Chapter 5 — Introductions

  I ran straight back to the mansion. There wasn't any way I could finish my run, not with what I'd just been through. The chime of the bell still rang in my ears, but as expected, the few people I passed on the way home didn't seem concerned in the slightest. Despite the thunderclap so loud it should have been heard across the Willamette, they walked right past the clearing where the Moderator had just disappeared, not a care in the world.

  Well, I had a care—a lot of cares.

  The mansion was a good thirty minute run back from where I'd been… diverted. Every step, my heart pounded, and not in the usual doing-a-cardio-exercise way. What would I find when I got home? I was a member of the League now, whatever that meant. Why hadn't I got more details about how this all worked? What was I supposed to do now? Would somebody come and challenge me out of nowhere?

  I wondered if I should just keep my decks on me at all times. Rana probably did. I'd need a bigger bag… my shoulder bag wasn't exactly enough to hold the two Riposte decks comfortably alongside my normal daily things. Racking up wins was my goal now, the focus of my whole life. Everything else could wait.

  How many wins would it take? Did it matter how many I got? What if I just played against the same person over and over til I had enough? Did that even count?

  So many questions. I could guess at some, ask Rana about others that weren't personal or seeming like I was trying to gain a huge advantage. Rana seemed supportive, but at the same time, she had her own wish to play for—and she was good. Ruling out her playing me in some way by inviting me wasn't off the table, not by a long shot. I still took the opportunity, but I was watching my back going forward.

  Paranoia's gonna be your life now, Noël. Hope you're ready for this.

  Paranoia was already my life a little bit anyway. I'd learned how to notice the stalkers after the press hounded me every anniversary of the accident. Just a couple days ago, a few had almost caught up to me walking over to Drizzle with Kyla. She'd been happy to follow me on a meandering path there, barely noticing our sudden detours as she ranted about this or that fandom.

  Lucky me that schools had strict protections against the paparazzi. After those companies got fined hard for harassing students, I was in the clear as soon as I crossed the gap between the school building and Carolyn's car. Thank god something got done to help me, albeit indirectly. I wondered if Lloyd had anything to do with it. It sure made going to school a lot less nerve wracking. I still hadn't worked up the will to take the bus, though.

  Rounding the corner and exiting the park, I darted down the street. A few curious neighbors glanced up, but by now, they were used to me sprinting by in the mornings. Once I was in sight of the mansion, I always managed to speed up no matter how tired I was. Better than risking anybody popping out and confronting me on the way.

  Carolyn glanced up as I came in. She was just about to leave, fresh groceries and a few other purchases scattered on the counter. Sunday was always new-stuff-day. She raised an eyebrow as I panted, practically skidding to a stop in the entryway.

  "You're home early."

  She was right—my run usually lasted longer than this. I always felt awkward saying goodbye, so I tended to stay out til she'd already gone home for the day. Carolyn lived in northwest Portland, out on the other side of the hills. I wasn't sure where.

  "Something I needed to do here," I offered, which wasn't too far from the truth.

  Carolyn waved as she left, climbing into her own car and driving away. Unlike Lloyd's fleet, she drove her own car, bought with her own money, and it was clearly far beneath the standard. He'd offered to let her take any car she wanted, but she liked hers, so why bother changing? It was an attitude I could get behind.

  Lloyd was nowhere to be found, but to be fair, I didn't look very hard. Straight up the first staircase, down the hall, through the bookcase shortcut to the secret stairs, up to the third floor and into my room. It was good I didn't mind climbing much. I could have picked a lower room, but I loved the view out of mine, and the little balcony attached.

  Something was different though. As I got closer to my room, I felt a slight pull, like a line wrapped around my heart and tugging me forward. As the door swung open, I saw it—a faint outline shining through the surface of my bag.

  I blinked. It was still there. A rectangle, glowing even through the solid pleather surface. It wasn't bright, but it was clearly visible the moment I opened the door. Reaching in, I fished out what I knew I'd find—the Check duelist card.

