I drop my head and Caddie touches my shoulder. Her touch is gentle, reassuring. “It’s okay, Luce. I’m alright. I’m a fighter, remember? Maybe I just need to…forget about the past for awhile. I can do that here.” This time, her eyes are sad. Lake and a boy called Josh, who can create a veil of fog, call to Caddie and she turns to them. She shoots me a smile that’s shades of her usual, ornery self, then hurries off.
I try to eat the rest of my soup, even if the contents make my stomach churn. My spoon clinks against the ceramic dish with each bite I take and with each bite, I lapse farther and farther down through my memories. Of Mom. Of Sophia. Of the pain, the regret, everything. Would things be different if we’d have known about me? About Mithos? Or would they’ve just been that much more complicated?
I nearly jump out of my skin as someone taps my shoulder. I look to see Iofiel, who plants a gentle kiss at the nape of my neck. His breath tickles the little hairs there and I go to scold him for scaring me, but the words die on my lips. He looks sad, too. “You doing okay, love?” He settles into the spot beside me, his fingers drumming out a beat on my jean-clad thigh.
I nod slowly. Sync is still trapped in my arms, her cool metal warmed by my body temperature. “Is Diesel finished with Sync’s new body?”
“Yep. She says to come to the shop whenever you guys are ready.”
I let my gaze trail down to Sync and wonder if she’s worried about the same things I am. What if the transition fails? What if her memory chip is erased and I lose her. What if we have to do a factory reboot? She wouldn’t be the same. She wouldn’t be Sync.
“I’m ready, Luce,” Sync says, breaking me out of dreamland once again.
I stand on stiff legs. Iofiel takes off at a quick clip, leading us back to the Chopshop. The bells chime as we walk inside, but Diesel’s nowhere to be found. Iofiel motions for me to follow him as he heads through an “Employees Only” door. It opens into a small room where Sync’s android body is laying on an exam table, eyes closed, hair fanned out around her head. Diesel’s bent over the shell, fiddling with wires and innards.
She looks up as the door snicks shut behind us. Her eyes meet mine for a moment, almost motherly, and then she looks at Sync. “All systems seem to be functional and free of viruses. I’m ready to perform the surgery.” Her words are teasing, but her voice is soft. “This will be a huge change and there’s no guarantee your system will be compatible. I just want you to know the risks before we get too far. Are you sure you still want this?”
Sync buzzes softly and I let her go. She floats over to the shell, looking down almost lovingly at it. “I want this more than anything else in the world.”
I fight back the burn of tears as I reach for her. She comes willingly and I hug her in my arms. I say softly, “Be brave, okay? Whatever happens, we’ll be waiting for you. I’ll see you on the other side.”
“Thank you, Luce. This really means a lot to me.”
Now the tears press harder and hotter behind my eyelids. I nod and turn away and Iofiel reaches for my hand. I squeeze his back and focus on relaxing. Everything will be fine. I’d always promised Sync a sexy android body…and her dreams are finally coming true. I should be happy, not on the verge of a breakdown. Slag emotions, always getting in the damn way.
“This might take a little while,” Diesel warns. “So why don’t you two go get something to eat and relax. I’ll bring her around when I’m done.”
“Of course. Good luck, Sync,” Iofiel says, flicking her in the antennae before leading me back out of the room. The door shuts with a resound thunk and I stop and take a steadying breath. “You okay?” He looks at me, his chocolate gaze so full of warmth and love that I can’t help but reach out and hug him. He wraps long arms around me and it doesn’t matter that one of them isn’t human or that his cyborg eye is bared to the world.
“I’m good.”
“I saw a little diner on the square earlier. Worth a try?”
I smile despite my dreary mood. “Definitely.”
Despite the fact that Harlequinn’s Diner is manned by a bunch of kids younger than me, the food smells amazing. We both have the special—a couple thick slabs of ham, mashed potatoes, and a gravy glaze.
A little girl with blonde pigtails takes our order, a pixie grin on her face. “We never have tourists in Polaris! This is so exciting!” she squeaks. “You wanna drink?”
“What do you have?” I can’t help but indulge her.
She beams and pulls out a menu card with scribbled handwriting on it. “Lemonade and fruit punch.” She pauses, her lips turning into a thoughtful expression. “We make do with what we get on supply runs, yanno!”
