by Resa Nelson
“Zuri?” Mae Lin said in dismay. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. But I’m being edited.”
Mae Lin looked at Zuri as if she’d just announced that a Brontosaurus had stolen her lunch. “What now?”
Zuri explained and then told her friend about the upcoming launch. “What do you think I should use tonight?”
Mae Lin laughed. “I like irony. How about my bubble dress design?”
Of course. Why didn’t I think of that?
“Perfect. Just like I told my boss, you’re the brains of this operation. I’m going to get you here as soon as I can, but it won’t happen until—”
—REDACTED—
Zuri heaved an exasperated sigh at having her conversation edited by the machinations of her Personal Bubble. “Sorry. I wish I could tell you more. Let’s just say it might take longer than we thought, but I’m working on it.”
“No problem. I have faith in you.”
After ending the call, Mae Lin’s words haunted Zuri long after she’d dismissed the TalkToMe icon back to its tiny place on the wall of her Personal Bubble.
“We’re here!” Benjamin announced happily. “Welcome to your new home.”
Zuri squinted at the dim images outside her bubble. “Are we inside?”
“Yes, Miss. We currently stand inside your new home, located on the first floor of the Silver Tower. Your supervisor alluded to the need for you to rise in rank. Any accomplishment will gain you a home higher in this tower. When you reach the highest floor, your next accomplishment will move you into the Gold Tower.”
That’s what Donna meant when she said Zuri’s success would advance her.
She said when I make it to the highest tower, Mae Lin can come to VainGlory. I’m in the Silver Tower now, and the only thing higher than silver is gold. I have to figure out what to do to get into the Gold Tower.
Benjamin stepped front and center into Zuri’s field of vision. He spread his robotic arms wide apart, and every image inside her Personal Bubble faded, revealing what appeared to be a living room outside the transparent wall separating her Personal Bubble from the real world. “I have taken the liberty of ordering your lunch, while also enabling all restaurants in VainGlory to recognize you and your delivery address.” He gestured toward a small door located in the middle of a long curving wall. “This is where all deliveries will be placed.”
The robotic assistant walked to the curving wall and opened the small door to reveal a paper bag marked “Thai Palace.” He then gestured toward a corner of the room where Zuri recognized a stack of the boxes she’d packed. “And here are the things you shipped.”
Zuri tossed the satchel she carried on top of the pile and sank onto the sofa next to it.
Time to get to work.
“That’s all for now, Ben,” she said. “I’ll call you when I need you.”
* * *
That night, Zuri shivered as she walked through the streets of VainGlory. She kept the outside world to a dim outline, while surrounded by the icon tiles of the people and places she loved inside her Personal Bubble, brimming with excited chatter from every direction.
Benjamin walked by her side. “Nothing to worry about, Miss. Do your best, and you’ll be fine.”
Warm and soothing music swelled around her, as if Zuri stood in the center of an orchestra.
She remembered how Benjamin had told her that her Personal Soundtrack would tell her how to feel. She’d scoffed at the time but now had to admit the music pacified her nerves.
“Here we are,” Benjamin said in an encouraging voice. “The Bridge at the Carnival of Animals.”
Zuri came to a sudden stop. “Wait. What’s wrong with it?”
She dimmed her interior world until the one outside came into better focus.
A line of women and men stood at the foot of the bridge.
“This is the place I chose for my launch,” Zuri said to Benjamin in dismay. “These people are blocking my entrance. What are they doing here?” Before Benjamin could respond, Zuri answered her own question. “They must be fans. They don’t realize they’re in my way.”
Zuri rushed to the woman at the end of the line and said, “Excuse me. I need to get through.”
Zuri’s Personal Soundtrack fell silent except for the ominous undertones of a bassoon.
When the woman turned to face her, Zuri let out a gasp, so startled that she quickly gestured for the outside world to dim and her interior world to dominate. The thought of having to look at the woman’s real face made Zuri’s stomach turn. “Karen,” Zuri said in surprise.
