I could tell she felt bad for me, but I didn’t feel sad at all. I loved playing games. I loved spending time with my own thoughts. Yeah, it got lonely sometimes, but being alone meant I didn’t have to deal with other people’s judgments.
“Have you looked for a mate at all?” Mom asked, worried. “What about at work?”
My job at the local game store wasn’t exactly brimming with romance opportunities. And when I said local, I meant literally down the street. My parents wouldn’t let me get a job too far out of their helicopter range.
Besides, it didn’t help that I was the stereotypical chubby, shy nerd. Alphas who walked in to buy games never gave me a second glance, except maybe to silently judge me.
And sometimes, they didn’t bother being silent.
“Not really,” I admitted, averting my eyes. I didn’t want to see the disappointment on Mom’s face. “It’s hard to make connections there.”
She sighed. “But Mylo, you say that about everything. Making connectionsishard, but you have to try. Otherwise you’ll be single and alone forever.”
Ouch. I tried not to wince like she’d just kicked me. I already knew I was undesirable. Why did she have to rub it in?
“Well, not exactly,” Dad said. “Remember?”
Mom’s voice took on a hopeful tone. “Oh, yes, you’re right.”
I lifted my head. What were they talking about?
“We’re not here to criticize you, son,” Dad said, even though that was all they’d done so far. “We have great news.”
Now I was even more curious. “What is it?” I asked tentatively.
Mom’s demeanor did a 180. She beamed with excitement. “You’re going to love this, Mylo. Mom and Dad got you the opportunity of a lifetime.”
I tried flashing a hopeful smile, but to be honest, I was nervous. I loved my parents, but they weren’t the best at understandingmywants and needs. I couldn’t possibly imagine the big surprise they had in store for me. Did they find me a new job even closer to home? Did they get me a mail-order alpha? Ohgods, had they set up a dating profile in my name and catfished someone?
“You’ve heard of the Dragonfate Games,” Mom began.
I blinked, my heart lifting at the sound of agame. Was that a new video game series I hadn’t heard of? Maybe it was from a different country and hadn’t been localized yet.
“No, what’s that?” I asked.
Mom looked shocked. “Mylo, really? You spend all day in front of the TV and don’t know about it?”
My excitement died. Back to square one.
“Well, I use the TV to play games. I don’t watch shows,” I explained.
Part of me wanted to say, “I’m actually doing something in front of the TV, not vegging out all day”, but I doubted it would affect her opinion.
“What about dragons?” Dad asked.
“Er... what about them?”
Had my parents signed me up for some kind ofDungeons & Dragonscamp? Not that they understood the difference, but I was into video games, not tabletop RPGs. For one thing, you could play video games solo. Tabletop games required friends, and I was short on those.
My parents exchanged an incredulous glance. They acted like I was clueless, or Amish, or something.
“The Dragonfate Games, son,” Dad said, like the meaning of those words was obvious. “It’s the most popular reality TV show airing right now. There’s already been three seasons of it.”
None of that meant anything to me. I rarely watched TV, and if I did, it sure as hell wasn’t reality TV. What did I care about other peoples’ lives—especially thin, charismatic, conventionally attractive people?
“Haven’t heard of it,” I admitted. But I was curious about the name. Dragonfate Games? Dragons didn’t exist, so it was probably a metaphor, or maybe it was about dragon boat racing.
Mom laughed like she couldn’t believe my obliviousness. “Well, he’s in for a big surprise, isn’t he?” she asked Dad.
