STARING INTO THE PREDATOR’S JAWS

December 30th

“Good afternoon, boss!” a young girl chirped, jumping up from her chair to greet the director of The Age of Ascension channel.

Her name was Sarrah Whitehall. She had recently celebrated her 24th birthday, and she always put work first. She told everyone she did, at any rate.

A Berkeley graduate with an amazing GPA, Sarrah was a good employee: responsible, focused, assertive, and ready to work overtime to meet a deadline. Five feet and three inches tall, she had black hair and a pretty face with intelligent, light green eyes. Her body stayed fit and slender due to her job, which involved running lots of errands and having to often skip meals. She called that a work diet.

She had been collecting new material for the channel for three months now and interviewing lots of players, but her main target still remained beyond her reach.

“Hi, Sarrah.” A sturdy Asian man with a cup of coffee and a big green folder in his hands made an awkward attempt to open the door without dropping or spilling anything. “Help me with this and I’ll hear you out.”

Opening the door for her boss and following him into his office, the girl waited for him to nod at the chair across from him and, after taking her seat, she now waited for him to speak. Although Mr. Joy Raid was a rather friendly man, he was also obsessed with subordination. The only time he didn’t mind a more relaxed approach was when someone was reporting a record-breaking number of views received by the channel.

The Age of Ascension channel had been launched along with the game itself. Now the channel occupied the 31st floor of a San Francisco office, with Joy’s window overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. Sarrah loved the view.

“So,” Joy started, sitting down in his armchair and looking at his promising employee, “I see you’re in a good mood today. Is there a reason for that? Did you find him?”

“Not yet, unfortunately. But I’m a step closer.”

“How come?”

“I got a reply from that girl who uploads Raven’s videos.”

“Did she give any reasons for why she was silent before?”

“That’s the most thrilling part.” Sarrah paused with a broad smile. That annoyed her boss.

“How many times do I have to tell you this?” Joy waved a hand, sipping his coffee. “You’re NOT a news anchor. You’re NOT introducing a famous act. Your dramatic pauses are completely out of place. Please speak like a normal person.”

“Forgive me, sir,” she said, her smile still in place. “She said that... that she was forbidden from reaching out to us by the player’s sister. The two of them share a dorm room.”

“His sister, you say? That’s a real lead. When are you leaving?”

“That’s what I came to ask you.”

Joy said nothing.

“Thank you, sir. I’ll leave immediately.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“One moment. Do you know if Ross got the info on the upcoming game update?”

“Yes, he did. He asked me to tell you that he’ll come into the office later today. He’s doing a developer interview about the update.”

“Good. You may go. Call me when you arrive. You have two weeks to complete this assignment. If you do, you’ll get a huge bonus. Now get to it.” Slapping the table with both hands and then rubbing them together, Joy turned to his computer screen, dismissing Sarrah.

***

January 1st, Sunday

A great day to get some rest.

Wrapped up in a blanket, Will stood on his small balcony, watching the sky. There were no clouds, only the bright sun.

Inhaling the cold air and yawning loudly, he scratched his stubble and went to the bathroom to shave. He planned to visit his sister later today.

Yesterday’s events had made him see his business in a new light. By no means was he going to give it up, but he had to talk to Leah, to find out how she was and whether she needed any help.

To make his visit a surprise, Will even took a taxi, spending much more money than he would have on a train ticket, albeit he did save some time. Upon seeing the amount he had to pay, he couldn’t keep from closing his eyes and counting to three... ten... fifty...

I’m doing it once. Just once.

***

The taxi took him to Denver in less than three hours along the magnet highway. Expensive as it was, it made his surprise perfect. After waiting a bit in the dormitory lobby and showing his e-passport to the security guard, he was eventually allowed upstairs to meet his sister.

She’s in room 53.

Will knocked once, and then again. Silence greeted him. After counting to five, he heard the lock click open.

“Hiiiii?” Emma gaped at him in bewilderment, casting a helpless glance at her roommate.

“B... bro?” Leah, also astonished, jumped up, shifting her confused gaze between Will and the third girl in the room.

“Hello.”

There were three girls inside. Leah, her red-haired roommate who had opened the door, and an older, black-haired girl in a black T-shirt and jeans.

“Did I interrupt a party, Sis?” Closing the door behind him, Will glanced around for a seat. The room was spacious enough for two people, but it felt cramped with four people inside.

***

After arranging an interview with EmmirTa, Raven’s video editor, Sarrah had come to Denver on the evening of December 31st. Spending a night in a hotel, she came to the dorm room early the next morning. New Year’s Day wasn’t really special to her; she was too devoted to her work to celebrate it.

***

Her target was now standing at the door.

She’d been after Player Number One for so long. He was her jackpot.

No info about him could be obtained from the developers or Skydome Corp. Her only option had been browsing meticulously through all the forums, looking for any leads. Many weeks later, his videos appeared, interrupting the silence... but he never revealed his true identity.

She was the first person to find him, and by pure coincidence at that. She had learned that from Raven’s sister, who had told her about picking out Sarrah’s е-mail from among hundreds of others.

And now he was standing in front of her. The man who could answer all her questions.

Everyone wants to be famous. Well, not everyone. But he surely wants fame. This simple, plain-looking guy definitely dreams about being famous. Why would he keep attracting so much attention otherwise? In the game, you can hide all of your info to stay out of any ratings. He surely knows about this option, but he’s not using it.

“Are you Will Thompson?” The girl smiled, standing up from her chair and extending a hand. “I’m Sarrah Whitehall. A reporter for The Age of Ascension channel. Can we talk?”

She had seen many reactions to these words. Most were delighted. Some shook their heads, refusing. Others did crazy things on camera. The players she had interviewed were calm, friendly, or happy. Very few (mainly the pros) were angry or emotionless, yet even their responses fell into this or that category.

But this guy truly stood out.

“Oh. So you’re the one that wants to take my media virginity.” He smirked. “How much are you paying?”

“Paying?” Sarrah was used to hearing this question from celebrities, but not from a guy who had just been offered his first interview.

She looked right into his eyes... and immediately broke out into a cold sweat that covered her back.

Gosh. What is THAT?

It felt like staring right into the jaws of a hungry predator. His cold, blue eyes pressed down on her as if she weren’t sitting safely in a dorm room, but betting her life and freedom in a casino.

And that shine. That barely perceptible, golden gleam.

For a moment, Sarrah could’ve sworn she had seen a real monster in front of her.