“What about facial-recognition cameras?” I asked.

“I promise, we’re off the grid.” He laughed. “We still use dial-up. We don’t exactly have the currency for that kind of tech.”

“That’s ridiculous,” I said, lowering the umbrella. “You’d think the government would want to rehabilitate people—I mean—a place like this.”

My face heated, but to my relief, he smiled. “Well, well, who do we have here?” His dark eyes roamed my face. “Ella Karman?”

“You recognize me?” I gasp.

“Of course I do, even under all that glitter. Real Disconnects don’t shine.” He winked.

“Maybe given the right opportunity they would.”

“Maybe.” He extended his hand. “I’m Johnathan.”

“Nice to meet you.” Hating my instinctive repulsion, I forced myself to put my hand in his. “Though I don’t know if you should be talking to me.”

“Because you’re an Influencer?” He shrugged, continuing to hold my hand. “Nah. That don’t bother me. I’m not a Disconnect. But tell me, what are you doing posing as one?” With a squeeze, he let me go.

“I could ask you the same thing. What’s with the lightning if you aren’t a Disconnect?”

“Fair question.” He smiles. “The truth is I’m Unrankable, same as everyone else here. I’m not ashamed of it. It’s the life I was born into, and I don’t think I’d want to rank on the Index even if I was allowed. If I had a choice, I’d probably be a Disconnect, but you can’t refuse what you’ve never been offered, so I show my support with lightning. That’s pretty much the most interesting thing there is to know about me, so now it’s your turn.”

“I wanted to look up something that I don’t want my parents to know about,” I said. “They constantly check my Life Stream, so I had to go off-grid.”

“I got you. You need access to the Network?”

“You have that here?”

“Of course. Even though we can’t post to the Network ourselves, watching you live your life is still our biggest form of entertainment. The way I see it, you Influencers need us. We may not be able to purchase stock in you, but we can sure use our stipend to buy what you’re selling. And that keeps your Corporates happy.”

Leading me to a computer, he gestures for me to take a seat.

“I never thought about it that way,” I said. “You’re a pretty smart guy, Johnathan.”