by LJ Byrne
Two? “Darcy!” I nearly strangle her as I turn beet red.
My cousin’s evil girlfriend laughs as she drags me in. Ethan closes the door firmly, grabbing the rose from my hand and throwing it in the trash. Ryder’s face darkens at the action.
“What the hell are you doing here, Ryder?” Ethan doesn’t beat around the bush.
Faking innocence, Ryder says, “Your mom invited us.”
“After the things you and Ingrid have done to Mira, you are not welcome here!” Ethan gets right into Ryder’s face. The younger boy doesn’t flinch. “Sorry, Connor, but your cousin is a Grade A asshole!”
“No arguments here,” Connor says glibly, ignoring Ryder’s scowl. Connor walks over to me. “You look beautiful.” He stares at my legs but then does a slow perusal of me that causes me to blush.
Immediately, I think of Celeste. This is not good, but before I can respond, Ethan points at Ryder and says, “You and Ingrid have undermined my reign at RBA every single day. It stops now, or God help me, I will throw you out of this house.”
Ryder grows cold. “Get your hand out of my face.”
“Make me!”
Darcy grabs Ethan’s arm and Connor holds Ryder back. “Stop this! You’re acting like little kids!” Darcy snaps, and her sharp tone makes both guys pause.
I sit down, shaking my head. I miss my quiet dinners with Mom. This is way too much drama. Life with Mom was fun. And uneventful.
Darcy swears, releasing Ethan and coming over to me. “It’s okay. Just ignore these big babies. They’re too busy trying to figure out who’s a bigger ass.”
“A truce,” Ryder says suddenly. “At least, for now.” Connor frowns at his cousin in surprise.
Ethan tries to relax but not before he gives Ryder a final glare. “Fine. Mira, sorry. I just hate assholes.” He smooths his suit. “Dad’s probably home by now.”
In the dining room, I’m seated in between Ryder and Connor. Darcy and Ethan are across from me, both trying to be supportive while feeling my pain. At least Connor is easy to talk to, but I’m nervous about seeming too friendly. I don’t want to lead him on.
“Any thoughts about college yet?” Uncle Robert asks Ryder while the dinner dishes are cleared.
“Robert!” Aunt Erika admonishes.
But Ryder merely smiles. “I’ve given some thought to it, sir. What about you, Ethan? What are you doing?” There’s a coldness to the question like he’s relishing the moment Ethan leaves RBA.
Before Ethan can respond, Aunt Erika says, “Mira, you hardly touched dinner.”
I glance guiltily at my plate. I’d moved the veggies around, but I could barely taste the food. Ryder pipes up. “We’ll do our best to make sure she eats at school. She’s incredibly studious and sometimes forgets.” Connor flashes his cousin another frown.
Uncle Robert simply agrees. “She’s got a good head on her, our Mira. She might even have a knack for programming. She’s asked me some great questions.”
I start coughing to cover my nervous laughter and Connor thumps my back as my eyes water. “You okay?” he asks in concern and I wave him off, not trusting myself to speak. Ryder’s hands clench under the table as Connor rubs my back. Awkward.
Desserts are plated and I nervously wait as everyone takes their first bite. I even manage to spoon a bit into my mouth.
“Oh, God,” Darcy moans, closing her eyes. “This is so good, Mira. Seriously, I would make this every day if I knew how.”
Ethan chuckles. “With that kind of reaction, I hope Mira does make it every day for you, Darcy.”
I expect Darcy to be mortified, but she just laughs and both Aunt Erika and Uncle Robert laugh along. Maybe I’m too uptight, but Darcy clearly has won Aunt Erika over, and my aunt seems unfazed by the clear intimacy between her and Ethan.
“You made this?” Ryder asks to my left, astonishment evident in his blue eyes.
“Mom and I used to cook and bake a lot,” I whisper, staring at my plate.
“Gwennie was like that,” Aunt Erika adds fondly. “Wherever we went, she was deconstructing dishes left and right.”
“Sounds like you and your mom were pretty close,” Connor says, and I hear the slight envy. I wonder what it’s like to be forgotten by your parents and sent away.
