The Ex-Box

Melissa was fuming as she threw the last of her possessions in a small box. She could not believe she fell in love with this geeky bastard.

Her sister had told her about these types, the ones that have no life, no social skills, and are so happy to be with a woman that they will do anything to please her. It seems like a dream, the ideal situation, but inevitably the computer, or the Nintendo, or the X-Box wins out. That damn X-box anyway.

“Melissa, come play video games with me one more time!” Jared called out in a whiny voice from the cramped living room of his studio apartment. She figured it wouldn't hurt to play one last round of Street Crusader or whatever the hell that stupid game was.

That was the last memory Melissa had. When she woke up, her world would never be the same.

When Melissa awoke she was on a small bed in a room that was completely white. She startled when she looked to her right and saw what looked like a bored librarian. She was a woman about of about 50, wearing very conservative clothes, her graying hair in a bun. When the woman finished writing on her clipboard and spoke, she sounded so... indifferent...

“Melissa Wright?”

“Yes.”

“You dated Jared Gregoire, did you not?”

“Yes, we broke up”

“Melissa, are you sorry for what you did?”

“What I did? What are you talking about?”

The woman simply nodded and at once Melissa found herself standing in a long line of women.

The woman in front of Melissa turned around to look at her, as Melissa's eyes opened wide in horror. The woman was not much older than Melissa, but she was sweaty, her hair was matted and her eyes bruised. Blood was crusted on the corners of her mouth. The woman spoke in a quiet, tattered whisper:

“I am Judith, you are new here.”

“Yes, I am Melissa, what... what happened to you?”

Judith smiled a mostly toothless smile and turned away as the line progressed.

The line moved in silence, nobody else spoke to Melissa. She wanted so badly to know why everyone was being so quiet, why nobody would give her an answer as to where she was or why, and what on Earth happened to poor Judith? Was she beaten? Raped? Would she be next?

As she got toward the front of the line she could hear a man calling out “Lisa Wallace.... Go!”, “Ellen Sparks... Go!”. She could also hear the sounds of a sporting event of some kind, the cheers and whistles of excited fans.

It was her turn in line, and all she saw was a black curtain, and there was but a single man standing in front of it. Melissa's heart was in her throat, the seconds took hours, when she was startled out of her trance by the words “Melissa Wright... Go!”

Melissa staggered forward. Confused, she tentatively crept toward the curtain. The man's large, strong hand grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her through the curtain. Suddenly she knew where the sounds of cheering fans were coming from.

Melissa was on a soccer field. She looked down and saw that she was now clothed in a blue soccer uniform. She also noticed that the players were all women, and the spectators all men.

A rather impatient “teammate” approached her and grabbed her hand... “Get your ass in the game, Wright!”.

Melissa followed the woman onto the field and found herself suddenly face-to-face with a soccer ball that was hurtling towards her at a very high rate of speed. As the ball made contact with Melissa's nose, the pain shot through her entire head like a giant bolt of lightning. She did not have time to regain her composure before someone with a red uniform knocked her out of the way and kicked the ball in the opposite direction.

Melissa decided she had better get with it and play if she wanted to survive, as she then noticed other red and blue players lying on the sidelines, some in fits of convulsions. Melissa ran toward the ball. She intercepted it and kicked it hard toward the goal. As she kicked the ball, to the cheers of the crowd, she lost her footing and fell. Immediately another player tripped on her and fell as well, her elbow landing in the small of Melissa's back. Melissa did not think she could take the pain anymore, but as she picked herself up off the ground, a whistle blew.

Melissa awoke on the same bed, in the same white room. As expected, she looked to her right to find the same ancient, disaffected woman. The woman finished writing on her clipboard, looked at Melissa, and simply asked “Are you sorry for what you've done?”

Melissa had had it. Not caring what the woman may think, she screamed.

“Sorry for what?!” “What the fuck is going on?!” “WHERE AM I?!”

With that, the woman nodded and looked back at her clipboard.

Melissa found herself standing in a long line. This line was much like the one before, the women still speechless. Finally, Melissa felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to find a woman much more disheveled than was Judith. This woman did not introduce herself, she simply said “You're not sorry yet, are you?”

Melissa was so frustrated and confused she began to cry. Ragged breaths and deep, heaving sobs wracked her body as she moved slowly toward the head of the line. She could not imagine what would happen next. Was this some sort of militant soccer camp for criminals? What had she done? How did it involve Jared?

As she approached the front of the line, she heard the same cheers and her heart sank. What was different however, is that the man now called two names before he said “go”.

Three, two, one person ahead of her and she saw the curtain.

“Wendy Green, Melissa Wright... Go!”

As ordered, she followed Wendy through the curtain. What she saw was what appeared to be a stage, with spectators on either side. She looked down to find herself in a white robe.  She looked to Wendy and saw that her robe was black. Melissa noticed two squares on the floor, one black, one white. Melissa stood on the white one and Wendy moved to the black square, her body betraying a sense of resignation.

Melissa looked at the spectators, then at Wendy. This could not be what she thought it was.

