Pause

The eerie hissing of a spider woke Gavin as he slept. The cold night grew colder as he listened to the water lap over the sand, it was soothing, but there was no getting back to sleep as the spider went from beside his house to the roof.

He sat up and lit a torch. Slowly, he looking around at the load of art he had collected, it covered every free space of wall. His eyes found the biggest piece of art and he smiled to himself as memories rushed through his mind. Of course he had only three towers locked behind the doors, but he was expecting more in the future. There was no doubt he was the underdog of the group, but he was ready to step up.

To his luck, he did have the current title of King. It didn’t really mean much at all, during one of the events, he would be in command, and that was about it. But planning and arranging events, it was something he did often.

When the sun began to rise, Gavin pulled himself out of bed. He opened the chest that he placed in the floor and grabbed a pork chop. As he opened his door, a chicken clucked and laid an egg. Gavin shoved it in his backpack and continued to the bulletin board of Achievement City.

Geoff was already standing there, his helmet fastened on his head as he looked over the board. “You’re not ready for King Gavin yet, right?” Gavin shook his head.

“No.” Geoff didn’t speak as he tore down the old sign and placed a new one. He grabbed a jar of ink and paint brush. “I think it’s time we do Ice Cube. It’s ready and set up. Don’t want to risk the weather changing and the damn thing melting. It took long enough to build.”

“You’re right.” Geoff neatly printed ‘Ice Cube’ on the sign and put the jar away. “Let’s hope it lives up to the hype. We’ve all been excited for this.”

“It will.”

Ray was the next to leave his house. Gavin quickly tackled the young man and rubbed his fist in his hair. Ray fought him off and straightened his suit before turning to face his attacker. But soon the stare down was interrupted by the last of the Lads.

Michael was fussing with his hat when Geoff stormed passed him and into Ryan’s house. “Wake up, dickhead.” He called before moving onto Jack’s house. He shouted a few profanities before busting the safe block, leaving lava to slowly leak from the ceiling. Jack was up and plugging the hole. “Morning, Sunshine.”

When everyone was ready, Geoff collected them in the center of the logo. “Can’t we wait until after lunch today?” Ray complained, eyeing a chicken as it walked by him. Gavin pulled a steak from his bag and handed it to Ray.

“We start now, because no one knows how long it’ll take to play. Could be twenty minutes, could be all day.” Geoff rummaged through his bag and showed off a stack of steak. “I’ve got food handled. Now, if you don’t know, Ice Cube is the game of the day. There have been rumors and we all helped in building it.” The boys groaned as the memory flashed in their head. Countless blocks of ice, frozen hands and tired achy muscles were the only thoughts at this point. “Now we get to destroy it.” And they instantly cheered up.

Gavin lead the group on the journey. Through woods and over water, they trekked to the site where a giant block of Ice sat. Ladders lead to small ledges that held a bed, a chest and a block of obsidian.

Gavin stood at the bottom of a ladder; he peered through the ice at Jack as he was already at the top of his ledge. With a deep breath, he started his climb to the top. His only thought every time he prepared for a new challenge was, I can go home after this. Just prove I’m worthy of going home. But it never made sense to him. He was home, this was the only home he knew. These people were the only people he knew.

Geoff walked around the cube and spoke loud enough for people to hear, “Pick through the ice with the pickaxe or you’ll likely drown. Look for blocks of gold. You also have arrows. And there are chests with bows in it. Jack, you already have a bow. You can only kill by shooting. No hitting. First to complete the tower, wins. Good luck.”

And then they were off. Gavin was instantly picking through the ice. He had his sights set on the nearest block. When he reached it, all he found was a block of yellow wool. He paused for a moment and looked around, hundreds of pieces were thrown around in the giant block of ice. This was going to take forever.

He zipped up his green jacket and continued on. There was playful banter being heard through the ice. Geoff walked around, laughing as the boys started closing in on each other. Bows ready. “Ah!” Jack screamed as he fell down a long hole. He hit the ground, all his items being knocked from him as he respawned at his little ledge. “Damn it, now I lost my bow!”

“Did you have gold?” Gavin called, eyeing the area he had fallen.

“No.” Jack lied, already forgetting where he was. He continued off the ledge and to a new area. It was his only chance of getting a piece before Ray, who already had two blocks on his obsidian, could win.

