30. Brandon

30

brANDON

B randon sat at his usual table in the village café, watching the afternoon sunlight filter through the tree branches while he waited for his teenage consultants to arrive from school.

He wanted to jot down a few ideas before they got there, but his mind kept drifting back to the previous night with Morelle—the sounds she'd made, the way she'd come apart in his arms, the perfect weight of her against his chest afterward.

Heat coursed through him at the memory. Maybe he was being too cautious with the physical progression of their relationship. The way she had responded and her fierce demands were clear signs that she was ready for more.

No. He shook his head. He was right to wait.

They hadn't even exchanged words of love yet, though the emotion grew stronger in his chest with each passing day. He wanted to tell her, had almost let it slip several times, but it was also too soon for that.

He wasn't a young male who got swept away by his feelings.

He was a mature immortal with centuries of experience, and this relationship was too important to rush. If he made the wrong move and somehow alienated Morelle, he would never forgive himself.

The Fates might have brought them together, but it was up to him to make it work, especially given Morelle's lack of experience in any kind of interpersonal relationship. The female had never had anyone other than her twin brother—no friends, no other relatives, and certainly no love interests.

He was so glad that Ella had invited her to the celebration in honor of Jasmine's successful transition. Morelle needed to make friends even more than she needed to fall in love.

Oh, wow. Fall in love.

Now, that was a concept that was as new to him as it was to her.

He'd offered to let her move in with him, but they'd gotten distracted before she could answer, and that was for the best, too. These things needed a natural progression to feel right. There was wisdom in the old customs of both humans and gods, even if modern society seemed to sneer at them.

In all his years producing movies and television, he'd learned what resonated with audiences and what fell flat. People might live the hookup life and might claim they were beyond traditional romances, but they didn't want to see that in their entertainment. Movies were about ideals, about love overcoming all obstacles, and about building something lasting and beautiful.

If anyone needed proof that hookups were not the way to go, that was it.

For some, though, there was nothing more. He'd spent his life living that unsatisfying lifestyle and trying to make the most of it.

"You look deep in thought," Wonder said as she refreshed his coffee. "Plotting your next blockbuster?"

Brandon smiled. "Something like that. Though these days, I'm more focused on social media than Hollywood."

"Ah, yes, the InstaTock project." She tilted her head. "How's that coming along?"

"It's a work in progress. I'm meeting with my consultants soon." He glanced at the glass pavilion, expecting his guests to appear at any moment now. "I'm waiting for Lisa, Parker, and Cheryl to come back from school."

"Oh, yeah. Those three are sharp." She leaned closer. "Parker is helping me with my studies. He's a smart guy."

"So I've heard. I was also told that Cheryl is an expert on InstaTock."

"I heard that too." Wonder straightened up. "Good luck with your endeavors."

"Thank you. Can I bother you by ordering cappuccinos and sandwiches for my guests?"

"It's no bother." She smiled before walking over to the next table.

The next time Brandon turned to look at the pavilion's door, he saw his consultants approaching, and as they spotted him in the café, they headed over.

"Hi," Parker said, dropping his backpack on the floor and sitting down.

The two girls followed suit.

"Thanks for coming." He gave each one of them a friendly smile. "I ordered drinks and sandwiches for everyone. I hope turkey clubs are okay?"

"Perfect," Lisa said, while Parker and Cheryl nodded in agreement.

"So." Cheryl leaned forward. "What amazing ideas do you have for us to tear apart today?"

Brandon chuckled. These kids were not going to pull their punches, which was exactly why he wanted their input.

Wonder arrived with their sandwiches and drinks, and they began eating. Brandon used the pause to organize his thoughts.

"Alright," he said once they'd made some progress with their food. "Here's what I'm thinking for InstaTock. Instead of just presenting facts and asking users to verify them, we create games and scenarios?—"

"Like role-playing games?" Cheryl interrupted, her eyes lighting up.

"Similar, yes. But with real-world applications." He pulled out his tablet and opened his notes. "For example, one scenario might involve a user seeing a viral post about a new health supplement. They'd have to navigate through various information sources, identify red flags, and make decisions about what to believe."

"Boring," Parker declared around a mouthful of sandwich.

"What if instead of health supplements, it was about something more relevant?" Lisa suggested. "Like dating app scams?"

"That's a great idea, but I need a way to engage people in all topics, not just the latest thing." Brandon made a note of what she'd suggested. "Still, what other topics would engage your age group?"