  It had changed. Not a lot, the art and text were the same, but the card felt… thicker. It was a little bit heavier, and the material had changed. The thing still looked like paper, but I could tell it was much more durable and protected than it had been. As I touched it, the pull on my heart intensified just a little. I knew, without knowing how, that this card was mine.

  You know how. You own the card. Don't be ridiculous.

  Not that kind of ownership. It went deeper than that. I couldn't explain it very well, but it was immediately obvious why Rana kept hers so close at all times. As I'd gotten near to the card, the anxiety in my chest had lessened, little by little. I realized in retrospect that my frantic run home had been fueled in part by that same pull. It just couldn't be clearly defined until I'd seen the card in person.

  I laid down on my bed and held it up, turning it over and over in my hand. That card was my ticket to the League, to an impossible future where the worst day in my life never happened. I had no idea how that was going to work, but it didn't matter. If a way existed, I'd find it. Nothing else mattered.

  On that note, I did have one obvious way forward. I'd been invited.

  Digging out my phone, I scrolled through my contacts til I found Rana. She'd just have to live with the endless questions I'd pepper her with. Every single bit of info on the League she had, I was determined to learn. Rana invited me and she knew my wish, she had to expect it was coming.

  Annnnnnnnd she was offline. Dammit.

  I could message Kyla—and did, as I had a stack of messages in return from Kyla watching a show the night before and commentating the whole way through—but she wouldn't really have much to offer, knowing nothing about the League. Disappointed, I was about to close my phone when I spotted it.

  There was a new contact pinned to the top of the list: The Moderator.

  A fresh thrill rolled through my body. They could just insert themselves into my phone remotely? Was this hacking, or… straight up magic? It could be proof that they really could do whatever they wanted. A skeptical part of my mind was still trying to explain away everything as smoke and mirrors, total misdirection and a complete fraud, but it was clearly the losing side of the battle.

  Just trying to keep you safe…

  I tapped on the contact. There was no phone number, no email address, nothing whatsoever attached to identify it—yet it still gave me a message and a call option, like any other entry would. Nervously, I opened it. Nothing weird so far. I stared at it for a full ten minutes, composing an endless series of messages I might send. We'd just met, and despite how nice he seemed, I had no idea how I was supposed to approach this.

  Finally, I settled on just two words, the most innocuous question I could ask and the one that might get me far more than expected.

  Noël: what's next?

  I left the message window open on my phone, but there was no reply. Even after listening to music for a good half-hour, idly browsing the internet and reading my usual feeds, I still hadn't gotten anything back. Not even a read-receipt. It had to be real, given how it showed up, but I guess the guy really was as busy as he'd said.

  There was a call option. My thumb hovered it for a few moments, but I couldn't press it. I felt like it might risk… something. Hell if I knew what, but I figured that button was waiting for a real emergency, not just me totally uncertain about how to proceed.

  Disappointed, I shut my phone off and went back to browsing the web for news about Riposte, the League, anything. I doubted I'd find anything new, but my obsession had to be fed. I was a League member now.

  My wish awaited.

  ***

  Nothing else happened on Sunday. I spent the rest of the day relaxing, reading, snacking, and just goofing around. Kyla and I chatted about nothing in particular, which was a huge relief. I didn't see Lloyd once, that day or the next. I needed to get my mind off the League. With nothing else to do yet, spending every waking minute on the game was dangerous for my sanity.

  As Carolyn drove me to school Monday morning, I was uncomfortably aware of the card in my pocket. It was visible out of the corner of my eye, through the bag material. Every time Carolyn glanced my way to check her blind spot, I felt like she was looking at it.

  If Rana's example was anything to go by though, I didn't need to worry too much. She didn't seem to be in any trouble for inadvertently revealing the League to me. I figured it was based on intention—as long as I wasn't trying to spread the word, I should be okay.

  In first period math, I got one of my questions answered: as Rana walked into the room, I spotted a similar faint outline through her bag, right where I knew she kept Norad Kelso. This was how I'd find other League players, and be found in turn. If I wanted to avoid games, I'd leave Check at home—and deal with the physical anxiety being separated brought on, for better or worse.

