Unleashed

by Amy McCulloch

  ‘So . . . you’re not going to have total control any more?’ I ask Monica.

  She shakes her head.

  ‘Won’t you find that hard?’

  She smiles. ‘The bakus were always going to outlast me, Lacey. That was always the plan. One day, one way or another. I’ve always known that. I selfishly thought that I could do everything all on my own – and still be the creator and innovator that I’ve always been. But I took my eye off the ball, and someone immediately took advantage of me. We need people who aren’t going to do that. This is the right thing to do. The right way forward.

  ‘And Moncha Corp is never going to let you down again.’

  MONICA ASKS ME TO HANG back, once her speech has finished. The others leave, except for Mr Baird, Paul and Tobias. Zora lingers too, but I get Slick to send Linus a ping for her to wait for me downstairs. Zora holds my gaze for a couple of seconds, then nods. She slips into the elevator with the others, and then I turn my focus back to Monica.

  Her lips bunch up to one side, and her sloth, Pardem, hangs heavily on her shoulders. ‘There’s just one more thing, Lacey.’

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘It’s about Jinx . . .’

  At the tone in her voice, Jinx jumps up into my arms, and I hold him there. I stroke his head. At his request, I don’t use him as my baku any more. I have Slick for that – and now that there’s no danger of the beetle injecting me with poison or updating me, I feel much more comfortable in his presence.

  She exhales deeply, and glances at Mr Baird and Paul, who both nod. Tobias comes and stands by my side. I’m glad to have the weight of him, his solidness, near me. I feed off his strength, and try to stand a little taller. ‘Here’s the thing, Lacey,’ she says. ‘You and I both know what Jinx is – what he represents. If it becomes widely known that this sort of technology is available, it would also be incredibly dangerous. As dangerous as the Team Happiness update was, but in reverse. It would be hypocritical of me to allow it to be out there. No one can know how close we have come to creating something real.’

  At her words, I pull Jinx closer. How close she came to creating something real? There was nothing close about it. He is real. He’s real to me. His emotions, his feelings, his spirit – those are all real. So what if he’s made of metal and wire, of code and electricity? He’s alive. And he’s my friend.

  Monica sees my actions – sees my arms wrap around him tighter – and she bites on her bottom lip.

  ‘Lacey, we’re all in agreement here,’ says Mr Baird.

  Paul nods as well. ‘We all love Jinx. But if the wrong people were to get their hands on him, you know what could happen.’

  ‘No one will,’ I say, blood rushing into my face. I bite down hard on my back teeth, setting my jaw to try and stop tears from flowing. I don’t want them to know that I feel weak in this moment. I want to look strong. But then I realize that I can look strong, even if my tears flow. It’s holding emotions in that causes weakness – fissures that grow into cracks that entire minds can fall into the depths of. A tear rolls down my cheek, and then another.

  ‘The public can’t find out what we’ve created here. Even Eric Smith didn’t realize Jinx’s full power.’ Monica’s voice is soft, but I feel the betrayal in it. I know what they’re about to ask me, and I can’t stand the thought. ‘Lacey, I’m very sorry,’ Monica says. ‘But we have to destroy Jinx.’

  ‘No!’ I cry out.

  ‘I don’t want to either. But the board agrees – it has to be done before we can move forward.’

  ‘No, it doesn’t!’ I exclaim. ‘You haven’t even written the full agreement yet – or named the full board. How can it already be a condition? What if I can prove that he won’t do any harm? He’s not even acting like a baku any more!’

  Monica smiles wanly at me. ‘But you know that’s because we can’t let anyone know about him. Can you imagine the chaos? If you keep Jinx, even as just your companion, you’ll be spending your entire life looking over your shoulder, wondering who is going to try and take him. You won’t be free.’

  Her voice softens. ‘All the notes about how I created him have been destroyed. They never made it up on the cloud. He is the last remaining piece of evidence of what I did. I broke the rules. Now we have to make sure nobody else can replicate what I did. It’s for the best.’

  Jinx purrs in my arms, his fur sending out comforting vibrations that calm my nervous system. >>It’s okay, Lacey. I expected this. The world isn’t ready for me yet.