“Fight!” yelled an Asian-sounding announcer. Melissa instinctively put her hands up as Wendy came charging toward her. Wendy leaped into the air, and Melissa gasped as she saw the sole of Wendy's foot coming toward her face. Melissa could not move as Wendy's foot made contact. Melissa's head snapped to the side and two of her teeth flew from her mouth.

Melissa regained her composure quickly, then turned around to see Wendy coming up behind her. Melissa stepped forward quickly and landed two punches to the side of Wendy's already battered face. The crowd erupted in cheers.

Wendy dropped to the ground, seemingly knocked down by the hit, but without warning she spun around in a foot sweep, knocking Melissa to the floor. Wendy then jumped up and straddled Melissa's torso, punching her face relentlessly, left-right-left-right.

Melissa bent herself in half forcefully, kicking Wendy in the back, stunning her long enough to make an escape. Remembering what her brother had shown her from his Jiu Jitsu classes, she stood and let Wendy approach. Slowly, Wendy made her way toward Melissa, the crowd quieting down save for some yelled expletives at the lack of action. Once Wendy stepped into Melissa's range, Melissa grabbed Wendy, placed her in a quick wrist lock, and was able to take her down. Wendy screamed in pain as Melissa twisted her arm nearly to the point of breaking.

The spectators went wild and out of nowhere appeared a small, elderly Asian man in a red kimono. The man got down on his knees and slapped the floor as he counted “One... Two... THREE!” The crowd rose to its feet in applause as Melissa released Wendy from her grip. Looking down, she saw that Wendy was crying. Melissa suddenly felt terrible that she had hurt someone who was likely in the same situation as her. She then felt helpless, and wondered why she was being turned against these women she didn't even know.

When Melissa awoke, she was not on a bed, but on a dirty, torn couch, in what looked like an alley. She looked to her right, expecting to see the librarian-looking lady, but instead saw a teenage girl. The girl was emaciated, and dressed in tattered, dirty clothes. Her face was also beaten, but it looked as though it had been a while since it happened. Melissa was silent, she was afraid to say anything. Finally the girl spoke:

“I am Nicole. I am here by mistake, and as such, I cannot leave. I have been through the same trials you are going through. I have survived. I hide in the shadows and help who I can. May I help you?”

Melissa stammered “Wh... Where am I?”

Nicole smiled softly and spoke once again:

“I cannot say where you are, for I don't exactly know. I can tell you what this place is and why you are here.”

Melissa slowly nodded as Nicole took a deep, ragged breath and spoke again:

“This place is called the Ex-box. When a video game geek has a girlfriend, he loves her, he wants to be with her, and he is thankful every day for attention from her. Part of being a geek, however, is an insatiable love for video games. He does not mean to ignore her, or tune her out, it is just his nature.”

Melissa felt tears well in her eyes as Nicole explained further:

“A few years ago there were twin brothers. One practiced magic and the dark arts, the other was a computer and electronics genius. One summer, they had both been dumped by beautiful girls that couldn't or wouldn't understand that they just wanted computer time. They worked together to create a 'remedy' as it were”.

Melissa started to slowly shake her head, muttering “No.. no.. no..” as she braced for what Nicole said next. The young waif took another breath and spoke:

“Melissa, there is the ability amongst geeks to make their girlfriends suffer for breaking their hearts. You broke Jared's heart by breaking up with him, and you were placed in the system. You will continue to play a part in the most violent video games for the rest of your life or until such time as you are truly sorry for hurting him.”

Melissa looked up and started to ask for more explanation, what to do next, but Nicole simply smiled and walked away.

The next few minutes, hours, days, however long it was, seemed to last forever. Melissa was in a daze, surrounded by darkness and silence, save for her own thoughts. Finally, it came. A stream of memories flowed from deep within her and flashed in her mind.

There was the summer she met Jared. She was a temp at the company where he programmed software. There were lunches, and walks home after work. He was the sweetest boy she had ever met.

There was the time he took her to dinner with his parents. They were so bizarre, his mother making comments about Melissa's body, and his father talking to Jared about Star Trek the entire evening.

Oh, and there was the kiss. It was his first, under the moonlight after their ninth date. She told him it was her first too, but it was not. Still, she felt that wonderful charge of electricity.

She began to wail. A primal flood of emotion spilled forth from her body, completely engulfing her, shutting out the nothingness that surrounded her. Melissa cried for what seemed like days, until, completely exhausted, she fell asleep.

Melissa awoke in a small bed in a completely white room. She drew in a pensive breath and looked to her right. The woman was smiling. She asked once more “Melissa, are you sorry for what you have done?”

Melissa replied in a small, quivering voice “Yes.”

Melissa awoke on a beautiful sunny morning, the rays of the golden star beaming through her bedroom window. She looked at the clock. It was 9:15. She had slept in. Her very first thought of the day was that she had to call Jared.

She wanted to say she was sorry, that she loved him and never wanted to break his heart, but she could not explain what caused her to suddenly feel this way...