The streets are crowded with large public transports and cheap zoomers, the sidewalks cluttered with market stalls and kids riding their gliders too fast between civilians. One human boy nearly glides straight into me, but dodges at the last minute, his friends laughing at him as they all drift away around the corner block.

Gidget keeps me close by her side, her arm twined into my own as we navigate the Emerald District together. Zero follows us closely, growling when people bump into us. Spices from a nearby food stand drift my way and I nearly start drooling, my gaze lingering on a giant turkey leg, but Gidget continues to pull me forward, blind to all distraction.

"How much farther?" I ask over the noise of the district. Loud, orc-metal music blares through the open window of a zoomer stopped at a traffic signal. I turn my head away from the zoomer, masking my face in case the orc driver is a member of the House of Teeth. I have no doubt any of them will turn me in for money. A black wool hat is pulled over my short, now violet hair, completely hiding my pointed ears, but my face might still be recognizable to one of the orcs I'd gotten close enough to sell daybreakers to.

"We have to make a quick stop before we get to the Metro," Gidget answers. "It will just take a minute."

Zero growls what could be considered a grumble of discontent.

"Oh, shut it," Gidget tells him. "You know Tiny is the best with fake IDs."

"Tiny... the orc?" I ask, nudging into Gidget as we pass a woman walking her pet mooncat, its sleek, silver fur shining as it moves.

"So you were listening to my conversation with Macon," Gidget says, tugging me to the left and through the doors of a tech-shop.

The glass door swings closed behind the three of us. The lights above are nearly blinding and I barely have a chance to look around before a giant orc in a collared black shirt blocks my gaze, his smile stretching too far across his fair-skinned face. His bottom canines reach over his upper-lip and his ears have pointed tips like mine, but his are shorter and wider with unrefined edges. The sides of his golden hair are buzzed short while the long strands on top are pulled back from his face in a half-bun. He glances between the three of us with his black orc eyes.

"W-Welcome to The Cyber Center," he says, his cheeks and ears blushing a light pink.

I glance at Gidget for what to do or say.

"We're here for the special, Tiny," Gidget says.

He cringes and sneaks a glance behind him as two other orcs watch on from a sales register. One whispers behind his hand. Then the other, a stouter female orc, gazes beyond Tiny to the three of us, her gaze lingering on Zero. "Pets aren't allowed inside the shop," she says, her voice echoing off of the glass walls. She stares at us with malice in her completely black eyes, her canines gleaming in the bright light of the tech-shop.

"It's a good thing he isn't a pet then," Gidget answers. She runs her fingers through Zero's white fur, calming his quiet growl. "Tiny, if this is how we're going to be treated, then I'll take my business elsewhere."

Tiny blushes even further. He scratches the back of his neck then turns to the orcs at the registers. "Th-They're customers of mine, Bora," he says, his voice a quivering gentle, the opposite of his build and height. "I'll take them to my office."

"So we provide services to anyone nowadays?" she asks, cocking one pierced eyebrow at us.

"Would you like to be the one to tell the House of Teeth that we're rejecting business?" Even through the wool hat covering my ears, I still hear the slight tremor in Tiny's voice. He turns back to face us. "P-Please, come with me." He motions for us to follow him, then weaves through the merchandise tables toward the orcs and the doors behind them.

We follow behind Tiny, and I try my best to avoid the gaze of Bora as she watches us pass by with her arms crossed over her chest. Passing through the swinging double-doors, we merge through a narrow hallway with faded green walls, walking in a single-file line until Tiny enters an office at the end.

The space is nearly as small as Gidget's bathroom. She and I stand side by with our backs pressed up against stacks of mediapads with Zero curled against our legs. Tiny sits back onto a metal desk that takes up majority of the space in the miniscule room, but he's still so tall that he may as well be standing. There's a crack of something beneath him and we all have to look up at him as he speaks.

"Stars Above," Tiny says in defeat. "I've sat on my glasses again, haven't I?"

