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Sarah’sworried "Maybe you should co to sound polite

"I’m sorry," Michael blurted out "I’m sorry--I’m just nervous Sarah is one of my best friends in the Sleep--I mean, in the VirtNet, and we’ve never met in the Wake before I wanted to surprise her with a visit, and instead I knocked on your door and made you think I was a stalker I’m sorry Could you just tell her that Michael’s here? Mike the Spike? Please?" He smiled aardly

The won at first, but then her face lit up with a senuine

"Please?" Michael repeated, trying to show all the hu, he thought, hter

"Co the door open wide "We’ve heardhter has wanted to meet you in person for years, but we didn’t expect such a … surprise" Another warm smile "My name is Nancy"

Michael almost wished he had a hat--he felt like he’d take it off and wring it in his hands as he ti out of an old black-and-white He settled for nodding and keeping his eyes low He didn’t want to screw up this one chance

Nancy closed the door behind him, then stepped to the other side of the hallhich stretched toward the kitchen Michael was pretty sure he’d heard her engage the lock--or maybe it was an automatic mechanism

"Gerard, you can come out now!" Nancy yelled "It’s just a friend of Sarah’s!"

A side door along the hallung open, creaking on its hinges Aa s it directly at Michael

"Let’s go have a seat, then," the man said

Michael sat in thehia hiun aas not actually an option It was a truly terrible idea The situation was so bizarre it felt like he was in the VirtNet But in this case, a gunshot to the chestdo-over He concentrated on just sitting still and

Sarah’s parents--were they really her parents?--sat across froun on his knee so that its barrel still pointed at Michael At Michael’s face, actually: he could see the perfectly round black hole, a dark passageway to certain death His chest felt tight as he took a breath of air

The sweet sain vanished

"Did I … uh … do so helped; it made him feel braver

"Sarah will be home soon," Nancy replied "Don’t you worry yourself over that"

"Just tell us who you are" Gerard fully calun "We have to be extra careful these days, you see"

Extra careful? Michael took a deep breath "I’m exactly who I said I am My name is Michael If I could have just five minutes with Sarah, I could prove it easily We’ve never nize me at first But we’ve been best friends for years Us and another guy nalance, then looked back at Michael