He collapsed on board. Even from one helicopter over, he could see the look of supreme disgust on Alpha’s face. Feng wasn’t sure if his clan leader was upset with the outcome of the battle, or by Bugz’s mercy. A sense of dread overtook Feng as he thought about what had just happened—though no one in Clan:LESS would’ve understood why, they’d all seen he shared a connection with their mortal enemy, and he’d not disclosed it to them.

CHAPTER 21

As the Clan:LESS helicopters buzzed off like a ragtag group of dragonflies, Bugz climbed down from Mishi-pizhiw before he dove back into Lake of the Torches. She tore a strip of bark from a birch tree and threw it onto the water, where it promptly grew into another birchbark canoe. She climbed aboard, and as she began paddling again through the shimmering midnight waters of her lake, she re-engaged with the fans in her chat window.

“SnipesForDaze: Wow, you were right. That did turn out like Little Bighorn.”

“Yeah, except Custer didn’t survive,” Bugz responded dryly. She disappeared into the virtual night.

CHAPTER 22

“And remember to keep a safe distance of at least six feet from each other.” The intercom blared pointlessly as Bugz scanned the crowded school hallway. With homeroom starting in a few minutes, students packed close together for one of the few times of the day before they all scattered to different parts of the school, or even home if they were lucky enough to live close by.

“Bugz?”

She turned to find Feng running up the hallway toward her, a book bag slung over one shoulder. Before she could pretend not to see him, the Clan:LESS follower had caught up to her.

“Wow, I can’t believe I didn’t figure it out sooner. I must be the only person at school who didn’t know Bugz was short for Bagonegiizhigok.” Feng raised his phone and saw her world-famous ’Versona staring back at him. He nodded his head in satisfaction.

“You must not be as smart as I thought you were,” Bugz said, attempting a joke as she started to sweat. She imagined Feng comparing and contrasting her perfect Floraverse figure with her real-world body, and everything she disliked about it. She smiled nervously as she fretted about what his clanmates would say if they found out how she really looked.

“I deserve that,” Feng said with a laugh. “I mean, it’s so obvious, right? Bugz—Bagonegiizhigok. Plus, you’re a celebrity. Your face even looks exactly the same.”