A.R. Dragonfly Origins: Episode Amber: A.R. Dragonfly Origins, #1

By Joshua Piedra

Amber Ryann was different than most children her age. Born with a melanocyte defect, Amber suffered from pale skin and pure white hair. This made her a target for bullying as well as an object of neglect from her very own parents. Needless to say, Amber had it rough growing up.Still, through all of the torment she endured, Amber pressed on with her life; however, all of those experiences would have an adverse effect on her, leaving her with severe social anxiety, the inability to trust people, and a very unique way of speaking. The only thing that could comfort Amber was the online battle game Blaze Auras. Before Amber became the #1 ranked player in that game, she had a long and arduous journey to get there.This is her story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joshua Piedra
• Release date: May 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223072133

Book preview

Contents

PREFACE

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

AFTERWORD

CREDITS

PREFACE

Welcome to A.R. Dragonfly Origins: Episode Amber!

Some of the feedback I received throughout the A.R. Dragonfly series led me to believe that some of the plot points for Amber were a bit muddied within the main story. Therefore, as a way to help alleviate that, I decided to flesh out her backstory as much as possible.

Here, you will experience Amber from childhood until she applied for a job at Sebastian’s Things N’ Stuff. You will get to understand why Amber has come to hate her white hair, the reasons for her social anxiety, as well as her unique way of talking.

Hopefully, this story gives a bit more insight into Amber Ryann as a character and really drives home why she was the way she was in the main story.

Enjoy and I’ll see you at the end of the book!

CHAPTER 1

THE WORLD MEETS AMBER RYANN

Amber Ryann began her story as a 20-year-old professional gamer. She was the number one player in an online battle game by the name of Blaze Auras. The game mixed 3rd-person combat with a knee-jerk reaction, skill-based combat system. It was only meant for hardcore players as the game punished losses severely by causing a player to lose a tremendous amount of experience. Lose enough times and you might even lose a level or two. 

Still, Amber found the game to be incredibly easy, and she practically lived on it as a means to justify her true existence… one filled with anxiety and mental pain. However, before Amber grew into a powerhouse in the world of eSports, she had her own humble beginnings just like anyone else.

On the evening of October 14, 1997, a car raced through the night along an old dirt road, the dust kicking up into the moonlight in its wake. Inside the car were a man and a woman by the name of Bill and Karen Ryann. Karen had gone into labor and Bill was bringing her to their local hospital.

The two of them lived out in the small rural town of Harrodsburg. There wasn’t much to the town as it was sparsely populated. Because as such, there wasn’t much in the way of grandiose entertainment which meant that most of the people that lived there led rather simple lives. The town was one of many that were spaced out a good distance from each other with massive farmlands taking up the space in between them. 

In order to find anything of interest, one would have to travel several hours east to the big city of Hartview. Hartview played home to many attractions such as theaters, fine dining, even a sports arena. The only thing of interest in Harrodsburg was a bowling alley and a couple of mom and pop restaurants. There were some parks for children to play in but that was hardly considered entertainment for the adult population.

Still, it was a quaint town that Bill and Karen called home. It had been where they lived for the majority of their lives. Bill had met Karen when the two of them were in high school together. They fell in love and have been together ever since. Soon, they would continue their lineage in Harrodsburg as it was about to become the birth town of their soon-to-be-arriving son.

Bill pulled into the parking lot of their local hospital. Calling it a hospital was a bit of a stretch as it wasn’t a large, state-of-the-art facility like one would expect it to be. Since Harrodsburgh was such a minuscule town, this hospital was much smaller in scale but it still contained highly-skilled doctors and nurses who offered care on par with or greater than larger and more financially-backed facilities. The drawback to such a small place was that if someone needed major treatment, they were often prepped there and then transported to West Ridge Medical Center in the city.

One of the positive (or possibly negative) facets of living in such a small town is that everyone knew each other on a first-name basis and that included the doctors. They were already very familiar with Bill and Karen and had everything prepared and ready to go once Bill called the hospital to alert them of their arrival. As soon as they walked in through the front doors, they were immediately greeted by a nurse who gently assisted Karen into a wheelchair. They brought Karen to the delivery room where they already had a hospital gown and a bed prepared for her.

The nurse worked quickly and diligently to insert the I.V. into Karen’s arm while the doctor inspected her to make sure she was ready for delivery.

Yes, everything seems to be ready to go. Does your wife want any pain killers for this or are you electing to have a natural birth? asked the doctor.

She wishes to be medicated, replied Bill.

That’s fine. We will take care of everything before we proceed with the delivery, then.

The doctor nodded to the nurse who began the administration of a dose of pain reliever into Karen’s I.V. Once the drugs took effect, the doctor instructed Karen on what to do. When the doctor said ‘push,’ Karen did exactly that. Karen’s labor didn’t last long and before they knew it, the sounds of a baby’s cries were heard throughout the delivery room. Excited to meet his son for the first time, Bill stepped forward as the doctor smiled and congratulated them.

