Elusion

Elusion by Claudia Gabel




DEDICATION

To Ben and Brian—we couldn’t have done this without you.





PROLOGUE


“DON’T BE SCARED, REGAN,” MY FATHER says. “I’ll be next to you the whole time, I promise.”

But I’m not scared at all. The reason my breath is coming out in quick, little gasps is because I’m excited. After all, I’ve waited for this moment for such a long time.

I shift in my seat, carefully listening to my dad as he gives me the instructions, to the point where I’m actually focusing on every syllable.

Place the microlaser visor over your eyes.

Insert the audio buds into your ears.

Slip your hand through the acrylic wristband.

Click on the app with your finger.

I follow each step, double-checking myself so I don’t screw this up. This trial run is way too important to him. Computer scientists still don’t believe in his work—an alternate reality program and device he’s spent the last four years building—but all that is going to change.

We’re going to prove them wrong.

My dad said that to me, just before we assembled our Equips and locked our hands together.

We.

I haven’t heard that word in a long time. I think I forgot how amazing it is when he’s around.

Within a few moments, trypnosis sets in and I begin to feel my body drifting away from me. Piece by piece, molecule by molecule, I break apart and dissolve until there is nothing left.

Nothing but absolute happiness.

When I open my eyes, I’m in this other dimension, which for now is only made of gauzy, incandescent light. A soft wave of electricity trickles along my skin. It almost feels as though I’m being lifted off the ground by an invisible current and suspended in midair. I’ve never felt anything like this in the real world, and since it’s generated by a hypnosis program that’s preloaded onto my Equip, I never will.

“The light is going to fade in a bit,” I hear my father say. “And then the real magic will begin.”

I smile. He is right by my side, just like he promised.

“When you see it all, you’ll understand everything,” he says.

He sounds almost apologetic, and I’m wondering if by “everything,” he means this inaugural trip to Elusion will somehow explain the late hours my dad keeps at Orexis; how he constantly breaks plans with my mom and me so he can work in his computer lab; all the time he spends with Patrick, showing him how to code and design every inch of this place.

A warm breeze blows a piece of wavy strawberry-blond hair right into my eyes. Normally I get upset when I think about how my father has been for the last couple of years, but none of it bothers me now.

“Can you see me yet?” he asks. “It might take another second or two for the visuals and other sensory perceptions to kick in.”

I blink a few times and my dad slowly comes into focus. Although his silhouette is outlined by a shimmering golden glow, he’s wearing the same plaid flannel shirt and khaki pants he had on in the living room. His salt-and-pepper hair is still messed up and in need of a wash. His brown eyes twinkle as he reaches out to me and takes my hand in his.

“Great. Now just breathe in and out very slowly. It will increase the dopamine response and help your body adjust.”

I inhale, noticing a deep, sweet scent that’s carrying on the wind. “It smells like . . .”

“Pine trees. Just wait till you see them.”

“Are you kidding me? There are actual pine trees here?”

A world with plant life and fresh air instead of Florapetro factories, grease clouds, and acid rain. I can’t even begin to imagine it.

“The one thing I want you to remember while you’re here is to trust your thoughts. Don’t discount the power of your mind. What you’re experiencing is very real.”

I loop my arm through his and gently lean my head on his shoulder. “Okay.”

“I know it’s confusing, but everything will make sense soon, I promise.” My father grins. “All right, brace yourself. Here come the fireworks.”

I raise my head in awe as I watch the veil of white light float up from the ground like a fog and evaporate to reveal a sapphire sky. Dad and I are perched on top of a rocky cliff. Miles and miles of dark green forest are stretched out in front of us. The view is so crisp and clear I can almost see every leaf and needle jutting out from each spindling branch. Beyond is a chain of mountains with snowcapped peaks, which borders a large lake with shimmering swirls of turquoise and jade. Everything is subtly traced with a translucent glittering substance, almost like fairy dust.

It’s an incredible sight. And although I’ve never been a fan of heights, here I am, standing at the edge of a steep embankment, feeling that sweet electricity being absorbed by all my nerve endings.

“It’s amazing, Dad. It’s . . . it’s like a dream,” I say. “Is this Escape based on a real place?”


“Yes, a spot near Lake Michigan,” he says, sounding oddly prideful, like he somehow created one of the Great Lakes himself. “It’s long gone, though.”

I take another step forward and spread my arms out to my sides as rolling clouds cast shadows all around us. My feet are firmly planted on the earth, but inside it feels like I’m flying.