“It’s not a problem.” Reed placed a hand on top of hers.
Ari froze and stared at his hand. The touch sent a warmth through her body, settling in her stomach. It went beyond comfort to something else entirely. She fought the romantic notions that threatened to carry her away.
Their gazes met, speaking more than either could have said, and he took his hand away. “Ari, really, it’s not a problem. I’m glad you came. I can have it fixed in the hour.”
“Me too,” she said softly.
Reed sat up stiff in his chair and his fingers flew over the keyboard. “What is this?”
“What?”
“This can’t be.”
Frustrated at his lack of communication, Ari leaned forward to look at the screen. “What can’t be?”
“Your key logger. The person recording your every stroke you make ...”
“What?”
“Nothing.” He quickly closed the computer and stood up.
“That wasn’t nothing.”
He grabbed her hand and pulled her out into the hall.
“What is going on, Reed? Is this all Garrett?”
He shut the door behind them. They stood inches apart as she searched his face for an answer.
“It’s not Garrett?” She waited for the answer.
He glanced down the hall. “It’s the school.”
“The school?”
“Yes. I knew they watched our online access, but they normally don’t watch individual students.”
“Why would the school be watching me? Maybe because of my grades?” Her thoughts traveled to Advisor Williams who had been coming to her classes and keeping a close eye on her, and all of a sudden it didn’t sound so farfetched. What worried her was Reed coming out in the hall to talk, and how he whispered only inches away from her.
Worry creased his brow. “Not sure. I can’t remove it without alerting them though. You need to be careful of what you do online or even say. I’m not sure how far they went.”
A cold chill traveled up her spine, and she tried to rub her arms for warmth. “This can’t be real. Why would they bother?”
He shrugged. “I’ll ask around, but until we have more answers, please be careful.”
She nodded and glanced down the hall, realizing she’d never feel comfortable at school again.
CHAPTER 15
Ari spent the next two weeks focused on her school work, memorizing code, learning about art design and so much more. On her weekly chats with her mother, she almost admitted that she enjoyed the program, except she couldn’t. Not with the school watching her every step. She tried to ignore it, but the idea of someone spying on her set her on edge. It forced her to be more determined to finish the program. Two more years felt like forever.
As midterms approached, Tessa and Ari spent hours studying, surfacing only to eat and shower. With two days left until her tests, Ari thought her brain might explode.
“Do you want anything to drink?” Ari stood, trying to stretch out the massive kink in her back.
Tessa let out a sound that was half moan, half yes, then clicked off her computer. “I need a break. I think I’m going to break out the chocolate stash in my closet. We deserve it.”
“I won’t argue.” Ari stood and grabbed a couple of drinks from their fridge. She handed one to Tessa and plopped down on her own bed.
Tessa tossed a package to her, brownies. Ari’s mouth watered as she set the timer. Less than a minute for steamy fresh brownies. Her mouth watered in the wait.
Tessa took a long drink. “Are you going to The Grid this weekend?”
“No.” Most of the campus had been planning parties after midterm tests. The city was a popular tourist spot, often catering to the students. Ari didn’t have the money to go and was still trying to figure out what happened to the cryptos she lost. The bank said they were looking into it.
“Want to come with me?”
“Sorry, no money.”
“My parents own a condo there. It wouldn’t cost a thing,” Tessa offered.
Ari stalled, knowing that there would be other expenditures besides housing on the trip. Before she could reply, someone knocked on the door. Ari and Tessa looked at each other.
“I provided the chocolate.” Tessa pointed out.
Ari stood and pressed the code to open the door.
Marco leaned against the door frame with wet hair and his goofy grin pasted on. “Miss me?”
Ari rolled her eyes but couldn’t help her smile. “Come on in.”
“What are you gals up to?”
“Not much.”
Marco turned his attention to Tessa. “This must be the famous roommate, Tessa. Nice to finally meet you. How’s it been living with my sister?” He pasted on a huge grin as he sat on the edge of her desk.
