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Author's Note: Here's Ch.11, sorry I got a bit distracted as of late. Plus I couldn't really figure out Ch.12. I knew how to write this one but not 12 but 13 is pretty good lol. I'd like to thank djkauf for the editing.

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11.

Sunday was rather uneventful considering all the things that happened on Saturday.

The Sentinels, the government agent and the new numbers.

Sunday was downright dull in comparison.

I sat around most of the day stewing in my own devices. Carrie tried to convince me to go to the mall with her but I was really looking forward to a “Me Day”. So instead I sat around for a bit, vegging while watching some vids. I was also trying to reconnect with things, including Toby. Synth-pets were weird things. Though my parents had programmed him to accept me as I was now, I was convinced there was still a small part of him that didn’t trust me. He didn’t avoid me or anything but he didn’t follow me around as much as he used too either.

It was as if he knew there was something off about me.

When I told Mom about it during dinner, she told me I was looking into it too much.

What I didn’t tell her about was Agent Rossen.

I wasn’t really sure what to think of the whole thing. I could sorta see where he was coming from, where the government was coming from. I was a liability to them and others. I was also really pissed that they felt they had to spy on me though. It made me a little paranoid for the rest of yesterday, too. I couldn’t help but feel that they were somehow watching me from the vid screen or using my Bio to track my movements and vitals.

It was even more nerve wracking on my way to school this morning.

I couldn’t help but keep looking over my shoulder.

I could swear I saw the silver sedan following me. Then in my first period, I thought I saw it parked across the street.

Yes paranoid.

My paranoia was increased every time I thought about those stupid numbers, too.

What the hell were they?

Who the hell was sending them?

And why?

Today I was bound and determined to find out.

It was perfect too.

My second class of the morning was just getting out. I had a little time to get from there to Joe’s locker. Thankfully it was just right around the corner. I found him busy swapping books, completely oblivious to the world around him. It was kind of how Joe operated. He paid little attention to anything else but his computer skills. He had a bit of a one-track mind like that. He wasn’t always that way though. When we were younger, the three of us---Joe, Ted and myself---used to do a lot of fun things together. Sure most of it was sitting in one of our rooms playing games or reading comic books but it was a lot better than doing nothing. Occasionally though we’d get out and actually do something.

Unfortunately, for Joe and Ted, they didn’t have an athletic bone in their bodies.

I never really did either but I was more active than either of them.

My grandfather had all the credit there.

“Hey. Joe”

He jumped a little at my approach.

“Ben…errr…Beth”

He sounded a bit nervous. Besides lunch and class, the two of us barely spent time together anymore. Well it had only been a few days since I’d been back in school but he seemed to be avoiding me outside of it. Back before Crystal’s death, the three of us used to be inseparable. We used to hang out all the time. It was strange how one event seemed to change everything. Crystal’s death had led to Maddie and me getting together, it had also led to Ted being a total dick. Then things just seemed to go downhill a bit as far as friendship was concerned.

“You and I need to talk” I said, crossing my arms across my chest, awkwardly putting them underneath my breasts.

Joe suddenly lost all the color in his face.

Which looked pretty funny.

It felt strange not to be looking him in the eye anymore as well. He and I always used to be the same height, now his head was at my chest. Bad for me, good for him I’m sure. He was a gentleman though, not looking at all. I could give him kudos for that. Especially after I nearly bitch slapped him the first day back about it.

The boy was learning.

“I gotta get to class,” he said, trying to step around me.

I stopped him with an arm.

“It’ll only take a sec and you’re not in trouble”

He seemed to relax a slight bit. “Thank God, I thought you wanted to know about those stupid pictures?”

“No…I…wait what pictures!”

“Nothing”

I let out a sigh.

Pictures, seriously?

Stay on target girl.

Also never refer to yourself as girl like that again.

Way creepy.

“So if this isn’t about the pictures?”

I pointed down the hall, toward one of the classrooms I knew would be empty this period. As soon as we got inside, the bell rang. Joe seemed to fidget, realizing we were now late for class. We were ok though, it was one of those Alpha perks. Not that I’d ever take advantage of it again but apparently I could be late for class or never show up if I wanted. After all, I didn’t really need the education here. In fact I’d already read the whole curriculum for the semester.

