Page 10 of Beacon

“Because, Cassandra McDonald. You’re lying to yourself. You can’t wait to see him again, and if we’re being honest, you’ve wanted to see him in the last six months.”

I hate it when my sister’s right. What a bitch. Can’t she be wrong just once in her life?

When haveI been reduced to an anxious little girl checking my phone every five minutes, waiting for a boy to text me? Never. I’ve never been this way. If a guy doesn’t contact me, it hurts a little, but not in this way.

What a fucker, I think, breaking my number one rule and tapping out a text. It’s just “Hey, how are you?”, but it’s more than other men get. I’m typically the one avoiding them. Karma is a bitch.

I’m sitting behind my desk, and out of the corner of my eyes, I catch the flutter of activity outside the glass walls of my office. Working for a bunch of overgrown kids who game for a living is interesting. I watch three of them high-fiving one another. I know it means they’ve worked out some of the first kinks from a game. We’re working on a launch of an archaeologist game we’ve yet to name that has gone to beta and alpha testing. But, they’ve started on their next vision, a military ops game.

“Sandra, guess what?”

They’re always so excited when they start the newest project, even if the current one isn’t finished. It’s their process, and I’ve learned to accept it. I know the answer to their question, but I play along, because I love these overgrown boys who think of me as their mom.

“What?”

Reggie, the software engineer, is the genius of the bunch. All of the men have an IQ over one hundred and fifty, but Reggie is registered as the tenth smartest man in the world. He’s shy and not at all aware of how wonderful his brain is.

“We’ve gotten past the first level of the military ops game. I have to make it harder, because both Caleb and Finn got through it pretty quick, but it’s a start.”

Caleb and Finn have an eye for gaming and are able to anticipate the easiest ways to get to the next level. When it takes them longer than five minutes, we all know it’s challenging.

Both Caleb and Finn are just as excited as Reggie. Matthias, the majority partner within the group, joins the men in the middle of the offices. They’re dressed in shorts and various anime T-shirts or hoodies. Reggie is in pajama bottoms and a Spider-Man top. Edwin, the financial brains of the organization, joins the growing crowd.

They’re definitely not worried about the open office space to the left where they employ twenty more employees, all in various jobs from secondary games, to accounting, marketing, and sales. Everyone is watching with some interest.

Matthias Hennessy may be an heir to a billion-dollar corporation, but in hisFruit Basketanime hoodie and cargo shorts, he brings each guy into a hug. They’re all like brothers—have been from the beginning, even in the messy litigation they dealt with two years ago.

Edwin, the odd one of the bunch, who dresses in a suit and tie each day, knocks on my door. “Got a second, Sandra?”

“Sure, what’s up?”

He looks behind him. “Matt, got a second?”

The celebration has died down, and Matthias pats the three guys on the back. “I’ll be down soon. I want to have a go of it.”

All three play in what is called “the basement.” It’s the floor underneath us, and no one can get to them except for me and thetwo other guys. The elevator doesn’t stop on that floor unless you have a special code, and the stairwell is the same.

Edwin takes in a deep breath. “Just wanted to let you know that I heard from Trace today.”

Matt and I let out a long moan. Trace Hollerman is the bane of our existence and was the sixth partner of MELCR Tech. At the time, they’d named it MELCRT Tech, using Trace’s initial like the other founding partners. Within a year, he was caught selling Reggie’s software. The contract was simple, due to a clause their lawyers insisted on. There had been five reasons why a partner could be bought out at the original contribution, and stealing from the company was one of them. All five ponied up a sixth of his buy-in, which was really chump change for all the boys, being trust fund babies. Trace tried to sue the company, but he didn’t have a leg to stand on. Plus, within the contract, it states he can’t be a part of another gaming company for seven years.

Trace was also the one man within the company who didn’t have a trust fund like the rest. What a fucking fool.

Every couple of months, he reaches out to Edwin or Matthias with a new idea. He’s very good at gaming development. It was one reason they wanted two software engineers, so they could come up with multiple games at a time. But Trace doesn’t have a way to launch his own company or even sell tech to other companies. Hisonlyin is with MELCR Tech, and Edwin and Matthias haven’t bought what he’s selling.

“Is it any good?” It’s the same question Matthias always asks.

“Actually, it’s brilliant.”

Matt was the one that felt most betrayed. Trace was his college roommate. Matt also was the one who brought Trace to the guys and vouched for him.

“Good. I’m glad he’s sitting on something like that and can’t do jack shit with it. It’s his own fucking fault.”

Edwin, from the standpoint of CFO, sometimes teeters on giving Trace a second chance. Not bringing him back into the fold, but buying his tech outright. It would make us millions of dollars, but no one wants to give Trace any financial benefit.

“What happens in five years when he’s able to do something with his tech?” I ask.

“He’s basically been blackballed in the community,” Edwin explains.

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