door neighbor, Sheila Galera. She's a year younger than me, who just entered college in the same school as me. She took photography as her course and she's quite the best at it. She showed me several pictures of different landscapes and seascapes. She's also very friendly to everyone and not to mention that she's very beautiful and has plausible packages. She's a precious gem, indeed. "Um, Dex, my eyes are up here", she said. "Oh, sorry! I was about to take a rest after looking for a job. Is there something you need from me?" She answered with cuteness, "Oh, I'm sorry for disturbing you at this time. I was wondering if you have any spare eggs. My cat knocked down my eggs from the counter and got egg yolk all over the floor. Two of them would do just fine because I need my energy filled up before my photography class tomorrow." She's so cute that I'm constantly stuttering on trying to tell her that I can give her my remaining eggs so I told her to wait for a moment and left the door to go to my fridge and get the eggs. I went back to the door and gave her the eggs. She said with glee, "Thank you so much, Dex! Is there anything I could ever repay you?" "Well, maybe a barbecue dinner at my place?" I said it with confidence but I'm worried if my breath stinks. She giggles and says, "Sure thing! I am one room away, after all. See you at school, then!" And she went back to her apartment, giving me the scent of her lovely shampoo after the wind tossed her hair around. I closed the door with relief and was instantly cut off by A.L.E.X.I.S. saying, "What a lovely lady. If only she were as smart as me, I would've put the cat away from the counter to prevent the eggs from getting wasted on the floor. What clumsiness." Furious by her snark, I shouted "HEY! Don't ever talk that way to Sheila. Her clumsiness is what makes her very charming. And besides, you barely know her so you don't have the right to judge her like that." No chill, she responded, "Very well, then I shall leave you and give my powers to someone more respectful towards me." Panicked, I blurted out, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Look, just don't treat her harshly like you always do. It's fine if it's me but not her or any of my friends, please?" She replied with empathy, "Alright then, I'll treat her more nicely if that's what you wanted. Now can we go play some games already?" I answered, "Sure, let's go back to where we left off." I went back to the living room and started setting up A.L.E.X.I.S.'s avatar but this is going to be a lot tougher than I thought.

             To be continued...