Read Online Dark Realm, The by Anthea Sharp - Free Book Online

green lawns with neatly-trimmed bushes instead of scrappy, bare dirt where not even weeds grew.
    “Here we are,” Jennet said as the car whished under a gleaming plas-metal arch. The company logo gleamed under the words proudly etched in the arch. The View .
    “Is there one?” Tam turned to look out the back window as they passed through.
    The archway of the View framed the cloudy sky - nothing special. The buildings scrolling past were huge and pristine, but the neighborhood felt eerie. It took a moment for him to identify why. There was no one in sight. No little kids playing on the perfectly groomed lawns. No lanky teens shooting hoops or riding g-boards. Not a single person. It was emptier than a computer game, where at least the NPCs were always there, moving around and making the world look occupied.
    “A view?” Jennet asked. “Yes. The houses in the back have one. You’ll see.” She picked up her satchel and looked out the window in an expectant way.
    Tam grabbed his pack as the car slid to a perfect stop and the door hissed open. Even the air in The View seemed different. Cleaner. Fresher. He followed Jennet out of the car, then stuck his head back in.
    “Thanks for the ride,” he told the chauffeur. The man looked mildly startled, and then gave him a nod.
    “Yes, thanks, George,” Jennet said, an undertone of excitement in her voice. “Come on, Tam. I can hardly wait to show you the set-up. This way.”
    As if there could be any other way than the wide stone path leading to the fanciest house Tam had ever seen. No, not a house. A mansion. The place was four stories high, with balconies that jutted out on the upper levels and dozens of windows. There was even a fountain in the front, a lit-up sparkle and cascade of water. It looked like something from a mall.
    Jennet held her wrist up to the front door and it opened with a soft chime. She threw a glance over her shoulder, and Tam hurried to follow her.
    “Welcome home, Jennet,” a perfectly modulated female voice said as they stepped over the threshold. “You have brought a visitor. Staff has been notified.”
    “Right,” Jennet said. “Let Marie know we’ll be up in the game-room.”
    “Confirmed.”
    Tam looked around, trying to be nonchalant. The warmly-lit foyer was empty, except for the two of them. “Is that… your house computer?”
    He’d heard of fully-wired houses, but never imagined what it might be like to actually live in one. It was interesting - and creepy. Jennet didn’t stand much chance of sneaking out at night, did she?
    “Yes,” she said. “Dad calls the computer HANA - House Activated Network Assistant.” She set her satchel on the floor and started up the wide stairs.
    “Who’s Marie?” Tam trailed after her. He was afraid to touch anything in this pristine, clean-smelling place. Half-turning, he checked to make sure he wasn’t leaving grimy footprints on the pale carpet.
    “Marie’s the house manager. She makes sure that everything is working smoothly, meals are done on time, that kind of thing.”
    “How big is your family?” He knew almost nothing about Jennet’s life. Then again, she knew almost nothing about his, either, and he was happy to keep it that way.
    “It’s just me and my dad,” Jennet said. “My mom left when I was a kid.” Her words rang hollowly in the quiet corridor. All the doors were closed, except the tall double-doors at the end.
    Really? A fully-wired house and a ‘manager’ just for Jennet and her Dad. Good thing she hadn’t seen his sorry house - the living room that doubled as bedroom for both him and the Bug, the scrappy furniture, the tiny kitchen. The distance between his house and Jennet’s felt like the distance between galaxies. And just as unbridgeable. The only thing that kept him from turning around and going back to the Exe was the enticing promise of the Full-D system.
    She led him through, then shut the doors behind them. “Here we are - the gaming room.