Quest for Justice by Sean Fay Wolfe Page A

to him. “Yeah, you can,” she asked. “Is this your first time in Minecraft?”
    Stan nodded.
    â€œHave you ever played a game like it before?”
    Stan looked at her. “How many games like Minecraft are there?” he asked.
    â€œNot important.” She shrugged. “I guess my question is . . . do you feel like you’re something special?”
    â€œWhy, yes. I mean, that’s what my mommy tells me every night,” said Stan sarcastically. “‘Stan, no matter what those mean boys tell you, just remember that you’ll always be special to me.’ Is that what you mean?”
    Sally giggled, which seemed oddly out of character to Stan. “You’re funny,” she said.
    â€œAm I?” asked Stan, getting aggravated again. “Is that why you woke me up? So I could make you laugh? I’m exhausted. Please just let me sleep.”
    And with that he flopped back down on his bed. Unfortunately, he had misjudged the exact position of the pillow and he ended up with his head on the floor, a painful throbbing in his skull from the impact.
    As he sat up he could see Sally was not even trying to keep a straight face, just holding her mouth and trying not to burst out laughing and wake up the others. Stan couldn’t blame her. It must have looked pretty ridiculous. “Not a word,” he said as he sat back up. “So, what did you want to talk to me about?”
    Sally eventually calmed down, and when she did, she rolled her eyes and said, “We’ll talk about it later. You need some sleep. G’night, noob.” And she stood up and lay down in her own bed.
    Nice girl , thought Stan as he drifted into sleep. Annoying though.

CHAPTER 5    THE PROGRAM
    â€œG oooooooooooooooood moooooooooorning, freeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh meat!”
    Stan sprang up and out of bed, startled by the deafening noise. He looked wildly around and saw Kat and Charlie still in their beds, Kat swinging her sword (which she had apparently slept with in her hand) around, yelling, “ Die die die die die !” Charlie sat bolt upright, his hand clutching his chest. Archie was standing on top of the table with the tools on it, his hands cupped; clearly, it had been him who had yelled. G and Jayden were behind him, laughing hard at the new players’ reactions.
    â€œOh God, you three . . . you three should have seen the looks . . . the looks on your faces!” Jayden managed to get out between laughs.
    â€œWe’ve had some pretty . . . some pretty good react . . . reactions,” wheezed G, clutching his sides, “but you guys . . . that was so over the top! Especially you, Kat! ‘ Die die die die die !’” he said, setting off another round of laughter.
    Kat stood up, walked over to G, put her hands on her hips, and stared at him in the eye. “That was not funny! What if I had hit someone? Someone could have died!”
    â€œI’m sorry, but why were you sleeping with asword anyway, Kat?” asked Archie.
    â€œAw, did da wittle girl have a bad dweam about da cweepas comin to get her?” said G in a mock-baby voice, to another round of hysterics.
    Kat pocketed her sword, walked up to G, who was now cramping with laughter, and punched him hard in the chest.
    â€œOuch!” G yelled, doubling over. “Man, Kat, that actually hurt! Should I punch you now? Huh?”
    Kat smirked. “Even in a game, I doubt that you would hit a girl, unless she was armed and trying to kill you.”
    â€œHuh? What was that about girls trying to kill people?”
    Sally had just walked into the room. She said, “Kat, if you want to kill these five, I’m more than happy to help you.”
    â€œI’d like to take that offer, please,” Kat replied, rubbing her eyes, “because they just woke me up by yelling at me.”
    â€œIt was hilarious!” laughed G. “She started freaking out with her sword, which she slept