“Doesn’t need to be complicated,” Teddy said. “Maybe you can ask your other minion? He’s supposed to be lucky, right?”

“Alea Iacta?” Emily asked. “Why would I try calling him? I don’t even have his number.”

“Doesn’t the internet have people’s numbers? And you could try calling him because he had a great costume. It was all fancy-like.”

Emily rolled the idea around. “I’ll think on it,” she said. She had other things to look forward to. Class in the morning and then . . . and then maybe starting to act in the afternoon. She didn’t have forever to wait until Homie started rooting around that drive.

She sighed. Her life had been simple, once.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Teddy’s Adventure in Costume-Finding

Teddy woke up from a nice restful sleep to the sound of the Boss’s sock-clad feet thumping around. She peeked out of one eye and followed the Boss around with her gaze as the older girl moved around the room and packed a few things away in her backpack.

“Boss?” Teddy asked.

Emily paused, turning toward Teddy so fast that the towel wrapped in a big bun over her head swayed wildly. “Teddy? You’re awake?”

Teddy shrugged. She hadn’t decided on that yet. “What’re you doing, Boss?”

“I’m getting ready for class. I have a history lecture this morning.” The Boss gestured to some books, which were different from the books she usually carried around in her backpack. “I have another class right after. I should be back by about one?”

Teddy nodded and started to rebury herself, when the guilt of not helping started to gnaw at her. “Need help?”

“I’m okay,” the Boss said. “Thanks.”

“All right,” Teddy said.

“And I don’t think you’d be the best suited to help me with other things,” the Boss muttered.

Teddy’s ears twitched at that. “What other things?”

Emily froze, her face taking on a weird shade of red. Was she angry that Teddy had asked? “Ah. I meant stuff like the Homie thing. And finding a costume and . . . all that.”

“Oh. Villain stuff,” Teddy said.

“Yeah, that.”

Teddy nestled back into her mattress and vaguely paid attention to the way the Boss was moving about in a hurry. Was the Boss late? That was unlikely. She probably wanted to arrive early to check the place out for any capitalist or Heroic traps.

“I’m off,” the Boss said.

“Okay, Boss. Have fun,” Teddy said with only one big yawn in the middle.

The door opened, the door shut, and the Boss was gone. Teddy also left as she sank back into a deep sleep.

Teddy awoke some time later, a bit of niggling worry working its way around her tummy unpleasantly. What had the Boss meant when she said that Teddy couldn’t help her with her stuff? Did she mean that Teddy wasn’t suited to being a Villain?