Walking in Two Worlds

It was the best of Bugz, it was the worst of Bugz. She created life, she destroyed worlds. She appeared invincible, she knew only defeat. She was Indigenous, she didn’t belong. She moved with absolute confidence, she couldn’t shake the tiny voice inside: It’s no big deal, it’s the end of the world. In many ways, Bugz was just like everybody else…until she went online into the Floraverse. There, Bugz’s every move was watched by the entire world, who either loved her or hated her.
Hidden by total darkness, Bugz pressed her body close to a cedar tree, edging nearer to danger. She rarely hid in the virtual world of the ‘Verse. Apart from her celebrity, there was her look: she wore a custom skin with an athletic physique packed into a black, neon-pink, and Day-Glo-green outfit. The ensemble borrowed from the body armor of science-fiction superheroes and the embroidered designs of a pow-wow dancer. Floral patterns that paid homage to the beadwork of her Anishinaabe Ancestors accented her bodysuit. Her midriff was exposed in a way that would’ve raised eyebrows among the aunties back on the Rez. Those older women preached modesty, but anytime Bugz’s mom heard those so-called teachings that singled out women’s bodies, she’d always stick up for her daughter and say, “That’s just the colonization talking.”
Bugz tossed her hair to one side and leaned in closer to her prey. Her heads-up-display visor cast a rose-colored glow across her cheekbones as she studied her targets. On-screen, a stream of comments flooded her peripheral vision. She paid the chat feed absolutely no mind, at least not for the moment. Her vision narrowed to a tunnel as she prepared for a huge battle, one she had no intention of losing. Besides, she’d turned her location off hours ago so no one on the stream could reveal her plan to the marks. She inched closer to the edge of the cedar trees and listened to them shouting down below. All five hundred of them. She liked her odds.
“We worked too hard and fought too long for anything less than victory!”
Bugz recognized the imposing eight-foot-tall warrior now shouting-Alpha. A scar bisected his face, testifying to a past battle. His eyes each a different color, one green and one brown -reminded Bugz of a wild dog, a husky that fled captivity and returned as the leader of a pack of wolves. Bugz knew his online backstory. Alpha began his ascent in the ‘Verse by slaughtering the gamer clan that welcomed him in as a noob. As fierce as he looked he still only stood second in the ‘Verse’s global fan rankings. Bugz slowly drew a deep breath and reminded herself that she ranked #1.