My ears perked up, hoping “some friends” meant Adam. I’d only seen him in passing a few times since that day on the Boulevard, but, true to his word, he’d been in touch. My insides fluttered as I remembered the first note. He’d brushed passed me without so much as a glance on the Boulevard. I was shattered that he didn’t acknowledge me until later that afternoon when I found a folded paper square in my pocket. When I got home, I made sure my Life Stream was off and unfolded it in the back of my closet. It was a note written on real paper with gray lines and a torn edge, like it came out of a journal.

E—

I told you I’d find a way. If you want to play with me, leave your response in the flower box where ocean meets sand.

I like your hair today.

—A.

Tearing a page out of my Book of Secrets, I immediately responded, tucking his note safely inside the book. It took me a couple days to figure out that “Ocean” and “Sand” were streets, but once I did, the game was on. We kept the notes simple—observations about the other person or little jokes—but the real fun was crafting the riddles and finding new hiding places. The notes were the only happy thing in my life. Looking forward to them was my salvation.

“I’m bored with them, too, but go ahead,” Lil said, snapping me back to reality.

Half in a daze, I studied our shadows, stretched long by the setting sun. A line of perfectly spaced Bubble Cars glided down Sunset Boulevard, transporting people we would probably be entertaining tonight wherever they were going. Maybe they were studying our feeds now. I don’t know them, but they know me. Too well. What’s next? Where do we go from here? This is it. We have it all…

Lil sat up. “And I’m inviting Samantha Valenti over. Then we’ll have some real fun.”

The hot wind prickled my skin, and, despite the warm evening, I shivered. My eyes flitted to Dee’s, and I registered her fear. But then it was gone.

“What do you want with Samantha?” I asked.

“Her numbers have been growing ever since the Peter scandal,” Lil said. “She owes us a thank-you.”

“Shouldn’t you thank her for getting him fired?” I asked. “You wanted to get back at him for dumping you. She did you a favor.” It wasn’t like me to be combative, but my patience was wearing thin. Lil wasn’t the only one who was bored.

“Absolutely not,” Lil said. “We’ve created a monster, and she needs a reminder of who was queen first. Keep your enemies close, Ella.”

Recognizing the underlying threat in her voice, I bit my lip to keep from blurting what I really thought—that she was evil to the core. “Do whatever you want,” I muttered.

The wind smacked against the building in a thunderous whoosh, whipping our hair across our faces.