Claudia Gabel: Elusion

“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 includes me in his life.

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.

But I can relish it while I’m here.

Every single artificial moment of it.

“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. As I brush it back, my smile grows even wider. Normally I get angry or upset when I think about how distant my father has been, but none of it bothers me now. Here in Elusion, I’m free from all my insecurities, disappointments, and unfulfilled wishes.

“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 warm 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, musky scent that’s carrying on the wind. “It smells like . . . pine trees.”

“Good guess. 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 glorious sapphire sky. Dad and I are perched on top of a rocky cliff, the remarkable landscape of Elusion stretched out in front of us. Down below there are miles and miles of dark green forest, but 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 majestic mountains with snowcapped peaks, which borders a large body of water made up of shimmering swirls of turquoise and jade. Everything is subtly traced with a translucent glittering substance, almost like fairy dust.

It’s the most incredible sight I’ve ever seen. 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 gorgeous 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.

“Remember what I used to say to you when you were little?” he asks.

“Stop wearing your oxygen shield inside the house?”

He laughs. “What else?”

I turn around and squint at him. “Hmmmm, let me think.”

“Come on, I know you remember,” he says playfully.

I smile again. It’s so easy being with him here. There aren’t any weird silences or misunderstandings. It’s like we could talk forever.

“A meaningful life is filled with contributions,” I say, reciting his favorite mantra perfectly.

“Well, this is it. My biggest contribution yet, Regan.” He walks up right beside me and tucks that unruly strand of hair behind my ear. “This is how I’m going to give us our planet back.”

“People are going to love this, Dad.”

“Thanks, sweetheart.” My father tips his head toward two red weight-shift gliders that are parked less than ten feet away. “So, want to get a closer look?”

Normally, the thought of hang gliding over a ravine would completely freak me out. But standing on this cliff, here in Elusion, looking at the incredibly rich and beautiful world below, I feel as though I can do anything. Before I know it, Dad is helping me into the hang glider’s harness. I feel a tiny jolt to my brain, and my arms twitch.

“That was Elusion streamlining the apparatus’s instructions into your subconscious,” my dad says. “It only takes a second.”

“This is amazing,” I say. “I wish I could have stuff streamlined into my head at school.”

My dad laughs and then gives me a playful wink. “Now remember, you can’t get hurt in the Escapes, okay? Just allow the program to guide you.”