An icon from Zuri’s bubble wall came front and center, one she didn’t recognize. A label blazed in red neon letters above the doorway that opened on that icon, reading, “In Person.”
The scene in the doorway took on the appearance of an Impressionist painting. Zuri recognized the bridge, the Carnival of Animals, and the crystal animals roaming below the bridge. Karen materialized as a wispy figure. “Zuri,” Karen said in a sarcastic tone. “I never dreamed I’d see you in VainGlory. Enjoy it while it lasts. I imagine you’ll be going home tomorrow.”
Glancing beyond Karen, Zuri recognized everyone standing in line, all of them competitors in her business. All of them used to judging each other’s work in a snarky way, something Zuri and Mae Lin had long ago agreed to avoid. The way their competitors talked made their skin crawl, and the friends believed joining that talk would make them hate themselves and possibly each other.
Zuri ignored Karen’s verbal jabs, still confused by the presence of all her competitors. Had they come to judge her work? Dread filled her to the point where she considered running back home.
But she’d never make it in VainGlory if she ran away from everything that scared her.
Fishing for information, Zuri said, “How did you know I’d be here?”
Karen laughed. “I didn’t. It wasn’t until I talked to the others that I found out this is a competition.”
“Competition?” Zuri said without thinking what the consequences might be. “But this is supposed to be my launch!”
Karen laughed harder. “That’s what everybody here was told.” She took a long and slow look up and down Zuri’s body. “Too bad you didn’t bring the best you’ve got.”
Zuri bristled, grateful when her Personal Soundtrack kicked in with blaring, upbeat music. Then she realized the music didn’t come from her Personal Soundtrack. The music sounded distant. It came from the world outside her bubble.
Spots of light beamed from high above and crisscrossed over the bridge in time to the melody.
An invisible voice said, “Welcome the new designers of VainGlory!”
One side of the bridge lit up with the name of the man first in line, and he took the cue to strut down the length of the bridge, while the invisible announcer described his work.
Benjamin stepped in front of Zuri’s field of view. With lilting hands, he orchestrated the exterior world to fade away so that it was still visible without being overwhelming. Another sweep of his arms brought up the Personal Soundtrack with a composition that complemented the exterior sound but trumped it. “Breathe, Miss,” Benjamin said. “Just breathe.”
Tears of gratitude and fear welled in Zuri’s eyes. She took her Personal Digital Assistant’s advice. Taking deep breaths, she became aware of how the music all around her reverberated inside her skin, which calmed her. She sank into that sense of calm, shutting everything else out.
Several minutes later, Benjamin said, “Ready, Miss. You’re up.”
With a start, Zuri faded her wall of icons and sharpened her view of the outside world enough to recognize Karen completing her walk. Sporting one of her signature pieces, Karen flounced in a bright red coat that acted as if it had a life of its own. The hem levitated like a magician’s assistant, its edges tilting from side to side. The center ballooned out and then concaved back to hug her body.
As soon as Karen set foot off the bridge, Zuri breezed past
her, forcing confidence into her walk. At first glance, Zuri’s slim and full-length black dress appeared to be nothing special. Wearing a keypad glove on one hand, she tapped her fingertips against each other to activate the dress, which now acted like a digital screen, even though it flowed and swayed like cloth. Tiny white spheres came into view at the hem, rising up Zuri’s body, like bubbles floating to the top of a flute of champaign.
Striding across the bridge, the sight of the crystal animals below gave her assurance, and she saw an opportunity to show off the dress’s potential.
Zuri tapped a new sequence of commands with her fingertips.
The white bubbles turned bright yellow, and then small groups of bubbles took on different colors. The light from each bubble swept like a floodlight until it found a crystal animal below and illuminated it. A dragon roared when it glowed purple. An elephant trumpeted when it lit up orange.
The dusky park below the bridge reminded Zuri of a Christmas tree decorated with lights made of animals.
After casting light inside a dozen animals, she shut off the flooding beams from her dress until only the bubbles floating across its surface held that light.
