Tears stung my eyes, and sickness rose in my throat. I held the fate of both of my parents and Peter and Samantha and the infant in my hands.

“Your parents are supposed to have such good taste…” Lil tsked. “It would be a shame for the Networks to lose them, but starting over isn’t always bad. I hear the Unrankable food plan is delicious.” She sliced her seared ahi for emphasis.

Fear pierced my chest, and I wanted to throttle her.

I can’t betray my parents… Maybe Peter can hold Unrankable babies. Swallowing hard, I faced Lily. “They really won’t know it was me?”

“Nope,” she said. “Not unless Burble gets hacked. Maybe you should get a throwaway screen to be safe and do it from there.”

I nodded. “Okay. If no one will know it was me, and if you’ll tell me your secrets, I’ll do it tonight.”

After school, Deena and I picked up coffee and headed to a stretch of Venice Beach that wasn’t augmented. Nobody ever went there because it was so ordinary looking, and I knew we’d be alone.

We kicked off our shoes, walking along the edge of the water. The wet sand was reassuring between my toes, and once I was satisfied the roar of the waves would drown out our voices, I confronted her.

“Shut off your screens. You’re not going to want this in your Life Stream.” Pulsating waves clouded my vision, casting her in red.

“Okay…” She frowned but complied.

“How could you tell them that secret?” I asked as soon as I was certain we weren’t being recorded.

“Don’t be mad, Ella. I had to. The only way we’re going to maintain our numbers is through Lily and Kylie. I did it for you.” Her voice was calm, practiced. “They needed to know you weren’t a threat. If I didn’t tell them something good, they would’ve made your life miserable. You need their protection, and so do I.”

“You couldn’t have made something up? You totally sold me out.” Gritting my teeth, I couldn’t look at her. I kept focused on the path in front of me. One foot in front of the other, kicking up sand.

“I’m sorry you feel that way, but the truth is best. Trust me. They’re like human lie detectors. They had to claw their way to the top, and they’ll do anything to keep themselves there.”

“I’m sorry if I have a hard time trusting you.”

She shook her head. Grabbing my shoulder, she forced me to stop. “Look. You’ll figure it out soon enough. It’s eat or be eaten. You would’ve done the same for me.”

I searched her eyes, hoping to find my friend. “You don’t have any secrets.”

“Yes, I do! You know I had my stomach stapled,” she replied. “That could take down my entire family, too.”

“That’s nothing in comparison. It wouldn’t take you down—it would probably build you up. Poor abused girl, forced to starve for the rest of her life.”