TWENTY-ONE: Glossed

TWENTY-ONE: Glossed

For only the second time in her life, Aimi Velra was under the influence of the highest potency luck chain available to humanity.

Glossed that was what the family called it.

She didnt know who had come up with the term, but it fit. Aimi felt shiny, gleaming. Untouchable.

She pressed her foot almost to the floor, and her sports car shot through the streets of Apex City at a speed that was illegalfor vehicles at leasteverywhere on the island.

She gritted her teeth. She was both loving, and loathing, the way other cars and pedestrians seemed to melt out of existence around her. No doubt she was ruining traffic patterns all over the city.

It was a doozy of a chain, the kind that could only be completed by Grandma Aulia herself, and it had fallen on the whole family two days ago.

Like a heaven-sent battering ram.

They were all high as kites from the overluck by now. They were elated. They were furious. Everyone was going a little nuts.

Poor cousin Lute was only fifteen, and hed called Aimi crying because his crush had asked him out at school yesterday. And now he could never date her without it being reallly creepy.

Was a cosmically potent wordchain giving you your dream girlfriend the same as you accidentally mind controlling her?

Who the hell knows?!

Aimi yelled in frustration as her car barreled toward the district line. There were signs everywhere telling her she was about to enter a small S-rank Wright neighborhood jokingly called Big Boom Town. Her car wasnt armored, and she wasnt either, so normally that would have been a firm no.

But today she sailed through, and there wasnt a single explosion or giant robot in sight.

Just as she was about to leave and enter another neighborhood, some kind of drone conked out in the sky above her and dropped a box of cupcakes it was delivering. Through her open sunroof. Neatly into her passenger seat. Without a single crumb falling onto the dark red leather.

They were from her favorite bakery.

THATS IT! she screamed. System, call Keiko!!

The connection notice flashed in her vision.

Aimi, I was almost asleep. Its really late in Tokyo, her sister said tiredly.

You can sleep?!

Theoretically. If you stop bothering me.

Cupcakes just landed in my car, little sis. Through my sunroof. Im driving 200 kilometers per freaking hour.

Dont push it, Keiko said sharply. The gloss isnt perfect.

I went into a public bathroom at Rosa Grove Mall yesterday, and the floor was so clean I couldve eaten off it. I saw my ex at a sandwich place, and he was on crutches. I found a pearl bracelet in a potted plant.

Is that all?

What do you mean is that all?

I accidentally busted a gang of human traffickers on my way to get coffee this morning, Keiko admitted. And I got a summons. It only took me an hour, and I received a new wordchain for it.

What? Thats not fair!

I thought you were just complaining that you were too lucky?

I got cupcakes! You got an easy-mode summons with outsize rewards! I thought the whole point of our family binding ourselves together was to make things fairer.

Its supposed to come out closer to even over

Closer to even over the long run. Yeah, yeah. I know. But oh my gods, Id hate to be Hazel in a few weeks. When were all taking stray meteorites to the face and coming down with rare diseases. Shes not worth it, and we all know it.

Keiko didnt answer.

Fine, said Aimi. Tell me Im being a bad Auntie. Tell me its not little Hazels fault that shes a chaining genius, and Corin and Grandma are willing to shove us all off cliffs for her.

Youre a terrible Aunt, said Keiko. And its not Hazels fault she was selected at a time when we didnt have a Chainer of the proper rank lined up for her. But

Aimi tightened her grip on the steering wheel. She was surprised. Usually Keiko was so nice. She had that hero thing down pat.

Hazel could have stopped it from going so far by affixing something else, Keiko admitted grudgingly. If shed been an S like we all expected this might have been warrantedbut shes only a B-rank. And I dont really want to bite a major luck bullet right now, either. I have my own goals. And if the good doesnt blow them up, the bad thats coming definitely will.

Ahyeah. Sorry to vent on you. I know this is happening to you, too. I should let you get back to sleep?

She grimaced. The only thing that would be worse than the bad luck that was coming would be if everyone in the family blamed her for it going to waste.

Yeah, yeah. Okay. Ill kidnap him.

