Spark(23)

:I’m sure the Elder Fey have that covered. Somehow.:
:Reassuring. Creatures from another dimension got it handled, check.:
:Haha: Jennet wrote. :Seriously, though, I’ll keep talking it over with Tam. Game releases next week.:
:As if I don’t know it. My schedule’s insane. Speaking of which, gotta go.:
:Later.:
Spark finished her breakfast, then checked the time. Vonda would be waiting for her on the floor in half an hour, and then there was the VirtuMax luncheon panel. Spark was one of the panelists, along with Mr. Chon—who’d taken over as lead developer for Feyland after Thomas died—and the graphics designer, and a few other people who’d dedicated years of their lives to the game.
She was just the candy in the window, although she’d been on the beta-test team. The trick was to deflect the questions about her fame and her life, twist them into questions about the game, and hand them over to the other panelists. She’d gotten pretty good at it. Though Feyland and the FullD were the company’s biggest offering, Spark had helped debut plenty of other systems and sim games.
Instead of putting on her “Spark suit,” the vaguely super hero-looking costume VirtuMax liked her to wear, she pulled on jeans and a black shirt. It was helpful for the panel, not to look too different. No matter what the PR people said.
A touch of makeup, not the heavy stage face she put on for the demo, and she was ready.
Her messager pinged again, this time with a note from Vonda.
:Yo, Spark. Ten minutes.:
:Coming,: Spark wrote back.
When she stepped into the hall, Joe was waiting to escort her down to the convention. Making her way through the hubbub of the Expo Hall, she tried not to look too closely at every lean and muscled guy with black hair. Even if Aran showed up, there was no point.
Ten feet into the room, she was mobbed with fans. Grateful for the distraction, Spark turned her attention to signing more autographs, answering questions, and letting Joe take the gifts thrust at her.
The morning sped by. Before she could catch her breath, Joe and Vonda did their crowd-management thing and got her into the room behind the banquet room, where the panel was gathering for lunch.
They wouldn’t be eating in the main room during the panel, obviously. Nothing elegant about answering questions through a mouthful of food.
“Hello, Spark,” Mr. Chon said, giving her a formal nod as she walked in. “How has the convention been?”
“Great.” She smiled through the lie.
She was sorry Jennet’s dad wasn’t there instead. He and Mr. Chon didn’t get along, especially after Mr. Carter stood up for the whole beta team and undermined Mr. Chon’s authority. They both still worked for VirtuMax, but Jennet’s dad was now lead on a new project, while Mr. Chon got Feyland.
“I hear the demo went well,” he said.
Nice of him not to be there. She swallowed the words. “Yeah. Fun times. Hey, I’m going to grab a cup of tea. Good to see you.”
She could play politician with the best of them, but she hoped Mr. Chon wouldn’t be seated next to her on the panel. There were limits.
“Spark!” One of the younger VirtuMax employees, a guy named Wilo, waved from a nearby table. “Come join us.”
“Will do. Let me grab my lunch.”
She went to the buffet table and selected a box that supposedly contained a panini and a Caesar salad, then chose a beverage. Strong black tea, with milk and sugar—the way her Irish grandma used to drink. The taste was as comforting as going over to Nana’s and sitting in her soft lap, getting her hair braided while Nana crooned old melodies into her ear. Too bad the feeling didn’t last.
Wilo, a lead artist for VirtuMax, and Tia, a tech goddess, were good company and didn’t make Spark feel like she was some sort of distant diva. Their lively conversation helped lift her spirits. Too soon, lunch ended and the panel moderator began rounding everyone up.
“Spark,” Vonda called, beckoning to her from the corner. “I need to talk to you.”
Her voice held a suppressed urgency that made Spark frown as she walked over.
“What’s going on?”
“I just found out VirtuMax flew in more guests for the panel. They decided the launch was too big for you to do solo and pulled a couple more gamers in.”
“No.” Spark’s lunch turned to stone in her stomach. “Oh no. By a couple, you mean two, right? Please tell me it’s not the Terribles.”
Though it couldn’t be anyone else. The Terabin twins were VirtuMax’s second-place celebrities. They used to be the first, until VirtuMax hired Spark. A year older than she was, Roc and Cora hadn’t taken well to losing their top billing. Or their cash bonuses from extra sponsorships. Any time she had to cross paths with them, things got nasty.