"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.