  The tears continue to flow down my cheeks, in a steadier stream now. ‘But I can’t lose you. Not after everything we’ve been through. Who is going to help me graduate Profectus, for one thing?’

  Jinx winks at me. >>Ugh, I suppose Slick will just have to do. Didn’t you have plans to companioneer him into a level 3, once upon a time? And then, more quietly, he says, >>This won’t be the end, Lacey.

  But what if it is . . . there will never be any baku like you again.

  >>That’s for sure.

  His tone is still cheeky and mischievous, but there’s a hint of sadness in there too. I know that he will do anything that Monica asks.

  I’m going to miss you.

  >>I know. But you’ve trusted me this far, right? Just one more time.

  I nod. I can’t bring myself to say the words, I simply loosen my grip, letting my arms fall to my waist. Jinx jumps down, and saunters across to Monica.

  She kneels down to pick him up. ‘You were my finest creation,’ she whispers into his fur. Then, she passes him over to Mr Baird, who immediately fixes him with a black mark designed to immobilize him.

  Sobs wrack my shoulders. I knew keeping Jinx would be too good to be true. I should have enjoyed more time with him. I should have cherished even more of the moments. I should have recorded his cheeky voice so I could play it whenever I need a boost.

  I squeeze my eyes shut, and feel the weight of Monica’s hand on my back, comforting me.

  I open my eyes and watch as Mr Baird walks Jinx into the elevator.

  I swear, just for a second, I spot one of his tiny, black pointed ears give a twitch.

  And I’m left with a spark of hope.

  THREE YEARS LATER

  LINING UP TO CROSS THE stage on my graduation day at Profectus, my heart swells with pride. My fully upgraded level 3 scarab beetle baku, Slick, buzzes around my head, his wings now extended (using a superlight material) so he’s twice as big as before. With retractable legs, a reinforced carapace and super-strength horns, we headed off several challengers in the Baku Battles. We won this year, of course. Team Lacey kicked butt and took names.

  ‘Miss Lacey Chu!’ My name is called. I automatically turn to face the crowd before I step up on to the glossy hardwood flooring. I see my mom’s face there, beaming. She waves at me and I lift my hand to show that I’ve seen her.

  And still the thing I can’t get used to most of all. My dad is there next to her, his face glowing, his grin wide and teeth gleaming. Around his shoulders is the sloth baku, Lacey, that had been his long-time companion at Lake Baku and that he still can’t bear to be separated from. Around Mom’s head floats Petal. Even though she could have any baku that she wanted now that we live on Companioneers Crescent, she didn’t want to change either. That didn’t mean that she didn’t allow me to make a few tweaks of my own, though – and now Petal never gets tangled up in a scarf.

  There’s an after party to celebrate the graduates. Monica Chan is here, to celebrate with us all.

  She pulls me aside, and I still find myself a bit tingly at the prospect of being so close to my mentor. In the years since what was known as the Happiness Conundrum, she has somehow managed to guide the company from strength to strength. ‘So Lacey, I understand that you’re not going to be taking your prizewinners’ internship?’

  A blush rises in my cheeks and it creeps all the way past my hairline. I can’t believe still that I hit ‘reject’ on the guarantee of a job at Moncha Corp – and not just any job,
but one that would put me in direct contact with my idol every single day.

  But I’ve realized something along this journey.

  It’s not that my lifelong dream has been to work for Moncha.

  My goal has been to be Monica Chan.

  And the only way that I’m going to be able to do that is to go out there on my own and get some life experience – to see exactly where my future is going to lead.

  ‘No,’ I say, in a voice barely louder than a whisper.

  She smiles. ‘That’s a shame. Are you sure I can’t change your mind? You could come and try and be part of the future. Now that you’ve graduated . . . Your place is here.’

  ‘Thanks, Monica . . . but I want to try and find my own way for a while. Maybe I’ll come up with an invention as great as the bakus.’ I feel cheeky as I say it, but I have to be truthful. Now I want to work until my idol has become my rival.

  She laughs, but there’s nothing unkind in it. ‘I understand that impulse better than you know. And somehow, I don’t think you’ll be alone.’ She looks over my shoulder, where Tobias is standing, shoulder to shoulder with my mom and dad.