Gidget nods and reaches for the rack on the wall next to her, pulling a pair of glasses from the rows of replacements and handing them to Tiny. He sighs and pulls the glasses open with his large hands and puts them on carefully. By the size of him, it's no wonder he has so many extra pairs.

"My-My apologies about Bora," he says, raising one of his hands to the side frame of his glasses. He presses a button that I hadn't noticed was there and the rims of his eyewear light up, casting a holographic screen between him and us.

"I'm sure she's such a pleasure to work with," Gidget says with a sneer. "But hey, I've never seen you stand up to her like that. Good for you, Tiny."

Tiny's mouth twitches into a shy smile under the glow of the hologram. I admire his bravery for a moment, even if it's only a small triumph compared to other obstacles, but it still means something to him, and it means something to me, knowing that he'd conquered a fear of his.

Maybe I'll be able to do the same, and not just when my life is on the line. Maybe I can learn to live bravely.

"But you know I'm not paying for these services, right?" Gidget asks. "Seems someone did some talking about my friend here to an outside party."

"I-I let it slip, okay?" he says. I realize then that Gidget was talking about him letting word get to Macon about me. Tiny glances at me, his eyes finding mine through the blue and white light. "I'm sorry. I-I just get so flustered and I'm not very good at talking to people, especially people that I don't know very well. Sometimes I don't think before I speak and oftentimes I ramble on into meaningless—"

"You're doing it right now." Gidget interrupts.

"Oh. Right." Tiny quietly chuckles to himself and glances down, attempting to hide his embarrassment. I know the feeling of thinking every eye is watching you with judgment in their gaze, so I change the subject.

"Will someone tell me why we're here exactly?" I ask. Gidget hadn't mentioned a word about Tiny or the special we'd be receiving from him, but what I really wanted to know was what it had to do with me and getting my name on the list to race.

"Since the Race for Light is held by the Court a civilian ID is required," Gidget explains. "You don't have one."

"How do you know?" I ask, my voice on the edge of becoming a yell considering the frequency I've asked her the same question in the past few days.

"I told you I did some digging." She shrugs her shoulders as she watches the light and the holographic screens Tiny was scrolling through by waving his hand in the air. "It took me forever to find anything on you and it didn't take me long to realize why. I had Tiny prepare your identification."

As if on cue, Tiny stopped scrolling through the screens until he came to a stop on a white box with lines pre-filled with information. The height and weight listed are nearly the same as mine. The birthdate could be my own for all I know—identifying me as a seventeen-year-old human girl—because even the day I was born is something I don't know about myself. Then I glance at the name listed at the top in white letters.

"Lyn Driver?" I ask.

"It's the best I could come up with in the short amount of time," Gidget explains. "You put the 'Lyn' in 'Alyndra' and you're a driver... so..."

"I thought it was clever, Gigi." Tiny says.

Gidget shoots him a glare through the hologram that turns his skin pink.

"L-Last thing we need is a picture and I can finalize the ID," Tiny says, his voice almost a squeak. "Look straight at the blue box, please." Lights surrounding the screen beam brighter, shining onto me.

"What blue box?" I ask. I can't find it anywhere and the lights flash once before dying back down again. My confused face pops up on the screen, filling in the blank box next to the identification info. "You've got to be kidding me."

Gidget throws her head back and laughs. "It's a keeper!"

"We can take another one if you want," Tiny suggest kindly.

"No!" Gidget argues, her smile splitting her face as her curls in her ponytail bounce up and down with her laughter. "Don't you dare erase it, Tiny, it's the best!" She turns her head to look at me and grips my forearm. "Live your life without re-dos. It's damn liberating."

I narrow my eyes at my confused face gazing back at me and stifle a laugh. "Fine, I'll keep it."

"That's my girl." Gidget glances down at her miniscreen that's small enough to fit in one hand. She responds to a message by sliding her thumb across the screen, but I can't see who she's responding to. "The Metro closes in an hour. Can you hack this into the Court database by half-past?"

Tiny nods and swipes screens aside.

Gidget sighs in relief and shimmies around me toward the door. "I swear you're a mage, Tiny!" She swings the door open and pushes me out before yelling back into the office. "Thanks for the free discount!"

