Author's Note: Hey, finally have a new update after hiatus. It's not terribly long, but more is going to happen in the next part. Thanks for hanging in.
"I've got an idea for your project."
Vanessa had shown up to the table with brimming strength, staring into the distance as the others paused from their lunch. Her eyes flicked to each of them. "We need to get a campaign rolling for your robot."
She sat down. Rapunzel and Merida looked at each other.
"What do you mean?" said Merida.
"Well, a lot of people are in the competition, right? We need to get you some publicity. Let people know what you're doing so they can root for you. A lot of other teams are doing it."
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," said Anna.
"Question is, how would we pull it off?" said Merida. "We're having enough trouble as it is even getting the robot started."
"We can do blogs and events and stuff. Just getting our name out there with something fun and positive. We need to stand out from all the other teams."
"Do we really need to?" asked Rapunzel. "I mean, it's up to the judges who wins. It's not a public voting system."
"Well, with publicity you might get funding for a better robot overall," said Vanessa. "And it always helps to get a good word in. Judges can be influenced by positive feedback, you know?"
"We don't need funding," said Merida. "The school's paying to transport everything to the competition, and Anna and I divide money for the supplies."
Vanessa stopped, and for a jolting moment Anna thought she saw something dark flash in her eyes. Then she blinked and carried on like nothing happened.
"Well, it's always nice to know you earned something yourself, right?" She looked at Rapunzel when she said this. "And you guys are gonna need al the help you can get for this competition. Everyone's trying to win. That's the way it is."
Merida opened her mouth, then closed it. Vanessa watched her struggle for words, waiting on a reply. "All right then, fine," she finally said. "You want to do this PR campaign, you can do it. But I'm busy. Don't expect me to stay up late writing you papers."
Vanessa giggled. "I won't."
Rapunzel was looking at her shoes. Vanessa sat down and unwrapped her sandwich.
Anna was ready to appease her. "So, when are we starting?"
"Oh, I can handle the PR business," said Vanessa. "You worry about the robot. If I need your help I'll tell you."
She had her mind set. The others made eye contact, Merida shrugged, and they continued eating.
"A PR campaign."
Anna was Skyping with Kristoff in her room. The leftovers from Saturday weren't enough to quell her hunger, so she'd brought up snacks for the session.
"It was her idea. And she said it might get us funding, and a good word out to the judges."
"I thought you and Merida were dealing with the funding."
"Well, we are." Anna put another handful of Cheetos in her mouth.
"Then why would you need more? What kind of PR would she do to get funding for a high school robotics project? One that isn't directly tied to the curriculum, for that matter."
"An independent project could still use the publicity."
"Anna, I don't think you should let Vanessa get too involved with the competition," said Kristoff. "She seems…" He faltered.
"What does she mean?" challenged Anna.
Kristoff sighed. "Anna, I know you want to find the best in everyone, but Vanessa seems like the kind of person who always wants things a particular way."
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Anna. "Sometimes she's a little insensitive, but she always looks out for people."
"Without wanting anything in return?"
"She wants friends. Everyone does." Anna crunched another Cheeto, harder than she'd intended, and felt childish.
Kristoff watched her for a moment. "Well, just think about what I said sometime, okay? Please?"
"Okay, I will," said Anna dismissively. She checked the clock by her bed. "Hey, it's almost ten. I should go to sleep."
Kristoff raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you go to bed early on a school night if you can help it?"
"Don't even start with me." When Kristoff smirked Anna stuck out her tongue. They said goodbye and logged off.
Vanessa caught up to her in a crowded hallway. "Hey hon, I've got the campaign ideas started."
"Oh yeah? What are we going to do?"
Vanessa leaned on a nearby locker as Anna started entering her combination. "We should start with a catchy title. One that'll get people's attention. Not something like 'Team Go' or 'Blue Team', that's not going to stand out."
"Okay," said Anna, busy with her locker.
"I also asked around to see what sort of other robots are being built," Vanessa continued. "You might get some ideas for what to do with yours." Another student was awkwardly standing by. "Oh, sorry," said Vanessa, moving out of the way.
As he opened his locker Anna closed hers. "Okay," she said, shifting her math book under an arm. "Beyond that, any idea on how we're going to get publicity?"
"I'm sure people in the school would find you memorable." Vanessa turned to a boy standing outside a locked classroom. "Hey, you recognize this person?" Vanessa called, pointing to the top of Anna's head. "She's in a competition and could use public support."
"Uh…no," said the boy. Then he blinked. "Oh wait, are you that girl who got totally trashed trying to talk to Elsa in the cafeteria? Yeah, I'd publicly support you!" He laughed and walked away.
Anna stood in shock as he shook his head. Vanessa looked cheerful. "Hey, don't worry about it," she chirped when Anna looked at her. "You'll get a fan club rolling. You'll stand out for sure."
Anna tucked her hoodie low over her head as they went to class, hoping no one else would notice her.