I take a sip of water. “We were. We did a lot together. We were best friends. She was – everything to me.” My voice hitches a little. I clear my throat nervously. “She came to every event, every art show, every parent-teacher conference.” I see Aunt Erika wipe a tear.
There’s a brief silence at the table. I’m afraid that everyone’s looking at me with my depressing comments. Ryder asks far too kindly, “What is your favorite memory of her?”
This is, by far, the nicest words Ryder’s said to me, and when Connor tenses to my right, I wonder where the curiosity stems from. I think for a moment. “Right before Christmas last year, Mom won these basketball tickets at a raffle.” My eyes close as I remember. “I’d never been to a basketball game before, and Mom thought it’d be a great way to celebrate my birthday. We got hot dogs and drank way too much soda. And then, during halftime, the camera focused on me and my name flashed on the screen. The crowd sang to me, and I just remember Mom being ecstatic about it.” I bite my lip, looking at everyone.
Aunt Erika has a misty smile on her face. Both Ethan and Darcy listen with respectful affection. Uncle Robert is gently sympathetic, while Connor squeezes my hand before releasing it. But it’s Ryder’s expression that I find strange. He’s incredibly still, his eyes distant and unfocused. When he realizes I’m looking at him, he starts a little.
“Halloween is next week,” Aunt Erika changes the subject. “I presume RBA is having its usual party.”
Don’t think about what you used to do with Mom, I tell myself. Of course, RBA doesn’t do anything normally. Their on-campus party is a mask ball. While some of the guys do dress up in costumes, the party is really an excuse to wear fancy dresses and outfits.
Darcy and Ethan engage with Aunt Erika about Halloween, and I filter their voices out while I try to stop the tears that want to flow. Even though I’m not paying attention to him, I have this strange feeling that Ryder is acutely aware of me. The thought makes me uneasy.
Uncle Robert’s phone buzzes and he checks his messages with a frown. Sighing, he stands up. “Well, I hate to be the party pooper. Ethan, I leave you in charge of hosting abilities.” He gives me a weary smile. “We’re dealing with a bit of an issue. Some new threat hitting banks.”
My eyes widen when my phone buzzes with a Discord notification. I stand up to check Discord and see that Ne0 has been trying to reach me.
My uncle is halfway out of the dining room when he mumbles, “Bot causing DDoS.”
Denial of service. I want to see the code. “Um, Kitty from my old school needs me to call her.” I need to see the code. I don’t care if I look crazy when I flee the room. I open my laptop and connect with Ne0Ranger21. He already knows about it – several major institutions have been hit hard. (I wonder what this guy does for a living – I swear he’s online all the time.) He sends me samples of the code to confirm my suspicions.
I tell Ne0 that it looks like a modified version of a program called Kallisto. Some hackers post their code just to show off. Some hackers take that code and weaponize it. In my mind, I see the code come apart into functioning parts. I know how to cripple it.
In certain circles, we compete against each other. Arch4ngel101 has a reputation. Ne0Ranger21 has one too. We form teams and go after each other: Red versus Blue Teams. It’s like role-playing games but with code instead of characters. Although we run them for fun and to show off, the competitions give us insight into the hacker behind the name. The way this code is mashed together, it reeks of RatGh0st.
When I send the fix to Ne0, he promises to disseminate it for me. This is what I do. I play behind the scenes whenever possible. Programmers know I exist, but the only one truly close to me is Ne0Ranger21.
Here’s the thing. When I run the code in my protected simulation, and then launch the fix, a script runs. This message flashes back: Don’t chase the rabbit down the hole. It’s nice to be noticed.
I exhale sharply. Whoever launched this knew we’d find a fix. Ne0Ranger21 sees the same thing. He pings me, insisting we should talk later. I agree before closing my laptop. It sounds almost like a warning, and I have this nagging suspicion that it may be aimed at me. RatGh0st knows me and Ne0 by reputation. We’ve been in the same chat rooms. Is he trying to communicate something to us?
I rejoin Ethan and the others in the living room. It doesn’t surprise me that Ryder and Connor are still here, but I am surprised that no one is fighting. Darcy’s stern expression makes me think she lectured them into submission.
“That was one hell of a break,” Darcy mutters. No one else comments about my odd exit from the dining room.