Hey, I had a lot of boring time on my hands.

I steered him to one of the seats in the front row. He sat down while I sat on the corner of the teacher’s desk. It somehow made me feel important.

“I need your help with something”

I took out a pen and a sheet of notebook paper. I could have just pipped him the numbers but I didn’t want to give him any more access to my Bio than he already had.
I quickly jotted down the numbers and handed him the sheet.

“What’s this?” he asked, quickly looking them over.

“You tell me”

He looked at them again, more intently this time. It took him a minute or two because he really seemed to be concentrating. He also looked puzzled but only for a second. I knew he got it when he smiled. He liked puzzles and whenever he solved one, he always got this goofy looking smile.

It was the same one now.

“Well…?”

“Hexadecimal”

“Hex-a-whata?”

He stifled a laugh. “It’s a mathematical code, used in computing. Its old though, barely used anymore. I almost didn’t recognize it”

“But you know it, right?”

He nodded. “Sorta. I mean I could identify it but that’s about all.”

“So you have no idea what it says?” I asked, sighing.

He shook his head. “Sorry”

Damn it.

There goes my only chance.

“However I think I might know someone who does. It’ll take a few days but if it’s all right with you, I’ll pass this on.”

I gave him the ok and he folded the piece of paper, sticking it in his back pocket.

“So where did they come from?”

I shrugged. “No fucking clue. They just popped up the other day, the first one after I got home from the Q. That second one was last weekend right before I started school, I was running in the park, the last one…”

“Wait, you were running!”

I sighed. “Yes Joe, apparently I’m a runner now”

He laughed aloud. It took him a minute or two to stop, annoying the hell out of me in the process.

Laugh it up buddy.

“Sorry” he said, finally stopping. “So the third one?”

“Saturday afternoon, after I was done at the Center. I was in the park again---running---when I ran into this guy” I took out the business and handed it to him.

“This for real?” he asked, looking at the card and raising an eyebrow.

“Apparently” I said with some disdain. “He’s here to make sure I’m not in danger”.

I said “danger” with those little air quote thingies.

Joe scoffed. “More like making sure you’re not a danger to others. Fucking bureaucrats”

That’s what I liked about Joe. Nothing seemed to get past him.

“You mind if I keep this too?” he asked, waving the card about.

“Be my guest”

He pocketed that as well.

“Anyways, those numbers were freaking me out. At first I thought it was you being a dick”

He feigned being offended.

“I would have been a lot more subtle,” he said, laughing again.

I actually laughed with him this time.

It felt good to be laughing with my friend again.

We fell into an awkward silence after that. It lasted for a while, neither one of us saying anything, neither one of us getting up to leave.

“I’m sorry this has been so strange,” I finally said.

“Not strange just different”

I nodded. “Tell me about it. I just want you to know, I’m still the same me. I know I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, the outside is the only thing that’s changed”

He nodded. “Well except for that whole running thing and guys passing around pictures of you in gym class”

As soon as he said that last bit, the color drained from his face again.

“Add that to your list of things to do,” I said sternly “I want you to hunt down every last one of those pics and whoever took them, you got me?”

“Yes ma’am” he eeped.

“Good boy, you’re dismissed now,” I said playfully.

He saluted like a dork and the two of us left the room together.

Pictures.

God I was going to kill someone!!!

Life moved on.

The next few days in school were rather routine. I went to class, people seemed to finally stop whispering and staring and I was accepted. The pictures were gone too, thanks to Joe. My mind was free and clear too. Joe was helping me with my weird number problem, I was back in Sentinel training and John was finally not stalking me. Ok, so stalking was again the wrong term but at least I wasn’t turning a corner and “accidentally” running into him anymore. He was staying on his side of the hall, with his group of friends and I was just trying to be as normal and as human as I could.

Unfortunately, I had another problem now.

Girls.

Ok actually one girl.

Natalie.

I’d heard the story, seen several of those stupid teen vids my sister loved to watch. I used to think it was stupid made up drama those vid creators liked to push down little girls’ throats. You know “oh this is the cliquey thing that they do”. All bull shit stuff. Boy was I ever wrong. It turns out some teenage girls were really like that. Mads I could sorta understand. She was being stupid too but I knew her reasons. Natalie on the other hand was a complete and total mystery to me. I mean before---back when I was Ben---she’d been a complete non-entity to me. Like I said, I wasn’t popular but I wasn’t a loser either. I just existed and as far as she was concerned, I didn’t.