With another swift command, Zuri brought her Book of Friends front and center inside her Personal Bubble, where dozens of images cheered and shouted encouragement.
A sudden movement outside her bubble caught Zuri’s attention, and she looked down.
Water churned in a canal below the far end of the bridge. She thought there must be something in the water, but the moving surface made it impossible to see anything beneath it.
Funny. She hadn’t noticed a canal in this park earlier today.
Then again, Zuri had to admit she was in the habit of not noticing a lot of things. After pivoting at the far end of the bridge, she made her triumphant walk back to where she’d entered.
But as soon as Zuri stepped off the bridge, Karen stepped back on for another pass. This time, Karen whipped off her life-of-its-own red coat to reveal a slim beige dress. After taking a few steps, long bristles popped up from the dress, making Karen look like a porcupine.
Zuri withered in defeat as the icons that had previously hailed her now erupted in louder and more vigorous cheers for Karen’s reveal. Zuri stared at her competitor, appalled by the woman’s nerve.
At the opposite end of the bridge, Karen paused and struck a myriad of poses. Celebrating what she appeared to assume as a clear win, Karen flung her coat over the rail of the bridge and dragged it as she walked back. The porcupine quills of her dress tapped against the clear rails of the bridge like drumsticks.
Zuri’s Personal Soundtrack swelled with sorrowful music as if prompting her to assume failure and grieve. Without meaning to, she allowed her heart to sink.
Still at the far end of the bridge, Karen stumbled and fell.
The other competitors surrounding Zuri buzzed with excitement, while Zuri dimmed the wall of icons inside her Personal Bubble so she could get a better look at what was happening outside it.
Still clinging to the red coat draped across the bridge rail, Karen climbed back to her feet and tugged on the coat as if it had snagged on a bolt.
Water splashed in a loud interruption.
A shark leapt over the rail and landed on the bridge. It bit onto the coat and Karen’s arm, as she shrieked in terror and tried to get away.
The competitors around Zuri screamed. They ran away from the bridge and back toward the heart of VainGlory.
Benjamin appeared in front of Zuri and brought her icons front and forward, her wall now filled with gaping and trembling fans. “Hurry, Miss! We must get to safety at once!”
Blindly following his direction, Zuri turned her back on the bridge and ran a few steps.
But then a new realization hit her.
The shark wasn’t an illusion. It wasn’t part of the show. That meant Karen’s life was in actual danger.
Zuri waved her hands at the chaotic wall of icons. “Dim!” she commanded. “Mute!”
Obeying, her Personal Bubble became transparent. When Zuri turned to face the bridge, she had a gruesome view of the bridge, Karen, and the shark.
“I must insist!” Benjamin said, appearing in front of her again. “Go home where it’s safe!”
“Shut up, Ben,” Zuri said. She took off her heels, hiked up her dress, and ran toward Karen and the shark.
Karen’s blood spilled across the crystal bridge, making it look like a crime scene suspended in air. Karen screeched and wriggled to get away, the porcupine quills of her dress now dripping red. The shark whipped her against the surface of the bridge as if trying to silence her.
Zuri halted at the edge of the blood to avoid slipping on it.
How do I avoid the shark?
With mindful steps, she advanced. When Zuri tapped her fingertips against each other, she hoped she remembered a command she’d rarely used.
The bubbles on the surface of her dress glowed white once more, and they cast laser-like beams at the shark’s eyes.
The creature shivered but kept its deadly grip on Karen’s arm.
Holding one shoe firmly by the toe, Zuri slammed the spike against the shark’s skin until it shifted its attention from Karen to Zuri. “Let her go!” Zuri shouted at the shark.
Obliging, the shark released Karen and took aim at Zuri with an open mouth of bloodied teeth.
Keeping the light from her dress beamed at the animal, Zuri rushed closer and punched the shark’s eye as hard as she could. The give of its flesh startled her.
It’s real.
The shark shuddered but squirmed to get a better angle on Zuri.
