“You were lucky to get that bonus,” Charlie said. “If I’d been a little quicker on the draw, it would have been mine.”
The woman and the child turned the corner and disappeared. Josh looked at Charlie, who was now lying on her back on her bed, her head hanging over the side. “Sorry,” Josh said. “I didn’t mean to steal it.”
“It’s okay,” said Charlie. “I’m just teasing. You played a great game. It wouldn’t surprise me if clients started betting on you.”
Josh felt a swell of pride at the thought that after only a couple of games he might be one of the favorite players.
“That’s what you really want,” said Charlie, sitting up. “Then, on top of bonuses, you get a bigger cut. Scrawl gets something like twenty percent of everything people bet on him.”
Josh whistled. “That’s impressive,” he said.
“I’m up to ten percent,” Charlie informed him. “I bet you’ll be there soon. Clatter likes you.”
Josh turned around. “I’m having a blast,” he said. “Thanks again for recruiting me.”
“Thank you,” Charlie said. “Clatter was so impressed by your game that he gave me a bonus for finding you.”
Josh gave her a stern look. “And you’re not giving me half?” he said, pretending to be angry.
Charlie laughed. “No way,” she said. “That’s one eighth of a mechaspider. It’s all mine. Besides,” she added, “I told you about Z. You can consider that your bonus.”
“That stuff is intense,” he said.
“It’s great, isn’t it?” Charlie said. “Wait until you try playing a game while you’re on it. It’s like you and the z’s are connected. You find them a lot faster.”
Josh cleared his throat. “Where can I get some?” he asked, trying to sound casual.
Charlie sat up. “You’re in luck,” she said. “I think I can spare a couple.” She got up and went to her dresser, returning with the silver vial. Unscrewing the lid, she poured half a dozen tablets into her hand, which she held out toward Josh.
Josh walked over to her and reached for the pills. As his fingers came near them, Charlie made a fist, hiding the Z from him. “I didn’t say they were free,” she said.
Josh looked at her. “How much?” he asked.
Charlie’s dark eyes sparkled. “It’ll cost you a kiss,” she said.
Josh hesitated. Was she kidding? He looked at her closed fist, then back at her face. She was staring him straight in the eye, not blinking. Slowly he leaned toward her. He saw her close her eyes and open her mouth. His lips touched hers. Her mouth was soft. He kissed her quickly and pulled away.
Charlie opened her eyes and lifted one eyebrow. “I think that was worth one,” she said. She opened her fist and handed Josh one pill. “How many more do you want?”
Josh kissed her again. This time he lingered longer. He felt her arms go around him, the fist holding the Z pressing against his back.
When he finally pulled away, Josh felt himself blushing. Charlie smiled. “Okay,” she said. “I think that one is good for the rest of these.” She tucked the Z into his hand and closed his fingers over the pills.
“Um, I don’t want you to think that these are the only reason I did that,” Josh told her as he put them in his pocket.
“Oh, I know,” Charlie said. “I figured you just needed a little incentive.”
Josh looked down. “Okay, then,” he said, not knowing what else to say.
“Besides, now Bess owes me twenty bucks,” Charlie said.
Josh looked up. “She bet you I wouldn’t kiss you?” he said.
“It was a sucker bet,” said Charlie. “I knew you’d do it.”
Josh didn’t know whether to laugh or be offended. “I can’t believe you bet on me!” he said.
“I said I knew you would do it,” Charlie reminded him. “It wasn’t much of a bet. Come on. Let’s get something to eat.”
They went down the stairs. But as they entered the second-floor workspace, Charlie suddenly stopped. A man was standing in the middle of the room, a welding torch in his hand. He turned and looked at them, and Josh saw that one half of his face was badly burned. The skin there was thickly scarred, and his eye was missing.
“Dad,” Charlie said.
The man’s eye moved to Josh, then back to his daughter. “Who’s he?” he asked.
Charlie didn’t answer. She seemed to be frozen.
“Josh,” Josh said. “It’s nice to meet you.”
The man grunted in reply.
“I didn’t hear you come in,” Charlie said quietly.
“Is he one of your Torcher friends?” her father asked.
Charlie shook her head. “We have a class together,” she said. “We were just doing homework.”
Her father looked at Josh again but didn’t say anything. He turned back to the sculpture he was working on and began welding a piece of metal to one of the outstretched arms. A hand had formed, and he was adding a finger to it.
“Let’s go,” Charlie whispered to Josh. They skirted the room, avoiding her father, and went downstairs.
“I’m sorry about that,” Charlie said when they were out on the street. The rain had slowed to a drizzle, and they walked through the puddles left behind.
“It’s okay,” Josh assured her. “He seems…” He looked for a word to finish his sentence.
“You don’t have to say anything,” said Charlie.
Josh reached out and took her hand, and she let him. “What happened to him?” he asked.
He felt Charlie stiffen.
“He got bit,” she said.
“By a z?” Josh asked, shocked.
“Yeah,” Charlie replied.
“Then shouldn’t he be—”
“Dead,” Charlie said. “Yeah. He should be. But when he was bit, he torched himself. He burned the bite.”
Josh couldn’t believe it. “He burned his own face?” he asked.
“It killed the virus before it could infect him,” Charlie said. “They weren’t sure that it had really worked, so they kept him in quarantine for six months. When he didn’t show any signs of turning, they let him out.”
Josh tried to imagine what it would be like to torch his own face. There was no way he could do it.
“That’s why he doesn’t want me playing the game,” said Charlie.
“He knows about—” Josh began.
“No,” Charlie interrupted him. “Not about the real game. He thinks I only play the hologame. If he knew about the real game, I don’t know what he would do.”
“Well, I think I can handle being your study buddy,” Josh joked.
They walked in silence for a minute. Then Charlie spoke. “I told you my mother was dead,” Charlie said. “That’s not true. She couldn’t handle it when my father came home. They fought all the time and finally she left. I don’t know where she is.”
“But how could she leave you behind?” Josh asked before he could stop himself. “I mean… sorry.”
“It wasn’t all her fault,” Charlie said. “My dad was really angry. Violent. But he was never bad to me,” she added. “Never. My mother said I was the only one who could take care of him.”
“And you don’t know where she is?”
“No. It’s better this way,” Charlie answered.
Josh wanted to ask her how it could possibly be better, but he didn’t.
“I’m sorry I lied to you,” Charlie said. “About my family being normal. Remember, I told you we were the only ones on the team with boring stories.”
Josh chuckled. “Oh yeah,” he said.
He saw a tear slip from Charlie’s eye.
“Don’t start crying on me,” he said.
“I’m not crying,” Charlie objected. “It’s the rain.”
“Okay, then,” said Josh. “Because I’m pretty sure that’s the Seventh Rule of Torching: No crying.”