Frozen, I stare, but then my instincts kick in. Move. The path to the gate is clear, and I have all the information I need, even if I don’t know where I’m headed. I sprint toward the altar steps, but Garrett’s voice stops me in my tracks.
“Do you always leave a calling card, rookie?”
Kyran grabs hold of Garrett and spins them both around, but he doesn’t have the upper hand for long. Garrett’s reaction is instant; he kicks and knocks Kyran’s legs out from under him before throwing a punch into his gut. Crumpling into a ball, Kyran drops the scroll.
Garrett retrieves the clue and quickly reads it. “Are you trying to take credit?” His lungs are heaving, and his words are directed at me.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I reply, hoping my voice doesn’t reveal the quaking inside me. What is he talking about?
Kyran regains his composure and grabs the scroll out of Garrett’s hand. Shoving past me down the altar steps, his retreating footsteps echo across the stone floor.
Garrett takes off running, too, but in the opposite direction, throwing open a sarcophagus on the other side of the room. “Your canteen. It has your initials on it,” he says before disappearing into what must be the entrance to his secret passageway.
Closing my eyes, I groan.
Hands shaking, I have no choice but to break into the glass case again. Retrieving my canteen, I replace it with the battery, cursing Garrett’s head start. He played me.
I take three deep breaths. Concentrate. Nothing stays hidden forever; everything wants to be found. It sounds like something Robie would say to justify a burglary… Wait. Has said.
Crest. View… It hits me. The Summit, also known as Robie’s office. We were never after the battery at all.
It all comes together. The answer sits on Robie’s desk: a globe filled with hydrogen peroxide, oxalate esters, butyl benzoate… He told us during a burglary lesson that it was stolen from the White House during a party celebrating President Madden’s plans for the interconnected world. It wasn’t super valuable, but Robie took it for fun.
A reaction that existed before this time where knowledge rules and skill declines... It is a giver of light… A chemical reaction. The H202 triggers a chemical chain that produces light… The globe is a glow ball. Truth uncovered, recharged, raved…then buried in greed to protect fame.
The story of the globe’s theft reminds me of the secret parties my parents used to throw on the grounds of our Santa Barbara estate. Nights when the half-naked, beautiful Influencer elite let loose. Only the trusted were invited, which never included me, but that didn’t stop me from hiding in the shadows and taking notes. I’m sure the same sort of thing happens in D.C., especially now that Claire Madden is president.
Break the world, make it shine, and take your place among the divine...
I have to break open the world.
Sprinting to the sarcophagus, I grab a kerosene lantern from a wall sconce and duck inside. The Summit is tucked into the side of a mountain and accessible only by the Zephyr, a wind-powered railcar. It’s risky to take a path I’ve never been down, but I’m guessing it’s a quicker route to the Lodge, which is next to the entrance to the Zephyr. I just can’t afford any wrong turns.
I scramble down the slick stone steps into the dark corridor. Slipping, I tumble to the bottom, scraping my knee and elbow. Metallic blood on my lips, I ignore the pain. I don’t have time for it. Jumping to my feet, I hurry forward, straight through a spiderweb that must have been built since Garrett passed through. Ugh. And where’s the spider? My skin crawling, I brush off my face and arms as I run, picturing a mummy chasing me through the creepy tunnel.
Fortunately, the passageway leads straight to the Lodge. I can’t get out of there fast enough. It has little offshoots here and there, but I stick to the main path, and it gives way to a staircase that winds to a door in the back of a fireplace. The fire has been extinguished, and I emerge into cool emptiness.
Heading to the Zephyr, I shut myself inside a waiting car and pull the lever that begins the three-minute journey up the inside of the mountain. It takes forever. Minute two ticks on to eternity. Kyran went the long way, and I can still beat him, but if Garrett figured out the clue, I’m screwed.
The car slows, and I leap out, then race down the glass hallway, oblivious to the sun setting over the mountains, casting me in an amber glow. Reaching the door at the end of the passage, I burst inside, in time to see Garrett lift the globe over his head and smash it to the floor.