  And if I wanted to fight, all I had to do was wander til I ran into a match. Simple enough. Drizzle undoubtedly attracted a few League players. I could start there.

  Reylon joined her a minute or two later. His warning echoed through my mind. Rana hadn't mentioned him at all, but he obviously knew about the League. Given how close he was with Rana… I bet he'd stumbled into the very same thing as I had, pulled into one of her matches by surprise. Why had he warned me away? Concern for my safety? Protecting Rana's competitive stake?

  Jealousy?

  I rolled my eyes as the last one popped into my head. Rana wasn't into me, and Reylon had nothing to fear. I wasn't a threat to him in any way. To Rana, maybe, but she sure didn't seem to think so. Still, he gave me a glare from the back of the room—a fresh one, no less. Reylon knew about my League membership, I was sure of it. Rana must have told him.

  Neither spoke to me through the class, though to be fair, they didn't exactly have much opportunity to. Even as it ended, we ran over, and had to rush to our next rooms without a chance to speak. I caught Rana's eye for only a second, and she gave me a smile, but that was it.

  The rest of the day passed agonizingly slow. Every class seemed to drag on forever. I could barely focus on work, too excited and distracted by the glow from my bag. None of the other students seemed to notice, so I was fairly certain the League didn't have any other members lurking in my classes. By the time lunch rolled around, I was desperate for someone to talk to.

  Unfortunately, Rana was nowhere to be found. She didn't have the same lunch period as us today, so it was just Kyla and me back in her private copse. Worse, Kyla could tell I wasn't paying much attention.

  "Hey, grasshopper, stop ignoring your sensei," she growled, clearing her mouth of the sandwich.

  "Huh?"

  "Yeah, yeah, I went and figured out what sensei meant. Totally the right word." Kyla set down her sandwich, leaning forward on her elbows inquisitively. "What's up, Noël? You're super off today."

  "Just… thinking about something."

  Kyla nodded sagely. She patted the open spot on the bench next to her. "Come."

  Raising an eyebrow, I got up and walked around to her side of the table. As soon as I sat down, she wrapped an arm around me and pulled me in, letting my head land right on her shoulder. At first, it felt weird, but after a few moments… I couldn't remember the last time somebody actually just let me be nearby. Lloyd was a no-go obviously, and Carolyn wasn't really one for physical affection either. Since my parents, it was probably… never.

  I really appreciated it.

  "Whatever's up, you can tell me," said Kyla, without the usual snark or gusto, just sincerity. "I'm here for you, anytime."

  "I—"

  You know, I almost told her right there. Screw the Enforcer, the rules, whatever. Kyla was my friend, probably my only one—no idea where I stood with Rana yet—and I really needed somebody to help offload my anxiety. I would have, except that my phone buzzed. Even before checking the message, I remembered how the Moderator had just… appeared from nowhere, both in person and on my contacts.

  And they'd already known how I nearly told her the first time.

  Kyla was still watching me expectantly. I finished the thought, but I didn't lie. To Kyla, to my first real friend in my new life, I wouldn't lie. That was the only way I could ever build up any kind of trust with her.

  "I can't tell you," I said quietly. "Not yet. But when I can, I will. Promise."

  Her arm squeezed tighter around me. "Don't worry about it," she said, the cheerful tone back in a heartbeat. "I got your back, you know that right?"

  "No kidding," I said, nudging the arm wrapped tightly around it.

  Kyla groaned. "Ugh, you can do better. But seriously, whatever's up. You need backup, just send up a flare."

  "And get arrested for illegal fireworks?"

  "Buy some from Vancouver," said Kyla with a shrug. "Nobody's gonna care if you set 'em off. Throw around your tragedy privilege a bit more, sister!" She grinned as I bit back a laugh. "Just don't bottle that crap up, y'know? Talk to me, a therapist—hell, even to Rana. Whoever."

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  I nodded. "Will do."

