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be last night.
    How weird to think that the best night of her life would be when she was trapped in the CommerceDome with a bunch of strangers. Then again, Ginger wasn’t a stranger anymore. Last night, Lexi felt the same connection with her that she had gaming with Darren. It was like they were one brain moving the avatars on the screen, as they worked on turning their clip into a short film. For hours. They didn’t even notice how long they’d been working until Dad brought over two slices of pizza.
    When the announcement was made that they were all being held overnight, of course Ginger called her mom, but she got right off and was like, “What’s next?” and began sliding through the keyframes they’d already finished.
    Later, once it was dark and everyone else was asleep,Lexi offered to show Ginger her own movie—not even Darren had seen her movie. As it played, Lexi watched Ginger. Once it was over, Ginger said it was as good as any Pixar film, and Lexi knew from her reactions while it’d played that she meant it.
    “Hey, you up?”
    Ginger knelt beside Lexi’s camp under the computer. Ginger had slept across the aisle under the iPad display. The night before, two security guards had come around with blankets and pillows pilfered from the various home stores in the mall. Lexi ended up with a rainbow-colored comforter coated with unicorns, and Ginger’s was a weird green color with an old-lady flower pattern.
    “I barely slept, I was so uncomfortable,” Ginger continued. “When the lights came on, I was sort of still in a dream—has that ever happened to you?—and I had completely forgotten where I was, so I sat straight up and whacked my head into the table.” She rubbed her forehead for emphasis.
    Lexi shuffled into a sit. Her brain began scratching together an appropriate response. Talking was so different from texting—one had to string words together so quickly in real life. Maybe she should suggest breakfast? She glanced around to see where her dad was. Maybe they could go to the Pancake Palace?
    “There’s going to be a run on the bathrooms,” Ginger said, rummaging under her comforter. She pulled out her purse and began picking through its contents. She extracted a small packet of breath-freshening wafers and slipped one into her mouth. She turned to Lexi. “Want one?”
    “Thanks,” Lexi muttered. She nearly gagged on the explosion of mint.
    Ginger pulled out her phone and began flicking through her texts. Should Lexi get out her phone too? Should they compare texts?
    As if rescuing her from her own brain, the Senator’s voice boomed over the mall loudspeaker: “Patrons of the Shops at Stonecliff, I regret to inform you that the security situation remains ongoing. Federal officials have been brought in to assist in the investigation. Given the nature of the investigation, we cannot allow any individual to leave the mall at this time. You may, however, leave the stores and move freely around the mall. The parking level remains closed. If you require access to the parking level, please consult with a customer service representative at the first-floor kiosk opposite the Borderlands Cantina. Please do not attempt to exit the mall. We are working to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.”
    Ginger sucked in her breath. “Oh my god, Maddie totally kissed a senior last night!” She pushed Lexi’s shoulder like Lexi should be shocked. At school, Maddie always seemed to be hanging off some boy. It was no surprise to Lexi that Maddie had locked lips with one while unsupervised for an entire night.
    “You want to get a bagel?” Lexi said.
    Ginger was furiously texting, fingers flying over the little keys. “Huh?” she said. “Bagel?” She finished typing, then looked up. “I’d love to,” she said, “but Maddie wants me to meet these guys at Abercrombie.” She dug a tiny tub of sparkly pink lip gloss out of her bag and slid some across her lips with her pinky, then stood