Come and Find Me A Novel of Suspense - By Hallie Ephron Page 0,9
going to wear these clothes or what?”
“Or what, what? Of course I’m going to wear them.”
“I meant out. Otherwise, what’s the point?”
“The point is . . .” Diana took a deep breath. Because if she barely left her own property, then what was the point of gorgeous hand-tooled boots and a butter-soft leather jacket?
“I’m sorry,” Ashley said. “Forget it. I should mind my own business.” She slipped on the wraparound sunglasses. “These are perfect too. Where’d you get this outfit?”
Diana jerked her thumb toward her office.
“No. You found them online?”
“In OtherWorld. And I didn’t find them. You draw what you want, then send them the design and your measurements, and they make the pieces to order.”
Ashley’s mouth formed a perfect O as she looked down at her outfit, across to the door to Diana’s office, and back again. “This is the same outfit . . . ?”
Diana nodded.
“It’s much better in the flesh. You’ve got to show me how you do it.”
Moments later they were sitting side by side in front of the computer. Diana scrolled through her inventory of OtherWorld places and transported Nadia to the unimaginatively named Main Street Mall. Sidewalks, trees, and storefronts, even a fire hydrant materialized around her avatar.
“Put it up over there.” Ashley indicated the wall.
Diana toggled a switch and the screen went blank. Main Street Mall came up on the wall across from them. Ashley sat forward, staring at the massive image, her elbows propped on the desk. She whooped when Diana pressed the up key and Nadia rose into the sky. She skimmed low across store roofs, over a pergola, a town green, landscape materializing around her as she flew. Soared over a winding river and back.
Diana glanced over. Ashley was gripping her chair arms. It felt like 3-D without the 3-D glasses.
Diana brought Nadia down onto sidewalk. “You want to drive?”
“You bet.”
They switched seats. Diana showed Ashley how to use the trackball and buttons to angle the view, and the keyboard’s arrow keys to move Nadia and change direction. Ashley got the hang of it quickly. From behind, they watched Nadia saunter along, neatly avoiding colliding with a couple strolling hand in hand in the opposite direction.
“Those are . . . ?” Ashley asked.
“Not window dressing. There’s a real live person somewhere in the world controlling each of them.”
“This is way cool, love the way Nadia’s hair is kind of springy, like a sea anemone. And that hip-swing thing she’s got,” Ashley said.
“Recognize it? It’s your walk. I programmed it. And I sell it.”
“You sell my walk? How come I don’t get a cut?”
Ashley tapped the arrow key and Nadia continued, past a car dealership and a gun store.
“Okay, stop there,” Diana said.
Ashley paused Nadia in front of a door that said HEADLESS BARBIE’S CLOTHING TO GO. Naked mannequins in the windows were displayed, as promised, without heads.
Ashley chortled. “How perfect is that?” She moved Nadia through the shop’s door and inside. The store had pink walls and clothing racks on either side, a desk and a cash register in the front. Nadia was the only avatar there.
Diana took over the mouse and clicked on one of the clothing racks. A woman’s voice said, “Can I help you.”
“Custom order,” Diana said.
A text box floated on the screen.
Customer?
Password?
Diana typed in Nadia’s name and password.
Style?
Diana examined the invoice that had come with the new clothes and typed in the seven-digit style code she found. A 3-D image of her avatar’s outfit—boots, jeans, jacket, cap, and sunglasses—popped up, revolving in space.
“You want it in a different color?” Diana asked Ashley. “It’s easy to tweak.” With a few clicks she’d turned the jacket orange and the boots bright blue.
“Ick. I liked it just the way it was,” Ashley said.
Diana changed it back. “We just drag it over to the cash register.” She clicked on the outfit and dragged it over. “And voilà. We’re good to go.”
She was about to click check out when Ashley put her hand out to stop her. “So, what else can you get here?”
Diana smiled. Ashley was so easily hooked. “Whatever your little heart desires.” She offered Ashley the microphone. “And if you keep it simple, you can just say what you want.”
Ashley thought a moment. Then said, “Long pink dress.”
A floor-length, off-the-shoulder dress materialized and revolved—a swirl of pale pink chiffon with a shimmering skirt—replaced a few moments later by a hot-pink strapless gown, replaced by a pink chintz number with muttonchop sleeves and tiny buttons going up the back