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Jeremy points out such an individual, a girl in a skin-tight pink-and-blue jumpsuit. She struts by with a headset snug around her ears, flaunting the girly blaster in her hand, shooting Jeremy a wink. His steps stutter, before he whirls around in a one-eighty.
Oh boy.
"The outfits," he sighs, letting her go. "Definitely the outfits... who was that? She has to be famous."
I snicker. "Maybe. She's obviously a cosplayer."
Jeremy quirks a brow.
"It's where people dress up as characters from video games. Sometimes anime or movies, too."
"Who was she supposed to be, then?"
"D.Va from Overwatch," I answer instantly. "She's a very popular cosplay choice. Along with..." I scan around the room, knowing I'm bound to see others. "Oh," I gasp, pointing. "There's a really good Peach—you know, from Mario Kart?"
"Uhhh..."
Oh my god, who doesn't know Mario Kart?
I try again, gesturing to a man working a concession booth, handing out hotdogs in a solid-yellow pants and hoodie combo, complete with cute ears jutting out from his head. "Pikachu? From Pokémon first gen?"
He squints. "Ohhh... Yeah, yeah," he agrees, like he has absolutely no idea what I'm talking about.
Holy shit, I don't understand. Did my brother not have a childhood?
After several more attempts with no luck, Jeremy shrieks in my ear, slapping my shoulder with one hand while pointing with the other. "Oh, oh! I know that one! That's uh... uhhh... come on, come on..." He snaps his fingers, cursing beneath his breath. "Zelda! That's Zelda!"
Relief pours over me as I trace the line of his gesture. Thank God, my brother knows at least one video game. Maybe he's not completely hopeless after a—
I reach the end, at what I find has all that hope deflating from me. A boy, around ten years old or so, waits in line beside his parent for a game demo, carrying a foam sword and shield, draped in a green tunic. Not a whimsical dress like I expected.
"Jeremy..." I pinch the bridge of my nose. "That's not Zelda."
"Huh?" He double takes. "No, that's definitely Zelda."
I shake my head. "Zelda is the princess. That's Link, the boy who saves her."
He blinks. "What?"
"Oh my—never mind!" I storm through the crowd, unsure of where I'm taking us with grumbles hot on my breath, leaving Jeremy's laughter in my wake.
And that's how it goes for a few hours. Strolling around with Jeremy, showing him all the best attractions and experiences DreamScape has to offer, all while answering every one of his noobie questions. We both have a blast, waiting for the clock to tick down to the indie showcase, until it's too close to delay what I've been dreading any longer.
Seated across from Jeremy at the food court, I set my chicken wrap down on our table, sighing quietly. Here goes nothing.
"So, uh..." Nerves prick along my skin—as if today wasn't scary enough. "There was something else I wanted to tell you about my feature."
"Hmm? What's that?" Jeremy asks through his mouthful of food, grease from his double-patty cheeseburger slipping down his wrist.
My heart thunders, enough to wobble my speech. "My feature is sponsored by a corporation."
His eyes bulge. "Really?! Holy crap, Juliana, why didn't you tell me sooner? That's amazing! Which company?"
I clear my throat, forcing my eyes to meet his. "Kingston Entertainment."
The air hangs between us...
He just sits there, smiling wide, while that grease races toward his elbow, only for his expression to falter, like a crack splintering across a mirror. "You mean... like... Kingston Entertainment?"