Congratulations! You are the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl!

Bill stopped dead in his tracks as a look of shock and confusion came over his face. The doctor immediately took notice of his reaction; however, he didn’t have to wonder about it for long as Bill voiced his concerns.

Wait. A girl? We had my wife’s ultrasound read here months ago. We were told that we were having a boy!

I apologize, Mr. Ryann. There may have been an error reading the ultrasound. I can assure you that your wife gave birth to a girl.

This isn’t some kind of simple mistake, Dr. Walsh. We bought all of the necessities with a boy in mind! Everything from a crib to toys to clothing… everything! Do you have any idea how much money we spent and you’re telling me you had the gender wrong this entire time!?

Mr. Ryann, if you could calm down for a moment…

No, I will NOT calm down! This is an outrage! We planned everything around it being a boy! This was supposed to be the moment where I would welcome my son into the world! Now you’re telling me that I have a daughter instead!? This is a HUGE mistake, Dr. Walsh! This isn’t like picking up the wrong brand of tomato sauce at the general store. Your mistake cost us everything we had planned for!

I’m terribly sorry for the error, Mr. Ryann but the fact still remains that you have a child now. We can’t change its gender just because it wasn’t what you were expecting.

I need a moment to think about this.

Bill? What do you mean think about this?" asked Karen.

I was promised a son, Karen. Do you not understand how much I was looking forward to this day!? Do you not know how proud a father is to have a son? I already dreamed of what I wanted to do with him, what I wanted to teach him and now… that’s all gone thanks to these hack jobs who can’t even read a goddamn ultrasound correctly!

Bill stormed out of the delivery room while Karen laid there with a look of sorrow on her face. The nurse and the doctor couldn’t even find the words to react to that outburst. All Dr. Walsh could do was offer his apologies once again.

I truly am terribly sorry, Mrs. Ryann. We made a terrible error in reading your ultrasound. If there is anything the hospital can do…

No, it’s fine. I’m sure Bill will calm down after a while. He’s the kind of person who doesn’t like being lied to although I can see and understand that it was an honest mistake. I don’t mind having a daughter. Besides, I think girls are easier to deal with. If I may, may I hold her?

Oh, yes! Of course, Mrs. Ryann!

The nurse walked over and placed the baby into Karen’s arms. She looked down upon it and cracked a smile as she laid there staring back up at Karen. While Bill was upset, Karen couldn’t be happier with the outcome. Of course, she wouldn’t dare speak up in front of her husband, especially with the mood he was in. In fact, there was no way she was even going to ask him to name the baby. That’s when Karen decided that she was going to do it herself.

Amber. Amber Lynn. That’s going to be your name.

The baby actually smiled when Karen said her new name. Karen smiled back as if she already felt a special connection with Amber. Even if Bill was upset over the whole situation, Karen was already enjoying the little time that they’ve had with each other so far. 

With that, the world was introduced to Amber Ryann.

After a day passed, the hospital sent Karen and Amber home. They held her there in order to make sure that Amber was healthy and that Karen had recovered enough to be able to leave the doctor’s care. Since Karen was already up and moving about without much trouble, they decided that she was ready to take Amber home with her. 

The entire trip home was that of pure, deafening silence. Bill didn’t bother saying a single word the entire trip back to their small townhouse on Becker St. As Bill pulled into the driveway, he didn’t even have the common courtesy to get out of the car and open the door for Karen who had been holding Amber in her arms the entire trip home. Bill simply unlocked the front door and went inside the house where he made his way to the living room and sat down in his favorite brown leather recliner, turning on the television to serve as a distraction.

Karen was still a bit weak and sore from giving birth and wondered just how she was going to manage getting back into the house on her own. Karen decided to lay Amber down on the driver’s seat of the car before attempting to get out on her own. It was a bit painful to do so but she took it slowly and ended up getting out without too much trouble. 

Once she managed that, she walked around to the other side of the car and retrieved Amber. She managed to make it back inside where she found Bill just sitting there watching the local news. Right away, Karen was furious with Bill for not even wanting to lift a finger to help her. 

Seriously, Bill? I just gave birth and you don’t even have the common courtesy to help your wife and daughter out of the car!? You’d rather just sit there and watch tv while I struggled to get inside?

You’re in, aren’t you? Everything’s fine then!

Karen gritted her teeth. If she wasn’t holding Amber, she could have walked over and belted him across the face for that remark; however, the last thing she wanted was for Amber to hear an argument on her first night in her new home so Karen simply sighed before retreating into the room they had set up for her, laying her down inside of the crib.