There was a relieved sigh from Corin. Then, a minute later, he spoke in a startled voice. WaitI said get him to come with you. Not go straight to kidnapping. We need him to give us his class! Dont do anything rash. Aimi? Aimi, did you mute me?!

#

Alden turned the knob on the modified gumball machine beside the park bench and took another handful of duck food. A dozen birds were quacking around his feet, unafraid now that theyd realized he was a big spender.

Hannah would have thought this was funny.

Theyd only come to this park together once, on Aldens first trip to visit her. It had been really awkward, and the ice between them hadnt thawed until Hannah had used one of her barriers as a platform so that the two of them could sit out in the middle of the pond, watching the ducks.

I wonder if anyone has ever actually bought all of the food in the machine before? he wondered as he sprinkled the gray pellets around.

Now that the letter was sent, he didnt have anywhere else he had to be until the funeral. The money on his debit card should be just enough for him to befriend every duck in the park.

And it was nice to have the park all to himself. The day was sunny, and it was warm for an Anesidoran summera pleasant reprieve from the cold winter hed left behind in Chicago.

Youd think more people would be hanging around a place like this on a Saturday morning. He grabbed another handful of food and settled on the bench, doling the pieces out slowly. Its going to be weird to live here all the time.

If he got into one of the better training courses, hed be in Apex. If he was stuck in a lower-rank school here in F insteadhe could feed the ducks all the time.

Win-win.

He snorted at himself.

Hey you, he said pointing at a particularly fat bully of a duck, leave the little guys alone or Ill grab you and stick you back in the pond.

Not if I grab you first, a voice whispered in his ear.

WHAT THE FU?

Before Alden could finish cursing in surprise, a hand was clamped over his mouth, and he was dragged sideways off the bench. Duck food scattered across the grass, and those quacking traitors didnt even glance up as Alden was hauled away at high speed.

It happened so fast.

And it was so damn awkward. Whoever had grabbed hold of Alden was freakishly strong, but they were also much shorter than him. And they hadnt picked him up. He was just being hauled along in a weird bent-over position, trying to keep his feet beneath him while he was dragged forward by the head.

The hand keeping him from screaming for help was one stumble away from ripping his nose off.

Hey! said his kidnapper as she tightened her grip on him and dragged him toward the nearby street. Ni hao. Suprabhat. Whats your language of choice, amigo?

Shit! Help! Some crazy supergirl is going to kill me! Where the fuck is everyone?

He was in the middle of a giant city. Why was the park empty? Why was the street silent as if every other soul on the planet had better places to be?

Stop wriggling so much. I dont want to knock a teenager out. Concussions are wicked bad, yeah? Its not like in the movies.

System! thought Alden. Call! Activate! Turn ON! 911!

Why hadnt he listened when Gorgon told him to make up a hands free activation method?

Hed planned to do it. He just hadnt expected to need to before he even affixed a class!

Sorry about this, freckles. We just want to have a quick word with you. Yeah, yeah Uncle Corin. I get it. I wont really give him a concussion. Jeez, Im not a monster, you know?

The name Corin sounded vaguely familiar, but not familiar enough to pierce through Aldens blind terror.

As the kidnapper turned her double-armed grip into a single-arm hold so that she could open the door of fiery red sports car, Alden used every ounce of his strength to lunge away from her.

Only to be yanked back by his shirt in an instant.

He was shoved into the car, his hip ramming into the stick-shift hard enough to bruise, and before he could even pull himself up into a proper sitting position, a petite woman with a dark ponytail was sliding into the drivers seat beside him.

Hi there! she said, grinning at him as she revved the engine. Im Aimi!

Help! Alden screamed, reaching for the door handle.

Nah, you dont need help, said Aimi, smashing her foot against the gas. The car shot forward so fast Alden was pressed to the red leather seat. You dont even need to buckle up! Not today. Today, Im the best driver on the island.

Aimi held a pastry box out toward Alden as the car roared down the street. Want a cupcake? she asked. Lots to choose from. Kinda strange. I think they might be vegan.