“Sorry, you know, issues,” I lie, wincing as I wait for lightning to strike. Ryder and Ethan are in deep conversation, but they’re not arguing so that’s progress. I wish I could hear what they’re talking about especially since Ryder and Ethan look my way a few times.
Connor waits until Darcy steps away to talk to me. “Mira, it isn’t unusual for students to show up at the Halloween party with a date,” he begins.
Could this night get any worse? My mind is still scattered. From where my cousin stands, I see Ryder’s eyes widen briefly. He looks worried.
“Would you go with me?” Connor asks quickly, his blue-gray eyes on my face and his breathing rapid. He’s nervous.
I try to hide my feeling of horror. Crap. Crap. Celeste romantically likes him. I like Connor, too, but as a friend. No matter how lonely I feel, it would be wrong to try and find comfort with Connor when I don’t feel that way about him. “Like as your date?” When he nods, I close my eyes briefly. “Connor, we’re friends, right?”
The flash of pain tells me that Connor expected a different reaction. “You like me, but you don’t like like me,” he states heavily.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “You’re super kind and super sweet.” Ugh. I think I made it worse. I just friend-zoned him. I twist my hands. “Please don’t be mad.”
Connor averts his gaze for a minute. “I’m not. Disappointed? Yes. Maybe a whole host of other emotions.”
“I could still use a really good friend,” I say back to him. Yeah, I’m making this worse.
He smiles at me sadly, but the awkwardness opens a chasm I don’t want between us. “For you? Always.”
This will go down as one of the most uncomfortable nights of my life; at least I stopped some malware thingy. It’s only a matter of time before authorities track down who sent it, and if it is RatGh0st, then it will be one less bad guy out there.
Connor awkwardly leaves to join Ethan and Ryder. Darcy wanders over with a knowing look. “I’m guessing from Connor’s sad face and your freaked-out expression that he asked you out and you said no,” Darcy says very quietly, linking her arm through mine and walking me towards the veranda. We don’t head outside, but it gives us some semblance of privacy. “He’s a nice kid. If it’d been Ryder, Ethan would have tossed him out before he had a chance to ask.” We both look at the three boys now talking. When Ryder meets my eyes, I quickly avert my gaze.
I make a derisive sound in my throat. “Ryder wouldn’t touch me with a pole,” I scoff, “and I don’t think he’s ever asked for anything in his life.”
Darcy makes a face. “Fair enough. Besides, Ingrid’s all over him. She truly is revolting. Did I ever tell you that she tried to hit on Ethan last year?” We shudder. “Ethan literally threw her off him when she sat on his lap. Then Erin chewed Ingrid out.” Darcy pushes her chestnut hair back. “Erin hounded Ethan, too. She was furious when Ethan asked me out.”
I’m surprised by that. Erin has always been nice to me.
“Don’t be fooled by her,” Darcy warns, reading me correctly. “Erin is old school – she truly expected Ethan to start something with her when they both became Royals. I had no idea that Ethan even noticed me when we were sophomores. But the head Royal at the time was a supreme asshole. Ethan knew I’d be targeted if he made a move, so he waited until he had the clout. It was gutsy. Erin and Ethan had a huge argument.”
“But she accepted you and Ethan after a while?”
Darcy twists her lips. “Sort of. Nate and Xander supported Ethan last year. They have sway as Court members. You never met her, but Sarah was a fellow Royal who graduated last year. She never liked Erin and she sided with Ethan. It’s all weird and crazy, but Ethan had enough support to make it difficult for Erin. Eventually, Erin realized it wasn’t worth the fight. I mean, would you want to ‘date’ a guy who wasn’t into you?” Darcy makes quote signs around the word date. “Erin is generally okay to deal with, but she only pretends to accept things as they are. She’s as bad as Ingrid. If she senses an opening, she’ll come down hard. Be careful with her.”
“We’ve probably over-extended our stay, Ryder,” Connor says, and guilt gnaws at me. Darcy squeezes Ethan’s arm as if to say I’ll explain later, and I wonder if I’m supposed to follow everyone out or if it’s polite to run to my room and hide.
The decision is taken out of my hands. “We’ll see you all at school on Monday,” Darcy says, communicating to Ethan with a look.
