Page 10 of The Wish
Jesse rolls her eyes. ‘Oh wow, another zombie game. How original.’
‘Hang on,’ Alex says. He’s enjoying chatting to this kid. ‘That’s just an example. But let’s say someone does want a game where all the possums turn into zombies. They’ll tell me what they want, including what they want it to look like, how zombies work in this world, what the aim of the game is, and then I’ll go away and think about how I could make it work. I’ll do some drawings, write up a plan – that’s the proof of concept – and if it matches with the idea they’ve got in their mind, I’ll go ahead and make it.’
Jesse nods thoughtfully. ‘So that’s what I want from you, at least at first. A proof of concept. I want to make sure you get what I want.’
‘OK then, hit me with it.’
Jesse takes a deep breath. ‘Well, here’s what I’m thinking. I want a video, like a story of my life, with all the happy things my family and I have done, something that they can be part of, then watch if . . . when . . . I’m not here. Kinda like when you take a lot of photos and make a slide show but more complex than that, I want to relive some of the photos we have and make them into a story of my family when I was in it. Something they can experience. Something so they don’t forget me.’
‘Don’t forget you,’ Alex repeats. It’s hard to think that this vibrant, intelligent girl doesn’t have much time left. It feels wrong. ‘Is there any chance that you might get better?’
‘Do you know what the word terminal means?’ Jesse says sharply.
Alex rubs his forehead. Life is so crap. And he understands now why Kelly was so prickly with him before – it would be so much worse if he promised he could help Jesse but didn’t deliver. What Jesse is asking for is amazing – beautiful even – he can see it in his mind’s eye, but it’s also incredibly ambitious and, if he’s honest, he just isn’t confident that he can do it.
‘I’m so sorry, Jesse, but I don’t know what I can do. It sounds like you want to make a movie, and while we partner withproduction companies, helping them make films and miniseries, this isn’t our area.’
‘But you make games, I’ve seen some with your company’s name on them.’
‘Used to. We’ve moved on from them for the most part, now we only make high-end CGI games for arcade use.’
‘But you do it, you make the same game over and over. Oh yeah, you change the characters and scenarios they play, but they are basically the same game.’
‘You know your stuff!’ Alex says with growing admiration.
This is something he’s thought for a long time – he’s even raised it with Ian, but his boss has zero interest in investing in innovation. Alex feels he’s slowly watching TriOptics lose whatever edge on the market they once had, when Frank was in charge, before he retired and handed the company over to his dead-beat son-in-law. He thinks of the project he has been working on at home.
‘I’ve been doing my research. What else am I going to do, sitting in this bed? My dream was to be a game designer. That’s not going to happen now, but with your help I’d like to design just one thing.’
‘Look, I’m sorry you’re sick, I really am, but I can’t promise that I can make what you want. It’s really ambitious. I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed.’
‘Disappointed? So, you’re not even going to try?’ Jesse’s voice is full of disbelief and anger. ‘Because I might be disappointed? Don’t you think I know about disappointment?’
Alex is at a loss for words.
‘Why would you come here if you don’t even want to try?’ She shakes her head, on the verge of tears. ‘You don’t want to be here, do you? You don’t want to help me. You never did.’
‘It’s not like that.’
‘So, what are you doing here?’
‘My boss told me—’
‘Your boss, I see. You’re not interested in helping me, you’re just here because you were told to come. Well, I don’t want to waste any more of your precious time.’
Before he can respond, Kelly rushes into the room, grabbing Alex by the arm. Forcing him to his feet, she marches him out of the room as Amy comes in and runs to Jesse. Out in the hall, staff, visitors and patients, including Ryan and Luke, stop and watch as Kelly drags Alex to one side.
Away from the observers, Kelly releases his arm. ‘What just happened in there?’
‘I don’t know. We were talking, and she told me to go.’
‘What did you say to her?’
‘I told her I thought that what she was asking for was too ambitious.’
‘So, you told her she can’t have her wish?’ Kelly folds her arms, blue eyes blazing.
‘Well, not in so many words . . .’