Before it could attack, Zuri moved even closer and hit the shark’s eye harder with her fist.
Stunned, the shark writhed in pain.
Free of the shark’s grip, Karen had begun crawling away.
Zuri took a quick look at Karen.
I don’t have the strength to carry her.
Before the shark could regain its senses, Zuri decided on the best course of action. She reached down, wrapped a firm hand around one of Karen’s ankles, and hurried toward the other end of the bridge, dragging the other woman behind. The blood on her dress’s porcupine quills made the bridge’s crystal surface even more slippery, allowing Zuri to pull the injured woman faster. She picked up the pace and tugged Karen to safety.
The shark twisted and jerked on the bridge, unable to find the same kind of purchase.
Now on the park grass, Zuri called out, “Help! Why isn’t anyone here to help!”
Benjamin hovered faintly in front of her.
“Ben,” Zuri ordered. “Get help now.”
He nodded and faded away.
Karen sobbed and trembled, unable to speak. Although her arm was still attached, the shark’s bite had mangled it, and blood poured from the wounds.
Zuri reached for Karen’s coat, only to realize she’d left it behind. Looking back at the bridge, Zuri saw the shark attack the red coat, a poor substitute for Karen.
With a quick resolve, Zuri assessed everything within reach. She had no extra clothing, only her dress and heels. Even if she could pry off the quills from Karen’s dress, she doubted they’d be of any use. And the grass on the ground would be of no help.
Hands. I’ve got my hands.
First, Zuri sat behind Karen and propped the woman to rest in Zuri’s lap, taking a position Zuri knew she could maintain for however long it took for an ambulance to arrive. With gentle hands, she lifted Karen’s injured arm. “Don’t worry. Help is coming.”
Gritting her teeth, Zuri wrapped her hands around the bite marks as a makeshift bandage and applied pressure until the paramedics arrived and whisked Karen away, ignoring Zuri and leaving her standing alone in the Carnival of Animals.
CHAPTER 4
When Zuri arrived home that night, she first stripped off her ruined dress in the bathroom and took a shower to wash the blood from her skin. She discovered her folded pajamas on top of a hamp
er in the bathroom, grateful to slip into them. She wandered into the living room and sank onto the sofa, staring into mid-air in a daze.
Although the harsh edges of her apartment reminded her of the awful reality she’d faced earlier tonight, she kept her wall of icons dimmed, unable to bear the chaos.
For once, she wanted silence.
Tonight, Zuri had managed to do what no designer should ever do.
Her profession demanded the show of elitism. All competitors had to act like enemies in order to make customers choose sides, which had been proven to increase sales. The designers who had run away from the shark attack had done what was expected of them. One less designer in their midst meant less competition.
Helping Karen had been akin to professional suicide.
Benjamin appeared faintly. “If you don’t mind, Miss, I thought you could use some comfort.” He gestured to the small door in the center of the living room wall, the one designated for food delivery.
Zuri’s stomach rumbled, and it encouraged her to walk to the door and open it.
Inside sat a canister in a bed of fog. “What is this?”
“I understand your favorite flavor is mint chocolate chip.”
Zuri opened the chilled canister to find a pint of ice cream inside.
And a spoon.
Zuri resumed her position on the sofa, quiet until she ate the entire pint. “Thank you, Ben. For the ice cream and for calling the paramedics.”
“Of course, Miss.” Still appearing as a faint outline, he took a tentative seat next to her on the sofa. “Every interaction we have helps me learn about you so that I may become of better service. If you don’t mind, Miss, why did you do it?”
With a heavy sigh, Zuri put the empty ice cream container on the nearby coffee table. “I guess I was hungrier than I thought.”
“Not the ice cream, Miss. The woman. The shark.”
Zuri looked at him. “Come forward, Ben.”
The silver robot sharpened its appearance from a faint outline until he looked present and real. “Miss? I thought that woman was your rival. Wouldn’t it have been in your best interest to run home when I told you?”