  As Kyla cleaned up her lunch and gathered her things to head out to Drizzle, I followed her advice. Rana was still offline of course, but I sent her a message anyway, asking her to meet up after school. To my surprise, she responded almost immediately.

  Rana: I would love to.

  Noël: cool. maybe at drizzle?

  Rana: Actually…

  I tensed up, as the typing indicator flashed on and off. More than once, it disappeared entirely for a bit. Maybe trying to make up her mind about something, or I was about to receive a whole essay as a message.

  Rana: Would you like to come with me to a meeting?

  Noël: you guys have meetings?

  Rana: It's unofficial. Just a few of us who've met and decided to get together regularly.

  Rana: Nothing special. It's neutral ground.

  Rana: I would love the company. Reylon normally goes with me, but he has practice today.

  She had to couch her words, avoid mentioning anything directly, but I got her meaning. A chance to hang out with Rana, learn about the League, find a few more people involved in this mess, and do it without Reylon glaring at me through the whole thing? It seemed too perfect to pass up. Once again, the paranoia alarm bells were going off in my head… but at the same time, I couldn't resist the opportunity.

  Noël: sounds good. just let me know where to go.

  ***

  I didn't just go. Give me a little more credit than that. Carolyn drove me most of the way, and she knew exactly where I would be. I'd given her a rough idea of what it was too—a friend invited me to a hangout, I wasn't quite sure who'd be there, and if I needed a quick out, she'd be nearby and ready to go. I tried to phrase it as something totally safe. From the look she gave me, I was pretty sure Carolyn assumed it was more PTSD-related escaping-social-situations stuff, and to be fair, that wasn't exactly wrong.

  Just… massive conspiracy and potential real danger attached, too.

  I wasn't totally averse to social situations. I wanted social interaction. Needed it, even. But every time I started talking to people, my past inevitably came up, and they always wanted to make a big deal about sympathizing, giving speeches, taking this or that side on the debate surrounding the whole mess. As if I cared who was at fault, or the intricacies of insurance companies and self-driving cars, or whatever they managed to tie back into the accident.

  It was why I'd latched onto Kyla so quickly. She could make jokes with me about how stupid the whole thing was. I didn't feel pitied around her.

  The meeting was at a corner café west of downtown, one of those places that was both ubiquitous and unique at the same time. Carolyn dropped me off a block away and around a corner. I stepped out onto the sidewalk and squinted into the sunlight, filtering through the trees scattered across the hillside. As she drove off, I started around the corner, just as the light rail rolled through.

  Rana stepped off the train as the doors opened, and spotted me almost immediately. She waved, headscarf fluttering in the wind and her duelist card glowing inside her bag. I hurried forward to join her.

  "Hi," I said, a little breathless.

  "Did you run all the way here?" she asked, smiling slightly.

  I shrugged noncommittally. "So what am I going into here, exactly?"

  "Just a few people having coffee together over a shared experience, really." Rana shrugged. "I assumed you might want to meet a few of us."

  "Any ground rules I should know about?"

  "It's neutral ground," said Rana, repeating what she'd texted me. We made a brisk pace from the station toward the café, now coming into view with a strange sign I couldn't make heads or tails of from afar. Rana wasn't a slow walker, which I appreciated. Even if I tended to be shorter than most of the people I met, I more than made up for that by always walking fast. "We don't initiate any duels at or near the meeting place, ever. The café owner is aware of the League, but not a member herself. Asking about anyone's wish would be very poor manners. Beyond that…"

  "Just a gathering of people," I finished, nodding. "Okay then."

  "I'm glad you're here," she added, smiling again. "I always feel a little nervous attending without Reylon nearby."

  We still had a little bit before we could get to the café, as the light turned red and a line of cars started moving. Across the street, I realized the strange sign was actually a question mark, with the slightly rounded front doors making the dot at the bottom. I figured it was as good a time as any to ask. "Is he your boyfriend?"

  "Reylon?" she asked, seeming surprised. I hadn't expected that reaction. "...Well… yes and no."

