Upgrade (Augmented Duology Book 2) by Heather Hayden (the top 100 crime novels of all time .TXT) 📕

Annabeth reached across the table and grasped my hand. “Don’t let her get to you, Viki.”

“You didn’t have to…”

“Yes, we did.” Mel set down her spoon with a clack. “You were right. Friends don’t treat friends like that.” She smiled at Dan. “It was sweet of you to stand up for Viki.”

“Someone needed to do it, and Viki’s too nice to.”

I laughed. “More that I’ve stopped caring at this point. I told her on the bus this morning that I was done.”

“Good for you.” Annabeth dunked a fry into a pool of ketchup. “I’m guessing girls’ night will be cancelled, but if you want to hang out with us, you’re welcome to.”

It was tempting, but I needed to be there for Halle in case something happened. I shook my head. “Tonight’s not a good time.”

Dan stood, gathering his tray. “I need to talk to the teacher before class, so I’ll see you all later. Have a good afternoon.”

I nodded. “See you, Dan. And thanks.”

“Anytime.” He walked away, looking completely natural. Acting completely natural. If I couldn’t still feel the impression of his implants on my arms, I would have believed he was just a normal guy. But if there was something wrong, then I needed to figure it out before someone got hurt.

Sighing, I picked at my pasta.

“Here.” Annabeth tossed a ketchup packet at me. “You might like it better with this.”

“Not today,” I said, pushing my tray back. “I think I’m going to head to class.”

“See you in P.E., then.”

“Have a good day,” Mel added. “Let’s plan to hang out soon, okay?”

I smiled. “Sounds good.”

After disposing of my tray, I headed to my locker to grab my clothes before P.E. My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I dug it out, wondering if it would be a message from Mom or Dad, seeing how my day was going.

It was a text from Halle. Still no sign of parents. His phone has no messages from them, either.

The hope that had been rising in my chest shrunk into a tiny ball that buried itself in my stomach. I leaned against my locker and closed my eyes. So. He was either lying about having things to do, had spoken to his parents verbally outside his house, or he was somehow a cyborg controlled by a rogue AI possibly bent on destruction.

I didn’t want to deal with this. Who decided that it was going to be my lot in life to deal with secret missions, and danger, and lies? I hated it. First the truth about my adoption, then my biological parents seeing me as a specimen they had to save in order to perform more experiments, and now this. I just wanted a normal life. That’s all I ever wanted.

Another vibration of my phone. I forced myself to summon the energy to check the message. Another from Halle.

Are you all right?

“No,” I whispered, even as my fingers tapped away at a reply. Yes, don’t worry. I need to get to class. Talk to you tonight? We could play Realmshards.

You need to do your homework first. You have things due on Friday.

I groaned. When on a mission to save the world, why did things like homework have to exist? Shouldn’t I get an exemption from the universe to avoid homework? Fine. I will do it when I get home. Stuffing my phone in my pocket, I opened my locker, grabbed the things I needed, and headed for class. Time to bury my troubles in taking notes for a while.

I tried to ignore the fact that most of my doodles were of the same face, over and over.

***

My fingers pounded on the computer’s keyboard a little harder than necessary as I worked on the essay due next week. I’d already completed the chemistry homework and some math problems, but I wanted to get an outline done before I lost my train of thought for the paper. Pausing in the middle of a bullet-point list, I glanced at the small black cat sitting in the corner of my screen. “So it’s pretty much a solid fact, then.”

“Yes.” The black cat’s ears flattened. “I am sorry, Viki, but it does appear that he is lying about his parents, which means he is probably lying about everything else, including his own identity.”

I deleted a bullet point and replaced it with a better one, then switched a couple around. Organizing essays wasn’t easy, and I half-wished I could just ask Halle to do it for me. My friend enjoyed helping me with my homework, but I’d promised myself that I wouldn’t rely on Halle this year to get good grades, even if it was a lot better at writing essays.

A knock on my door made me jump.

“Come in,” I called.

The door opened, and Mom poked her head in. “I just wanted to let you know that dinner is going to be ready soon.”

“Awesome, thanks. I’ll be right down.”

She continued to hover in my doorway. “How was your date last night?”

My face reddened. “Mom! It’s not like that. We just hung out and gamed.”

Her slim fingers tucked a few stray blond curls behind one ear. “Well, next time you decide to go over to someone’s house, your father and I would like to meet that person beforehand, okay?”

“I won’t go over again until you meet him,” I promised with complete sincerity. I have to figure out the truth about him first. Was he a regular guy, or a cyborg hiding in plain sight? I gave Mom a weak smile. “Maybe we could have him over for dinner some night.”

Mom nodded. “Just let me know when.”

It wouldn’t be until I knew for certain if he was human or not. I sighed and looked at my