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Philby stood near to the room’s only door, guarding the entrance. Text bubbles appeared above each of the avatars as the Kingdom Keepers began “talking.”
philitup: he’s here
mybest: about time
Maybeck’s avatar stood up and crossed to the door, meeting up with Fi
willatree: we got the message to wait, but we worried what it meant.
Fi
philitup: who?
Fi
mybest: you mean_ _ _ _ _? But the system again refused the name. where’s he been?
Fi
philitup: and?
Fi
Philby’s and Maybeck’s avatars pushed the couch to block the room’s entrance. Philby stood there, just behind the couch, while the others moved to the far side of the room. Charlene brushed her hair in the mirror. Maybeck’s avatar shot free throws at a basketball hoop on the wall.
Fi
Fi
willatree: Jez’s DHI
Fi
philitup: are you saying we can’t go to sleep?
Fi
philitup: exactly how long does he think we can stay awake?
Fi
angelface13: i’m tired right now. Charlene’s avatar finally turned away from the mirror.
mybest: this is crazy.
Fi
mybest: not to sleep.
Fi
mybest: and I’m saying that’s crazy.
philitup: so what’s the drill?
Fi
mybest: all before we go to sleep.
Fi
It was a long time before any dialogue lines appeared above any of the avatars. Finally, Willa’s avatar stepped away from the others.
willatree: if it was my sister, i’d be freaking out
angelface13: same here.
mybest: do we know they’ve got her in AK?
Fi
philitup: AK’s a big park
angelface13: i love Animal Kingdom
mybest: we can’t get in there at night without being busted, i don’t need any trouble, my aunt is using my DHI money for my college.
Fi
mybest: such as?
Fi
i’ll IM with amanda. she mentioned her sister’s diary, amanda will be part of this. Anyone have any trouble with that?
No one typed a thing.
Fi
He waited. No one came on to say they didn’t own a DS.
Fi
mybest: i’m in
philitup: me too.
willatree: likewise
angelface13: what if we can’t find jez?
Fi
Fi
12
FINN DIDN’T GET ANY great joy from sneaking out of his house at 1 AM. His parents were pretty good about giving him his privacy and space. The two things they asked in return were honesty and trust. He broke their trust by opening his second-story window and shi
He quietly walked the Hawk Tracer BMX out to the sidewalk. Then he climbed onto the bike and took off down the sidewalk. It was the most beautiful bike he’d ever owned—silver-and-black frame, monkey bars, alloy levers—and it ripped along, teasing him into trying a few tricks, such as jumping curbs and popping wheelies, which he resisted because of the dark.
He kept to the residential streets as much as possible, avoiding the busier avenues, afraid that a policeman would stop and question a kid on a bike. It was a long ride, and he settled into a rhythm of slowing at stop signs, looking in all directions for headlights, and then crossing—but never fully stopping. The residential streets were totally quiet and empty of cars. Soon he had two miles behind him. Then three. He crossed two major avenues, finding his way into Orlando’s older neighborhoods, one co
It had a tall, stained-glass window in the front, just below a squared-off steeple that showed a white angel against a blue background. Maybe it had once been a church.
He pulled the bike around back to an apron of cracked blacktop that had once been a parking lot. He locked the BMX to a metal railing and then circled the building, wondering, What now? He’d never been inside Amanda’s house before, though he assumed, from what she’d said, that she and Jez had separate bedrooms. Each ground-level window had a grid of heavy wrought-iron bars on the outside to protect against burglars; it gave Fi
A shade was pulled down blocking the first window he reached. Fi