THE MOMENT
Honey studied the bookshelf intently until a single book caught her eye. It was slightly wider than the rest and its yellow spine was more vibrant than the books around it; it almost glowed. She carefully pulled it out and thumbed open the cover; a yellow note slid out of the book and glided down to the floor. Honey ignored it and returned the book to the shelf. Then, her friend Ziya came into the aisle to join her.
"Any luck?" she asked. Honey shook her head.
"Not yet, but we'll find it. I didn't think it would be hidden so well," she giggled.
"But, there are other libraries we could try, right?" Ziya asked. "Maybe it won't be so hard to find in one of those?"
"Maybe," Honey nodded. "We'll look around here a little bit longer; if we don't find it we'll try another library that Margo suggested."
"This is so silly," Ziya giggled. "I can't believe how much fun I'm having and we're not even doing anything yet. It's like... it's mundane," she glanced around and the bookshelves. "... but it's not," she said. Honey nodded along with her.
"Just wait until we start playing Roller Derby," she said.
"What's this?" Ziya noticed the yellow scrap of paper; it stood out from the dark blue carpet of the library.
"No wait-," Honey tried to stop her; but, Ziya knelt and scooped it up as soon as she noticed it. She read the note aloud.
"...by a man wearing a yellow hat," Ziya glanced at the nearest clock and her eyes went wide. "It's 3:15!" she said. But, Honey shook her head.
"That's not what we're looking for," she said.
"But, it's still something fun, right?" Honey shrugged and nodded.
"Probably," she said.
"It's 3:16," Ziya glanced at the clock again. "Let's do this and see what happens. When it's over we'll start looking at a different library."
"Sure, okay," Honey nodded. She turned her attention back to the bookshelf and pulled out the same yellow book. She opened the cover and another yellow scrap fell out. This time, she caught it in mid-air.
"Let's head to the parking lot," she said.
"But.. don't we have to wait for the woman to drop the book?" Ziya asked.
"Nah," Honey shook her head. "It's all the same quest. Now that we accepted it, the car will appear at 3:17. It doesn't matter if we see the book drop or not."
"Oh, okay," Ziya nodded as she followed Honey to the exit. She was still new to the AlterNet and she appreciated helpful tips like that. The two girls reached the parking lot just as a black sports car rushed in. It stopped in front of them and revved its engine while the passenger window rolled down. Smoke wafted out until it revealed a grimy man wearing a yellow hat. He smiled at the girls with teeth that matched his hat; they stood out from his dark bushy beard.
"No time to explain, get in!" he said. Honey stepped forward and reached for the handle; but, Ziya spoke up.
"Um...," she hesitated and took a step back. Honey noticed.
"What's up?" she asked.
"I know it's not real...," Ziya shook her head. "But..I don't think I want to do this quest anymore."
"Okay," Honey shrugged and stepped back. She smiled at Ziya and flicked her wrist up to summon her slate. A smoky, translucent pane of glass appeared in the air before her as the driver honked his horn.
"GET IN!" he yelled.
"You know how to abandon quests, right?" Honey asked.
"Oh, yeah!" Ziya summoned her own slate with a flick of the wrist. Both girls tapped and swiped until finally Honey stopped and dismissed the interface. Then, Ziya finished soon after. She dismissed her slate, and the black car disappeared along with it.
"Thanks...," Ziya said. She felt guilty for wanting to do the quest then backing out.
"No sweat," Honey grinned. "That's the great thing about the AlterNet; you can change your mind at any time."