Elusion(60)

I block out the bellowing car horns and turn right onto the sidewalk, my sneakers sloshing through puddles filled with reflections of the national chain stores’ gleaming lights. The businesses out here are open twenty-four hours because Standard 7 schedules keep many customers away until late at night, so even in this weather I have to dodge crowds of people with enormous shopping bags.

When I finally reach the eCafé’s automatic glass door, I close my umbrella and go inside, where droves of motionless customers are sprawled out on couches and oversize love seats, their eyes hidden behind dark Equip visors. There are also a few surly security guards surveying the room from their prospective posts, making sure that no one can take advantage of the patrons.

I take off my O2 and put it into my bag, then pull out my tab, turning it on so I can look up the Elusion code Josh sent me a couple of hours ago. I shut the device off before I left for Orexis—I just wanted to tune out the world at that point—so when the screen lights up, there are some new texts. Two more from Josh, pleading with me to meet him at the Mount Arvon Escape; three anxious ones from Mom, wondering where I am; five from Zoe, gossiping about Anthony; and a single note from Patrick, telling me he went home to his apartment.

I let out a small sigh of relief. If Avery had somehow broken through the encrypted files on the QuTap and released that information (along with my name) to the press, I’d certainly have heard that from Patrick or Zoe by now. So all I have to do is find out why Josh gave it to her in the first place, and how he could do something that treacherous behind my back. The good thing about meeting him in Elusion is that both our defenses will be down—he’ll be much more likely to be honest with me, and I won’t be too angry to listen to him.

The bad thing is that I might be risking my life.

I try not to think about that as I scroll back to Josh’s message and open it. Then I find an empty table and spill the contents of my bag onto it, hoping that I remembered to throw my Equip in my bag this morning, in the off chance Josh and I had to go somewhere private during the day and Escape again.

But the only piece I have is my wristband. I look at my tab—the clock reads 9:48 p.m. My heart skips as I glance around for anyone who might be Reawakening—maybe I could borrow a visor and earbuds from someone. But there’s not a single soul here who isn’t connected to his or her Equip, temporarily incapacitated. With the guards watching me, there is no way I can wander up to one of them and check out how much time is left on the wristband.

As soon as I sweep all my belongings back into my bag, a girl with long brown hair and a pink puffer jacket strolls out of the bathroom, the wires from her Equip earbuds dangling outside her designer messenger bag.

“Excuse me,” I say, stepping in front of the girl, blocking her path.

“What?” she scowls.

I clear my throat, already embarrassed. “I know this may sound a little weird, but . . . can I borrow your Equip for a little while?”

“I’m leaving,” the girl replies, attempting to step around me.

“Wait!” I move to the right, cutting her off. “It’s kind of an emergency.”

“Kind of an emergency?” She sneers. “I’ve got somewhere to be, so, you know, kind of get out of my way.”


“Please!” I open my bag and pull out my passcard. “I’ll give you a hundred credits for twenty minutes.”

The girl raises an eyebrow, as though she’s considering it. She even glances at her watch, which gives me hope.

“I’ll do it for three hundred,” she demands.

She’s totally fleecing me here, and I would try to negotiate more if I wasn’t in such a jam. I’m about to agree, when I realize that there’s another problem. “I only have two hundred in my account,” I blurt out. “But I’ll transfer the rest to you as soon as I can.”

It’s pretty clear that I’m begging, and from the way the girl’s lips are puckering, she actually seems disgusted by my desperation.

“You should, like, check yourself into a program or something,” the girl snaps as she brushes past me and out the automatic door.

I hang my head low, humiliated.

“You’re not an E-fiend, are you?” a voice says from behind me.

I spin around to see a bald middle-aged man standing behind a white Formica counter, wearing a green barista apron. Apparently he saw the whole sorry display.

“I don’t think so,” I say. But at the moment I’m feeling so desperate to get into Elusion and meet up with Josh, I can’t help but wonder: Is this how it feels to be an addict?

“Did you hear? Someone might be in a coma because of that stupid contraption.”

“I know. But I really need—”

“A nice cup of hot coffee?” the man says, grinning hopefully.

“I wish that could help.” I walk toward him and sit on one of the counter stools.

“You look like you’re about to jump out of your skin.”

“Someone is there, waiting for me. I need to talk to him.”

“Your boyfriend?”

I have no idea what Josh is to me right now, but I find myself nodding before I can make sense of my thoughts.

The man motions over my shoulder toward the back of the room.

“Listen, my coworker just took his break. He left his Equip in the staff room. You could use it for a little while if you wanted,” he offers.