Clearwater, Chapter 3

Back Quadrant 12

The kids sat in the living room. Avery was wrapped in a blanket—Grandma liked to keep the house cold, and the old window AC unit did just the trick.

“What are we gonna do?” Avery asked.

Her big brother shrugged. “I’ve been asking myself the same thing. No video games. The internet’s super slow. There’s not another house for a mile or two. And the very idea of playing board games with you guys makes me angry.”

He stood up. “Maybe I’ll go outside and look around.”

"No," Avery shook her head. “I mean, what are we gonna do about the people in the app?”

Knox laughed. “You’re worried about that? It’s just people on the internet. There’s nothing to worry about. They’re probably in Nigeria or something.”

“You’re not worried at all?” Avery asked.

“Not at all. You know what I am gonna do? I’m gonna go get some of those comic books and park myself in front of the AC and just read.”

Lily stood. “I guess I’ll go hang out with Grandma some more.”

Avery sighed. Maybe they didn’t care. But she was curious. What were those files about?

She turned and headed back to the computer.