Wild Cards. Джордж Р. Р. Мартин

My new movie is a remake of Lord Jim starring Leonardo DiCaprio!”

      For the first time, some of the kids looked interested. Others busied themselves at the punch bowl.

      “Are there women in Lord Jim?” Dr. Smith muttered. “That doesn’t sound right.”

      “There’s one in it now,” said Ethan. “Look, Jade Blossom, this isn’t going so well.”

      Instead of acknowledging him, Jade Blossom held out her arms and shouted to the crowd, “We’re here for jazz! Jazz is about rebellion! Have any of you ever rebelled?”

      Most of the kids were glancing from their phones to Jade Blossom and back, talking and laughing louder than ever.

      “Look at your damn pictures later!” Jade Blossom yelled. “I’m here in the flesh! I came to this tank town from L.A. to see if any of you losers might have a future.”

      “I don’t think that’s the right tone, Ms. Blossom,” Dr. Smith said quietly.

      “Blossom’s not a surname!”

      “I suggest we move to the next stage of the program,” said Dr. Smith. “That would be meeting your date.”

      “I’m not finished,” Jade Blossom said in a harsh whisper.

      Bubbles stepped up in front of her. “Take Dr. Smith’s suggestion. And for the love of all that’s holy, try not to embarrass the poor kid. It’s bad enough he has a ‘date’ with you. And who thought this was a good idea? Seriously, such a bad idea.”

      “Just because you can’t wear this ensemble?” Jade Blossom sneered.

      “Girl fight!” One of the boys in the crowd laughed. “Get her, why don’t ya?”

      Other kids laughed.

      “You got screwed by everybody who required a front zipper on American Hero, didn’t you?” Bubbles said quietly. “Drummer Boy, Candle, Spasm, Stuntman, Wild Fox, Hardhat, Berman … Did you nail Joe Twitch too? King Cobalt? Toad Man? Was there anyone who didn’t sample your charms? The rumors were everywhere.”

      “And all the rumors are true! I had any man I wanted. But you’re not my type.” Jade Blossom had no problem with anyone else’s sexual preference, but she loved throwing another dig at Bubbles.

      “Color me crushed.” Bubbles looked disgusted rather than insulted. “Honey, you are so not my type. I have some standards. Do what you want with your body—”

      “I will!”

      “—but don’t pretend you were using any other skill set to get ahead.”

      Jade Blossom glared back at her. “My studio sent me here to—”

      “Publicize a film.” Ethan stepped up. “And we have already provided substantial publicity for this wonderful event.” He lowered his voice. “Uh, Jade Blossom, I’d like a private word with you. Regarding your studio contract.”

      “Jade Blossom?” Elaine, her personal assistant, slipped between some kids and spoke up meekly. “Can I help in some way?” A failed model, Elaine had chosen to stay in the business by working for Jade Blossom. Still fashion conscious, she wore a navy-blue Prada suit and white blouse with a very short skirt and black pumps. Her eyes flicked back and forth between Jade Blossom and Bubbles.

      “Jade Blossom!” Ethan said. “Come with me right now!” He took hold of her upper arm.

      She gave a quick, practiced elbow jab into his solar plexus. “Shut up, little boy.”

      Wide-eyed and doubled over in pain, Ethan released her arm. Elaine gasped and pulled Ethan away. “Oh, my, I’m so clumsy,” said Jade Blossom, without taking her eyes off Bubbles.

      “Jade Blossom, gosh, so nice to see you again. Easy, all right?” Rustbelt came forward, speaking in his distinctive Iron Range accent as his shovel-scoop jaw moved up and down. He angled his body toward Bubbles. “We can go forward with the program, don’t you think?”

      Jade Blossom glared at his back. During American Hero, her teammate Stuntman had said Rustbelt called him a racial insult. She had not been present at the time, but she had always believed Stuntman. She and Rustbelt had a limited, awkwardly polite relationship during the show and she had not seen him again until now.

      Rubberband walked in his loose stride from the table full of soft drinks to stand in front of Jade Blossom. He wore a green-and-white-checked sweater and had his hands in his pockets. “Nice to meet you, Jade Blossom. I’m Robin Ruttiger. I was on the second season of American Hero.” He offered his hand.

      “I’ve heard of you.” Jade Blossom ignored his hand.

      “Cripes,” Rustbelt said to Bubbles. “Come with?”

      “For the sake of the event,” said Bubbles.

      “I enjoyed watching you the first season of American Hero,” Rubberband added to Jade Blossom.

      “When the show was good,” Jade Blossom said, though she kept her eyes on Bubbles’ long, platinum hair as her nemesis turned and walked away through the crowd with Rustbelt. Jade Blossom knew Rubberband was trying to break the tension and she resented it. “You weren’t good enough to make it the first year?”

      “I’m sure you were better for the show than I was,” Rubberband said with a little grin.

      Jade Blossom watched Bubbles and Rustbelt exit the far end of the Gunter Terrace Room, passing long tables with cheese, salami, baby carrots, and a bowl of red punch that she suspected was spiked by now. By walking away, Bubbles was sending a message: Jade Blossom had been put in her place and they both knew it.

      “Come back here, bitch!” Jade Blossom shouted, but she was just putting up a front. The kids laughed again.

      “You do so much,” Dr. Smith broke in, projecting her voice so the kids could hear. “I’m so impressed with your success. I’m a huge fan of yours. I can’t wait to try that new skin cream you’ve endorsed.”

      Annoyed by the interruption, Jade Blossom looked down at the older woman’s face. “Honey, you can’t afford to wait!”

      The crowd roared with laughter.

      Dr. Smith’s face tightened with anger. “We asked you here to be an inspiration—”

      “Where’s my date?” Jade Blossom demanded, putting her palm up in front of Dr. Smith’s face as she looked over the crowd. “Let’s get on with this charade.”

      “Yes, her date,” Elaine called from the crowd. “Good idea!”

      “Cesar Chao,” said Dr. Smith, studying the crowd.

      Jade Blossom could feel the air moving from vents in the ballroom. Before she took advantage of it, she glanced through the crowd, searching for some hint of Cesar Chao. A joker girl stood out, with a human body the color of obsidian and four vestigial insect arms in addition to two human arms, plus iridescent wings. She had copper-colored dreads and antennae growing from her forehead. Wincing, Jade Blossom kept looking. She spotted someone with wheels instead of legs. Another girl stood out, a slender, very pretty six-footer with dark hair and noticeably large hands. Another guy was covered in peach fuzz and had bubbles rising from the top of his head. Off to one side, a solemn girl in a green T-shirt with a faded logo and worn black jeans watched Jade Blossom without speaking or holding a cell phone.

      This was not getting her anywhere. “Chao? Are you hiding, damn it?”

      As the crowd buzzed with low-level chatter, she lightened her density to that of the finest French silk. Then she jumped into a current of air from the vents and, moving her arms and expertly using the three-quarter sleeves of her gown, she drifted upward. With just the right shifting of her body, practiced throughout the years since her card had turned, she could stay aloft quite a while at this density