#

The Metro is a community building in the center of the Emerald District. There is a recreation wing and an art and tech exhibit on the other side, but most activity revolves around the courtyard. Today, the section is closed off with shimmering force fields, reserving the area for race entrants.

I've only heard about the one piece of fancy tech the Emerald District prides themselves on and the rumors don't do it justice. In the open courtyard, above the cream-stoned pathways, is an open view of the Night sky, uncluttered by buildings. The hologram-tech stretches across the rooftop of the Metro, casting a sea of sparkling stars against the black, replicating what the sky used to look like. It's beautiful, really. I wish I could linger and admire it—the way it glitters above with each step I take, the way it looks like I could brush my finger across its surface and it would feel like cool sand—but a long glass table waits ahead with Court Representatives seated, facing our direction with stoic expressions.

"You have to take the lead on this one," Gidget mumbles next to me as we walk.

Eyes of other contenders watch us pass. Packs of orcs grumble to each other and small groupings of Duskers smile their twisted, hazed grins. Gidget slows her pace and her and Zero fall slightly behind me.

"What do I say?" I ask, surprise nearly making me falter in step, but I can't do that now. Not with the Reps' beady eyes fixed in our direction.

I focus ahead, trying my best to pretend that it's just the Reps and I and that there isn't an audience waiting for the seemingly human girl to embarrass herself. My confidence crumbles further which each step I take until my fingers are shaking at my sides. I shove them into my pockets and Gidget must notice because she's back in my ear.

"You can do this," she whispers. "Remember. Live with no re-dos."

She's right. She's been right about every word that's come out of her mouth.

I take a deep breath and pretend I'm back at the House of Horns, kneeling in front of Jojin Zhane with Zuma's claws in my shoulder. The fire in my heart then gave me the courage to defend myself, to push back against force, to believe I'm stronger than I thought. I envision the huge and timid Tiny standing up to someone he feared.

Courage. I can grasp it and make it my own to wield.

I stop at the table and gaze down the Rep seated in front of me. Her black and silver hair is twirled up into a tight bun on the top of her head, the collar of her pearl suit reaching the jawline of her diamond-shaped face. Her hooked nose curves out between her cold hazel eyes. At her age, she should have wrinkles, but her skin is smooth and full of youth, thanks to the Silk products available in the Ivory District. Her name blinks at me on the tech-tag across her left breast-pocket—Jemika Steele. I don't affiliate very often with Court Reps, and its easy to remember why when her brilliant white smile doesn't reach her eyes.

"Welcome," Jemika says, her fingers typing blindly at a glass keyboard. She freezes, then blinks three times, her eyes refocusing like the lens of a cam. A tech-human, or a 'techie' as Gidget says. "Have you come to sign up for the Race for Light?"

Her voice is a cadence programmed to make me feel comfortable, to make me feel safe, but instead, it raises the hair on my arms. The tips of my ears tingle beneath my wool hat. When I don't answer her, she repeats herself and I shake my head, pulling myself together.

"Yes," I say, my clear and strong voice surprising myself. "I am."

"How wonderful," Jemika replies, her smile wide but her eyes still cold and lifeless. "You're just in time. The admission window closes tonight. Your name?"

"Lyn Driver," I say, hoping that Tiny transferred my new identity in time, but the fake smile falls from Jemika's face.

"I'm sorry," she says, her eyes seeming much more sinister without a smile plugged in. "The name doesn't exist in the Court database." Her words catch the attention of another Court Rep seated next to her. His eyes fall on me and skim down my body, leaving my face prickling with disgust.

But I won't let either of them stand in the way of making my promise a reality.

"Try Lyn with a 'y'," I suggest, forcing my voice to seem unamused. I glance back at Gidget, hoping that I look like I'm frustrated with the waste of my time, but she's typing with her thumb on her miniscreen again.