“Lemonade for me,” I say.
“I’ll have the same.” Iofiel smiles down at her and she turns two shades of pink, nods, and bustles off.
I can’t help but laugh. “The ladies sure do love you.” Our little waitress isn’t the first to take notice of Iofiel’s wolfishly good looks. Though the older the girls are, the warier they appear, staring openly at him and not bothering to hide their whispers behind their hands. Obviously they’ve been taught not to trust the enemy, but Iofiel doesn’t seem to be bothered by this.
“Yeah, yeah. But you know there’s only one lady for this heart.” He even does a cheesy wink.
I snort and he grins.
We eat our meal with quips back and forth that have me grinning like a banshee and in a much higher spirit than when we first sat down. When I’m done, I push my plate away and Iofiel stacks his on top. Then we drink our lemonade as fast as we can to see who wins. I do, of course.
“Leave our waitress a good tip,” I say with a little grin as I see her peeking out from behind a counter. He nods and lays down several bills on the table. We stand up and pay for our meal. Before we can head out the door, the little girl is shyly tugging on Iofiel’s shirt so we turn back around.
“You guys wanna play hide and seek later?” Her blue eyes are hopeful and excited. “New players, yanno. All the kids play, really. It’s fun!”
Iofiel and I glance to each other. Iofiel’s looking at me with a strange expression on his face and it dawns on me that as a cyberhound, he probably never really got to play much. “Let’s do it, Io. It’ll be fun.” I turn to the girl, who rocks back on her heels. “What time?”
“When the sun starts going down, we all gather in the main plaza, by the old fountain. You can’t miss it. Then we’ll play!”
As the sunset paints the sky in ruby red and sherbet orange, kids come out of the woodwork, gathering around a dilapidated old fountain with plenty of bird poop in the greenish water. The older kids hang back, watching us with quiet curiosity, but the younger ones bounce forwards.
A scuffle breaks out between two twelve-year-olds and a sandy haired guy with smiling eyes breaks them up without even touching them. One minute they’re punching each other, the next it’s like there’s an invisible barrier between them. They grumble and the older boy chuckles and says something that has them both looking my way.
Caddie races up behind us and taps my shoulder. “You guys are playing too?”
“We got a personal invitation,” Iofiel says, pointing to the pigtailed girl.
“That’s Jolee. She’s a cutie for sure! If I ever have kids, I hope they turn out like her.”
There’s a sickly honking sound and a tall girl stands on the edge of the fountain, blowing a dented trumpet at the top of her lungs. The kids settle down, but excitement buzzes across them like a wave.
“Alright, everyone, we’ve got a few new players tonight.” She points to where we stand and all heads turn to us at once. I feel eyes staring holes into every inch of my skin and I give a small wave. Caddie sticks out her tongue. Iofiel gives a thumbs up. “So let’s welcome them to the game. Hands up!”
The littler kids throw their hands up and start clapping, followed by the languid claps of their older peers. Jolee bursts from the crowd and clambers up onto the fountain, teetering for a mom
ent. The older girl steadies her, but Jolee doesn’t seem to notice.
“Okay, guys, I’m gonna count to a hundred. You know the rules.”
“What’re the rules?” I hiss to Iofiel.
“Guess we’ll find out.”
“The seeker will count to a hundred. You have the entire city of Polaris to find a spot to hide in, but there’s a crapton of kids, so finding a spot’ll probably be hard,” Caddie says and at my pointed stare, she adds, “Lake and Josh told me about it. Trumpet blares for every kid found. Plus, if you get spotted, you can run and it kind of turns into tag. If they tag you, you’re the new seeker.”
“Great.” I look down at my poor battered feet. More running. Joy of joys.
“Ready? Setttttt? GO!” Jolee squeals and it’s utter chaos. The crowd fans out, kids bolting in every direction, looking for a hiding spot. A girl shrills loudly, a sound of joy. Iofiel throws me a startled glance and I laugh and break away from him. My boots clop on the dirty pavement as I scour places big enough for me to hide. But to a little kid, this place is probably hide and seek paradise.