  I quickly deflected, before she felt pressured. No need to push things. This was just a friendly hang-out. "Nervous about the meeting?"

  "Oh, no, not about the meeting," said Rana, and the ease of tension was palpable. She relaxed immediately. "I just always feel a little nervous in this part of town. It's nice to have someone like Reylon, or you, by my side, you know?"

  "...Not sure I can exactly match Reylon in a fight," I said, glancing around uneasily.

  "It's not about fighting," said Rana. The walk light flickered on, and she started across. "It's more just having someone nearby who… isn't, you know? I don't get… approached." She was a little uncomfortable again, but this time, I at least understood why.

  "Yeah," I said. I felt exactly the same way when I went out—if I had Carolyn with me, it was a lot easier to deflect people away, since I didn't look so… engageable. Very different reasons, but the same results. "I get that. Especially when you're just trying to live your life."

  "Exactly," said Rana. She looked over her shoulder at me and smiled again. "Thank you."

  Together, we walked straight into the café without hesitating, passing right under the giant question mark. Inside, the place was pretty quiet. It took me a minute or two before I realized it was clearly sectioned off for a private gathering. Obvious, in retrospect—we were there to discuss a secret underground supernatural gaming ring. Couldn't have random normal customers slipping in and discovering the League.

  It looked like we were the last ones there. The rest were gathered around one of the larger tables, the style with an L booth in the corner. There was a couple in their mid-thirties practically sitting in each other's laps, a kid trying to act tough who looked like he was twelve, a young man in an EMT uniform, and an elderly man with a cane. As Rana and I took the last couple seats, the owner of the joint—a very athletic woman in a tank and jeans who I had a very hard time keeping my eyes off—came by and took our orders.

  "House blend with cream please," I said, uncomfortably aware of the eyes on me.

  "Hi Rana," said the kid, shooting me a nervous glance. His voice was higher and softer than I expected. I gave him a hesitant wave.

  "Hi Robin." Rana nudged him playfully. They were obvious friends, and this was clearly Rana's usual seat. I felt a bit like I was intruding, invite or no.

  "Well, I think introductions are in order," said the male half of the couple, disentangling himself from his wife. "Welcome, whoever you are! I'm Jack, and this is my wife Jillian, and yes, we absolutely got married because of that."

  "Stop it," she giggled, pushing him. Jack grinned. The rest of the group didn't react in the slightest. I took their cue.

  "Next to Jill is Dashiell, or Dash if you don't have much time. He likes to make us all feel bad with his uniform, reminds us we all do nothing important for a living while he goes and saves lives."

  Dash rolled his eyes and sighed. "Ignore him, please."

  "Agreed, please do," said Jack, a twinkle in his eye. "Robin there is the kid of the group, and underestimate the little guy at your peril. He'll knock your block off, you give him the chance."

  Robin blushed and shrank a little in his chair. I looked away, hoping to spare him at least a little embarrassment. "Go to somebody else," he muttered.

  "You got it, Robbo. That just leaves Howard, who's older than most of us combined and should know better than to be wasting his time playing a card game."

  Howard adjusted his spectacles. His voice was gravelly, as cracked and wrinkled as the skin lining his face. "Jack, I shouldn't need to remind you of the stakes in our little game."

  "Don't need to remind any of us on that," said the café owner, suddenly reappearing at my side with a piping hot coffee. I took an experimental sip, and my eyes lit up. It was invigorating, really delicious, and shot warmth through to my toes. She smiled at my visible approval, giving me a thumbs up. "Works every time. I'll be seeing you again."

  Jack finished off the introductions as if he hadn't been interrupted at all. "And our fine host is Katie Night."

  "Only if you want your ass on the curb," she shot back brusquely. "Kate if you want, or Katherine if you prefer." Kate headed back behind the bar. "Shout if you want anything else. On the house for a newbie."

