Page 1 (1/2)

1

It’s too da her over my mouth, and wipe a feflakes from my lashes Then I slam my boot down on my electric skateboard The board is old and used, like everything else I own, its blue paint almost entirely scraped off to reveal cheap silver plastic underneath--but it’s not dead yet, and when I pushht, rainbow-dyed hair whips across my face

"Hey!" a driver yells as I lance over h his open"You alnore him Usually, I’m a nicer person than this--or, at least, I would have shouted an apology But this , I’d woken up to a yellow paper taped to the door of est font you can iine

72 HOURS TO PAY OR VACATE

Translation: I’et my hands on 3,450, I’ll be homeless and in the streets by the end of the week

That’d put a da froray, turning grayer, and in a few hours this flurry of snoill become a steady fall Cars ja from here all the way to Times Square The occasional scream of a traffic controller’s whistle sounds above the chaos The air is thick with the smell of exhaust, and steam billows from an open vent nearby People swar home from school are easy to spot, their backpacks and fat headphones dotting the crowds

Technically, I should be one of thee But I started skipping classes after Dad died, and I dropped out entirely several years ago (Okay, fine--technically, I was expelled But I swear I would’ve quit anyway More on that later)

I look down at o, I had gotten the following text e:

New York Police Department ALERT!

Arrest warrant out for Martin Hamer

Payment 5,000

The police are so busy these days with the increasing crime in the streets that they don’t have time to hunt for petty criminals on their own--petty cri on Warcross, stealing s to fund his bets So, about once a week, the cops send out a e like this, a promise to pay anyone who can catch the criminal in question

That’s where I come in I’ to capture Martin Hamer before another hunter can

Anyone who’s ever fallen on hard times will understand the nearly constant streah my mind A month’s rent in the worst apartment in New York: 1,150 A month’s food: 180 Electricity and internet: 150 Boxes of macaroni, ramen, and Spam left in my pantry: 4 And so on On top of that, I owe 3,450 in unpaid rent, and 6,000 in credit card debt

The number of dollars left in e worries about I should be freaking out over exa up on time

But I haven’t exactly had a norest bounty in ht as well be all the money in the world So, for the last two days, I’ve done nothing but track this guy I’ve lost four bounties in a row thisto be in real trouble

Tourists always clogging up the streets, I think as a detour forces et stuck behind a cluster of auto-taxis jammed at a pedestrian ay I lean back onbackward As I go, I glance down at o, I’d succeeded in hacking into the main directory of Warcross players in New York and synced it all up to my phone’s maps It’s not hard, not if you remember that everyone in the world is connected in so You worm your way into one account, then branch out to their friends, then their friends, and eventually, you’re able to track the location of any player in New York City Now I’ve finally et’s physical location, but , with an antique battery that’s on its last legs It keeps trying to sleep in order to save energy, and the screen is so dark I can barely see anything

"Wake up," Iat the pixels