Spark(24)

VirtuMax finally figured that out after the twins set up a “prank” that almost ended in severe injury for Spark. Though nothing could be proven, the company made sure to keep them far apart. Until now.
“It is.” Vonda’s gaze went past Spark, and her lips pinched together.
“Well, well.” The voice behind her was like an ice cube sliding over Spark’s skin. “It’s the pink-haired punk. How special.”






 
    Nine by Night: A Multi-Author Urban Fantasy Bundle of Kickass Heroines, Adventure,   Magic
    
 


 

CHAPTER EIGHT


Spark slowly turned to see Roc and Cora Terabin standing shoulder to shoulder behind her. They were dressed identically, as usual, in one of their many gamer outfits. The current one was silver and violet, with sleek pants tucked into big black boots.
Even though they were fraternal twins, they liked to play up their physical similarities with a twist of gender ambiguity. Roc was taller, his face squarer, his voice deeper. Some people said he was handsome, with his chocolate-brown hair and amber eyes, but the flatness in his expression invalidated his superficial good looks.
His sister, Cora, wore platform boots—subtle, but enough to bring her closer to her brother’s height. The eyeliner they both wore looked more flattering on him, though Spark wasn’t about to say so. The less she spoke to the Terabins, the better.
She’d tried before to field their barbed words with snappy comebacks. At the moment, though, the two of them felt like more than she could face.
“Ready?” the panel moderator called. “Showtime!”
The noise from the banquet room increased as the moderator opened the connecting door: conversations layered on monologues layered on laughter, the clink of silverware on plates, and clatter of ice in glasses.
Mr. Chon led the way, gesturing for Spark to follow. Vonda gave her arm a squeeze, but there was nothing she, or anyone, could do.
Pasting a smile on, Spark felt the crowd’s attention veer toward them as the panel walked up to the stage and took their places at the long table. Microphones lined the white tablecloth, one in front of each name card, along with a bottle of water.
Spark found her name and sat down. She was at the center of the table, and someone had thought it would be a cute idea to put the Terabins on either side. Great.
Teeth bared, Roc took the seat on her right. Cora passed him, setting her hand on Spark’s shoulder as she went by. Her sharp nails bit through the thin cotton of Spark’s T-shirt, and Spark regretted not putting on her costume. One more layer of armor between her and the twins would have been nice, even if it was rubberized and a garish teal blue.
The moderator introduced them, and Mr. Chon gave a rambling introduction about VirtuMax’s development of the FullD system, and the inspiration behind Feyland. Little did he know.
Spark kept her elbows tucked in and her knees close together, careful not to stray into enemy territory. Her best defense was to act nonchalant, though her palms were sweating.
“I’ll let our amazing gamers talk about how it feels inside the sim,” Mr. Chon said. “Spark, why don’t you start?”
She felt Cora’s glare. The other girl had never forgiven her for being younger, faster, and better. Not to mention a more pleasant human being. The Terabins came from a wealthy family, and stories about their arrogance and demands were legendary, even before Spark joined VirtuMax. Afterwards, they had gotten worse.
“As a lot of you know from playing the demo yesterday,” Spark said, “the FullD interface is the best sim immersion yet. I know we’ve been waiting a long time for a game that feels real, and that game is Feyland.”#p#分页标题#e#
Her words earned a couple cheers and a patter of applause.
Beside Spark, Cora leaned forward and spoke into her mic. “Beyond that, the fight mechanics and battle sequences are amazing. Don’t be surprised if you come away feeling a bit bruised.”
“Figuratively speaking,” Mr. Chon said, frowning at Cora. “Of course, there’s no actual pain or injury involved. Only a light simulation in the neural interface.”
Unless the gamer somehow slipped into the Realm of Faerie. Spark hadn’t experienced carry-over, beyond a few scrapes, but both Tam and Jennet had sustained injuries in-game that had been serious in the real world, too.
“So we can’t lose weight by playing Feyland?” some joker called out.
“The technology isn’t to that point yet,” Mr. Chon said. “But who knows what the future holds? Roc, would you like to add your viewpoint on the game?”
“Sure.” Roc pulled his mic closer. “Unlike the girls, I think it’s important to note the variety of heroic quests and the depth of the world-building in Feyland. It’s not all about feeling the wind on your face.”