  ‘No, I don’t think I will be,’ I reply, with a smile of my own.

  ‘But you know, if you ever change your mind . . . your baku knows how to reach me.’ Pardem reaches out and touches Slick’s outstretched limb. ‘Now he has my direct line, so we can make sure that we can communicate.’

  ‘Thanks, Monica.’

  She reaches out and touches my chin. ‘You’re going to do amazing things, Lacey Chu. Don’t give up.’

  And then she’s gone. Moved on to the next person.

  Slick raises one of his legs. >>Ready?

  ‘Ready,’ I say. I’m free now. Graduated from Profectus. No job offer on the horizon. I can tinker away to my heart’s desire. I can travel. I can search for inspiration.

  I turn to Mom and Dad. ‘I need some air. Is that okay?’

  ‘Sure, honey. We’ll be right here.’

  ‘Everything all right?’ Tobias frowns, looking concerned. He’s been working at Moncha now for the past two years, making a name for himself in the design division. He knows all about my choice, because we’re still great friends.

  And still just friends.

  ‘I’m fine, I promise. I just need to go outside.’

  ‘You’ve done good, Lacey Chu. And you’re going to do great things.’ He reaches down and kisses me on the cheek. I blush. I still can’t help how cute I think he is. Then I step away, moving quickly along the path that Slick is projecting in front of me, to the exit that will bring me fresh air – and a little solitude.

  I push open the doors on to a balcony, and take a deep breath in. From this vantage point, I can see right over Lake Ontario, a huge sparkling expanse of water that stretches as far as my eye can see. I lean out over the railing, taking in the view, and feeling the warmth of the sun shining on my face.

  There’s a thump next to me, the sound of metal scraping against metal, and I smile.

  If anyone were to look out on to that balcony at that precise moment, they would have seen a different baku at my feet – not a scarab beetle (who is now guarding the door), but a little black cat so slinky and perfectly formed that they might have mistaken it for a shadow.

  ‘Thanks for waiting for me, Jinx,’ I say, with a grin.

  >>Any time. So, now what are we going to do?

  ‘I guess it’s time to figure out how I’m going to change the world.’

  >>Together.

  ‘Together.’

  Jinx.

  Books are always a team effort, and I’m so lucky to have the very best around me! Thanks as always to the brilliant folk at Simon & Schuster Children’s UK: my sparkling editor Lucy Rogers, marketing and publicity gurus Eve Wersocki-Morris and Olivia Horrox, and the best cover designers an author could wish for, Jenny Richards and Jesse Green. Also I’m very lucky to get to work with the Sourcebooks team across the pond, with particular thanks to my editor Annie Berger.

  My champion and agent is the illustrious Juliet Mushens. Her two adorable cats Luna and Neville cause more mischief than any baku! And thank you to Molly Ker-Hawn, for helping to bring Lacey and Jinx to North America.

  To my writing friends – Kim, Emma, Jessie, Amie, Laure, Juno, Zoe, Laura, and James, thank you for being the best advice-givers, listeners and cheerleaders on this wild journey! Also a special shout-out to Keith Stuart, who helped put Jinxed into the hands of some people who really are trying to design the future. So cool!

  Special thanks to Chris, for helping me to climb giant mountains both metaphorical and very real. And the Jinxed series couldn’t have been written without the unwavering support of my parents, Angus and Maria, my sister, Sophie, and my friends Sarah, Adam, Tania, Maria Felix, and Natasha . . . I’m so very lucky to have you all in my life.

  Also by this author

  The Potion Diaries

  The Potion Diaries: Royal Tour

  The Potion Diaries: Going Viral

  Jinxed

  First published in Great Britain in 2019 by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd

  A CBS COMPANY

  Copyright © 2019 Amy Alward Ltd

  This book is copyright under the Berne Convention.

  No reproduction without permission.

  All rights reserved.

  The right of Amy McCulloch to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Design and Patents Act, 1988.

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  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  PB ISBN 978-1-4711-6998-4

  eBook ISBN 978-1-4711-6999-1

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY