"Welcome to Morales Salon. What would you like done today?" I query with a fake smile plastered on my face. My voice is an octave higher than usual, lips twitching and fingers drumming against my leg.

The lady who just walked in smiles back at me. "I'd love to have my nails painted with that new, erm, insta one."

I nod, realizing she's referring to Jared's parent's new line. "Of course." Next I glance down at the computer placed in front of me, tapping away at the slick surface. "Go to nail station number five."

"Thank you!" She beams as I glance up, practically skipping to the station at the back of the room.

Once she's out of my line of vision, I plop into the chair behind me. My parents want to spend some time with me, and this is their solution. Really, I believe they're short handed, but even though this job can become boring, I don't mind helping out. A yawn escapes my lips as I glance outside through the glass making up the walls. Streetlights give faint relief of the darkness as well as the florescent light of this shop. The chair is leather and hugs my body. A smile creeping onto my face, I allow myself to drift into my thoughts.

She ambled in the door, a bright smile gracing her features. I was hiding under the receptionist desk, peering at her from the gap at the bottom. Her sneakers slapped against the pristine tile, dress swishing at her ankles. Ash slowly turned around the desk, feet growing closer to my location.

Giddily smiling to myself, I slipped under the desk. Her feet appeared directly across from me, her skirt folding onto the floor as she began to kneel. A rush of adrenaline rushing through me as I scooted to the side in the nick of time. Sadly, my foot took too long to slide across the tile and in front of me.

I let out a yelp of surprise as a cold hand grasped my ankle. My cousin poked out her head from under the desk, a silly grin lighting up her face. Her emerald eyes were bright and shining, practically radiating joy.

"I found you, Hurricane," she smiled as she pulled the rest of her body from under the wooden structure.

After letting out a sigh of defeat, I let my smile return to my visage. "You're just too good at hide and seek."

She shook her head, sitting beside me. Our parents had already departed, but we'd snuck back to play. The shop was mostly dark, only a few lamps lightly the fairly large area. It felt like bliss, sitting in silence with my best friend. My both pulled our knees up to our chests, smiles bountiful as we clasped our hands around our legs. We sat like that for a while, lost in our own thoughts.

Suddenly, the door was yanked open. Ash immediately jumped up, protectively standing in front of me. I slowly pulled myself off the cold floor, trembling from head to toe. The person was obscured from my view by Ash's tall frame. I could make out their black shoes and black pants. Ash seemed to stiffen in front of me, fear practically radiating off her body.

"You girls are breaking curfew," the guard hissed. "Get home before I decide to punish you."

Rapidly, both of us bobbed our heads, heading towards the door.

"Wait," the guard halted us. "Let me scan your Chips. This goes on your records.

I felt the urge to roll my eyes and pee my pants at the same time. We both complied, one at a time holding out our wrists to be scanned. Then, we nearly ran all the way home, my cursed asthma slowing us down. The society was supposed to be perfect. Why were be being scolded for playing hide and seek? Why was I cursed with such a troublesome illness?

I'm snapped out of my memory by my watching beeping. An automated voice informs me that Cody is requesting a holochat. After quickly scanning the area and making sure no one is within ear shot, I accept. Cody's hologram floats above my watch. It shows his face, which he's angling toward the holosensor. He offers me a light lipped smile, also glancing around his own surroundings.

"Hey, Cody," I whisper even though people can't listen to our conversation; the sound is directed at me and stops a few inches from my ears. Still, the government could easily tap into my watch. Well, that and I'm just extremely paranoid.

"Hey, Autumn," Cody replies slowly, almost like he's testing the weight of the words on his tongue. "Can you meet me at the shop in fifteen?"

My eyes widen before I pull on a poker face, wary of giving onlookers a glimpse of my emotions. "Sure. Um, but, why?"

He rolls his eyes, the image buffering, evidence that he's in motion. "Someone could be listening, stupid. Just meet me there, okay?"

I let out a sigh, leaning back in the comfy chair and tossing my legs onto the desk in front of me; the same one from my memory. "I guess. I'll have to ask my parents."

He raises a questioning eyebrow before his watch bounces up to create a holographic image of the inky sky.

"Keep the holosensor on your ugly face, will you?" I tease, a smile tugging at my lips. "My parents wanted my help at the salon. Anyways, I'll ask them. It should be nearing closing time. Plus, it's not as busy as it was earlier."

His face reappears and he nods. As he opens his mouth to form a verbal reply, I command, "WatchAssistant, end holochat."