"Ah," Jemika says, her irises flashing then refocusing again. "There you are. My sincerest apologies about that." She begins typing, but there is no screen in front her, her techie eyes providing a private screen in her vision. "Lyn Driver. Seventeen years. Female human." She continues to list the details aloud and I realize the race contenders around the courtyard are listening in as she mentions my slight height and thin weight, painting me as weak in their eyes. I sigh and glance up at the tech above, as if the fake stars will provide an escape from them. "And who do you race for?"

"Who do I race for?" I ask, the question throwing me off-guard.

"Yes," the male Rep beside her answers. His inky black hair is slicked back from his face, his tone condescending as he continues to assess me through his shallow eyes. "Just tonight, many have pledged as racers for the House of Teeth, or the Dusker Nests, or for their family name. Who do you race for?"

He eyes me curiously and I'm suddenly afraid the outlines of my pointed ears are visible beneath my wool hat. I feel Gidget's gaze and Zero's mismatched eyes at my back. The orcs, Duskers, and everyone in the courtyard watches me, most specifically the ink-haired Rep, waiting for my response.

Who do you race for?

Myself comes to mind, along with Gidget and Zero, Venjo and even Tiny. All of us a different shade from the norm, but aching to belong somewhere. My answer is easy.

"I race for the lost."

"Interesting answer." Jemika says, typing away. "And the name of your zoomer?"

Stars Above, we are so unprepared for this.

The names of some of the elven skyships drift through my head, but I've already drawn enough attention to myself so I don't hesitate and blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.

"Lightrunner," I answer.

Jemika transfers my answer into the system, her gaze glassy and empty. The ink-haired Rep still watches me, but now with more interest and I'm hoping this doesn't come back to bite me in the ass, which would be just my luck. I don't always make the best decisions, but sometimes they're my only option at the moment. Come what may.

I realize when my eyes connect with his, as much as I would have been intimidated just a few days before, the fear is easier to subdue, to pretend like it doesn't exist. I could get used to this whole courage thing.

"Well Lyn Driver," Jemika says as she stops typing. Her irises spin as she refocuses on me, her lips reforming her fake smile. "It is my pleasure to welcome you as a contender to the Race for Light. The qualifying race for the Emerald District will be held two weeks from tonight with the top three racers moving on to race in the city-wide event. As per racing guidelines, you will need to arrive with your own zoomer and a crew of four to assist you, should you need any mechanical, electrical, or technical assistance. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact your local Court Representative."

"Wouldn't that be you?" I ask.

"Next please," Jemika calls, her eyes seeming to look straight through me.

I shuffle out of the way and retreat the way we came. Most of the other contenders have moved their attention to next person signing up to race, but a few still watch me as I walk by. Gidget sidles up next to me, breathless and excited, but keeping her voice quiet enough for only me to decipher.

"You did great," she says. "Love the name for the zoomer, by the way. Symbolism is a forgotten art. And I didn't know we needed a crew, but don't worry, we'll figure that out along with the zoomer." She pauses then, her voice hitching as she continues. "Speaking of the zoomer... there's something I need to tell you."

We exit through the doors to the courtyard and enter the Metro again, the lighting changing from pristine stardust to sunken yellow. I part my lips to ask Gidget what is on her mind when my eyes trail past the blank faded walls and land on a certain fox dressed in leather and his cocky grin that needs to be squashed. Macon leans his shoulder against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Did you miss me?"

"That's what I needed to tell you," Gidget says. "He had my snacks delivered this morning before you woke up, so I had to tell him."

That was quick.

"So he's who you were messaging," I say, turning on her. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Suddenly, the confident and snappy Gidget is fumbling for words. "There was so much going on, so much to do, I didn't want you to get distracted. I didn't think he would show up here." She leaves my side and stomps over to Macon, flicking the smoking cigarette from his mouth and squishing it with the toe of her boot. "This is a community center. You can't smoke here."

"Since all the children are out and about right now," Macon replies. He turns his head left and right to gaze down the empty halls, proving his point. "Someone! Please! Come save the children from the deadly smoke! He'll turn their lungs black!"