Ryder’s eyes narrow as if he’s contemplating whether or not to accept this brush off, but Connor doesn’t bother to wait. Ethan walks the two boys out, and Darcy turns to me. “You and I are going to the kitchen to eat more of that apple dessert. And I’m going to make you eat every bite while we talk.”
It’s a shame Erin is technically the Royals’ Queen. Darcy would be so much better at it.
000111
When I forayed into the world of hackers and darknets and networks, I attracted the attention of a certain individual – likely because I was fourteen at the time and doing things major companies couldn’t. Ne0Ranger21 and I know him as RReagan, and, as a sign of his creativity, his actual name is Ron Reagan. He works for the FBI’s Cyber Division. Let’s just say one online conversation led to another. We’ve helped him with some tiny jobs.
The Monday after the disastrous dinner, I receive a message from RReagan. He wants to talk, which means he’ll probably be using a burner phone. Or maybe I’ll be the one using a burner phone. Regardless, it sounds so secretive that I feel like I should buy shades and ride in a black Range Rover. I puzzle over his request all day until Ryder corners me right before English class.
“Are you going to the Halloween party?” he asks without much explanation.
The short answer is maybe. The long answer is that I’m undecided, but I have a feeling I’ll be strong-armed by Celeste, Brittany, and Darcy. Since Darcy and Ethan will be showing up dressed as a king and queen, Brittany wants us to dress up as princesses. Celeste is worried that will make Erin, Judy, and Elaine angry. Anyway, I give Ryder the short answer. “Maybe.”
For some reason, that makes him frown. “Connor asked you, didn’t he? The other night.” Ryder doesn’t wait for me to answer. “But you turned him down. Why? He’s rich. Wealthy enough to make your life pretty luxurious.”
My brows rise. “What are you talking about?”
“Connor. He’ll inherit quite a bit of money. Why wouldn’t you agree to date him? He wants you.”
The way Ryder speaks makes me think he believes this is a normal conversation. “Why would I want to know if he’ll inherit anything?”
For a moment, the strange tension in his face disappears, replaced by an earnestness that seems foreign on Ryder. “You’re not interested in Connor? Not even for his money?”
My mouth opens in horror. “That’s a really awful thing to say,” I finally whisper. “Not everyone is so obsessed with money.”
Ryder laughs harshly. “Everyone is obsessed with money. Anyone can be bought. Even you.”
I blink. This is probably the longest conversation
I’ve had with Ryder, but it isn’t one I’m anxious to extend. “That’s a sad way to think about the world,” I say very quietly. “I intend to make my way into the world, not live off some trust fund or inheritance. You know, I’d give anything to see my mom again. Money will never take that pain away.”
We stare at each other in silence. I’m about to leave when Ryder says, “Are you sure about that?” He reaches out and grabs my right hand that is curled into a fist. Like an idiot, I watch him coax my hand to relax and find myself blushing at the contact. “I hope you come to the party, Mira.” Our eyes meet again as he smiles faintly. He releases my hand and leaves.
I’m starting to think that some of the students at RBA suffer from personality disorders.
Whatever Ethan does to force the Court and the Royals to settle makes a difference. Or at least, I think it does. Arthur and Cage still leer at me, but they do it at a distance. Erin remains benign. Judy and Elaine ignore me. Ingrid and Victoria continue to give me withering looks, but they are silent. I take a moment to consider Ingrid. She hates me and I find the concept odd and unsettling. Is it just because of the whole Old vs. New money issue? When she attacked me in the locker room, I can’t forget how angry she was.
I don’t have a degree in psychology, but that kind of anger doesn’t seem normal to me. I ponder this in the library as I start the research process for my English paper. We’re writing a paper on Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, which isn’t that difficult of a process. Just thirty years ago, it was considered an important literary work to analyze due to its dark imagery and themes. But the book itself is controversial. Its depiction of the horrors of colonization is often lost by overanalyzing the psychological meaning of the novel. It’s characterizations of the people of Africa – making them savage and uncivilized – leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I get the stirrings of my paper as I sit and think about the hate Ingrid blasts my way, and the way Conrad depicts the oppressed populations in Africa as his book’s protagonist searches for the wayward Mr. Kurtz. Both are formed by prejudicial beliefs.
