Ha, like I was going to give Dane a cat’s-eye view into my bedroom.
He must’ve been so pissed when he realized I’d had Jacksalot deactivate the spyware in the phone he gave back to me that wasn’t even my real phone since the scuffs on it were all wrong.
Still, it was a very pretty machine with a new VR headset too. Plus high-end gaming gloves with built-in lithium batteries.
So I set up the system in my room and texted with Swann—nothing incriminating because she’d managed to convince Dane’s people that shewasjust a fabulous fashionista—until Mr. Morales dropped Mom off after her therapy.
He was just “a friend” she insisted to me and to him.
Mr. M leveraged that “friendship” into helping her out a little here and there, but I caught the twinkle in his eyes and had answered him with a conspiratorial smirk and a nod. My blessing.
Mom and I chatted for a while about the cold case show we were binging this week. As I debated the latest serial killer, she rummaged in her bag and pulled out a pamphlet for ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.
“Tempe is still in the Phoenix area, for your information,” she told me.
Dane had told me to stick around.
“Yeah, I know.” I whined a little. Our new normal was very similar to our old normal—her haranguing me about school. About my future. My dream.
She loved me lots.
“They accepted you before,” she said. “They might still accept you into their program now.”
“I’ll think about it.” I wouldn’t though. I was changed. Different, inside and out. I wanted something else. I wanted to fly.
At midnight, I booted up Legendelirium.
BuggyBear was getting slaughtered by bog gnomes, so I jumped into the fight. Unfortunately, my new EldWitch was weak as fuck, so I was immediately swamped.
“Need a real sword up in here?”
I groaned. Jacob had been practically haunting me ever since Dane’s people released him. They’d shut down his civil rights complaints, claiming he’d been swatted and that he needed to stop gaming with the wrong people. Whatever.
“Quit fucking around, Jackhole, and kill these bitey little bastards.”
Together, we defeated the gnomes, but Buggy was mortally wounded, and while we watched, he took his last breaths.
“Remember me,” he groaned. “But I got a big test next week so probably not till after that.”
After he faded, SirLancelot and I divvied up his leftovers.
“Not much here,” Jacob said. “You might as well keep it all, WeeWitch.”
I grunted, half annoyance, half thanks. “Need all the coins I can get.”
“Can’t help noticing you’re clocking faster tonight.”
“New machine of dubious origins.”
“Want me to take a look?” He understood what I meant.
I hesitated. “Nah. It’s all good.”
See, Dane? Just like I told you. Back to good old Mo. Nothing to see here. This is fine.
SirLancelot and my EldWitch slammed through a mini quest and we split the spoils before I logged off. My phone pinged.
Riddled with spyware, Jacob told me.
