Spark - ARC by Anthea Sharp

toward them as the panel walked up to the stage and took their places at the long table. Microphones lined the white tablecloth, one in front of each name card, along with a bottle of water.
    Spark found her name and sat down. She was at the center of the table, and someone had thought it would be a cute idea to put the Terabins on either side. Great.
    Teeth bared, Roc took the seat on her right. Cora passed him, setting her hand on Spark’s shoulder as she went by. Her sharp nails bit through the thin cotton of Spark’s T-shirt, and Spark regretted not putting on her costume. One more layer of armor between her and the twins would have been nice, even if it was rubberized and a garish teal blue.
    The moderator introduced them, and Mr. Chon gave a rambling introduction about VirtuMax’s development of the FullD system, and the inspiration behind Feyland. Little did he know.
    Spark kept her elbows tucked in and her knees close together, careful not to stray into enemy territory. Her best defense was to act nonchalant, though her palms were sweating.
    “I’ll let our amazing gamers talk about how it feels inside the sim,” Mr. Chon said. “Spark, why don’t you start?”
    She felt Cora’s glare. The other girl had never forgiven her for being younger, faster, and better. Not to mention a more pleasant human being. The Terabins came from a wealthy family, and stories about their arrogance and demands were legendary, even before Spark joined VirtuMax. Afterwards, they had gotten worse.
    “As a lot of you know from playing the demo yesterday,” Spark said, “the FullD interface is the best sim immersion yet. I know we’ve been waiting a long time for a game that feels real, and that game is Feyland.”
    Her words earned a couple cheers and a patter of applause.
    Beside Spark, Cora leaned forward and spoke into her mic. “Beyond that, the fight mechanics and battle sequences are amazing. Don’t be surprised if you come away feeling a bit bruised.”
    “Figuratively speaking,” Mr. Chon said, frowning at Cora. “Of course, there’s no actual pain or injury involved. Only a light simulation in the neural interface.”
    Unless the gamer somehow slipped into the Realm of Faerie. Spark hadn’t experienced carry-over, beyond a few scrapes, but both Tam and Jennet had sustained injuries in-game that had been serious in the real world, too.
    “So we can’t lose weight by playing Feyland?” some joker called out.
    “The technology isn’t to that point yet,” Mr. Chon said. “But who knows what the future holds? Roc, would you like to add your viewpoint on the game?”
    “Sure.” Roc pulled his mic closer. “Unlike the girls, I think it’s important to note the variety of heroic quests and the depth of the world-building in Feyland. It’s not all about feeling the wind on your face.”
    His sister glared at him, and Spark was torn between annoyance at the put-down and amusement that he’d also insulted Cora.
    “Speaking of world-building,” the moderator said, “Wilo Martinez and his team put a lot into designing the terrain and features of Feyland. Wilo, what were some of the challenges you faced?”
    The panel veered off into a discussion of tech and spec, with Cora interjecting off-topic comments and Roc leaning back, an amused smirk on his face.
    Spark answered another question from the moderator, and this time Cora didn’t try to hijack the answer. Still, the current of animosity flowing from the twins was so electric she half expected to get a shock when she reached for her water bottle.
    “What’s next for the intrepid VirtuMax team?” the moderator asked as their time wound to a close.
    “I’m pleased to announce the Terabins will be joining Spark in helping debut the FullD system,” Mr. Chon said. “A full schedule of their appearances is posted on the events section of our site. This is a historic launch, and VirtuMax is committed to making it fantastic!”
    Terrible indeed. Spark forced