Chapter 5

When the last period of school was over, I was more frustrated than I’d ever been in my entire life. I knew I couldn’t tell anyone what I’d done with the whole drug-deal thing, because I wasn’t sure how ART would respond. After all, I’d acted without orders. As for telling Kara about them...she would be bound to report it to ART, as was her duty. I didn’t think I could convince her not to.

One thing’s certain, my gym clothes need to be washed, I thought, shaking my head.

I left the classroom, Arianna close on my heels. As we walked down the hallways in silence, I found myself wishing that I knew what to say. I liked Arianna, I really did, but I had no clue how to express that or be her friend. Sure, I’d had friends at ART’s training school, but we’d grown up together, trained together, pranked and been pranked together...

Arianna was new, and she was different. In a good way, I think.

“You okay?” she asked.

“What? Yeah.”

“Thinkin’ deep thoughts, huh?” She laughed.

“After math and biology? Not likely.”

We weaved through the groups of boys and girls, funneling through the doors and out front. The sun was glaringly bright, and Arianna pulled a pair of monochrome aviators from who knows where.

“I need a pair of those,” I said.

Cocking her head to the side, she considered the shape of my face. “Yeah, with a high ponytail or messy bun...”

“Buns don’t stay in for me,” I objected.

“Yeah, that’s why you just say it’s messy, and then it’s okay that it’s like, you know, halfway down your shoulders.”

I burst out laughing. “It’s not that bad!”

Ax joined us then, backpack slung over his shoulder. “Ari, you look ridiculous with those glasses. Oh, hi, Dani.” He flashed me a killer grin.

Arianna pulled the sunglasses down until they rested on the tip of her nose. Glaring at him over the rims, she said, “Excuze me?!”

Ax rolled his eyes before boarding the bus. We followed. He sat down next to two other guys, and I continued my trek to the back, where a seat was open. I sat down next to the black-haired girl who was already in the row, and Arianna sat down next to me.

She leaned forward and looked across me at the girl. “Brittany, right?”

Sullenly, the girl nodded. “Yeah.”

“I like your hair; where do you get it cut?”

Brittany self-consciously touched the edges of her hair that came to a strong jawline. “I cut it myself.”

“Really?”

As Arianna and Brittany continued to talk, I observed how she asked Brittany questions about herself, showed interest, made eye contact... I filed it all away for later.

The bus stopped in front of the long, gravel drive that led to the house where I was staying with Kara. I grabbed my backpack from where it had been resting on the floor between my feet, and squeezed past Arianna.

“See you tomorrow!” she called.

“Yeah, c’ya!” I said, smiling.

Walking up the gravel drive, little clouds of dust rising with each step, I was shocked by the thought that I actually wanted to see Arianna again.

“Dani!” Kara interrupted my thoughts.

She was standing on the front porch, the door wide open behind her. A huge boxer stood beside her, tongue hanging out, tail wagging. When I got closer, its muscles tensed and it started to com running towards me. Just as it pushed off with its hind legs, Kara lunged forward, latching onto the collar around his neck. The dog instantly dropped to a sitting position, and Kara, off balance, tipped forwards.

“Who’s dog is that?” I asked, stifling a laugh. (I mean, I have to live with the lady. I can’t afford to make her mad.)

“Our watchdog,” she growled, righting herself. “ART insists we have him for quote on quote, ‘security reasons.’ This dog is a hazard, not a help.”

The dog looked indignant--if that’s possible--and then I did laugh. When I got to the porch, I crouched down and stroked his head, scratching behind his ears. He liked my face in response.

“He’s cute. What’s his name?”

“Barf.” Kara spat the name out like she wanted to strangle someone.

Not wanting that person to be me, I didn’t say anything. I stood up and walked inside, leaving the door open behind me.

Ascending the stairs to my bedroom, I heard her unsuccessfully trying to keep the dog outside. Every time she tried to shut the door, he’d throw his full body weight against it, sending the door flying open...and Kara across the room.

I had too much to think about to laugh or watch, and I probably should have helped. But she’d deal with it eventually.

I set my backpack on the desk in the corner. Then I pulled my laptop out, plugged it in, and sat down, fingers hovering over the keys. I needed to know why I was here, who I was supposed to be meeting... Yet, if I got caught, the consequences would be insurmountable.

To some extent, ART would be pleased. Pleased with my skills and abilities, but probably not about the fact that they were on the receiving end of them.

Ahhh! This is stupid! Just do it!

But still, my fingers were suspended there, unmoving.

My thoughts flew to my friends back at ART, then to Kara, to Arianna, Ax, the drug deal I’d seen, the drugs now wrapped up in my smelly gym shirt, the phone conversation I’d had...

I started typing.

Hacking in real life doesn’t quite match up to hacking in the movies. For one thing, you don’t type nearly as fast. I mean, if you’re like, superhumanly accurate and fast when it comes to typing, I’m sure you could. But I’m not, so I can’t.

As the minutes slipped away like water dripping from a leaky faucet, I grew increasingly irritated. ART's firewall was no laughing matter, and my confidence in my abilities was seriously starting to flag.

I barely refrained from screaming, and instead shoved the laptop back, pushed back from the table, and kicked the bedpost.

Big mistake there.

Pain made my toes go numb before radiating well up to my knee. I sucked in a breath, gritting my teeth and cursing my own stupidity.

