by Claire Adams
"Mr. Thomas, this is Anya. She is another player on the gaming scene and one of my oldest friends in the business."
"Friends?" he asked.
Anya laughed. "I'm also one of your daughter's biggest rivals. At the tournament, I mean. I'm the obstacle she's going to have to defeat if she wants to be anything but a newbie the rest of her life."
"You volunteered?" I asked Anya. I ground my teeth as she nodded and tossed her hair.
"Somebody has to put the upstarts in their place, don't you think?" she said.
"Can I use your bathroom?" Quinn asked me.
"Sure," I pretended to show her the way. "I had no idea. She just showed up last night and Jasper invited her to stay."
"Its fine. I just need a minute," Quinn said.
She shut the door in my face. In the main room, Mr. Thomas had taken the coffee Anya gave him and was looking out the picture window. I went to the kitchen to tell her to back off.
"It’s so nice that you are taking Sienna's little sister under your wing," Anya said.
I tried to grab her arm and whisper to make her stop, but Anya spun away.
"I mean, Sienna was so distraught when you broke up with her that it’s no wonder you feel guilty. You have to know it wasn't your fault, Owen. What Sienna did was her choice. It had nothing to do with your break up," Anya said.
I was rigid with anger when Quinn reappeared in the main room. "Should we go?" she asked brightly.
"A go-getter. Now, that's the right attitude," Anya said. She breezed to the door and grabbed her things. "I'm ready when you are."
I grabbed my stuff and headed to the door in a haze. It cleared abruptly when Mr. Thomas grabbed my arm. He waited until the ladies had disappeared down the stairwell.
"You broke up with Sienna? Before she died?" he asked. The white clenched lines around his lips deepened. His grip on my arm was painful. "Does Quinn know?"
"Know what?" I asked.
"That you killed her sister," Mr. Thomas said.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Quinn
I thought about canceling my participation in the tournament a hundred times on the short drive to Vegas. The Luxor Casino was an easy drive from Summerlin, but my father's ominous mood filled the car. I did not dare ask him what was wrong because I could not stand to hear another lecture about my life choices.
Was this all worth it? I asked myself again and again.
Owen seemed to think I should break all ties with my parents. The thought was appealing, but after Sienna's death, there was no way I could leave them. It would be too heartless. All I could do was endure my father's seething disapproval and try to make the best of it.
He said nothing as we walked across the white shining floor of the Luxor's lobby. The tall pyramid walls reached up above us, but he saw nothing. He waited while I registered and paced back and forth while I looked for Owen and Anya.
My portion of the tournament was taking place in one of the smaller ballrooms and it was there I found Owen.
He kissed the top of my head. "Good luck."
The tension between him and my father was palpable, and I was glad to find my computer console and take my place. Somehow, I had missed what could have only been an awful exchange between Owen and my father. I wanted to figure out what it could have been, but the Dark Flag challenge was already being announced.
"And thanks to one of our top players, the Green Witch Ayaan, this promises to be the hardest challenge posed to newbies yet. So, good luck to you all," the announcer said.
Within minutes of starting the game, Anya had enthralled three players, stunned two others, and sent five searching in the opposite direction of their goal. When I decrypted her first two riddles, she tried to cast a Memory Spell on me that would have sent me back to the beginning of the game. I managed to deflect it with a Shattered Mirror Charm I had discovered only the night before.
Anya countered with a high level Easter Egg that had the crowd booing. She had stepped far outside the agreed-upon realm of play in order to stop me. My only consolation was that the crowd of players and on-lookers had all noticed.
Even the announcer and judge of the tournament bracket took my side, because when it came time to call the rankings, I was placed among the top three players, instead of listed with the defeated.
"It seems your friend made a fool out of herself," my father said.
"Is that your way of congratulating me?" I asked.
He gave a gruff smile that seemed to cost him. "Impressive. I can see why this hobby has an appeal for you."
