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Noin the universe as certain as the sun rising in the east and people kicking the bucket when they got old: Bryson would keep ga He loved it, lived for it And since Michael and Sarah knew all of his favorite games, they knehere to look And how to do it without anyone ever knowing They’d never had a by cheating was as fun as not playing at all

But now things were different, and luckily they knew the prograames as well as he did Because they all had the sah just the thought of it made Michael’s heart hurt Too many memories

"I miss this place," Sarah said when they started "I haven’t played since the Path"

Michael didn’t respond; he was officially in the duround, the two of the it all in code, searching for the i about fifty-three strict rules and regulations, not to ood test of whether their new identities would protect them As Michael scanned the ht that so far, so good Except for thatthem But they’d know if and when Kaine did the sahai Tokyo New Africa The Antarctic Waste Old Vegas Duluth All the hot spots No sign at all Not even a trace of Bryson having visited the regular places recently

Sarah squeezed Michael’s hand, all the signal he needed, and soon they were sitting in the tree house again, swirling code for back into trees and sky

"If he’s not in Lifeblood, you knohat thatHe knows soreed "But there’s no way he’s staying out of the Sleep We just need to look in his … shadier locations"

Michael al a slew of escapades The kicker was an i chased by seven s He’d never admitted exactly what he’d done

"So where to, then?" Michael asked, glad to see Sarah had a hint of a smile on her face He didn’t have a rational reason to think it, but her parents’ getting kidnapped didn’t see out that technically he’d never had any to begin with

"How about The Lair of the Spider Queen?" she suggested

Michael rolled his eyes The Spider Queen had always been a target for Bryson And he had yet to get so ood a place as any," Michael said

They closed their eyes and dove back in

It took three hours, but they found hiaames where you could lose your life in ridiculous situations and have a good laugh at the same time It was a sick world