Gidget nearly loses her cool. "You have a death wish, I swear," she says, grabbing the collar of his leather jacket and pulling him from the wall. She continues to scold him as she drags him down the hall, Zero following close behind with his claws clicking on the tiled floor.

As Macon is pulled along like a mongrel on a leash, he glances back to grin at me. "You comin'?"

I shake my head at him, but follow along, listening as Gidget verbally assaults him on every reason why he shouldn't be here. Her hushed tone has a bite that reminds me never to piss her off. She stops at an alcove toward the end of one of the outer halls of the Metro, near one of the side-exits. Gidget lets go of Macon's collar as if it carries a disease, a look of disgust flitting across her features before her anger is back.

"Are you done parenting me?" Macon asks, not bothering to straighten his jack. It hangs open, revealing the charcoal shirt beneath. My fingers itch to take Gidget's place so that I can strangle him.

For the first time, I see the color of his eyes. They're dark and gray, not like the ice of Venjo's, but like the deep charcoal of a cloud before a storm, before the lightning strikes. They settle on me, a dare to do something terrible right here and now.

"I must say I'm impressed," Macon says, glancing from me to Gidget. "You have guts signing up for the race when you're on the lorkins' list. They want you bad enough to send the Bounties after you, you know."

"What are you doing here?" I ask, not masking the venom in my tone.

Macon glances back at me with a flicker of surprise in his eyes, but it's gone in an instant. "I'm keeping up with my end of the bargain."

I want to scream until his ears bleed and my voice is a nightmare in his head, but instead I conjure up every ounce of patience I have within me and speak as calm and evenly as I can. "You already failed at that," I tell him.

"There were some..." he trails off, his eyes wandering as if he's thinking of the right word to say. "Complications."

"Stop lying." I take a step closer, grinding my boot into the floor to keep from flying at him with bared hands and letting my elf-kill instincts rip him apart. "I should've never taken your word for truth. You're just as I thought you were the moment I heard your name—a Starfox—immoral, disloyal, acting only for your benefit."

Macon flinches like my words hurt him, but takes a step toward me. "Ouch, Lovely. You're ruthless."

"You're a murderer."

"That's a new one." His brow perks and I notice the small scar that cuts through it.

"You killed Ekon," I remind him.

"To save people I care about," he answers. "But we lost them anyways that night. Or didn't your lorkins tell you? I'm the only one who got away. I don't just waltz around electrocuting people." He pauses and takes another step toward me. "And if I remember correctly, you came to the Bitbucket to kill me."

I refuse to listen to him anymore. "Bottom line—you're a traitor."

"Alyndra," Gidget says quietly, pulling my attention to her. "We need him."

It's then I feel Macon's electric heat and realize how close we are. I jump back and repeat Gidget's words in my head, wishing they weren't true. "Why?" I ask. "There can't possibly be a reason that we actually need him."

"Well..." Gidget sounds like she doesn't want to say it. Please don't. "We need somewhere to work on the zoomer and Macon's uncle has a garage behind the Bitbucket. He's offered the space for us to use and where else are we going to work? In my apartment? It's the most logical option."

"I thought logic was for the techies," I say and Gidget's wide eyes look like I've slapped her across the face. I hate it, but she's right, so I turn on Macon instead. "What's in this for you?"

"For me?" he asks, splaying his fingers across his chest, the tips disappearing behind the zipper of his leather jacket. He looks at me for a moment, narrowing his eyes as if the answers to every question he has about me will appear on my face. The humor and mischief that normally spikes his gaze falls away and vulnerability seeps through for a brief passing moment. Then he laughs and shakes his head. "Forget about that shit. This isn't about me."

I stare at him with a blank expression on my face.

"Okay..." Macon drawls. "I guess it is about me. Listen, I know I screwed things up, just let me make it up to you. I can even get some Foxes to snag the zoomer you trashed from the junkyard at City's Edge."

Gidget nudges closer at my side and mumbles out of the side of her mouth. "Logic is sounding really good right now."

"Fine," I say, giving Macon another glance before I turn to Gidget. "Logic wins this time."