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

she would much rather have Reed in reality next to her.

“Trust me.” Reed continued through the automatic door.

From a screen on their right a mechanical voice welcomed them to the store and offered to locate specific products for them. Reed ignored the prompt and continued inside. “Hey, Pete.”

“Good to see ya.” Pete was a slim man with brown hair pulled back into a short ponytail.

They didn’t stop to chat, but instead headed to the back. The store held a random array of multi-dimensional games, sensory games, and even some VRs. Ari noticed a sign for screening rooms in the back. The store wasn’t packed but had several people browsing the merchandise.

Tucked away in one little corner, there were some books, real physical books. She hadn’t held a book since her part-time job cataloging and scanning old novels. It had been the only time she had touched books. Books you knew didn’t change with a slight tap of your finger.

She picked up a yellowed book with a cowboy on the front. Though paperback, the cover was coated with some sort of plastic. As she opened the book, the smell of mothballs and old paper wafted up. The fragile paper had browned on the edges. It was the epitome of the older generation, when stories were only one-dimensional.

“You like them?” Reed leaned over, resting his chin on her shoulder, and wrapping his arms around her waist. “How much is it?”

“Probably worth more than I am.” Ari looked for a price on the back.

“Doubt it. Pete is trying to sell off all his books. These antiques don’t sell as well as they used to.”

She turned the book over but didn’t see anything.

“Here.” He reached for the book. “I’ll go ask him. Stay and check out the others.”

She picked up another book, this one a cheesy romance of some kind. Another customer approached to peruse the books. The man was older, but with strong, broad shoulders. His friendly smile and goatee softened his muscular features. “Do you happen to know much about these antiques?”

“Some, but not much.” Ari shrugged, not able to shake the feeling that she had seen him before somewhere.

His caramel eyes blended well with his tanned skin. “Do you study ancient text in school?”

“No, I’m in the VR program here.”

“Very cool. I work in VRs. I’m Dave, by the way.” He reached out a hand to shake.

Ari hesitated for a moment, assuming he must work at the VR bar they passed. This was a busy store, though, and he appeared friendly enough. She returned the handshake. “Ari.”

The man glanced briefly at the front desk to where Reed was, and Ari followed his gaze. Reed was talking to his friend, engrossed in conversation.

“Ari, have you ever thought about going into the corporate VR market?”

“No, not really. I’m just trying to make it through school. I have another year or so before I begin thinking about careers.”

Dave’s face fell a bit, his eyes looking older and more serious. “I’m sorry to say, you don’t have that long.”

“That long for what?” Instinctively, Ari took a step back.

“I work for VisionTech. We know about your trip in the game over break. We know what you can do.”

Ari shook her head and started to walk away.

He set the book down but didn’t try to follow her. “Changing a character in the middle of a busy game is not the way to stay discreet.”

She froze, not out of fear but curiosity. How did he know about Garrett and the game? She was still trying to figure out what happened herself, and she wanted to know more despite this man being a stranger.

“Don’t be afraid, Ari. We have no reason to let others know. They are our competition.”

“Competition?” The word escaped Ari’s lips, as her mind spun with what was happening.

“Recruiters. There are only so many warpers, and everyone wants one.”

“I’m not a warper.” Ari thought back to her lessons and the game with Garrett.

“You’re telling me you don’t see code inside the VR? And what about all those unexplainable incidences with Garrett or the glitches you see? There is a reason they happen, and the reason is you.”

Ari swallowed and found her voice. “I’m not sure what’s going on. I’m not whatever you think I am.”

“We won’t tell anyone, but it won’t be long before the government finds out through your school. I’m amazed you’ve lasted this long. You’re definitely the oldest untrained warper there is.” He let the last statement sit for a moment before continuing. “And let me tell you, of all the companies, VisionTech, is one of the best. Many places won’t have any perks or spending accounts. If the government snatches you up first, you’ll be working for the military torturing people, and training soldiers. Something a little girl should know nothing about.”

“I’m not a little girl.” She sounded absurd, like a three-year-old stomping their foot. Ari didn’t care.

“True. But you’re not a soldier either. Are you?”

She didn’t answer him. The Never-Ending War had stretched into another decade. With so many countries involved, Ari couldn’t even tell you who her country was fighting anymore. She wasn’t a soldier and didn’t want to become one.

The man slid a card into her hand and leaned in, his breath uncomfortably close. “Contact me if you have any questions or change your mind. Trust me. The pay alone can take your mother off the assembly line and into a private estate.”

How does he know about my mother? Ari tensed at the idea that this man, this stranger, had researched her mother. What about the rest of her family?

“Hey,” Reed said, walking up behind them.

Dave gave her one final look and walked away.

“Are you alright? I saw that old guy hitting on you, and I thought I better come to the rescue.” Reed slid his arm around her. “Man, you’re cold. Did he spook you?”

“No, no, I’m fine. Just creeped out a bit.”

“I understand. There was this girl who graduated last year. She was on the strip with