Still sore and tired, Karen decided that she would spend the rest of the night in there with Amber. One of the things they did beforehand was set up a spare bed inside of that room so that one of them could be with the baby at all times if needed. Karen made use of that bed immediately and, soon, she found herself asleep. Her slumber wouldn’t go uninterrupted as Karen found herself waking up multiple times during the night to tend to Amber’s cries. 

Karen knew this would be an inevitability but she, at the very least, thought that Bill would shoulder some of the burdens with her. Unfortunately, that was not the case as Bill went to bed that night in their own bedroom and didn’t even bother showing up once to answer the cries of his newborn daughter.

The next day, Bill got up early and went through his normal routine of getting ready for work. This was a surprise to Karen as Bill stated that he was going to take a few days off so he could be home with the baby. Karen got up out of bed and made her way to the living room just as Bill was about to step out the door.

Where are you going?

Work.

What happened to taking time off to spend it with the baby?

I said I was taking time off for my SON. I don’t have a son, therefore, I’m not taking any time off.

Before Karen could even answer that, Bill stepped through the door and slammed it behind him. The loud noise and vibration startled Amber and she began to cry. Karen pinched the bridge of her nose before heading back into the room where she did her best to calm Amber down. As Karen cradled Amber in her arms, she could only stress over the situation with Bill. She had hoped that he would warm up to the idea of having a daughter but that didn’t seem to be the case. Of course, it was still the first day so there was some sliver of hope left that he would come around; however, Karen had a bad feeling that didn’t quite sit right with her.  

When Bill arrived at the office, even his co-workers were surprised to see him back so soon. Bill’s job wasn’t exactly all that glamorous. He was a typical office worker for a small, local insurance company. He spent his time handling paperwork, filing claims, and following up on unpaid balances. While the pay wasn’t astronomical, it was enough to live comfortably on, especially with a house the size of his.

After Bill clocked in, he was greeted by one of his co-workers who seemed a bit confused to see him.

Bill? What are you doing here? Didn’t you just have a baby?

Yeah, Steve, I did. It’s doing well enough to where I don’t think I should have to miss any work. Besides, Karen is so attached to her that I barely get any time with the kid. I might as well let her work it out of her system. Women can be that way sometimes, you know?

Her? I thought you were having a boy?

That’s what I thought too but the doctors read the ultrasound wrong. Between you and me, I was a little disappointed but a child is a child. I’m proud of her no matter what. It’s just a shame because I spent all that money on toys and stuff thinking that I was going to be having a son. Good thing I kept the receipts, am I right?

Bill laughed it off as he elbowed Steve in the ribs which prompted him to follow suit and chuckle along with him.

Well, I’m sure you know what’s best for your baby. By the way, what did you name her?

I didn’t name her, actually. Karen was so overjoyed that she had a daughter that I let her do the honors. Her name is Amber. Amber Lynn.

That’s a great name, Bill! I’m sure you and Karen are going to be very happy with her! Anyway… I should probably get to my desk before Jacob comes around. He hates it when his employees congregate. I can practically hear him now… a second wasted is money in the trash. Still, congratulations, Bill! I’m really happy for you and Karen!

Thanks, Steve.

Bill feigned his happiness until Steve sat down at his cubicle. Once Steve was out of sight, he made his way over to his own cubicle and sat down, pinching the bridge of his nose as if he were experiencing a terrible headache. Bill shook his head and decided to spend his time focusing on his work. For the entirety of his eight-hour shift, Bill did exactly that. In fact, when five o’clock rolled around, Bill was still sitting at his desk. That’s when the owner of the company, Jacob, walked by and noticed Bill was still there.

Pushing the midnight oil, eh, Bill? Glad to see at least someone around here has that extra initiative in them! While I can appreciate that, shouldn’t you be getting home to your newborn kid, though? I may be a stickler for getting work done but I’m a family man myself. These are important times, you know.

Just a few more and I’ll leave. Just wanted to get caught up on the time I missed already. I won’t keep myself here much longer.

A man who can balance family and work. I admire that. Don’t stay too late. Just make sure to lock the door when you’re done.

Of course!

With that, Jacob left for the evening, leaving Bill as the only person left in the office. Since it was after hours, Bill couldn’t make any phone calls so he ended up finishing whatever paperwork he could. Once that was finished, he just ended up sitting there staring off into space. He wasn’t exactly in a rush to get home and figured that he could find some other stuff to do in order to pass the time. 

Bill ended up staying at the office until almost 10 PM that night. By the time he got home, Karen had already put Amber to bed and was sitting in the living room watching television. Dinner was still left out on the table which had, obviously, gone cold. When Bill walked in, he could notice the look of disdain on his wife’s face.

So, that’s it? asked Karen.

What?

"You’re just going to spend all your days at work while I sit here and take care of the baby? I get that you’re upset over the fact that they got the ultrasound wrong. I