Hard Wired Trilogy DeAnna Pearce (if you give a mouse a cookie read aloud txt) 📖

the jungle blending with the wind as if it always belonged there. Then the light from a fire sparked and snapped through the dark leaves. They emerged from the jungle onto the beach.

Islanders gathered around the blaze, dancing and singing. Children ran wild and careless with squeals of delight. They dressed in a variety of styles from jean shorts, to floral dresses and skirts. Most men went topless, while the women wore long beaded necklaces and flowers in their hair.

Tamar pulled off his top, his physique toned. “It’s time to party.” He headed off in the throng of people, with a high-pitched cry that traveled far through the forest.

She glanced at the two stiff guards. “You heard him.”

Ignoring the nervous looks from the guards, she walked towards the crowd searching for Jewels. The old woman stood in the middle of a circle, dancing to the beat of the drum. The sway of her hips flowed with the foreign words of the song, her long braid swinging behind her. As she turned and noticed Ari, her smile grew.

When the song died down, Jewels pulled in a couple of young men to dance and headed towards Ari.

“I’m glad you made it, dear.”

“Thanks for inviting me,” Ari said. “You were amazing out there.”

“When you’re as old as I, you learn a thing or two about how to turn a head.” Jewels directed them to a pit in the ground, where some animal turned on a spike, hot coals cooking it from beneath. “Hungry?”

“A bit. What is that?” Ari motioned to the fire.

“Wild boar. It should be done soon, and you won’t want to miss it.”

“Sounds great.” Ari had grown up with a grandmother that would cook all sorts of things. Boar was close enough to pig, right?

Jewels looked around them, searching for something. Her gaze fell on a group of young women in floral print dresses tied more than sewed together. “Oliana,” she called, though the rest of the sentence was intelligible.

It took a bit for Ari to recognize the woman that worked with Tamar, urging her to place bets. Her black hair fell in beautiful waves around her shoulders and with the fire nearby, her dark eyes appeared electric. Unlike her previously steely gaze, Oliana’s beautiful smile must draw her a lot of attention.

“Take Ari here to dance with you. Show her how the islanders have a good time.”

“Yes, Jewels.” Oliana gave her a small nod of respect.

Jewels headed over to the pit and Oliana turned to her. “You think you can handle partying with us islanders?

“I’m here.” Ari glanced over to the group of young women dancing. “You may find my dancing only good for a laugh though.”

Her face softened as she grabbed Ari’s hand. “I could use a good laugh.”

Oliana didn’t bother with introductions, but had Ari kick off her shoes and taught her the steps to the dance. After a few minutes Ari caught on. She was not as smooth or natural as the others, but they didn’t seem to mind. Sweat trickled down her neck as she got lost in the steady beating of the drums. There was something not only peaceful but contemplative to dancing under the night sky. Something relaxing as the women moved in unison, creating beauty in its own right.

With the dinner bell, Ari was jarred out of her trance. Oliana grabbed her hand, her cheeks red with warmth. “Let’s eat.”

The familiarity the islanders had with one another took a bit to get used too. With hand holding and random touches on the shoulder, even with the men, they appeared as one big family. Being alone, with only seeing Reed occasionally, it felt nice to be included. Even if only for one night.

After being stuffed with food until she thought she might explode, Ari escaped to find a bit of peace and quiet. Of course, her two security guards weren’t too far away. She sat in the damp sand, the ocean in front of her, watching the tide disappear into a starry night. Sitting on this island, so far away from the rest of the world, just a speck smaller than the stars themselves, it made her feel small. Not in a bad way, but just as one who realizes how big the whole world is.

It was easy to get caught up in the VLEX, in the fabricated world that dictated rules and regulations to the rest of the others. But the majority of the world wasn’t in VLEX. After tonight she glimpsed a whole village of people who didn’t rely on VR for fun. Maybe there was hope for their little speck of earth.

“Deep thoughts?” Jewels sat down next to her in the sand. “I’ve seen what work is doing to you lately. I hoped a party would help you forget your troubles.”

“Thanks. I’m just hiding out before someone else offers me food that I can’t turn down.”

“That might be my fault.”

“What? How?”

“You’ve lost weight lately, so I told everyone you needed some fattening up.”

“Not sure I should thank you for caring or curse you for the stomach ache. Two plates were fattening, four plates are just torture. Trust me, I eat when I can.”

“Okay.” Jewels shrugged. Her silver hair glistened in the moonlight.

“Jewels, have you met any other people like me since you worked here?”

She continued staring out to the water for a moment before replying. “One.”

“Who was it? What were they like?”

“He was cocky, arrogant, and good at his job. But he was sick. I was new to work here, and he was sick soon after I arrived.”

“What was wrong?” With her diet, physical training, and resources available to VisionTech, she’d been in the best health of her life.

The older woman tapped on Ari’s temple. “Something up there. Something not right.”

“Oh…” Ari was hoping for more, but not sure what. Some guide or some person that told her this job got better, that she was on the winning side.

“Doesn’t matter. You’ll do the job your way and that will be the