Waiting

With the death of her parents a couple of years ago, Maeve has had nothing but time on her hand. Her parents had Maeve when they were older and were retiring. They were initially from Palmetto, GA; out of Highschool, they moved to Atlanta, GA, to have a better life. Palmetto, GA, is not known for welcoming any black people, even those born and raised there. From birth, in rural GA, black people are educated to fear and awe white people; to know their place will be the same no matter where they go. There is always a hope that leaving to go to the city would be so much better. Atlanta isn't that far away, but in their mind, it is worlds away.

When they finally could leave, they couldn't leave that mindset engrained. Especially when in Atlanta knowing your place was evident as well. You can be successful but only in specific neighborhoods. You can work hard for a company, but you won't be able to rise too high. There can't be another if there is one black person on the director's level. Between fighting people you believe would want to grow with you and people who want to suppress you, even more, it becomes exhausting no matter how much money you get.

More money doesn't always equal a better life. Going from overt racism to closet racism and never feeling like they belonged. Maeve's parents opted to go back to what they knew. They moved most of their money into real estate and then returned to Palmetto to retire. At least there, they could stay on their land and not be bothered if they were sustainable. They would always know what they were getting into if they did leave. They never expected after retiring; they would have a child. They promised themselves never to raise her the way their parents raised them. Her mind would be her own, but her parents would teach her the reality of this world.

Maeve was raised in Palmetto on the farm they owned. She learned a lot of basic survival skills just by living on the farm daily. Maeve never thought about leaving the farm; she went to school for environmental science and economics to keep being with her parents. They were her world. Her parents were afraid of what would happen when they were no longer around, so they pushed Maeve to explore to see the world and meet new people. Maeve's parents wanted her not to feel like this was the only place she knew and the only place she could stay. Her parents knew that Maeve had the potential to be more than them. There was no place anyone could put Maeve except where she wanted to be.

Maeve didn't listen because who would be there to take care of them? They understood how stubborn she was, so her parents just made sure she could learn everything they could teach to prepare her for the world better when they weren't around. They taught her how to run the farm, real estate basics, make deals, contract basics, belonging is overrated, and more. Knowledge of any kind was powerful, and they wanted her to have all kinds. Her parents convinced Maeve to at least go to college and live on campus.

Maeve went to a college an hour away, making it so she could come back on the weekends or some days, depending on the course load. Maeve wanted to stay with her parents and improve the life they lived. She didn't know about the money her parents had saved or the assets they were managing. She thought by enhancing farm management; she could improve their lives. However, her parents just wanted her life to improve while they stayed in the place they knew. It is hard and scary to change; they did it once and didn't want to do it again.

Maeve loves returning to the farm for breaks, so she can show what she learned and be in the swing of things with her parents. It was just another day and the same routine, but her parents went to sleep and didn't wake up. It wasn't sudden sickness or a revenge-filled death. They passed naturally in their sleep together.

Maeve couldn't blame anyone and wasn't overly surprised. But her grief was great. After the funeral, she sat in their room, staring at their bed and wondering if there were signs she had missed or anything she could have done differently. Maybe if she should join them, what would she do now that they were gone? It took the rooster crowing, Doe, the Bernese Mountain dog, whining and grabbing her pants leg, the sun rising, and the pains from hunger and exhaustion that snap her out of it.

She started just making sure she and the animals ate. Then she began to take care of the crops so they wouldn't fail. Taking that first step is the hardest, but the subsequent fall in line. Eventually, she was able to go through her parents' belongings. Maeve found letters her parents had written her for when they were gone. They were in the 1st place she started going through. Like her parents knew she would begin there, the letters were waiting.

After reading the letters, Maeve cried and began to question what her future would look like. She didn't have an answer, but like the letter said, she knew she would never leave here if she didn't now. So she sold the farm, everything included except Doe. Doe was old and would have to be replaced as the farm dog anyway, so taking her would be like bringing the last of her home. This town wasn't her home; her parents were. Without them, it would feel horrible to bear everything that came with living there. While she was selling the farm, the estate lawyer for her parents read her their will. Maeve was shocked to learn about the few million-dollar assets she had just inherited.

Maeve used the money from selling the farm to explore. She withdrew from college and decided to try everything she never thought she could. She gave herself a year to explore different things of doing to start a new path for herself. The path led her to games.

Maeve loves games as they are entering a new world someone created and being able to explore every nook and cranny. How the world works, the plot of the stories, and the determination to win or succeed in the world. With the few million-dollar assets her parents left her, she has been able to explore various worlds. All the different types of gameplay and the different game tools. She took one of her parents' buildings on Dekalb ave and turned it into her oasis. She kept the other buildings surrounding it as lofts but turned that one building into her home and game den.

Playing FS was another world and another challenge for her. While waiting for the update, she reviewed her game recordings to see how she could improve. What worked during the beta and analyze what could be kept or improved for the official game. Maeve continued her routine of working out, checking her greenhouse, checking out new games and consoles, basically her daily routine. Maeve also played with Doe.

Doe had an area inside and outside the building. As Doe was older, she didn't move around that much, but Maeve was happy to see her every day. She knew the day when she would have to say goodbye to the last piece of her family was coming soon, so Maeve tried to spend as much time with Doe as she could.

On the day of the update, Maeve felt she was prepared. She had analyzed all that she could. She had thought of a strategy to start the game with the 2-minute head start. Until Maeve began the game, there would be no telling if she should continue her plan. So she psyched herself up and put on her helmet.

However, the connection link didn't allow her to enter the game. She took off the helmet and tried again. Maeve thought maybe because she was too early. However, after taking the helmet off again, she notices a timer appearing before her. She blinked her eyes, and the timer was still there. She moved rooms, and the timer was still there. Maeve went as far as unplugging all her gaming devices; still, the timer was there. The timer was counting down from five minutes.

Once it hit 2 minutes, an arrow appeared, and Maeve saw a notification in front of her.

[Congratulations on being a Top 10 Survivor of Doom is Nigh. Welcome to the start of Fusion Survival. Please accept your rewards and survive until the end.]

[Please say accept to be granted the following rewards:

1. Territory Token

2. Retain Universal Skills

3. The Sustainable Heal]

Well, the wait is over. The game has begun.