CHAPTER 34: CHAPTER 34: HAIL CAPITALISM

The Vangels website was designed quite beautifully. Sitting back in home at the dining table I looked through the screen while a pot of stew cooked.

The same logo as the website was pasted in the place that the door was from. It was quite the interesting thing to me, that a completely online business would have a physical place of operations as well.

And why, it didn’t take long to figure out after seeing their website.

[Platinum-Ranked members are invited to Vangels Lounge]

Those words were pasted on the website. At the start with a banner. I clicked on it for more information and it said that members who had placed bets coming to 10000$ qualified for the Platinum-Rank.

It actually wasn’t that high for a gambling website, but then again...

"They do give an offer to students. Their goal is definitely something else."

New Engine Gaming, and now this. It clearly wasn’t going to be so disconnected thinking about how people of the same area were being targeted by the same field. The world was small in these manners.

"Vangels... Vangelis?" I stood up and moved back to the living room. The Vinyl collection in this house was one of my most priced items. I pulled out the disc with the original Blade Runner soundtrack and put it on.

The tracks began with their somber music and mood and I went back to my laptop. Vangels. Was the least suspicious way of holding continuing through registration as a student itself? I thought that would be the best method.

They didn’t ask much. Just an email ID, a picture of my student ID, and that was it. Not even bank accounts yet unless I wanted to get the money out. They were operating legally, online gambling wasn’t exactly banned since it was classified as an online game, it still was suspicious how they operated. Almost made it feel illegal.

They didn’t ask much. Just an email ID, a picture of my student ID, and that was it. Not even bank accounts yet unless I wanted to get the money out. They were operating legally, online gambling wasn’t exactly banned since it was classified as an online game, it still was suspicious how they operated. Almost made it feel illegal.

The site login and registration was done... and I started.

"Gambling... Here I go."

***

I went nowhere.

{Balance: 3$}

It was a problem.

Sitting alone on the stairs where I initially used to go to a lot with Anna, I looked at the stupid balance from the initial 200$ deposit I had received from Vangels. White clouds floated above me, casting their glare with the bright blue sky on my phone screen.

I was losing. There was no way to make it to the Platinum Club and be invited into the place like this. I would have no choice but to use my own money.

10000$ though. If I could have made some money before taking all this... it would have been nice.

I knew it. Only the house ever wins. It was an annoying but true aspect of life.

"Haah..."

A sigh left me on its own. That was when a voice came from the side.

"Must you release whatever luck you have like that?"

The small vibrations on the stairs was quite obvious. The metal creaked a little, I knew who it was. There was only one person who spoke to me in this strange manner anyway.

"Hi, Abel. Here for lunch?"

"Lia, hello." I looked at her, then at my balance again. "What was that about luck?"

"Sighing," Lia hopped up on the stairs and gently stood next to me. She gracefully pulled the back of her dainty skirt closer to her legs as she settled down beside me, not a sound. She was close, unnaturally so, but so naturally at a place where even calling it out would make me be the embarrassing one. Her slyness had no end.

"Sighing makes your luck blow out," said she.

"I never heard of a concept like this."

"What is making you sigh, Abel?" She leaned closer to see my phone, I smoothly moved it away from her sight with a practiced motion.

"Nope."

"Hmph..."

"What brings you here, lunch?"

"I thought I’ll come up here, apparently couples of our batch are starting come to this place a lot."

We were all slowly getting used to the academy. It was barely a month we were in.

"It’s just me," I said.

"Mhm. Anna is down today."

"Funny."

"I am just messing with you. I know its not like that," Lia smiled again, she rested her chin on her palm and turned her gaze up. At the bright sky above. "The boys are getting into gambling these days, aren’t they?"

I pursed my lips.

"Don’t tell me, they roped you into it too, Abel?"

"Not exactly. I am doing this for my own reasons."

Lia stretched her hand out. "Not doing well?"

"Terrible."

I handed her the phone with the balance page open and looked down. A sigh left me as I peered through the gaps between the rods on the staircase.

"Wow, this is bad. Was it 200$ initially?"

"Yup."

"Can I try?"

I looked at her and then shrugged. "Go for it, it’s over anyway."

Lia started tapping away at the screen. She opened a match of BlackJack and put in all the money remaining. I hesitated for a second, but stopped myself. That was futile anyway.

Dealer 6, she was at a 10 and an 8.

Hit, she chose.

2.

"Lucky..." I muttered.

"You think?"

She bet in 6 this time.

Blackjack.

Win.

Win.

Blackjack.

Loss.

Dealer bust.

Blackjack.

Bust.

Blackjack.

Blackjack.

She doubled the money after every 3 tries.

After some rounds we were already nearing 200$, the game was quite crazy. She was winning constantly. We had already hit our initial invedstment I didn;t think that she would be such a good player.

I saw the chance, pulled my hair back and tied a rubber band around it.

If I wanted to get to 10000$, and maybe take even more home before busting down this casino, I had to ask her for help.

I held her hands and stared in her eyes.

"Lia. I need you."

Hail capitalism.