I skirt down an alley, hiding behind a mass of propped up wood. I’m barely able to wedge myself in there before I hear the trumpet again, signaling Jolee has started her seek. I feel a rush of childlike excitement. A couple of boys dart past, their sneakers untied. I hear Jolee’s shouts rise up.
Fallon jogs up and spies me. She brushes long hair out of her eyes. “We both must suck at hiding, huh? Give you a tip: If you keep switching hiding spots, it’ll take longer to be found. It’ll give you a chance at winning. Last person found’s the winner. Good luck, Lucy,” she says and skips away.
I take her advice to heart and head further into the little town. If I see kids running, I head in that direction, keeping my body low and my ears and eyes alert. I duck from spot to spot and the trumpet keeps announcing found kids. Must be getting close to the end of the game.
I jump as something scrabbles down the alley, an animal or something, but it spurs me to keep moving. Only then I hear something behind me—someone—and I bolt. At first I feel a trickle of excitement at being chased. Except for the person is tall and masculine and definitely not little Jolee.
And he’s not laughing.
My heart lodges in my throat as I run. My lungs burn as my arms and legs pump back and forth. I eat up the ground but he follows behind with the speed of a cheetah, his footfalls nearly silent on the pavement.
I take a sharp left, panic climbing up my spine to hold my throat hostage. What if this isn’t a game anymore? What if it’s Lylan? What if they’ve found us? My fists clench at my sides as the memory of the Wraith ambush rises to the top of my memory. My power bubbles beneath the surface, ready and willing, and I know what I have to do.
I slam on the brakes, spin on my heel, and face my attacker with my fist drawn back.
I never get the chance to lob a power ball. He’s on top of me, his weight crushing me to the ground and I open my mouth to wail a warning to Iofiel when the guy begins to laugh. I stare up at him…
And gape.
Holy freaking slag. Is this even possible?
“MaXXX?”
“The one and only, babydoll.” He flashes his trademark grin. He’s wearing beater jeans and a tight T-shirt that shows off the lean muscles in his arms. His royal blue hair is disheveled, but somehow amazingly perfect, and his eyes twinkle with amusement. “Had you going, didn’t I?”
I blink up at him, confusion clouding my earlier fear, making it muddy. Death is no longer immanent. “Aren’t you supposed to be a rock star?”
“Sure thing, sweetie. Just part time.” He winks and it somehow both annoys me and makes my heart flutter all at once.
MaXXX Starfell is the lead singer of the pop band, Elysium. I’ve seen them play so many times at Cosmo, back when they were a no-name, label-less garage band. They’re big time stuff now…but if he’s rich and famous and so damn beautiful, why is he here of all places?
“Are you a freak too?” I blurt out.
His eyes flicker from bemusement to sharp, keen interest. “Depends on who’s asking.”
Does it really matter? This is MaXXX here. I pause my babbling thought stream. Oh God, Sync will freak. “Will you come back with me? My friend is your biggest fan.” I leave out the part that she’s an android…or well, will be soon.
He waggles his eyebrows. “Anything for a couple of hot chicks. Tag, by the way.”
I slap him despite his celebrity status. “Jerk.” I push on his chest. “Get off me.”
MaXXX leaps nimbly to his feet, dusts off the knees of his jeans, and offers a hand to me. Oh, so chivalry isn’t dead among rock stars, eh? I plant my palm in his and he pulls me up, kissing my knuckles. “Did I mention you were beautiful?”
I can’t help but smirk. “My boyfriend’ll have your ass.”
He flashes another award-winning smile. “I’m not afraid.”
“You should be.”
I take off, heading back towards the fountain in the square, MaXXX at my heels. Turns out, he’s a pro at wooing the ladies, hitting on me as we walk. “Really, what does your boy-toy have that I don’t?” His voice oozes with sexuality and any normal girl would fall right into his arms with a swooning sigh.
I’ll admit, my knees are a little wobbly, but I have Iofiel.
“Lucy?” I hear Iofiel’s voice and turn to face it. My voice on his name is like being called home for dinner by my mom, in my make-believe world where I have a little sister named Ramona and a puppy who still pees on the floor. Wow, I haven’t needed that fantasy in awhile.
Iofiel pulls up short as he sees MaXXX, a question unspoken on his lips and in his eyes.