Now things were different.

I was on John’s radar.

I was on her’s too.

It somehow painted me an enemy.

God, girls were stupid.

It wasn’t like she was going out of her way to be a bitch though. It was the little things. Some snide comments in the bath and locker rooms, an occasional stupid note here or there. Yesterday in gym class, I went to change back into my normal clothes and found them drenching wet. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who was behind it. Natalie wasn’t hiding it either. Every time she looked in my direction there was a smirk. She wanted me to know it was her. It was just plain dumb. I mean clearly she thought I was a threat. A threat to what I don’t know. I didn’t crave her Queen Bee status and I sure as hell didn’t want her stupid boyfriend.

Today was no different.

Gym was just starting.

I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary until I opened my locker. My usual set of clothes was missing. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who took them. A quick look around the room confirmed my suspicions. Natalie was over by her locker with her two friends Clara and Diane. All three of them were looking in my direction, smirking. So once again, I was the butt of their cruel petty garbage.

Fucking children.

Groaning, I shut my locker. The other girls around me were already dressed now. It didn’t take many of them long to get their clothes. When Miss Marx came in to see if we were ready to go, she gave me a cross look.

“Suit up Carson”

“I seem to have misplaced my gym clothes, ma’am,” I said, looking slightly sheepish.

“Really?”

She looked unconvinced.

I shrugged.

She looked quickly over at Natalie.

She got it.

Miss Marx was a bit on the young side. She’d only been here about a year or so, straight out of her career placement internship. I vaguely remember from back in her school days, she was only a few years older than us after all. She was one of the star players on the girl’s Holo-Net teams.

Quick rundown on Holo-Net Ball. Like Free Ball, it was played with no gravity. Unlike Free Ball though, it was played with a holographic net that bisected the room. Similar to the glass wall that separated the two halves of the gym. Unlike the wall though, it was always meant to be transparent. In fact, you could walk right through said net. There were two teams on either side. The goal was to try and get the ball through the net and keep it over there, each time the ball passed through the net it changed colors. Red on one side, green on the other. The Red team wanted their ball to stay red over on the green side and vice versa. The longer the ball stayed your color, the more points you got.

It sounds simple but trust me it’s not.

You see the ball could only pass through certain parts of the net to actually change color and every time you scored a point, that spot changed.

The only one who saw those spots were the teams defending their own sides.

See; very difficult.

Ok tangent over.

“Miss St. James, have you seen Miss Carson’s gym clothes?”

Natalie feigned ignorance. “No ma’am, the Dite must have lost them”

Dite.

One of the more derogative terms for a female Alpha.

A nasty, shortened form of Aphrodite.

It’s the equivalent of calling someone a bimbo.

Except of course, there was no such thing for an Alpha. Unless of course she chose to act like one.

Miss Marx gave her a nasty look and snapped. “I will not have that term used in my presence Miss St. James. My sister is an Aphrodite I’ll have you know”

Natalie knew that of course.

Every one did.

The Marx siblings were legendary at our school. Melissa Marx the star Net Baller and her brother Craig, the God of Free Ball. Except Craig was now Lark. Lark Metallic, the premiere Net Baller. She was huge, had massive endorsements, her face was just about everywhere these days. It was hard not to see it on the Vid screens around the Sectors. Just like Maddie’s sister but unlike their relationship, Miss Marx and her sister were on good terms. Last year Lark was here for a week helping the girl’s team in training sessions. It was big news; all the vid reporters were here covering it.

It was strange how everyone seemed to forget Craig.

Lark had tried to be normal too. She had tried coming to school here as well. Back then, she’d been Jessica. Unlike me though, she only lasted a few days. It must have been hard on her. She’d been the big man on campus and now she was a bombshell hottie. Miss Marx had been extra supportive of course but it didn’t work.

It seemed to tell me one thing though.

It told me that Miss Marx was sympathetic to my plight.

She gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze.

“Ok girls, hit the court. Carson, I can get you a spare set if you want or a pass to the library?”

I shook my head. “I think I’ll just take a pass session”

She nodded then filed out of the room with the other girls.