  "Thank you," I called over my shoulder, before turning back to the expectant group. As I did, I noticed the faintly glowing cards—in Jack's upper breast pocket, Jill's purse, Robin's backpack, and tucked into Dash's phone holster. Howard's was nowhere to be found. I guessed he must not bring them to the meetings.

  I hesitated. They'd all offered their names. It felt like they were waiting for me to reciprocate. Except, now I was nervous. These were all League members, with duelists ready to go. Privacy might be a useful resource, I wouldn't want to squander it just yet. Besides, who knew if the names they gave were legitimate?

  "You don't need to give your name if you don't want to," said Rana gently.

  "Beg your pardon, Rana dear," said Jack with a tilt of his head, "but in the interest of keeping everything above board, I know exactly who your friend is. I'm guessing everybody else does too," he added, glancing around to a chorus of nods.

  Can't ever escape it, can you?

  When I get my wish, I'll have escaped it. Can't be famous for something that never happened.

  "So, Noël," said Howard, turning his squint toward me. He summoned a white cloth from seemingly nowhere to clean his glasses. "How did you come upon the League?"

  "Accident, really." I shrugged. "I ended up in one of Rana's games."

  "Hey, me too!" said Robin, a smile sprouting on his face. "She's super good, isn't she?"

  "I had no idea how to play, so… I think so?"

  Rana blushed at the praise, but Jack nodded. "She certainly is. Beaten all of us, if I remember right."

  "I beat her once!" said Robin. His round face fell slightly as he continued. "But it wasn't a real game…"

  "Sure it was!" said Jack, clapping him on the shoulder. "Same rules, so it was real, right?"

  "Is it though?" asked Jillian thoughtfully. She looked at her husband, one eyebrow raised comically high. "Being in the grounds sure makes a difference, especially with the adrenaline rush. It really can't compare."

  "It's like asking if a game of chess counts any less because it was played in a park or in a library," Jack shot back. "They're both chess."

  I took another sip of Kate's excellent coffee as the debate continued between Jack and Jill about whether or not it was a "real" game. The others seemed to drift away slightly as they did—a regular occurrence, apparently. There wasn't any animosity in the argument, to be clear, just two people obviously in love going over technicalities like it were the most fascinating thing on earth.

  Which, given it was a game they didn't even attend and none of us really cared about… yeah, it was pretty boring. Thankfully, we could always just talk around them.

  "So what's this place called?" I asked, glancing at Rana.

  "The Question," answered Robin, with a grin sprouting on his face I didn't understand.

  I decided I might as well take the bait. "...And what's the question?"

  "Doesn't matter," said Kate, suddenly appearing behind me with a small plate of pastries, right as I wanted one. "People come in the door to ask and by the time they realize I never answer the goddamn thing, I've already got them hooked."

  "So there is no question."

  "Oh, there's a question all right," said Kate, heading back to the bar again. "But hell if I'm gonna spell it out for you."

  I was beginning to like her. As I turned back to the group, the debate had concluded—and they were standing up to leave. I was surprised. Was that it? The whole meeting, just a few minutes of staring at each other?

  "No, we usually spend a bit more time together," said Rana, answering my question without needing to ask. "I just wanted to make sure you met the whole group. The Marburns have to leave early, and they're giving Howard a ride home. "

  "That we are. Up you get, Howard," added Jack, lending Howard a hand to his feet. Jack was very gentle with him—much more than I'd have expected. Jill picked up the rest of their things, and soon enough, they were gone.

  "So uhh…" I started, glancing around at the remainder. "The League."

  "Super cool, right?" said Robin, drumming his fingers on the table. "My duelist is Winston Esher-cha… Esher-sha… Rana, how do you say it again?"

  "Echerzcha," she said patiently.

  "Yeah, him!" Robin glanced up at me. "Who did you pick?"

  Tell him now and maybe give him a head start toward beating me down the line? Plus Rana didn't know who my duelist was either, did she? She'd seen Check in my win against Kyla, but that was no guarantee I'd made her my commitment. Meanwhile, there was Dash, who I had zero read on. I couldn't give out that kind of potentially vital information on a whim.