Ari knew Tessa wasn’t his type, but that fact was irrelevant to Marco, who acted like it was his duty to flirt with all of Ari’s friends.
“I’m trying to convince Ari to go to The Grid with me for the weekend,” Tessa said.
“The Grid, huh? Not bad. You might have fun there.” He paused for a moment then turned to Ari, “Is that the problem, fun?”
Ari glared back at him. “I have fun.”
“Yeah, but do you like it?”
Ari grabbed a nearby throw pillow and threw it at him. He caught it easily.
“You could come.” Tessa offered. “My parents own a condo there.”
Ari turned to look at her roommate in surprise. This wasn’t like Tessa. It had taken more than a week for her to offer to eat with Ari.
“Anyone else coming? Or can I invite a few friends?”
“No, Marco. You’re not throwing a huge party at someone else’s condo.” Ari wasn’t going to let him take advantage of her roommate.
“Not a huge party. Just a few friends. Reed, and a couple guys from our dorm. We’ll be out most of the time anyway. Just need a place to crash.”
Ari began to protest again, but Tessa spoke over her. “Sure. Why not? I haven’t pissed off my dad yet this semester.” Tessa’s eyes glimmered with the excitement.
This wasn’t going to end well.
“Great.” Marco clapped his hands together and pushed up off Ari’s bed. “I have to go. Ari, walk me out.”
“You just got here.”
“I have loads of studying. Exams, you know. See you this weekend, Tessa.” Marco nodded in her direction and headed out the door.
Ari followed. Before they reached the elevator, Marco turned to her. “Ari, I need to borrow some money.”
I shouldn’t be surprised. She let out a long breath. This wasn’t the first time he’d borrowed money. “No.”
“Only eighty cryptos.”
“Why?”
“I owe someone, okay? Please, I know you have it.”
“How can you be so horrible with money?” Ari had already lost two hundred cryptos and wasn’t going to part with more.
They both had worked part-time jobs on and off since they were twelve. And while Ari was usually fine through the year, Marco couldn’t even make it to Christmas. He said it made for better homemade Christmas presents, but Ari had a dark feeling about where the money went.
“Please, Ari. I really need it.”
Ari paused, realizing his jovial face had fallen into something serious, almost anxious.
The elevator dinged, and two boys exited.
Marco held the elevator open with one hand. “Please?”
Her resolve crumbled. “Here’s twenty bucks and get a job.”
Marco leaned in for a quick kiss on her cheek. “I have one, remember”
She doubted after Marco’s fight with Garrett that things were going well with their underground VR ventures. “Try a legal one.”
Marco smiled, the desperation gone from his countenance. “Now where’s the fun in that?” he asked as the doors closed on him. Ari couldn’t help but worry about him, and she found it frustrating. He was the older brother, and she wishe
d he would start acting like it.
Building up to midterms, her nerves were harder to deal with than her tests. She fell asleep in front of her computer too many times to count, and flashes of code mixed with her dreams. Fortunately, her studying paid off. She turned in her assignments on time and flew through most of tests with no problems. When Ari walked into Dr. Coleman’s VR class, Advisor Williams sat near the back of the classroom, next to Dr. Coleman’s desk. She swallowed and nodded at his steely gaze. Suddenly, Wake’s annoying glares seemed trivial. She wondered if Williams was the one behind the hack on her computer. Pressure built inside her, her chest tightening. She couldn’t afford any mistakes, especially not here.
She spent over thirty minutes in the VR, double checking every step, carefully and methodically. When she finally left the classroom, the weight on her chest lifted. She’d aced the test, or pretty close. Coleman and Williams would have nothing to complain about. She finished her last class and then spent the night with Tessa gorging on pizza and packing for their trip.
The next morning, while driving into the city, Ari began to see why everyone from school went there. It was only a couple hours from campus, and this place had everything. Unique restaurants, hotels, and clubs were squeezed into every extra inch of the city. Ari could step into a different world with every door and VR port. Pools, fountains, and even a hot air balloon promised a fun-filled weekend for whoever could afford it. Even without money, Ari was determined to enjoy it.
