BooksBarbecue
Back Unleashed Save as PDF
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

>>Me.

Jinx’s hackles rise, sparking with electricity, as if he’s trying to prove to me exactly what he can do.

>>But we’re going to need those friends of yours to help.

What, Team Tobias?

>>Yes, and Zora too.

I’ll call an emergency meetup after school tomorrow. They’ll come.

Jinx nods. He stretches out along the bedsheets and then comes to curl up in my lap. I take a moment to marvel at just how perfect he is. If I hadn’t seen his electronic insides myself, I might have mistaken him for a real cat.

I close my eyes, amazed my friend is back again.

When I open them again, I look around my room. On the back of the door hangs my homework list for Profectus Academy, color-coded and tracked with what I like to call “productivity stickers.” Zora had seen it and dubbed me “such an engineer nerd.” Always attempting to organize things—to put things in their rightful place so that things—even my life—can run efficiently.

Turns out, life doesn’t always like to be color-coded, even if I use the shiniest stickers. Sometimes, the things you think you can rely on, the foundations upon which you build your life, end up crumbling away. Like my trust in Moncha Corp.

My chest tightens again.

Jinx’s eyes bore into mine.

>>Let’s talk about it more in the morning. For now, you need sleep.

There’s just one thing I need to do first, I say, getting to my feet. Jinx jumps up as if to follow me, but I shake my head. Don’t worry, I won’t tell her anything.

I slip out of my room, pad down the hallway to Mom’s room, and slowly push open the door. I can just about make out her head on the pillow, a gentle smile on her face. Petal is on the pillow too, pulsating with a soft green light as she charges. I hope the update is giving Mom good dreams, at least.

I want to go to her—to give her a hug, to tell her I love her and I’m not mad anymore: the reason we fought is because of the update. But she looks so peaceful, I don’t want to disturb her. I close the door again.

Back in my own room, I am hit by a wave of tiredness. Without even getting up to brush my teeth or take off my clothes, I fall with a slump against the pillow.

“Thank you for coming back, Jinx,” I whisper as I feel his weight move next to me on the bed.

He purrs gently, and I can feel my anxieties ebb away with his closeness.

>>What else are friends for?

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