Hobby. Of course my father would never see it as more. His dismissal only made me more determined to use the rest of the tournament activities to make contacts. I would show my father there was a whole world there and uncover exactly what my career choices could be.
I left my father to thank the judge for his decision. As I wove through a crowd of players that wanted to congratulate me, I ran into Owen.
"Did you talk to your father?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said. "He actually choked out the word 'impressive.' Not really a wholesale endorsement, but at least I didn't make a fool of myself."
Owen shot my father a look across the ballroom. "Right, yeah. The Shattering Mirror Charm was an amazing move. Just shows that players don't need the high-level weapons if they have creativity. Nice job."
He was speaking to me like I was a stranger and I half expected him to pat me on the arm like a child. Owen was taller than me and scanning the crowd as I waited for him to celebrate with me.
"Nice job? I thought it'd at least be worth a drink. Maybe lunch? I'm sure my father wants to get back to work and I thought we could hang out for a while."
"Maybe after my events. I've got to find Anya and give her my car keys before I head to a panel discussion."
"Is everything alright?" I asked. He had yet to make eye contact with me. "Did my father say something to you at your place?"
"Quinn, look, I'm sorry. I know your rank is a big deal, but I've got work to do here. Alright?" Owen said. He kissed the top of my head. "Keep your phone on and I'll send you a message when I can meet up."
He moved off through the crowd and left me standing alone. I watched him go off without me as I had all throughout high school. The arrival of my father at my side made me feel even more foolish.
"Come on, sweetheart. I'll drive you home," my father said.
"No, thanks. I've got some contacts to meet. There are always people here looking to hire Beta Testers or sponsor players," I said.
My father frowned. He did not believe me. "I have to get back to work. You'll take a cab directly home?"
"Don't worry. I'll be fine," I said.
It was hard to believe my own words as I wandered through the ballroom. People shook my hand and chatted about the game, but it was all just casual interest. I recognized some of the people that represented Owen's sponsorships, but when I approached them, they only gave me cheap swag. I walked away with lanyards, pens, a free t-shirt, and bumper stickers.
The only thing my ranking had done was qualify me for another tournament. If I was going to leverage my playing into any sort of job, it was going to be a very steep uphill battle.
Is it worth it? I wondered again.
I loved it, that much I knew. The thrill of the game, the way it felt so natural and right. But maybe my father was right and it was only an interesting hobby. Everyone I met had a day job outside of the gaming world except Owen. And Anya.
"You look like you were hoping for laurels and medals. Not quite the big win you thought you were getting, huh?" Anya appeared behind me.
"At least I played honorably," I said.
"Please. You sound like such a newbie. The whole point of Dark Flag is that it mirrors the free will of real life. You don't lose points for doing something dishonorable. If it hadn't been a judged tournament challenge, you would have been dead," Anya said.
"So what did your play get you?" I asked. "It’s not like sponso
rs are lining up to endorse your style of playing."
"You forget, newbie, that I don't need sponsors to play. I've already made enough money to support myself for the rest of three life spans. I'm not some little girl getting taken care of by daddy."
"You don't know anything about me," I countered. My chest burned and I pressed hard against it, worried she might be right.
"Face it," Anya said, "you're not even in his league."
There, at least, she was wrong. I looked where she nodded across the ballroom and caught sight of Owen. My heart jumped, remembering the intimate tangle of our bodies. He might be a celebrity in the gaming world, a towering hero in Dark Flag, but wrapped in the blankets of my bed, he and I were on a level playing field. My mind flashed over the feel of his strong shoulders under my kneading fingers, the ragged catch of his breath as we came together. I had seen the ecstasy and relief on his face when we were together.
I left Anya standing with her smug smile and wove through the crowd to Owen. It did not matter that everything else felt like a mess, I knew the touch of our hands would feel right. I slipped next to him and reached for his fingers.
