“Be safe out there.” She hugged me. “Come find me as soon as you get back, so I know you’re okay. And don’t forget this.” She handed me the black-and-white striped umbrella.

A little charge shot through me. “I’ll be home before you’re done shooting. Don’t worry.” Taking the umbrella, I headed for the door.

First, I had to get past Bernard. He believed I was shooting tonight and was standing guard outside of Crystal’s trailer. He had no concept of time, so if he didn’t detect my movement, he would stand there all night, thinking I was inside. His sensors detected daylight, so I just had to be back before sunrise.

Slipping out the trailer door, I opened the umbrella and took a deep breath. With a silent wave to Crystal, I tiptoed down the stairs and wiggled past Bernard. He didn’t budge. I easily disappeared into the night.

Walking along the river, I strolled down boulevards dripping with Spanish moss, past stately Victorian mansions, imagining what they looked like through AMPs. I’d overheard a cameraman describing how at night the city was augmented to play up its haunted image. The homes decayed, and tattered curtains fluttered behind broken windows. There were cold spots and things that went bump and the occasional apparition. My footsteps echoing ominously on the cobblestone sidewalk, goose bumps rose on my arm, and I picked up my pace, turning onto River Street.

It was lined with shops and bistros overflowing with customers, and garlic and spice wafted on the breeze. My stomach growled. Uneasy eyes glared at me as I passed, and people crossed the street when they saw me coming, tripping over themselves to get out of my way. I knew what they were thinking. Lazy. Freeloader. Shielding my face with the umbrella, I shuddered. It was everything I’d been taught to believe.

I lost my appetite.

Dipping out of sight, I wandered along back roads and through abandoned courtyards until I arrived at the steps of the Carnegie Branch Library. I climbed the crumbling stairs and entered the moss-covered brick building, decayed after years of neglect.

Once inside, I peered through the dust floating in the dull light that filtered through the windows. The library was full of Unrankables huddled around archaic computers plugged into ethernet cables. They must be the only ones who use libraries. Only the poorest of the poor would subject themselves to public download speeds.

“Can I help you find anything?”

I jumped and turned to find a guy about my age standing behind me.

“Are you lost?” he asked, his voice betraying a soft southern accent. A series of lightning bolts zigzagged across his bronze skin.

My instinct was to withdraw, but without flinching, I shook my head no.

“Are you sure?” He gestured at the umbrella. “You don’t need that in in here, you know. The satellites won’t find you.”