MaXXX, in turn, blinks and pales two shades past his normal milk-and-honey complexion. He takes a wary step back, those baby blue eyes wide. “Holy shit, babygirl, that’s a cyberhound.” His voice is tinged with nerves.
I can’t help myself. I sidestep over to Iofiel and wrap my hand in his cyborg one and beam up at the startled rock star. “Yep. Meet my boyfriend, Iofiel. Io, this is the one and only MaXXX Starfell, frontman of the band Elysium.”
Chapter 26:
Lucy
“Jeez, girl you nearly won the—holy crapola, who is that?” Caddie’s voice is star struck. MaXXX tears his gaze away from Iofiel’s face to look at Caddie, who’s shoving her way between us with her jaw hanging wide open. He notices and smirks. “MaXXX freaking Starfell?”
“The one and only, baby.” He waggles his eyebrows and Caddie pretends to faint. Her knees buckle and she’s going down, fast, but MaXXX is faster—he scoops her up in his arms and she gazes up at him, dazzled. “I sometimes have that effect on people.”
“I think I’m in love.”
I roll my eyes and catch Iofiel’s grin. Hormones. Lake’s old news now that she’s met MaXXX.
Jolee shouts something and runs up behind us. “Hey, you found her! Good job, Maxxie!”
I glance to the rock star, then look down at Jolee. “You know him?” And again, why would someone like him be in a place like this?
“Oh yeah, he’s one of us.” Jolee shoots me a crooked-tooth smile. “You wanna tell us a story tonight?”
“Do I ever!” MaXXX is overly enthusiastic for her benefit and it’s cute. He helps Caddie to her feet, makes sure she’s steady, then bends down to scoop Jolee up in his arms. She squeals as he tickles her, her little arms wrapped around his neck. She’s secure and confident in his arms, like they’ve been close all their lives. Hell, maybe they have. Maybe that whole rock star façade is just a mask he wears…
Kids crowd around us, bored of playing hide and seek. Most of them are chanting and clapping, their eyes shiny.
MaXXX merely beams. “Back to camp, everyone.” He plunks Jolee down. She throws us a smile over her shoulder as she leads the group back to the center of Polaris Square. There, a large fire pit’s been formed out of old bricks. The smiling boy from earlier is stacking dry wood in the ce
nter as we all sit down around him.
A little tow-headed boy places his hands on the wood and closes his eyes. His hair ripples back away from his face, heat billowing off of him. Just like Caddie, sparks float up, catching the wood. He backs away as the flames rise up slowly, licking away at the dry bark. MaXXX wraps his arm around the boy’s waist and hauls him into his lap as he settles, his back against the fire.
Then he starts his story. I lean against Iofiel, loving the warmth of his arm wrapped loosely around my waist. My head rests on his shoulder and he kisses the top of it as we listen. It starts off simple enough, but quickly turns into
“Then next thing I know, holy shit, thi—”
Josh, the fog-making guy, clears his throat. “Little ears.” He points to the kids.
MaXXX smiles, but doesn’t falter. “This huuuge black beast was staring me down. He was like a hellhound, all sleek muscle and smooth fur. His robot eye glowed an eerie red. And he was snarling in my face, close enough that I could smell his breath. I couldn’t do anything. I wanted to scream, but I fought it down.”
MaXXX is getting into it. He’s put the kid down and is pacing around the fire pit, his arms waving for emphasis as he details the chase. “I’ve never run so fast in my life. And then there’s three of the monsters, snarling at my heels, slobbering like Cerberus himself. I knew I was dead meat. But something told to stop running from my problems. To turn around and face them. So I did: I turned around and looked those three evil cyberhounds in the eye.”
“Then, kapow! I punched one as hard as I could. He yelped and ducked back and the other two rushed me. I pulled back my arm and just…I willed my powers to come and bitch-slap the beasties.”
This gives him a couple of glowers from both Josh and Lake. MaXXX goes on for several minutes, describing each move he made to fight off the pack of cyberhounds. I feel Iofiel grow uneasy beneath me, his nerves making my heart flip-flop, and I nuzzle his shoulder.
His hand cups my cheek and I curl up in his arms. I tune out the story, I tune out the kids hanging on to MaXXX’s every word, like it’s the last thing they’ll ever hear. Like they’re living the story right beside him, and maybe they are.
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