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"My own story? No comic revamp? Something new?"
This was the dream; a bigger audience than Inkmic could ever touch, a mainstream audience where I could finally be on the shelf in stores, places my family could visit and see my name. I'd have something tangible to prove my work wasn't going to waste.
Tyson's smile was wide. "Yes, your story. I know this is a lot to process. You don't need to make a decision now or give them an answer. We have about a month to decide what we'll give them. Also, if you'd prefer working with another editor to get a feel for a different feedback style, I won't be offended."
I shook my head. "No way. I want to work with you."
His shoulders relaxed, and for the first time, I realized he was as excited and nervous as I was. Having an artist on his team pitching for their own story had to be a huge win for him. Tyson would no doubt be my editor, thus also giving him the opportunity of a lifetime.
As excited as I was, my mind wandered to Sage. Tyson noted my frown. "What is it?"
"I'm so grateful for this opportunity," I prefaced with a smile. "I am, but can I ask, why don't they want Sage? Or us both?"
Tyson's expression clouded over for a second before he realized he needed to keep things professional. "I can't go into too many details about her. What I can say is it's a business. They want you."
My frown remained, but I nodded, trying to understand. "Okay. Um…I need a few days to sleep on it, but I should have an answer for you by next Monday."
"Of course. No rush. Remember, we have a month before having to give them any type of answer," he reminded me. "These kinds of things can be slow moving."
"Right. Thanks, Tyson. For looking out. It means the world to me, truly."
His smile was a bit shy. "I always do that for my artists. There's no doubt in my mind you guys are the best at what you do. Now, we are finally getting a chance to prove it."
"Right." I nodded, and the crushing weight of expectations lowered onto my chest. "We'll prove it."
Sage knew something was off from the moment I came back to our cubicle, but she didn't press me. I tried to smile and keep my head down as I figured out how to share the news. It was good news, but much like earlier, with my rise in the leaderboards, it doubled as bad news for her. She'd wanted this pitch opportunity. If I hadn't come here, she'd have it. I didn't want to go back to how things were between us, but God, would it be easier to be on opposite sides again?
While I stayed silent throughout the workday, Sage drew in our now-shared sketchbook. The mermaid had ventured outside of her old community and into a new lava one. The waters were hot, nearly burning her, before she got the help of a local mermaid used to the temperatures.
"I like where it's going," I whispered during my break from line work.
She didn't look up from her sketch, in the zone as she nodded. "Really?"
"Yeah, it's shaping up to be a star-crossed lovers' romance, which is something I didn't think you had the guts to write," I teased.
Her hand paused over the tablet, a small smile on her mouth. She kept her eyes on her work as she said, "Guts isn't the word I'd use."
"What is?"
"Patience," she said. "Tolerance."
I snorted. "You make it sound like writing romance is an uphill battle."
"Isn't it?" She was joking, but a small grain of truth could be detected in her tone.
"Sage?" Tyson was finally out of his meetings for the day. He nodded in my direction before looking back at her. "Can you follow me?"
My stomach dipped. Sage didn't even stop drawing.
"Am I in trouble?" she joked. His silence made her look up with a furrowed brow.
"No." Tyson gave her a half-hearted shake of the head. "But I need to talk to you."
"Okay…" She glanced at me, but I couldn’t stand the pressure. I turned back to my work, even though the break timer said I had five more minutes. Seline peeked her head over the divider when the two finally disappeared toward the meeting rooms.
"You know what's going on?" She drummed her nails against the plastic.
"Not really," I mumbled.
