Game Over

Chapter 64





BACK AT THE Fujiya Hotel, the gang—Mom, Dad, Pork Chop, Dana, Emma, Willy, Joe, and the Murkamis—did their best to comfort me, and they did manage to lift my spirits a degree or two. I attribute most of it to watching Joe chow down on the eleven-course meal he’d ordered from room service. Let’s just say it’s a good thing I didn’t have trouble diverting funds from GC’s corporate holdings into my credit card account, or I’d have been faced with doing a couple years’ worth of dishes when the room bill came due.

My family had put up holograms of my friends and Alpar Nokian relatives, including my grandmother, Blaleen; Chordata the elephant; Uncle Kraffleprog; and my cousin Lylah. But, unlike the Gathering Day party, the mood was respectfully subdued.

Dana was the first one to take me aside. She led me out to the balcony.

“Promise me Number 1’s not out there this time,” I said.

“I can’t speak for your imagination, but we just did a sweep of the hotel grounds. It’s safe.”

It was a beautiful day up in the mountains. The cherry trees were still blooming, and the breeze carried the scent of the proud cedars that dominated the craggy terrain.

“You going to be okay, Daniel?” asked Dana, sliding the door closed behind us.

I nodded and rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand, vainly hoping to forestall tears.

“It’s tough losing friends, isn’t it?”

I nodded again and sucked in a big lungful of cool mountain air.

“You’re too young to have been through so much,” she said, taking my hand.

“Yeah,” I agreed, still blotting my eyes and trying to smile. “Definitely stops being character building after a while.”

“You have so much strength, Daniel. Nothing will ever stop the pain of a loss like that, but you will keep getting stronger. And you will keep saving lives—good lives of good people, like Kildare. You know that, don’t you?”

I shrugged.

“Remember, we’re still just teenagers. We have most of our lives ahead of us. And that’s a lot.”

The door slid open behind me, and Dana let go of my hand.

“Come on inside, you two,” said Mom. “The Murkamis are leaving, and we need to say good-bye.”