The room erupts in a blinding white light, and I throw my arms over my face, dropping to the ground and tucking into a ball to shield myself. From somewhere in the distance, dynamite explodes, signifying a victory. Slowly, the light fades until the globe radiates only a soft glow. Still on the floor, I uncurl myself but remain sitting, in shock.
I gave it my all, and I lost.
Garrett crosses the room, stopping in front of me and extending his hand.
I wiggle myself closer to the floor in refusal.
“Don’t pout, Ellie. We’ll both win the next one.” Grabbing my arm, he drags me to my feet.
“How are we going to do that?” I sputter, glaring up into those mesmerizing eyes.
He tightens his grip and smiles down at me. “Easy. You’re my prize.”
Chapter Eighteen
January 1, 20X6, Keystone
I leave the Quest after-party as soon as I get there. Wanting to get as far away from Garrett as possible, the second he lets go of my arm, I head to the Vault to journal. “You’re my prize.” Whatever. In case you’re wondering, Garrett, I’d rather spend the evening reliving my death than watching you and Chloe toast to your awesomeness.
I really wish he could hear me.
As much as I’d like to indulge in fantasizing about everything I could say to him, I get to work. Now that I’ve faced my demons and stopped blaming myself, journaling is getting easier, and I dive in.
…
February 19, 20X5
Truth: You can never account for chaos.
Deena’s seventeenth birthday was a tiki-themed gold mine for her. The big secret was in the specialty cocktail, the Virgin Gorda. It came in a coconut with a colorful paper umbrella and was anything but virgin, in keeping with Deena’s aspirations for the evening.
“You’re flawless,” I said, pinning a flower behind Deena’s right ear. With just the two of us getting ready in her hotel room, it was almost like old times. “Total goals.”
“Flawless isn’t good enough. This is my night. I need to outshine everyone.” She lowered her mini hula skirt so her hip bones jutted out above it. “Adam has high standards.”
My stomach constricted. “Don’t you mean Jax?”
“No. That’s over.” Adjusting the flower leis draped around her neck, she checked the tape that strategically held them in place. “My numbers are higher than his now. It’s time to move on.”
“What about Lil? Isn’t Adam off-limits?”
“She’s over him.”
“Since when?”
“Since he saved Samantha. That was basically a big F.U. to Lil.” She practiced her wave in the mirror, flowers dangling from her wrist. “Lil was pissed, but I convinced her not to go after Adam, since he said he’s into me. He’s probably too big for her to take down, anyway. She’d risk losing followers. His fans are really loyal.”
“He said he’s into you?” A lump formed in my throat. “Did something happen between you two?”
“No. But it will. I had Quinn run our numbers, and she said together, Adam and I are off the charts. He can’t pass me up—we both need the boost. I just have to take care of Jax first.”
I frowned, relieved that nothing had happened—yet—but irritated she was so certain she’d get her way. “So, you’re dumping Jax tonight?”
“No, he’s dumping
me.”
“Does he know that?”
Her eyelashes fluttered. “Of course not, but every party needs drama, Ella. People need something to talk about besides the decorations.”
I shook my head, in awe that she could drop Jax so easily after obsessing over him for months. “Fine. But does his replacement have to be Adam? There’ll be lots of other influential guys here tonight. Can’t you use one of them?” Unable to keep the plea from my voice, I couldn’t stop thinking about how Adam saved Sam. We were still passing notes, but we hadn’t progressed beyond surface-level flirtation, and I wanted to get him alone tonight. If I was brave enough to defy Lil.
A slow smile stretched across her face. “You have a thing for Adam.” Her eyes glittered.
“No.” Avoiding her stare, I pretended to adjust my bikini top.
“You do!” She pounced. “Ella! Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because there’s nothing to tell.”
Wrapping her arms around me from behind, she rested her head on my shoulder. “If you really like him, Ella, I’ll find someone else.”
