Twysted Silver
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
Backstory
1985
“Elsie!”
Elsie's mother ran and grabbed the toddler away from the keyboard. “No, no touch! Daddy won’t want you to touch.”
“It’s all right, Louisa,” said Elsie's father in a gruff but gentle voice. “This is the future.” He picked up Elsie and brought her to the desk. He sat her on his knee and let her bang on the keyboard. He smiled up at Louisa. “She’ll have to learn how to work this someday.”
1999
Elsie sat alone, on the moment that it was to switch to 2000, waiting for her computer to die. Her parents had divorced, and she spent the holidays with her father. She was hanging out in the AOL chatroom, and they all waited with baited breath, expecting all the computers to freeze, blow up, do something.
She frowned when the computer did nothing. Everyone in the chatroom checked in, all disappointed. She logged off and started to walk away.
“Elsie.”
It was a mechanical voice. Floating in the blackness of the screen was something that looked like an ET – huge eyes, small mouth, oval head. “What the--?”
“Welcome to the 21st century! I am your guide! Step to the monitor, please, keep both hands inside the vehicle at all times.”
Elsie stared at the screen. “What?”
“Touch the monitor.”
She reached out and touched it – and disappeared.
2005
“Mr. Phillips, there’s a naked woman in your office.”
Brian Phillips started. “I’m sorry?”
The secretary said again, “There’s a naked woman in your office.”
He stared at his secretary, wondering if she was kidding with him. She was staring intently at her computer screen, transcribing a letter he had written long hand. He pulled down on his blazer and said, “Well.” And he opened the door.
Indeed, a naked woman was going into his wardrobe, looking for something to wear. “Excuse me, miss?” he asked, and gently shut the door.
She turned around with an “Eep!”
“Elsie? Is that you?”
The white-haired, naked woman tried to cover herself up with her arms but she didn’t have enough arm-length to do so. “Do you have anything I can wear, Bri?”
He looked around, and found his gym bag. He handed her his sweat pants and sweat shirt. “Elsie, why are you naked, and in my office, and where have you been the last five years, and what happened to your hair?”
“Five point three-eight years.” She put on the clothes. “I was surfing the Net.”
“Surfing the Net? For five years?”
“I needed to get out eventually, so I thought I’d come out here. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Yes, I do mind! I come into work, I have customers outside, and there’s a naked ex-girlfriend in my office!”
“I know you have a meeting at 8, I saw your calendar.” She padded barefoot over to the computer. “I know my parents are deceased, I saw their obituaries. Ascencion and Vitoria have the estate. I don’t need it anyway.”
Phillips put his index finger and thumb against the bridge of his nose. “Elsie, please. I can’t let you stay in my office.”
“I know, you’re married, with a son, and a daughter on the way. I guess it wouldn't look good.”
“A daughter? How do you know?” He stared at her.
“I saw the ultrasound,” she said nonchalantly. She went over to the door, while he still watched her. “Oh, do you have shoes?”
“I’m not giving you my sneakers.”
“The weather’s going to be cold. There’s an ATM downstairs, I’ll get some money there.”
“Elsie, look—“
“Thanks for the clothes, Bri.” She put a hand on the doorknob, and a bright red lightning bolt went from her hand to the doorknob. “And my name’s Silver. Twisted Silver.”
At Present
She is an overseer of the group Novus Ordo Arcanium (New Arcane Order). Soon after joining the Order, she met Walker Gray, a mage of fire and half-dragon. Because Silver had lost most of her social filtering in the Net, she blurted out her nervousness and attraction for Walker.
Within a week, they were engaged.