"Oh, Quinn. There you are," Owen said. He pulled back his hand. "The panel discussion has been pushed back an hour. I can't do lunch, but you can have this buffet voucher they gave me. Maybe we can meet up afterwards."
His eyes skimmed past me and found someone else he wanted to talk to more than me. I could not find a single word to say, so I turned around and left. I fought my way out of the crowded ballroom and through the Luxor's towering lobby. It felt like I could not breathe until I pushed through the front doors and walked out onto The Strip.
The day was heating up and most visitors jumped directly in cabs. I took off down the sidewalk, glad for the space and the movement. I needed to walk off the acidic feelings Anya's nasty comments and Owen's cold responses had stirred up inside me.
I told myself I was glad to be all on my own. I needed time to think. Though when my phone rang, I picked up immediately.
"Quinn? How are you, honey? Your lab partner just stopped by and told me you quit the nursing program. Where are you?" Darla asked.
"I'm in Vegas," I said. "I just ranked third in another Dark Flag tournament."
"That's awesome, but are you okay? You sound funny."
"I don't know. I just feel lost. I'm supposed to know exactly what I want to do with my life, but I can't even figure out what to do with the rest of this afternoon," I said.
Darla laughed. "You overthink everything. Don't worry, something will come up."
I did not have time to respond. There was a horrible screech and the smell of burnt rubber. Directly in front of me a car with Iowa license plates, full of tourists, slammed on its brakes before missing a right hand turn off The Strip. It barely missed hitting two people in the crosswalk. The car behind them swerved to avoid a collision and bumped up onto the sidewalk. The few pedestrians scattered and more than one person screamed as the car slammed into a light post.
"Oh my God. What was that?" Darla screamed into the phone.
"I'm fine, but there was an accident right in front of me. I have to go help." I hung up the phone and ran up the sidewalk.
I scanned the people on the sidewalk. Most had leapt out of the way. A few had fallen but had only bumps and bruises. One woman was crying and holding her ankle.
"I know first aid," I said, "Don't move. I'll be right back to help."
Steam pumped up from the black sedan's hood where it wrapped around the lamp post. Inside, the air bags were just deflating. I could see there was only one person in the car. The young man driving was thrown back in his seat, his eyes closed. I yanked on the driver's side door and pounded on the glass when I saw it was locked.
"Sir? Sir? Can you unlock your door? You need help and I know first aid," I called through the glass.
His eyes fluttered and finally opened. With a bleary look, he fumbled for the lock switch and then closed his eyes again. As I pulled open the door, I heard his groan of pain.
"Don't move. It looks like you may have broken your right arm, but I'm going to take care of that cut on your forehead first, if that’s okay with you." I pulled a pack of tissues from my purse and blotted the blood from his face.
He waved my hands away. "I'm fine. I'm fine. I didn't hit anyone, did I?" He struggled to get out of the car.
"You are not fine and if you feel fine, then it’s only the shock talking. I hear sirens, help is on the way. Until they get here, you are going to stay still and let me help you," I said.
He refused and got out of the car. I spied a long scarf on the passenger seat and grabbed it before I caught him and forced him to stop wandering down the hot sidewalk.
"If you insist on moving around, I'm going to have to put your arm in a sling," I said.
"That's my mother's scarf," he said.
"Then she won't mind." I threw it over his shoulder and tucked his injured arm inside. Immobilizing his arm was the only way to keep the break from getting worse. Then, I pressed a wad of clean tissues against the cut on his forehead. I brought his uninjured hand up to hold it in place. "A woman over there hurt her ankle. Everyone else is fine. You're going to stay still while I go help her."
He winced but nodded. I ran over to a free newspaper machine and grabbed a few copies. Rolling them up created a splint that would keep her ankle stable until she could be transported to an emergency room. I used three hairbands the woman handed me to secure the splint in place.
"Nice work," a voice said behind me.
I looked up to see an EMT in a dark blue uniform. "Sorry. I know the traffic on The Strip can delay you guys, so I thought I would try to help."