  To my surprise, Dash was the one to save me. "Robin, you know better than to ask somebody that. It's a big deal. She might want to keep it private."

  "...Yeah, I know…" Robin sighed, then turned back to me. "I'm sorry, Noël."

  "It's cool, man," I said, shrugging. I felt bad for him—but at the same time, incredibly grateful to Dash for giving me an escape route. He could have easily just let me fold under the pressure. "I'm just trying to figure out everything going on here. I only found out about the League last week, and I just joined yesterday…"

  "Ah, so you met the Moderator," said Dash, nodding. "He just came to my ambulance one night while my partner was getting food. Scared me half to death when he knocked on the door."

  "My backyard!" added Robin, practically bouncing in his seat. "It was so cool. All the fog and everything. He was so nice, too."

  "I was out on a run," I volunteered, sensing hesitation from Rana. She obviously didn't want to say hers. "Fog came in and pushed me toward a clearing, and there he was. Crazy."

  "Well, I can't say we'll be able to tell you much about what's going on," said Dash, finishing off his coffee. I was getting down on mine as well. "We barely know anything ourselves. It sounds like from what Rana told us that you already saw a duel, and she explained most of the rest of what we know."

  "Guess so," I shrugged. "I was hoping you could tell me how many duels it takes, too."

  Dash sighed. "If I could, I wouldn't be here, you know? I'd be out there racking up any wins I could til I hit that total. My wish is… kind of time sensitive, I think. I mean, I hope it isn't, but it'll be a lot harder if I don't get there sooner rather than later."

  "Any idea how long it took other people?"

  "Well, there was the guy… damn, I can't remember his name. He's one of the ones who became a billionaire. Anyway, far as we know, he was in the League about… two months? But then there was the girl who wanted to be a movie star. I won't say who, but trust me, you know who she is. Anyway, she got her wish before I even started. From what I hear, it took her like, two years, and she was ultra-competitive. It wasn't like she never played. So, who knows?"

  Two years… I felt a tiny bit of despair creep in. Two years and I'd be starting my senior year, looking for colleges. I'd be eighteen in just a couple months. It felt so far away.

  "Hey," said Rana, setting a hand on my back. It felt like a jolt of electricity as she did, life bursting back into me. "It's okay. You'll get there when it's right, just like the rest of us."

  "Something like that," said Dash, nodding.

  "Sure wish I could win enough," said Robin, frustrated. "I gotta get there already."

  "You'll get there, man. Til then, I've got your back." Dash leaned across the table and held out his fist. Robin cheered up almost immediately and gave him a bump. "Hey, I just had a thought."

  "Hm?" asked Rana, glancing up. She'd been distracted by something on her phone.

  "Noël, you wanna come to one of my matches? I don't mind. You'd get to see a bunch more without all the shock you were dealing with last time. And without being in the driver's seat, which is more than the rest of us can say," he added with a wince.

  "You sure?" I asked, taken aback. This seemed like a breach of protocol or something, as Rana looked equally surprised. "Not giving too much away or anything?"

  "Nah, it's cool. I mean, Robin comes to mine all the time, and Rana's already beaten me." He grinned at her. "Your friend's seriously good at this game."

  "...Thank you, Dashiell," said Rana, blushing again. She seemed to duck deeper inside her headscarf.

  "Come on," said Dash, getting to his feet. "All three of you. My match is in just twenty minutes. Plus, hey, you get to ride in an ambulance for free. Can't beat that, right?"

  Robin was clearly on board, already up and pulling on his backpack. Rana, after a short pause, nodded as well and pulled on her own bag. I couldn't see any reason not to, if both of them felt it was plenty safe. I didn't have to reveal anything, and I could learn a lot about my competition, and how the League worked as a whole. Win-win-win all around.

  Never let your guard down, Noël. You don't know that. They could all be playing you.

  And I thought I was the paranoid one. How the tables have turned.

  My own bag over my shoulder and Check nice and secure in the front pocket, I gestured to the door. "After you."