“Seriously?” I glanced up at her reflection in the mirror, possibility swelling in my chest.
“You like him, like him?” Turning me toward her, she searched my face.
Thinking I’d glimpsed my old friend, I felt my pulse quicken. “Maybe. I like him more than any other guy I’ve met.”
“Do you think about kissing him?” She grinned. “He could be your first.”
“Dee.” I refused to answer. “I like the way he makes me feel is all.”
“Do you know how dangerous that is?” she whispered.
“Yes.”
“What does it feel like?” She sounded wistful.
“Tingly, excited… Safe. I think about him all the time…” I confided.
“Okay.” She sighed. “Quinn, check the guest list for the party tonight and tell me who besides Adam will give my numbers the biggest jump.”
“No problem, babe,” the AI replied, her voice coming from a speaker in the wall. Quinn: never leave home without her. The hotel had built-in Quinn AI that synced with guests’ home AI, and it struck me how different Dee’s Quinn sounded than mine. Even though they were the same technology, they had completely different personalities. “Adam is your soul mate, but Trent, the lead singer from Siren Seven, is a solid choice. He’s a total sweetie, too. Not to mention hot. The Networks won’t be able to handle you together. In a good way.”
“Thanks, Quinn.” Deena said, flipping her hair over her shoulder and pressing her lips into a smile. “Because you’re my best friend, Ella, I’ll back off. Have your little fantasy.”
I hugged her. “Thank you.”
Behind us, the door swung open. Kylie and Lil appeared, wearing grass skirts identical to mine. We knew our place as Deena-the-tiki-goddess’s hula maidens for the night.
“Let’s get this party started,” Lil said, holding out a tiny pill bottle.
“Thank God,” Deena said. “I think I’m getting used to my meds. I actually felt sad the other day.”
The three of them swallowed the pills, and, at first, I refused. My parents designed my genes to be immune to depression. I was the only girl I knew who wasn’t prescribed mood-enhancing drugs. But, remembering my goal to talk to Adam, I thought they might help keep me from chickening out, so I took some, too.
Setting our Life Streams to live, we linked arms and headed outside. The hotel grounds were ablaze with fiery torches. Four shirtless guys appeared to carry Deena into the party on a grass throne.
While Deena got situated, we walked through a virtual jungle, strutting like runway models across a suspension bridge over the lagoon that surrounded the already-packed dance floor. Beneath a thatched tent, dozens of bodies writhed to music so loud the bass thumped in my chest. Or maybe it was the pills I was feeling. I wasn’t sure.
“I’m glad she only hired male help for the party—no sexy waitresses to compete with.” Lil laughed as we entered the oasis, eyeing a shirtless waiter carrying an appetizer tray.
“Leave it to Deena,” I said, already bored with the conversation.
“Her mom did a great job designing this,” Kylie said. “I can almost feel the trade winds.”
I pretended to take interest in the tropical flower chains dangling over the dance floor, in the private tiki huts overflowing with pillows and candles, while scanning the crowd until I spotted him. Standing alone next to a bar, he was perfectly at ease in board shorts and a puka-shell necklace, coconut in hand. Giving in to the fuzzy warmth seeping through my veins, I detangled myself from the girls’ arms.
“Where are you going?” Kylie called as I retreated.
“To get a drink,” I replied over my shoulder.
“You’re getting a drink,” Lil said, calling my bluff.
“I’m feeling adventurous tonight.” I shrugged.
She glanced over my shoulder in Adam’s direction. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she said. “Or that I would do.”
I didn’t miss the glint in her eye, but I kept going. Normally I would have been afraid, but tonight was different. A breeze tickled my arm, tugging at my skin, urging me forward. I couldn’t wait to talk to him.
“Hi.” Switching off my live feed, I stopped in front of Adam. Fire licked his skin, casting him in red. “Having fun?”
Taking me in, he smiled. “Ella. It’s been way too long since I’ve had you alone.”
