it was n't . really . i was used to her being gone all the time . '' this conference is only offered every other year , and it 's important for her job . i had plans with brooke and crissy anyway . '' lexi stood there blinking at me . '' i told her to go to the conference

do n't worry -- i wo n't let her into the cottage . ' i thought for a second , then nodded . it was a far from ideal scenario , but i could n't see what else we could do . ' just watch out , james . please , be careful . ' he kissed me . ' whatever you do , stay in the cottage

weber had said that they would n't be able to access the code like they normally could-and a quick check proved her right-but the world around them still had that overall feel of the code : the blurry edge of a building here and there , the static-like quality of some of the clouds in the sky , small sections of the road where you could see pixels if you looked hard enough . not even the greatest programmer caught everything , and often they left glitches on purpose . make it too realistic and people could really get screwed up in the head . except for lifeblood deep , of course . all the rules changed when it came to lifeblood deep

'' i have no one that i know of . '' '' then you are alone ? '' '' i 'm with friends . '' '' ah yes , the tinker and the storyteller . '' mica had not mentioned that her uncle was a storyteller . how did this man know that ? '' it has been a real pleasure talking to you ,
mica