Pass sessions were free periods.

Technically anyone could take them but you were only allowed so many a semester. Basically they were a “get out of class” free card.

It meant now I had a free hour or so to do what I wanted.

Unfortunately, for me what I wanted to do was actually attend gym class.

It was that urge of mine again.

I needed to be active.

I needed to run.

I sat on the bench and sighed heavily. I dropped my head, running my fingers through my hair. A moment later, I realized I wasn’t alone. I saw a pair of white shoes in front of me. Following them up, I noticed a short girl standing in front of me. Well all of them were short now but this one was quite a bit shorter than most. I knew her from class, Clarissa Morris. She was one of those quiet, mousy girls. Cute in her own way, a little over weight but nothing to an over extreme. I knew her for another reason though too. She was the girl that Joe couldn’t stop talking about.

“Hey Clarissa”

She looked down at her feet while I made sure to look at her face, smiling as I did so.

Mom and Dad always taught me to be polite after all.

“They put your clothes in Natalie’s locker,” she said softly, barely above a whisper.

“What was that?”

I’d heard her of course but I wanted her to speak up for her own good.

“I saw them,” she said a little louder. “People don’t usually notice me because I’m so quiet and small. I usually hide when I see Natalie…anyway, I saw them go into your locker and take your clothes.”

I looked at my locker. The lock was still pretty secure.

I’m guessing someone must have hacked it.

So Natalie wasn’t any idiot after all.

“And my clothes are in her locker?”

She nodded her head softly.

This time I smirked. Hey, I wasn’t some super hacker genius that could get into these locks. I usually had Joe around to do stupid things like that. Not that I ever would of course. I stood up anyway and walked over to her locker. Staring at it, I could see something like trying a conventional way to get in was pretty pointless.

“Can you hack it?”

Clarissa had clearly followed me.

“Nope”

“If you give me a moment I might be able to work something out,” she said quietly.

I grabbed the door handle and gave it a tug, ripping the door clear off its hinges.

“Where’s the fun it that” I said with triumph.

The look of shock on Clarissa’s face was priceless.

I found my clothes stuffed in the back, behind Natalie’s backpack.

The little bitch.

“Won’t you get in trouble?”

I shrugged. “She’s the thief; I’m just taking back what’s mine”

“What about the door?”

“It just fell off its hinges when I grabbed the handle,” I said innocently.

She caught on quick.

“I think that’s what I saw too,” she said softly.

She shook her head and spoke more confidently.

“No, that’s definitely what I saw”

I quickly dressed, putting my normal clothes into my locker. After I did that, Clarissa fiddled with the lock for a few minutes. When she was done, she smiled.

“I put it on a rotating algorithm, now no one can hack it. A new password will be sent to your Bio on a regular basis. You’re just going to have to learn a new password every week”

“Not a problem.”

“Really?”

I laughed. “Alphas remember.”

She looked genuinely surprised. “You guys can do that?”

“There isn’t much we can’t do,” I said with a laugh.

The two of us left the locker room after that. When we got to the gym, Miss Marx smiled. Natalie and her friends looked shocked. I did rather enjoy seeing the color drain from her face when she realized what I must have done. She couldn’t say anything about it of course though because she’d be admitting to a crime. Ok so I committed a slight one too but we were both damned as it were. That didn’t stop her from trying to get Miss Marx to allow her to go back to the locker room though. I couldn’t hear the conversation but Natalie went off in a huff.

She shot me daggers the rest of the class.

It made it all the more satisfying though when I saw her reaction after class in the locker room. She was positively livid when she found her locker without a door. The look she gave me was priceless. I shrugged and completely ignored it. Miss Marx gave me a triumphant look before trying to calm down a rather frantic Natalie.

“She’ll seek retribution,” said Clarissa.

“Let her”

I wasn’t afraid of her.

I finished getting changed just as the tone sounded.

Clarissa started toward the door. I caught up quickly.

“So, you want to sit with us at lunch?”

She nodded numbly.

Ok so this incident wasn’t a total loss after all.

Author’s note: As I’m sure all of you know, comments are life blood to an author. I’m not begging or demanding, but I certainly would appreciate anything you have to say (or ask). It doesn’t have to be long and involved, just give me your reaction to the story. Thanks in advance...EOF