"And you did. That splint will hold, so it’s better if we don't touch it. You'll be fine, ma'am, your hero did a great job. How's the driver?" the EMT asked.
"His arm is broken, so I secured it in a sling. He's in shock and keeps trying to walk away. There's also a cut on his forehead, but it seems superficial. The bleeding is already slowing," I said. "I am, I mean, I was a nursing student."
"Doesn't matter about your training," the EMT said. "You've got good instincts and that's what matters out here. I've seen the best surgeons in the world choke when it comes to accidents. It takes a certain kind of person to be able to jump in, assess, and then help people."
"It didn't feel like a choice," I admitted. "I just did it."
"Like I said, instincts." The EMT smiled at me. "Maybe you should consider a change of career."
I heard his words over and over again as I waited at the scene. The police arrived seconds later and asked me to explain the accident. I described the car with the Iowa plates. It had driven off as soon as the black sedan crashed. The pedestrians all agreed with me that the driver of the black sedan was only trying to prevent a worse accident by swerving off the road.
After I was done, an older couple were waiting to talk to me. The officers introduced them as the driver's parents.
"He was coming to pick us up so we did not have to walk in the heat," his mother said. There was a heavy catch in her voice. "He could have been killed."
"Your son is a smart man, he was wearing his seatbelt," I said.
"Even so, he got hurt," she said. "Thank God you kept such a clear head. Everyone said you jumped in right away. We wanted to say thank you."
They insisted that I come with them to the ambulance where their son was waiting to go to the hospital and have his broken arm set. He smiled when he saw me.
"You were right, my mother did not care that you used her scarf," he said.
"Oh, Evan, don't be silly," the older woman said. She swatted his foot as he sat on the gurney in the ambulance.
"Thank you," Evan said. "You saved me."
"That's a bit dramatic," I told him.
He laughed, "Well, you at least stopped me from wandering off and hurting my arm more. You should hear the horror stories the EMTs are telling about what people accidentally d
o when they are in shock."
Evan's father cleared his throat. "Before you go, isn't there something else you wanted to say?"
Evan rolled his eyes. "I'm thirty, but they still treat me like I'm a kid. I wanted to thank you properly and invite you to have dinner with us tomorrow night."
I shook my head. "That is not necessary. Thank you, but no."
"Please, we insist," Evan's mother said. "We have reservations at the new Bellagio restaurant. Five stars, or so we heard. You have to join us."
I blinked. It was too much like a fairytale. It only took a second glance to realize the wealth of the couple and their adult son. She wore diamond stud earrings that flashed brighter than supernovas, her husband had the most expensive watch I had ever seen, and the totaled car was a brand new top-of-the-line Mercedes. And people paid thousands of dollars just for a reservation at the restaurant she had casually mentioned.
"No, really," I said, "I'm just glad I could help."
"At least tell me your name," Evan said. The EMTs helped his parents into the ambulance and then climbed into the rig and got ready to shut the doors.
"Quinn Thomas," I said. "I live nearby."
Evan waved through the doors of the ambulance as they pulled away. I wondered why I had included the information about where I was from, but then again it was not every day that I saved a handsome rich man.
"Quinn? Are you alright? What the hell happened out here?" Owen grabbed my arm from out of nowhere.
"Oh, I was just walking along when Evan swerved to avoid hitting another car. He totaled his Mercedes and broke his arm. I put it in a sling and helped stopped the bleeding on his head before the EMTs got here." I stopped, realizing that I was rambling.
"Who the hell is Evan?" Owen asked.
His jealousy hit me off guard and I did not know whether to laugh or scream.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Owen
My heart was hammering. I had watched Quinn leave the Luxor ballroom. She had marched out without looking at anything. That was when I had realized her father had not talked to her. She had no idea why I suddenly was giving her space. In her mind, I had slept with her, then publicly turned away from her again and again.