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Kez. “How could you be so careless?”
    â€œLet me go.” Raven wrenched out of Wraith’s grip, white marks left by the pressure of his fingers. But before she could continue Kez got to his feet with clenched fists.
    â€œHey, man,” he addressed Wraith. “I’m not gonna tell nobody.”
    â€œOh yeah?” Wraith asked coldly. “You sell anything on the streets for enough money and you expect me to believe you wouldn’t sell us as well?” He shook his head. “Raven, we’ve got to get rid of this kid.”
    â€œNo!” Kez’s freckled skin turned several degrees lighter and he took a step backward instinctively. “Oh no.”
    â€œCool it, Wraith, and you, Kez.” Raven crossed to the boy’s side and put a reassuring arm around his shoulders. She grinned at Kez. “He thinks he’s really something, but he’s a nice guy. He wouldn’t flatline a thirteen-year-old kid, even if he doesn’t like you.”
    â€œI’m not talking about killing him,” Wraith snarled. “Let’s just leave him here and find another place to stay and another fixer.” He was already grabbing his bag but Raven shook her head.
    â€œDon’t be ridiculous,” she said. “If you’re worried about Kez, we’ll just watch him until you stop worrying. But you’re right about getting out of here. I can’t stay in this skanky room for another hour.”
    â€œThis is serious.” Wraith scowled at his sister. “We’ve spent years keeping out of the government’s notice. How can you totally disregard the danger of being found out now?”
    â€œBecause I know what I can do,” Raven told him with exaggerated patience. “And there is no longer any possibility of the CPS or anyone else catching me.”
    â€œYou’re overconfident,” Wraith said coldly. “And you’re endangering both of us, as well as Rachel, if we ever find her.”
    â€œNo I’m not.” Raven turned her back on him and began to make her bed, obviously preparing to leave. “Believe it or not, Wraith, we’ll be much safer out of the ganglands. This is the first place the Seccies would look for a Hex. Up in the heights we’ll be right under their noses and they won’t so much as blink. They’ll actually be protecting us themselves in our characters of ordinary citizens and we’ll be much safer than if we continue to hide from them down here.”
    â€œThis discussion isn’t over,” Wraith warned, but neither he nor Raven made any attempt to continue it and after a silence of a few minutes Kez left them to take a shower. He was beginning to feel that he was in over his head and wondering if it was worth staying with the strangers any longer, Raven’s charm notwithstanding. At thirteen he was already tired of living on the edge.
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    Ali was sitting by the apartment window, drinking orange juice while she waited for her ride to school, when her father emerged from his room. Bob Tarrell was a big man, with rugged good looks and a powerful wrestler’s stance. He needed very little sleep, and even after the excesses of last night, he looked relaxed and alert.
    â€œHi, sweetheart,” he said, tousling Ali’s hair. “Could you get me a glass of that?”
    â€œSure,” Ali replied, walking over to the Nutromac unit that served the functions of a kitchen, providing meals for people too busy to cook the old-fashioned way. “Did you have a date last night?”
    â€œI went out with Carla,” her father said. “But I was working late as well.” He took the glass she offered him, gratefully, and drank most of its contents in a single gulp. “Thanks, honey. Carla wasn’t too happy about that, but ratings are way down again. I’m probably going to have to change the entire format of at least one of