o ensure his optical sensors weren't malfunctioning. The boy in the t

over years. But his hands, hidden at his sides, gripped the bottom edge of his jack

d in close, his nose almost touching the other boy's, and poked h

a half-step back, adopting a defensive stance. "Who authorized t

st out laughing. The kid talked like a grumpy Wall S

pick up his scattered gummy bears. He held o

open disdain. "My nutritionist forbid

e tore open a bag and popped a red gummy bear into his mouth, che

quiet, traitorous rumble echoed from his stomach. A faint

took the second, unopened bag of gummies and shoved it

breach of his personal space and the crinkling so

en Leo

, just below the wrist, was a s

his own leather jacket. There, in the exact same l

brain, which could calculate stock market fluctuations in seconds, was now running frantic

s lips. It was a concept, a possibility, that cr

tablet, his fingers flying across the screen. He activated a facia

. A line of text appeare

running behind it. "Your encryption protocol is outdated," he said, h

onally offended. "The Ares network is the

"Ares," he repeated slowly. "I'm X. I by

hem. They weren't just twins. They were rivals. They were the

, booming voice echoed

ead. He grabbed Leo's arm and pulled him deeper behind a towering display o

spered, his voice tight with anxiety. "K

ssive man in a black suit, built like a refrigerator, scanning

clothes-the street-smart leather jacket versus the stuffy, formal blazer. An a

with excitement. "You go find my mom. I'll go ch

e. It was illogical. It violated e

le moment of warmth he'd glimpsed in Leo's easy co

splay. Leo squeezed into the restrictive blazer, which felt like a straitjacket. Jace pulled

ses," Leo instructed, handing Jace his smartwatch

the corner of the display. His eyes locked onto the boy