It wasn’t quite swapping spit, but it was okay. It left me more confused than ever, though.

He fell asleep again after a little while. I could tell by his breathing.

Soon dusk came around, and the Schola woke up again. Nothing else scratched at my window, and I

couldn’t tell whether I was relieved or unhappy about that.

Jealousy

CHAPTER EIGHT

I brushed my teeth again, tied my hair back, then turned the computer on once more and spent some

time poking around. It was your basic intranet with a gateway to the Internet, but the security stuff

was way more intense than it had been back at the other Schola. I had to verify three times with the

information on the sheet next to the keyboard before it even let me near the Web.

I was betting my every keystroke was logged, so I didn’t visit anything fun or informative. But I

was feeling sharper and more myself, so I poked around for more clothes. For me, this time. I’d

been so strung-out earlier I’d just gotten Graves some stuff and called it good. Now I looked back at

what I’d ordered and about slapped myself on the forehead.

Shopping while sleep-deprived is a Bad Idea.

I sat and compared prices and wondered where the Order’s money came from, while I spun the

switchblade idly on the desk sometimes and thought about what I was doing.

I’m used to shopping for myself in army surplus stores or Goodwills or something. Getting stuff

sent to you over the Net was always a big no-no while I was with Dad. All that stuff leaves a footprint, a happy little trail—and you have to pick it up somewhere; even P.O. boxes and those rent-abox places need ID of some kind. You have to go back and actually get the stuff you’ve ordered,

and when you do, whammo. There’s no better time for someone or something to hit you.

No, the Net’s only good for a few things. Research, though you have to apply the bullshit test and

cross-check everything. Scams, because you can’t spit on the Net without hitting one. And the occasional entertainment. Nothing like people making fools of themselves for the world to see.

Sometimes I wonder what Gran would have thought of the digital age. Of course, it’s hard to get

broadband down in the hollers and up on the ridges.

She probably would have just sniffed and called it more foolishness than normal. Which is pretty

damning, considering what she thought of the whole human race.

I actually had some fun picking out more T-shirts for Graves. I got him a Captain America tee, and

one that had a huge dinosaur and lasers screened on it, with the caption Look out! That velociraptor