Bugz felt a pang. Feng’s reaction was just what she’d feared. She’d rushed to tell him because she wanted to trust him completely. To dismiss whatever remained of her concerns about him. A part of her had secretly hoped he’d hear the news and tell her it didn’t matter because he—and only he—saw the innate talent deep inside her that accounted for her greatness.

“You kept experimenting, going big and failing, all the while building your skills because you knew even if you died, you’d just respawn. Meanwhile, the rest of us waited months, even years, to get a chance to try again.” Feng spoke for his own benefit, seeming oblivious to Bugz’s presence now.

“Okay.” Bugz felt as if the blood beneath her skin was growing hotter and hotter. You don’t know how hard I’ve worked at this. A wave of stress coursed through her body.

“Wow, I wish I could’ve had this…”

“Why? So you could’ve joined Clan:LESS quicker?” Bugz took a deep breath.

“If I had this, I wouldn’t need a clan. I’d be solo, just like you.”

“You could never do what I do.” Bugz stood and turned to leave. “I shouldn’t’ve told you.”

Feng looked at her, puzzled. “I’m sorry.” He appeared unsure what to say next, but took a step forward. “Don’t leave.” He reached for her hand, and Bugz let him take it. “I’m glad you told me.”

Bugz nodded. She felt the warmth of Feng’s palm enveloping her fingers. She wondered if her hands felt sweaty. “You know what’s messed up? The nest really is a sacred site. It’s been important to my people for millennia.” She scanned their surroundings. “But what gave it power in the Floraverse is that it’s a glitch. Some problem with the map. It screws phones up when they come here.” She tilted her head skyward. She and Feng held hands as they looked at the twinkling stars above. A meteor streaked across the sky.

“Ursa Major.” Feng named the constellation the shooting star cut across.

“Binesi.” Bugz called it by its Anishinaabe name, the word for Thunderbird. They stood for a while, watching the silent sky above.

“How do you like that? A glitch in the map.” Bugz turned to face Feng, who met her gaze. “They’ve mapped everything in the world—the deep seas, even parts of space. They’ve mapped it all perfectly. Everything except the Rez. They never thought to map the Rez.” Bugz laughed. “But I took that glitch and did something with it. I turned it into my superpower.” She cocked her head. “It’s kind of like what we did with the Rez itself. They gave us scraps and we made it food.”