She tried to push Dr. Coleman, her tests, and school out of her head as Tessa pulled into a small cream colored five-story building. They left their car to park itself. An attendant came to help with the bags. With a scan of her hand and a simple code, they rode the elevator to the top floor.
“Welcome, Tessa,” a mechanical voice boomed as Tessa pushed through the front door.
“Wow.” Ari couldn’t help her open mouth as she scanned the place where she’d be for the next couple days. Her feet sank into the thick carpet and the light scent of vanilla greeted her as she took her first steps into a side of humanity she’d rarely glimpsed. Rich colors painted the walls, browns and deep reds, with chartreuse accents adorning the doorknobs and drawer pulls. The doorway opened to a room where dark leather couches surrounded a flat wall, completely made out of some sort of screen. It currently displayed a picture of a field of flowers, with a villa of some sort in the distance. Yet, it was fully loaded with sleek keypads discreetly stationed on every wall.
“First order of business, disable our trusty AI, Max.” Tessa threw her bags on the floor and headed down the hall to a control panel. “We don’t need a record of the weekend.”
“You weren’t kidding. Your dad is loaded. Is this whole wall computerized?”
“My current stepmom redid this after their honeymoon,” Tessa shrugged. She threw her large brown bag on the couch. “Tacky in my opinion.”
Ari slid into the soft couch and enjoyed the scenic view. “The couch in our dorm room will never be the same.” She didn’t want to add her thoughts about her own home which could easily fit into the entry room.
Tessa twisted her mouth in disgust, her cheeks squishing up into balls. “That’s the one I caught my dad on with his last wife.”
Ari immediately jumped up. “Really? Thanks for ruining that for me.”
“Yeah, trust me. It’s a memory I wish I could get rid of. I’m hoping we find a smoker who can burn a hole in it.”
Ari brushed her pants, though she was sure the couch would have been cleaned. She hoped.
“Hey, can your brother help me with the security system?” Tessa asked.
“Why? Are we not allowed here?”
Tessa played with the interface in the wall. “Relax. I have the code and everything. But my dad is jealous and a bit neurotic, so I’m sure they have some digital record of us coming in and out that I can’t even find. He’s on his fourth wife and never seems to be able to trust one of them.”
“I’m sure Marco can do it when he shows up tonight, or if Reed comes, he could do it too.”
“Oh, right, Reed,” Tessa smiled. “You may want to sleep in the room with the Jacuzzi in it.”
“What? I don’t need a bed. Well, in fact I do, but not in the way you are thinking.”
Tessa laughed at her. “Whatever. Let’s get dressed. You can raid my stepmom’s closet. You’re about her size.”
“I’m fine in what I have.” The idea of wearing other people’s clothes didn’t sit well, especially after the mental image with the couch.
“Come on. You’ll see.” Tessa lips curled into a smug smile.
Ari knew rich people lived in a different world but knowing and seeing were two different things. Tessa’s stepmother had over sixty pairs of shoes in a vacation rental. Ari counted them. The wardrobe was about the same. Shirts, dresses, and pants hung tightly together in every color, shape, and style that she could imagine.
Ari walked through the closet, touching the different textures. Even though it was an excess, part of her loved all the different colors and fabrics. All of her life, she had worn hand-me-downs or homemade clothing. There was no need for her colored dyes or pens in this closet. A large grin grew on her face at all the choices before her. “How can she even wear all of these?”
“She doesn’t. You should see her home closet, but she comes from old money.” Tessa grabbed a black jacket off the hanger. “One of the reasons she is wife number four.”
A small black dress called to Ari. When she moved the dress, a rainbow of colors appeared. It was unlike anything she had seen before. Computerized lights were somehow constructed into the soft material. Amazing, didn’t begin to describe it. “Won’t she know if we borrow her clothes?”
“Probably not. She’d be happy if she thought I could fit into one of those dresses. She’s been pushing me to go to a cosmetic doctor before school.”
