“Tell me,” Ryan said. “Can you stand here and not be wowed?”

The view from Ryan’s wraparound office—five times the size of their dorm room and easily fitting the sixty-plus of them—inspired awe. Like a postcard of San Francisco with windows on three sides showcasing the icons of the city, from the soaring pyramid of the Transamerica building to the glimmering blue of the Pacific Ocean, to the arching Golden Gate Bridge, to the mounds of green mountains in the distance beyond.

“Because if you can, then Pulse needs new headquarters.” Ryan chuckled. “Every day I step into this office, take in the view, and am full of—”

“Shi—” Maddie started under her breath.

Delia bugged her eyes at Maddie.

“Adrenaline, thanks to my Pulse—both of them,” Ryan finished. “Now, since I’ve got you all captive here, let’s revisit how Pulse became Pulse.”

Murmurs covered Delia’s whisper. “Let’s go. Now.”

“Don’t you think we should hear this?” Maddie said.

“Nothing he’s going to say isn’t in his PR packet.” She hiked her backpack higher on her shoulder. “We need the actual truth, not the one Ryan’s probably gotten so used to saying he actually believes it.”

“Huh.” Maddie started behind Delia, who was inching her way to the door while everyone was occupied with Ryan and the view.

“What?”

“I know you think you’re just a girl from Littlewood, but whatever Littlewood’s doing, it’s doing it right.” They spilled into the hall, and Maddie let Delia take the lead. “Remember when you said you’d follow me? Well, I’ll follow you anywhere, Delia Meyer.”

The expression on Delia’s face was one Maddie was familiar with, and so before Delia could brush off the compliment, Maddie said, “But, uh, where is that, exactly? Right now, I mean. Literally. Not figuratively.”

“Wait a sec,” Delia said, tapping out a text to Lucy.

Cover for us.

Secret spy stuff? Danny would love this.

Maddie trailed behind Delia, down the hall and into the wide atrium they’d passed through earlier with plants cascading down from living walls, one side groomed into the shape of ten hearts, the other spelling out PULSE.

“I never thought I could feel so sorry for plants,” Maddie said.

Delia stifled a laugh and pushed forward through the wide space, kicking into a higher gear and gesturing for Maddie to keep up. They passed the Pulse Lounge with its blood-red walls and heart-shaped beanbag chairs and hit a four-way intersection. Without a pause in her stride, Delia turned left.

“How do you know where we’re going?” Maddie asked. “And where are we going?”

“Developer space,” Delia said. “Remember?”

“I remember being there, I would have just never found it on my own.”

They rounded the corner and passed two white guys in nearly identical hoodies, Pulse tees, and jeans.

Delia and Maddie kept walking.