Hey, Gav. Michael mumbled. “What, Michael?” Gavin questioned, but Michael just laughed. “No, really.” He turned and looked for his friend, but no one was near him. Doing okay today? Lindsay sends her love. Gavin froze, dropping his pickaxe. He cowered in his spot and held his head.

Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. He rocked slowly in spot. The voices soon faded, as they always had and he was back in the game. But Ray called out, “I’ve won!” And Gavin felt his heart sink. He walked through the maze of corridors he created in the ice until he was back to his ledge where a lone piece of gold sat on his obsidian. “The dry streak is over! Guess who’s back bitches?”

Gavin forced a laugh as he climbed down the ladder and started on the walk back to the city. No one really said much, or at least Gavin didn’t notice, he was too busy thinking and Michael could tell something was up. “Secret room after the tower is erected, okay?” Gavin laughed at the word erected and nodded. He needed to talk to him anyway.

Ray was jumping and placing his gold on a dirt block when Michael pulled Gavin into his house and down to where Kerry’s room was. He wasn’t really around much, but he needed a place to sleep when he was. Just as Gavin did with his secret room, Michael and he did with theirs. The room was hideous and amazing all at the same time. It was their room. They crouched down and sat in the little tower room they built. The gold and diamond shimmered in the dim torch light, the TNT added a bit of danger and the boys smiled as they looked around.

“Who’s Lindsay?” Gavin asked, still confused, he had no idea who she was and every time he asked, Michael always said the same thing.

Today was no different. “I don’t know.” He sighed as he looked at his best friend. “Is this what’s bothering you? Is that what’s always bothering you?” Gavin sat quietly, trying to figure it out. “Don’t think I don’t notice. I see you, you are doing so well in a game and suddenly you stop and look around, you ask questions or answer things and no one knows what you are on about. Gavin, we are all worried about you.”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Tears stung his eyes as he looked at a torch. “I hear things and it all seems so real. I’ll be sitting in my house and I’ll hear you laugh, but you’re nowhere around. You’ll be hunting by the Obsidi-N or training a wolf by Wolf Spa.” He sighed. “Sometimes I hear Ray crack a joke and he’s sitting right in front of me, he won’t talk, but I can hear him.”

“Why do you ask me about this Lindsay person?”

“Because I hear you say her name. I hear you tell me she sends her love.” Michael looked at the ground.

“I don’t know anyone with that name.”

Gavin smiled for a moment as another name popped in his head, a name he never spoke to anyone. But it sent butterflies to his stomach. “There’s also a Meg.” Michael’s eyebrow rose above his left eye. “She talks to me sometimes.”

“Found a nice villager lady?” Gavin frowned and Michael knew what he meant. “These people don’t exist, Gavin and you need to come to terms with that. The people in your head, they are just that. In your head.” He stood and started for the exit. “If you keep this up, we’re going to take you to the hospital.”

Gavin took his own way out of the room. He climbed a ladder and found himself in his own secret room. He walked from the room and sat on his bed. Thought swirled through his head, endless thoughts. His imagination ran wild as he pictured faces. He hardly knew what Geoff looked like, but he could see him clearly in his mind. Beside Geoff was a woman and a little girl. Griffon and Millie. Who knew who they were meant to be, but they didn’t exist. He knew they didn’t.

Then her face showed up. A beautiful face. Her dark hazel eyes focused on him and her red hair fell over her shoulders as she leaned closer. She smiled, “Come on, we’re gonna be late for work. Get out of bed.” She planted a kiss on his lips and pulled him up. Her tiny frame pressed against his as he pulled her closer. “Damn it, Free. I’ve only just started working there, don’t get me fired already.”

“Shut up and kiss me.” He mumbled against her lips. She kissed him again, but pulled back. “Fine!” He whined letting her go. “Geoff will be livid if I don’t get in and start the build for the Let’s Play later.”

Meg grabbed the keys off of the dresser and sighed, “You boys and you’re builds. At least you won’t be drunk off your ass. Or maybe you will. Always breaking rules.” She walked out of the bedroom and Gavin followed, his trousers in hand and shirt halfway on. “Don’t forget, we have dinner plans tonight. Dress nicely, please?”

“Anything for you.” He replied, pulling his trousers on before walking out the door.

Gavin snapped out of it and fell back on his bed. The night had come and he could hear a spider’s hiss and a skeleton outside the house. So he got under his covers and closed his eyes. Her face being the only thing on his mind as he fell asleep.