"Dear girl, want to join Tony and I at the spa after lunch? Owen's got a full schedule and we don't want you to feel lonely," Milan said. He brushed my hair back over my shoulder.
"Lonely? No, I'm fine. In fact, I have to go get ready for my tournament," I replied.
"You're going to play? That's great. Owen tried forever to get your sister interested. I mean, good luck," Artemis bit her lip at the mention of my sister.
"It’s okay," I said, facing the group. "My sister and Owen were over before the rest of it. You can stop treating me like the sad little sister. Owen doesn't. He and I have known each other for years and our friendship had very little to do with Sienna. I don't know what Anya told you, but I'm not here to be taken care of or pitied and that's not why Owen invited me."
They all nodded, but I could tell by their looks I had more to prove than my playing ability.
I left the ballroom as fast as I could and was glad the desk clerk Dave had given me a map. I found the conference room just in time for check-in. Dave had saved me a seat.
"Quinn, over here," he said. "Sorry, can I call you Quinn?"
"Do you really think I'm going to make you call me Ms. Thomas?" I asked. I slipped in to the chair next to him.
The conference table was set up with two rows of six computers, one down each side of the table. There were headphones, controllers, and keyboards for each of us. The rules were posted on all four walls and Dark Flag was paused until the overseer started the game. We each had the same quest and points were awarded for speed, dexterity, creativity, and skill.
"What's your avatar name?" Dave asked. "I'm Davon the Orcan. Though you can't really tell yet 'cause, like I said, I'm still evolving."
"I'm human," I said. "My avatar's called Arrowa because the first weapon I earned was a quiver of poison tips."
"Seriously?"
I looked up from my monitor and realized half the room had stopped to look at me. "Yeah, wait, what's wrong?" I asked.
"What's wrong? You're all over the chat rooms. No one's seen a player evolve as fast as you. No wonder Light Slayer is trying to recruit you to his clan," Dave said.
I sat back in my chair and let the compliment spread through me like honey. Arrowa was fully evolved before I even ran into Owen's avatar during the game. I had done that on my own. It felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I was not just here on Owen's good will. Anya was wrong, and I was going to prove it.
#
The quest was to retrieve a spell from a Green Witch named Ayaan. She turned out to be very fast and very combative. The strength of Dave's Orcan avatar helped him, but only for so long. From the corner of my eye, I saw his screen go black after fifteen minutes. One by one, other competitors leaned back in their seats. They watched the progress of the tournament on a projected screen at the far end of the conference room, but I did not dare look at it.
I could not defeat the Green Witch in combat, though I was able to disarm her long enough to make her listen. We struck a deal – I gave her one of my poison tipped arrows so she could create an antidote and in exchange she gave me the quest spell. I was so engrossed in the deal that I did not hear the applause.
"Congratulations, Quinn. That was amazing," Dave said. He helped me out of my chair and raised my hand up in victory.
I was so shocked that I hugged him. Over Dave's narrow shoulder, I saw Owen in the doorway. His jaw was tense but when he saw my eyes he smiled.
"This calls for a celebration," Owen said to the room. "Ayaan the Green Witch would like to invite you to happy hour." He gave out the number of the villa and the twelve newbies erupted with excitement.
"Are you going?" Dave asked.
"Yeah," I said. "I've got to pack too. By the way, thanks for getting me that room."
"No problem," he said, his head cocked to the side.
I lost Owen in the rush of excited people. Dave stuck close though, and we made our way together
through the Wynn's opulent lobby to the elevators and up to the villa. It was already crowded, complete with waiters serving drinks and two bartenders. I was glad my suitcase had been stashed on Tony and Milan's bed in the second room.
"Whoa, you were serious," Dave said, following me into the bedroom.
"Light Slayer and I grew up together," I said. "But that has nothing to do with my playing. Arrowa was evolved before he and I started playing together."
"You don't have to convince me," Dave said. "Remember? I was sitting next to you. I saw you play and that's not something you can learn."
"Thanks," I said. I zipped up my suitcase and led Dave into the main room to get a celebratory drink.