The teenagers exchanged looks before launching into a rapid-fire list:

"Cryptocurrency schemes?—"

"Fake designer goods?—"

"College admission scams?—"

"Those stupid get-rich-quick YouTube gurus?—"

Brandon's fingers flew across the tablet, trying to keep up. "Those are all great examples. But how do we make investigating them fun rather than feeling like homework?"

"Points system and prizes," Parker said immediately. "Like, you get points for identifying different types of manipulation tactics."

"And badges," Cheryl added. "People love collecting badges."

"What about team challenges?" Lisa suggested. "Like, you and your friends work together to investigate something, and you get to pool your knowledge."

Brandon nodded, continuing to type. This was exactly the kind of insight he needed. "What about the format? Should it be text-based, video, interactive?—"

"All of it," Cheryl said. "Different people learn differently. Plus, it's more engaging if you mix it up."

"And it needs to be fast paced," Parker added. "No one wants to spend twenty minutes researching a thing. Maybe there should be a vetted resource site where people could find answers without putting too much effort into it."

"That's dangerous." Brandon put his tablet down. "When there is one resource that everyone is told to trust, it can be easily manipulated. The whole idea is to teach young people how to mine for truth."

Parker's eyes lit up. "Like mining for crypto. No one can hack the blockchain, or rather I should say that it's extremely difficult to do. What if there was a way to do the same with data? An AI could be trained to seek the impartial truth, and the code to train it would be available for everyone to see but not to manipulate. Still, anyone who can find holes in artificial intelligence programming and prove that it is not impartial can post it and have others check the validity of the claim. As long as the blockchain's AI lack of bias remains uncontested, it will be the best source of truth that is easily accessible and incorruptible."

Brandon tried to find fault in Parker's logic, but the idea was so brilliant that the only difficulty he could see in creating such a resource was the computing power required. He was no expert on AI or the blockchain, but he knew that both required massive infrastructure. Bitcoin miners were incentivized by the Bitcoin they produced, but that would not be the case with an information blockchain as Parker was proposing.

"That's genius, Parker," Cheryl said. "Now you just need to figure out how to implement your brilliant idea."

He chuckled and lifted his hand in the air. "I'm the idea man. Someone else will need to figure out the how."

"I'll run it by William," Brandon said. "If that can be done, it would be a game changer. But we still need to come up with more ideas for engaging young people."

"Challenges," Lisa agreed. "Like those 'spot the difference' games, but instead it's 'spot the manipulation.' Everyone wants to prove that they are smart."

"That's a good one," Parker said. "It can even be a part of the 'find out your intelligence score' schemes. People love those, too."

Brandon sat back, watching them bounce ideas off each other. Their enthusiasm was infectious, reminding him why he'd gotten into entertainment in the first place—the desire to reach people, to make them think while they were being entertained.

"What about rewards?" he asked. "Besides points and badges?"

"Real-world applications," Cheryl said. "Like, if you score enough points, you will be considered for some internships or mentoring programs."

"Or scholarships," Lisa added.

"Now you're thinking like producers," Brandon said approvingly. "Always looking for ways to make the project sustainable."

"Speaking of sustainable," Parker leaned forward, "how are you going to keep people engaged long-term? These kinds of apps usually die out after the novelty wears off."

It was a good question. "That's where the community aspect comes in. Users need to feel like they are making the world a better place instead of just venting their frustrations and criticizing everyone. I think there is a thirst for positivity that is lacking from current social media."

Cheryl nodded. "I like it."

"You'll need moderators," Lisa pointed out. "Lots of them. And they'll need training."

Brandon made more notes, impressed by his young consultants' enthusiasm and, at the same time, awareness of potential problems. "These are all excellent points. What would make you want to be part of something like this? Not just as users, but as content creators or moderators?"

"Money or recognition," Cheryl said finally. "Or both. Not just within the app but in the real world. Like being able to put it on college applications or resumes."

"Training," Lisa added. "Real skills that we can use later."

"A voice," Parker said quietly. "The chance to actually make a difference. We see what's happening in the world. We see how information gets twisted and how people get manipulated. We want to do something about it and not wait until we finish college to take part in reshaping the world. We are skilled and capable enough as we are."

The others nodded in agreement.

Brandon set down his tablet. "That's exactly why I wanted your input on this. You understand the problem better than most adults because you're living it every day."

"So, make that part of the platform," Cheryl suggested. "Let us help design it, help run it. Make it ours as much as yours."

"Yeah." Lisa brightened. "Like, different user levels could have different responsibilities. The more skills you master, the more input you have in how things run."

"A meritocracy," Parker said. "Without age discrimination."

Lisa lifted her cappuccino. "I'll drink to that. Power to the young!"