Loving my name on his lips, I inched closer. “Agreed. It’s time we fix that, don’t you think?”
“Absolutely. You’re stunning. It’s not fair to the birthday girl.”
My cheeks flushed.
Just then, Siren Seven took the stage, the drummer pounding out an intoxicating beat. A spotlight illuminated the suspension bridge, and, in a burst of flames, Deena appeared, the perfect Polynesian pinup, aloft on her grass throne, waving to her guests.
“I’m not sure about that.” I chewed my lip, watching her.
“I am.” He leaned in, his breath tickling my ear. “Do you want to go somewhere quieter?”
“I’d love to.” My skin prickled with hot excitement, my blood rushing in my veins. Maybe it was the pills or maybe it was Adam, but for the first time maybe ever, I felt alive.
Grabbing two coconuts, he handed me one and laced his fingers through mine, sending a shiver all the way to my toes. We walked down a little path to the edge of the property.
“How do you know where you’re going?” I asked, simultaneously aware of his broad shoulders and Deena being helped off her throne by Trent. Trent kissed her hand, and her megawatt smile proved she’d found her new prey. Relieved that Adam was all mine, I gazed up at his profile.
“I always scope out my surroundings—you never know when you’re going to need a quick exit. It’s habit.”
“Why is it habit?” I inched closer to him.
“When I was a kid, I got trapped in the storeroom at a surf shop. I was checking out some old boards, and they didn’t know I was in there—they locked me in all night. It was terrifying. So now I always have an exit strategy. I think that’s why I like the water so much—there’s always somewhere to swim.”
“Unless you get trapped under the water.” I cringed.
“You can always go up,” he replied.
We arrived at the pool, which was thankfully empty. Keeping his fingers wound with mine, he pulled me down onto an orange double-wide chaise longue. Leaning back, we sipped our coconuts. The frozen concoction was alternatingly sweet and tart and went down way too easily.
“The sky is so big,” he said, gesturing at the mass of glittering stars overhead. They weren’t real, but they were mesmerizing. The hotel grounds were encased in a climate-controlled augmented glass dome, so AMPs weren’t required. “It makes you feel small, doesn’t it?
Makes you wonder what we’re here for?”
“I wonder what the point of all this made-up Influence is all the time,” I said. “We’re here to…pretend? Sometimes I think we’re in a simulation. Maybe we’re all pawns in someone’s twisted game and we’ll be forced to fight to the death.” I closed my mouth. The coconut concoction was talking.
“That’s dark, Ella.” He laughed. “Do you know what I think?”
“No.”
“Even if it’s all a game, you’re never trapped. You just need an exit strategy.” The corner of his mouth curved up in a half smile, and he nudged me with his elbow.
“I hope you’re not planning to exit yet,” I said. “We just got here.”
“Oh no. I’m not going anywhere.” His smile widened. “What I’m trying to say is, you’re in control.”
I glanced at him, unable to squelch the glimmer of hope that shined through me. “I wish.”
“It’s true.”
I turned to face him in full. “How do you know?”
“I’m here with you, aren’t I?” He searched my face. “We’ve found a secret way to connect even with everyone watching.”
Genuine happiness jolted through me, and I couldn’t contain my smile. “Thank you for the notes. They’re the only thing in my life I look forward to.”
“I think they’re fun, too. And your riddles keep me on my toes. I never would have guessed that behind this pretty face you were so brainy.” He ran his thumb over my cheek. “You’re deceptive. I like it.”
Staring into his depths, I felt possibility pulse in my chest. “I like sharing a secret with you.”
His hand moved behind my ear, his fingers winding into my hair, and a moment—or maybe a lifetime—passed. I couldn’t be sure because all I knew was him. His energy wrapped around me, cradled and protected me, and I was in awe.
“What you did for Sam…” I whispered.
“Shhhh…” His fingers moved to my lips, silencing me. “Let’s not talk about that. She’s disappeared from the Index. Nobody knows where she is, and I think it’s better that way. Let her be forgotten.”
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