“No!” Rylin shouted, clenching her hands, feeling sick. “I won’t do it, okay?”
V shrugged. “I don’t care one way or another. But it’s my final offer, take it or leave it, Myers. Now get the hell out of here.” He muttered something under his breath and the school’s security alarm went off.
Rylin stood there in stunned bewilderment. But V had already taken off, ducking through a gate she hadn’t seen on the far side of the playground. An instant later Rylin’s reflexes kicked in and she was running through the gate, sprinting headlong down the empty length of Maple Street. V was nowhere to be seen. Rylin kept running, so fast that she tripped over her own feet and fell forward, skidding angrily along the unforgiving pavement. But she picked herself back up and hurried on, adrenaline dulling the pain in her hands and knees, not daring to stop until she turned onto the main avenue.
Finally Rylin bent down and examined her knees. They were badly skinned, and blood was smeared on her palms where she’d fallen. Taking a deep, ragged breath, she started the long trip home.
AVERY
“I’VE GOT IT!” Avery called out, when the entrance comm buzzed later that night. Not that her parents were the type of people who answered their own door. But she wanted to give Watt a moment to collect himself before he met them, since they’d all be sharing a hover to the University Club. Atlas had already left to pick up Leda, which Avery was trying not to think about.
“Watt!” she said, flinging open the front door, and paused at the sight of him in his new tux. The elegant satin clung to his frame, making him seem taller than he really was; highlighting the strong, clean lines of his nose and jaw and the burnished brown of his skin. “It looks great on you,” she said, her heart beating unexpectedly faster. “The tux, I mean.”
“It was fun shopping for it.” It was fun, wasn’t it? Avery thought. “I got you something, by the way.” Watt cleared his throat and held out a small velvet box.
“Oh, you didn’t have to …” Avery trailed off as she opened the box. Inside was a miniature incandescent, one of the genetically engineered flowers that attracted light the way magnets attract metal. Already it was drawing some of the light from the room toward it, taking on a sort of ghostly glow, though it generated none of the light itself. Incandescents were funny; they’d become much cheaper since they were first bred decades ago, because they only lasted a few hours before dying. But they were truly beautiful if you caught them in the one night they bloomed.
“I know you hate cuttings,” Watt was saying, “but I couldn’t help it, I’ve been wanting to get you one of these ever since that night at Bubble Lounge.”
“It’s beautiful. Thank you,” Avery breathed. The actual bud was tiny, smaller than her fingernail, and was now positively glowing with a soft golden light. She tucked it into her updo, behind her ear. It went perfectly with her gown, which was long and slinky and covered in tiny pieces of mirror. She’d loved the delicious irony of it, that when people tried to look at her, they’d be forced to look at themselves instead.
“Is this the famous Watt?” Avery’s mom called out from the entryway. “Come in! We’ve heard so much about you!”
I mentioned him once. Avery flushed with embarrassment as she led Watt inside.
“Watt, it’s wonderful to finally meet you.” Elizabeth held out a hand, enormous diamond rings glittering on every finger.
Watt shook it, undeterred. “Thank you. You look lovely tonight, Mrs. Fuller.” To Avery’s surprise, he winked—quickly, but with just the right amount of flirtation to make Avery’s mom melt a little. How had he known to use that little trick?
“Now tell me,” Avery’s mom asked, a new warmth in her voice, “because Avery refuses to. How did you two meet?”
“We ran into each other at an Augmented Reality game. Of course, after I saw Avery I couldn’t really focus on the game,” Watt said. “So I pestered her and sent her flowers until she agreed to go out with me.”
“Yes, well, Avery’s always been stubborn.” Pierson Fuller strode briskly into the room. “You must be Watt,” he said, and gave his hand a firm shake. “Have a seat. Can I get you something? Wine? Scotch?”
“Dad, we’re already late.” Avery glanced over at Watt, but he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself.
“Oh, I think we have time for one drink, don’t you?” he asked mischievously.
“Exactly.” Her dad stepped behind the bar and began sorting through the monogrammed crystal decanters. “Besides, they might have age scanners at the club, you never know. This could be the only drink you get tonight.”
“Not at the University Club.” Elizabeth stepped forward, the skirts of her dress giving a little swish as she walked. “Wine for me, Pierson.”
“They’re cracking down everywhere these days.” Pierson poured drinks into prechilled glasses and passed them around, then settled on the sofa. “So, Watt, tell me about yourself. Where do you go to school?”
“I go to Jefferson High, actually, on the 240th floor.” Watt said it confidently, unashamed. Avery found herself feeling oddly proud of him. To her relief, her parents just nodded, as if it were normal for boys to come two miles upstairs to go on dates with Avery.
“That’s a charter school, isn’t it?” Pierson asked.
“It is,” Watt said, and Avery shot her dad a curious stare. How did he know that?
Her dad nodded. “I have a few properties in that neighborhood. One’s at the corner of Seventeenth and Freedmore, the building with the bank inside …”
Avery stifled a groan and met Watt’s eyes, but he just grinned at her and took a sip of his Scotch. Up in her hair, the incandescent glowed like a living lightbulb.
* * *
Avery linked her arm in Watt’s as they stood at the entrance to the University Club ballroom. The massive dark-wood room was decorated all in tones of blue and silver; even the columns seemed to be entirely covered by a blue-and-white profusion of flowers. Curving bars dotted the corners of the room, and along the far wall, a dance floor had been set up. The room was dim, but Avery could still see the vibrant colors of all the dresses, which seemed even richer alongside the stark black of the tuxedos. “You’re terrible,” she hissed at Watt, and led him forward into the crowd.
“It’s not my fault your parents like me,” he replied innocently, and Avery couldn’t help smiling at that. He held out a hand. “Wanna dance?”
“Yes,” she said eagerly, wondering how Watt could tell what she’d been thinking. It was still a little early to be on the dance floor. But Avery had always preferred dancing to socializing at these things. People tended to flock around her, bombard her with small talk, shoot glances at her from across the room. Even now she could see them studying her dress, whispering to one another about the new boy she’d brought. The dance floor was the only place she ever got any peace.
As they moved through the crowds, Avery saw that pretty much everyone was here. There was Risha, standing with Ming at the bar; and Jess with her boyfriend, Patrick; and her parents’ friends the McClendons, who gave her a little wave. She knew why Eris was missing, but where was Cord? He and Brice were actually members in their own right, even though they were technically too young—the Club had bent the rules for them, since their parents were so beloved—but Avery didn’t see either of the Anderton boys around. She’d been sort of hoping Cord would show, just so she could find out what girl he’d broken up with Eris for.
They stepped onto the dance floor, and Watt reached for her arms to give her a perfect spin. He moved lightly and easily on his feet. “You’re a great dancer,” Avery said over the music, and felt immediately guilty for sounding so surprised.
“I had those shoes when we were younger. You know the ones that danced on their own, pulling you along for the ride?”