"Is your homework almost done? We're eating in thirty!" Kara called.

"Not yet!" My reply came out harsher than I intended due to the circumstances.

"Well, get it done!"

Although I couldn't see her face, Kara's hard, blue eyes had to be narrowed and those thick black brows pulled together. And as usual, she'd be scowling.

Now, to be fair, I have basically put her through hell, humiliating her in front of ART execs with my reckless behavior and all-around disregard for their rules and commands. Maybe that was the real reason I hadn't given her the drugs. Just one more embarrassment, one more failure added to the growing list. I mean, I'd never thought what it would be like if I was having to deal with a stubborn teenage girl like myself.

I wasn't going to apologize. That thought was just ridiculous.

Glaring at the laptop, I hobbled over on foot back to the desk. I sat down, shoved the electronic device back, and tried to concentrate on science.

Thirty minutes later, all of my subjects but math were done. (I don't really struggle with the other subjects.) I eyed the math book, wondering if I could squeeze in a few problems before dinner. But, prompt as ever, Kara called me down to the table.

"Be right there!" I called, focusing on the tab I had up on the laptop's screen.

The strings of commands and coding I'd typed sat there, glaring at me, and the little dash blinking on, off, on, off was driving me to insanity. Resisting the urge to sit down and keep hacking--well, trying to, anyway--I exed the tab out. That wasn't something I wanted to explain.

The delicious, homey smell of pizza hit me as I descended the stairs. Entering the dining room, I saw a huge slice of pepperoni pizza sitting on a plate at my spot. Kara's expression remained oh-so-Kara as I shot her a puzzled glance.

She's strict about everything--training, schooling, my diet... I eat chicken, fish, vegetables, fruits, and whole wheat bread. Not sweets, not fast food, and certainly not pizza.

"Pizza?" I asked. This had only happened once or twice before. Once, when Kara first became my handler, and then a year later to celebrate the "anniversary." But never since. And who could blame her? I wasn't necessarily worth celebrating.

She shrugged, indifference on her face. "I thought we should do something special for your first day of school, but I was busy. So I had time tonight, so I thought, 'Why not?' "

I couldn't help but gawk. I mean, c'mon, this was Kara--Kara McGinty--we were talking about.

But it wasn't like I was going to wait around for her to change her mind. So I promptly took a huge bite of that cheesy goodness, chewing slowly and savoring every bite.

Well, before I devoured the entire thing in four more bites. Then I grabbed two more slices off the baking stone on the oven.

Shock settled on every feature of my handler's face.

"You act like you've never had pizza before."

Between bites, I said, "I basically haven't."

Then the strangest thing happened.

Kara--get this--looked guilty. Guilty!

Suddenly, I don't know why, this weird feeling settled in my chest. The words came out before I could stop them.

"Thanks for...for the pizza."

I just thanked her for the pizza. But those words, that apology, run so much deeper. I couldn't drag my eyes away from hers, and I was frozen, half-eaten slice halfway to my mouth.

"Your welcome, Dani." She held my gaze for one more moment before looking away.

I took another bite of pizza, but it suddenly tasted like cardboard. The once delicious grease was making me sick, and I the slice back down on my plate.

"I'm full. I'm going to go finish up my math."

I knew I should have offered to clean the dishes, or vacuum, but I didn't. I couldn't. I was so confused about what had happened between us, and I just needed time to think. Kara must have understood, because she nodded without a word.

I retreated to my bedroom and stared at my math homework. It was like trying to read Greek. At least you can use Google translate to understand Greek, but you can't translate math!

Over an hour later, I was done, and staring at the dark laptop screen again. It was just so irritating. ART's firewall couldn't be impregnable; if I tried long enough, I'd eventually break through...right?

Problem is, I didn't have that time with school now.

I wracked my brain for a solution for who knows how long. Then Kara asked me to walk "that creature", and I complied.

Taking a walk with Barf down the street helped clear my head and calm me. Unfortunately, it didn't help me figure out a solution.

"Goodnight, poochie," I cooed, shutting him in his kennel by the back door.

He whimpered, and I tossed him a treat before covering the kennel up. I laughed as Kara walked by, an expression of disgust fixed on her face.

"He doesn't do us much good in a kennel, you know."

"He won't do us much good out of the kennel, either. He'd make friends with a serial killer in a heartbeat."

"Whatever," I laughed.

Back in my room, I got ready for bed. The clock read ten by the time I was sprawled out beneath the sheets. It took me a while, but eventually, my eyes shut and my mind drifted over the events of the day...

...Viruses!

The thought jerked me out of my trance-like sleep, and I stared at myself in the mirror opposite my bed. My own reflection creeped me out, and, not wanting to look at it anymore, I grabbed a blanket, climbed out of bed, and threw it over the mirror. On my first attempt, it slid right back down, but on the third attempt, I tucked it around the corners until it stayed.

That taken care of, I stepped back and returned to my previous thought. Viruses.

The one class I aced was on creating computer viruses. If I create something to look for a weakness in the firewall, collect data, information...

The official beginning of the next day found me modifying the coding for an old virus I'd made for an assignment. I was done by one, and I shut the lid of my laptop.

Sliding under the covers, exhaustion overcame me. And while I slept, the program continued to do its work.