BooksBarbecue
Back Unleashed
Chapters (56)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. Part One
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. Part Two
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. Part Three
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. Part Four
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. 32
  41. 33
  42. 34
  43. 35
  44. Part Five
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. Epilogue
  54. Acknowledgments
  55. About the Author
  56. Back Cover

“But Eric Smith knew you were at the lake too. Or maybe…maybe the update is going out even wider.” I feel sick as the words leave my mouth.

“Lacey, I have to get home.”

I nod, then look up at Mr. Baird, still clinging on to a scrap of hope that this is all a big mistake—and that Eric Smith hasn’t been able to snatch a victory from the jaws of certain defeat. “Mr. Baird? Are you all right?”

But when he looks at me, his eyes are totally blank. “Miss Chu? What are you doing here?”

35

“Lacey, let’s go, now!” says Zora, dragging my arm.

We spin on our heels and run, causing havoc as we topple over benches and chairs in our wake. No one pursues us, but we run as if we’re being chased by the fiercest of security bakus.

Once we’re outside and clear of the BRIGHTSPRK building, we slow our pace—but only barely. “I have to get home!” says Zora, striding down the sidewalk. “I have to warn my family.”

“Of course! We have to warn everyone,” I say, hurrying to catch up with her. I unzip my pocket, carefully keeping my hand around Linus’s small dormouse frame the whole time, making sure he doesn’t leap toward Zora’s leash. I pass him over to her, and Zora holds him with equal caution. “After you message your family, we can access the St. Agnes message board and warn everyone at school—get them to help spread the word.”

Zora nods. “It’ll sound better if it comes from me, no offense. You’re still seen as a Profectus student.”

“None taken.”

There are no cabs on the street at all, and we don’t want to take the subway and risk losing signal. Zora uses Linus to hail a ridesharing driverless car instead.

“Mom isn’t messaging me back,” says Zora, her voice trembling with worry.

“He won’t get away with this,” I say, my fingers curled up so tightly in my fist, I might draw blood.

No wonder Eric allowed us to leave with Mr. Baird. He was never worried that BRIGHTSPRK would be the ones to stop us. We should have gone straight to the authorities. Maybe bigger than the police. To…the federal government, or somewhere that isn’t yet under Moncha’s control, where there’s still hope they have their own minds.

My stomach churns. I have a feeling that’s not the end of it, either. If he’s thought of how to stop his rival corporations, and how to control the city’s power, he may already have thought of how to stop the government too.