Everyone had finally settled on a Wonder. All seven sites had been chosen. Each contestant placed their five million bond in place. The contest had well and truly begun.

They would each have a year to build what they wanted. This was plenty of time for some of them and not nearly enough for others. Still, it was what they agreed upon and that was the timeframe they would use.

They called a face to face meeting in Chicago so that they could go over all the details. This would give everyone a chance to bring up any last questions. It also let them plan out the media coverage.

The seven decided to put Lydia in charge. She knew the industry and had the right connections. They’d each send a representative to make certain they got even coverage. No one anticipated this would be a problem.

Sam flatly refused to be interviewed. He didn’t want any individual publicity. If they wanted to cover his Tower, that was fine but he wouldn’t put up with any snooping. This surprised everyone, not because they didn’t think of him as being private but because they hadn’t thought of this as an option.

Xian asked for the same treatment. It was difficult if not impossible to refuse her request. They’d all sent flowers and condolences to her mother’s funeral. Her severe black outfit and blank expression spoke to her obvious mourning.

There was general assent. There was even more general understanding. Privately Lydia thought that they were giving away something precious here. The public would cheer more for people that they knew. Even more if they came to love them. The worst thing you could do was hide yourself away. Who could love a recluse? Still, anything that worked to her advantage was fine with her.

The coverage would be widespread. Frankly, it was an easy sell. Seven very rich people building seven wonderful things. The bet would be the easy hook. Newsmagazines and cable programs would follow the construction phase at every turn. Regular updates on tourist levels would follow. It was a competition the whole country could get involved in!

The panel of experts would be even easier. Each of them would select three people to represent them. The Seven Wonders would all be judged and ranked. Their findings would bind them and the winner would be praised loudly and publicly.

All seven were asked to give a brief description of their Wonder. Sam spoke briefly about his Tower. Xian simply said that her’s would be a Wind Chime Garden. Roger was building a clockwork machine that would show the horrors of war. Lydia proudly described her Temple of Beauty. Rex spoke mysteriously of his shifting Labyrinth. Casey said that his involved a new island and it was clear to everyone that parts of his were still up in the air.

Finally it was James turn. He simply told them that he wasn’t ready to reveal his yet. Upon questioning he said that it would be ready for opening by the deadline and he wasn’t go to say anything more than that. When they challenged him, he said there was nothing in the rules to stop him. This was true, but they all thought it poor sportsmanship.

He then told Lydia that the media account of his project could focus on the mystery if they wanted to. He had no problem with some investigative reporter digging in to find out what was going on. He’d simply say that it was located in Georgia and involved an abandoned mine.