Con Quest!

“Real fans like—”

“Soccer.” A voice even louder than James M.’s took over the speaker system. “And I like Ducky McFowl, even though I would rather die than tell my mom that.” Cat took her eyes off James M., just for a second. She knew that voice. “I like running to true crime podcasts even though that’s totally creepy.” Cat swung her head from side to side, searching for the source. “I like my ridiculous siblings, even if they make me so, so angry.”

Fi. Of course that was Fi’s voice. But Fi was right in front of Cat—staring up at the stage above Cat. How was this…?

Taking a chance, Cat pushed her back off the stage wall and spun around. Sure enough, there was Fi again—her face magnified on either side of the stage to several hundred times its actual size. It was not her sister’s best angle; it looked like someone had shot her from below with a shaky cell phone. But there was no doubt that the person on-screen was Fi.

“What is going on—?!” roared James M. But his microphone no longer worked, and his voice was drowned out by Fi?

?s.

“I was so set on hating everything here that I didn’t even bother to see the good in it,” this giant version of her sister continued. The crowd was transfixed by it.

“Fi!” Cat yelled. “How are you doing this?”

“I’m not!” the real-life version of her sister shouted back over James M.’s head.

“This convention is about being exactly who you are, and about finding the people who love you for you,” continued giant Fi. “No matter what you love, someone else here loves it just as much. Probably more, actually.”

Cat caught Alex’s eye in front of her. She winked at him. He winked back.

“I’ve never been someplace where I can be sure that I’m not the weirdest person in the room,” giant Fi boomed. “But also that all the other weirdos are probably kind of awesome.”

The video cut off.

The people in Hall M stared at the blank screens, stunned.

And then they erupted.

Every nerd in the room burst into cheers and applause. The crowd that had been gathering around James M. and the twins surged forward. Someone—Cat was sure it was the lime-shirted volunteer—ripped the microphone out of James M.’s hand. Someone else pushed between Alex and James M., severing their connection. In the massive, supportive crowd, Cat was able to become anonymous. The tidal wave of geeks swept James M. from the hall, shrieking. Cat raced through legs to grab her brother’s hand—he didn’t seem to mind, in this instance—and then Fi’s. Together, the three of them ran for the curtained area to the right of the stage. In the crowd, no one noticed them slipping through.

“About time.” There, behind the curtain, stood Rowan. Her face was lit by a multitude of glowing screens. Cat took in the scene around them—computers, audio boards, monitors—this must be the control center for the stage. Microphone volume, lighting controls, and …

“I know I shouldn’t have taken video of you without asking,” Rowan said apologetically, holding her phone up. “But I guess it came in handy.”

Cat noticed Rowan’s phone was attached to a cable that fed into one of the computers on the control panel. Rowan tapped her phone. Fi’s face was suddenly back on every monitor.

Fi threw herself at Rowan and planted a kiss on the girl’s cheek. Ugh, thought Cat. Teenagers.

Leaving them alone for a moment, Cat turned to her brother. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay,” Alex said with a small smile. “I can’t believe he got me twice.”

“I can’t believe we got our Quest item!” Cat grinned—but the smile dropped off her face almost as soon as it appeared. “But—oh no. James M.—he had your phone! With the video!”

Alex pressed his lips together. He always did that when he had a secret.

“Spill it!” Cat urged.

“Okay, okay.” Alex laughed. He pulled his phone from his pocket. “I grabbed it the second he put it in his pants pocket. I’m basically right at butt level. Gross, but in this case very helpful.”

Cat burst out laughing. “Definitely, absolutely very helpful. Now, what are you waiting for?” She nudged her brother. “C’mon. It’s time to upload.”

8. Cartwheel down the center aisle in Hall M. (100 points)

26

Alex