“Ouch.” Most wealthy people paid doctors to change their size, color, or pretty much anything, but Ari was surprised a stepmother would be so bold as to offer it. It was one of the things Ari liked about Tessa: she was who she was with no apologies.
Tessa shrugged on the jacket. “But I can’t ever go to a doc, for spite, you know.”
“You don’t need to anyway. Who wants to be a plastic?”
“Hurry up. We want to get first dibs on team members.” Tessa grabbed a pair of tall purple boots and headed out.
“What team members?” Ari asked a now-empty closet and realized this weekend was going to be like nothing she imagined.
The girls exited the condo, and instead of getting in Tessa’s car, Tessa lifted an arm to flag down a cab. “Parking is a nightmare, so I thought it would be better to catch a ride.” She wore a bright neon green tank top under the black jacket, which held a variety of micro drives sewn into it.
Ari decided on electronic dress that changed color with every step. She pared it with a bright blue jacket and black dress shoes that crawled up her ankles in a myriad of straps. The three-inch heels had her towering over Tessa, who was already a couple inches shorter.
As they waited outside the building, someone crept out of the shadows next to them. She was younger than Tessa and Ari. Her small frame hunched over. Before the stranger could speak, an attendant appeared.
The young man wore a stiff uniform of blue jacket and pants. “You can’t beg here.” He waved the young girl off and then turned to Tessa. “A car will be arriving shortly.”
Ari watched the girl wander off into the darkness and wondered why she wasn’t in school. Suddenly the extravagance of their outfits sickened her and made her feel guilty. Their outfits could help that girl. Soon the quiet black car pulled up in front of them, and Tessa opened the door.
“Come on, Ari,” her friend motioned her into the car.
Safely tucked in the confines of the car, Ari questioned Tessa about the girl.
“People like that used to infest the city, usually druggies or prostitutes. VR eliminated most of t
hat. She’s probably a runaway and just needs to go home.”
Ari wondered if Tessa ever saw a rundown VR center full of desperate people looking to escape and willing to do anything to do so. Granted, druggies and prostitutes were less frequent since the upstart of VRs—the government helped with that—but Ari wasn’t sure VR centers were much better.
Once they arrived at the club, Tessa paid with a swipe of her electronic bracelet.
Guilt gnawed on the corners of Ari’s mind. She hated feeling like a freeloader. “Can I help?” she asked even though this weekend would wipe out the rest of her savings.
“I put it on my family account. Don’t worry. Good old Dad is paying for this weekend.” Tessa climbed out of the cab.
For a moment, the assaulting smells and noise of the busy street gave Ari déjà vu of her time in the VR. It took a minute for her to orient herself amongst the chaos. Large buildings crammed together on the street. Hotels, clubs, and restaurants all vied for attention, with each sign bigger and brighter than the last.
They approached a dark club tucked into the corner. Instead of flashing pictures and neon lights, the black four-story building only had patterned green lights running along its name: Hooked. On closer inspection, there were numbers—binary code actually—running through the words. Old school for sure, but cool.
With a wave of Tessa’s electronic bracelet, they entered. A sheet of binary code hung in the air, and the girls walked through a cascade of code and dense fog. There was no dance floor or tables for conversation. This was for gamers. Colors of code raced in lines along the ceiling, casting eerie lights on the throngs of people inside. On one wall, an enormous bar ran the entire length and a 3D screen floated behind it. It displayed statistics of the ongoing games and upcoming tournaments. Electronic music blared overhead, not giving her a chance to talk to Tessa, so Ari followed her to the bar.
Tessa approached a couple of guys and talked to them with a familiarity that told Ari she was probably a regular here.
Looking around, Ari controlled the fear in the pit of her stomach. This was how she’d always imagined it would be like getting trapped in a virtual, like getting caught in a huge computer, yet the rational side of her brain knew she was wrong. That very moment her father was probably enjoying a cruise in his mind for the hundredth time.
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