In an instant, Cody's holographic face disappears. The WatchAssistant can be quite useful when I'm lazy enough to use it.

With a lazy groan, I host myself out of the plush comfort and stroll over to my mom. Her hair is hanging over her shoulder in a neat braid, reminding me of Ash. Smiling through the stabbing pain in my heart, I gently tap her on the shoulder.

Mom glances at me over her shoulder. "Yes, Autumn?" She smiles, glancing away from the hair of her client. It's turning a pale purple, falling into soft curls in the middle of her back.

"Can I have the rest of the night off?" I practically beg, mentally cursing myself for using such a pleading tone.

She cocks an eyebrow, turning back to her client and adding another drop of hair dye. In an instant, the deep brown tainting the tips is swallowed by the purple, the teen's hair shining under the artificial light. "Well, I guess we're not that busy. But why do you want to leave? Your father and I were planning on spending time with you afterwards."

Guilt gnaws away at my stomach, but I concentrate on the matter at hand. Promptly, the guilt is replaced by fear and curiosity. I need to know why Cody urgently needs to see me. "Um, my friend needs my help with something. I shouldn't be long. By the time you're done here, I should be available to hang with you guys." I internally cringe at my choice of words. I know I'm just trying to pacify my guilt. Plus, I really do want to spend time with my parents. They're usually so busy, and I've been occupied as well. Maybe, just maybe, I can have a taste of normality after all that's happened.

She purses her lips before nodding in my direction. She glances at me, her icy eyes seeming to stare into my very soul. "Okay. Be safe, alright? And don't get in any trouble."

A small smile spreads across my lips as I gather her in a quick hug. Caught off guard, she lightly hugs me back, wrapping her bony arms around me. Once she lets go, I flash her a toothy grin and saunter towards the door. As I push it open, I gulp in the fresh air. It's cool and refreshing, not a cloud in sight. The door slams shut behind me as I pick up my pace. My flats seem to pound against the pavement, the sound echoing through the otherwise silent atmosphere. Synthetic greenery sways in the gentle breeze that caresses my flesh.

When I approach the row mansions once again, my eyes instantly attach to the familiar figure of Jared's housing. The lights are alive, his cat fast asleep just outside the gate. It's though he's guarding it from some invisible evil, to make sure it can't enter his home. Or maybe he's too scared to sleep in front of the door because Jared might kick him again. Poor cat's probably scarred for life.

Finally, I yank open the door to the ice cream shop. Cody's sitting in a chair, his laptop positioned in front of him. The sound of the door softly closing causes him to jump, head swiveling in my direction so fast I'm surprised it doesn't snap right off his neck. Hesitantly, I pull out the chair across from him and settle myself onto it. Darkness nearly envelopes us, faint light provided by the meager lights lining the streets.

Cody sniffens in his seat. "Autumn, do you have any idea why I called you here?"

I shake my head, leaning back in my slightly uncomfortable seat. "No. Where are the others?"

He shrugs, running a hand through his sandy hair. "I have no idea. I didn't invite them here if that's what you're implying."

I wrap my arms around myself, the air slightly too cold for my liking. Goosebumps rise on my arms. "Okay. Well, what's so urgent?"

He takes a deep breath before replying. "They're gonna be checking Chips."

My eyes go wide, body becoming rigid. "Like, how thorough?"

"They're gonna make sure it's inside your wrist, and scan it to make sure it's functional."

My breath hitches. "When?"

I can faintly see him shrug as the light from his computer, once illuminating him, dims. "Most likely some time this week."

"Why?" I whisper, my body trembling; I doubt it's from the slight chill of the room.

"You remember the little meeting they had the other day, right?"

Instantly, I nod. "Of course. That was interesting. They were discussing Chip reports or something. Oh, and you were terrified of some woman."

"That isn't just some woman, Autumn."

"Then who is she? How does she know you and why does she terrify you?" I press.

"I-I can't say. Sorry."

"No," I hiss, smacking my hand against the table, which I'm pretty sure causes him to jump. "Cody Simon, I trusted you with my deepest secret that could very well get me killed. You can't even explain who a simple woman is!"

"Autumn-"

"No!" I shout, effectively cutting him off. "Listen to me, mister. If you don't start explaining, I will barge right out of here."

I hear him let out a long, exaggerated sigh. "Fine, miss persistent. Her name is Ingrid. Ingrid Simon."

I gasp as I recognize the last name. "Is she related to you?"

"She's- she's one of the creators of Chips," he mutters, dodging my question like a ball.

Curiosity and anger bubble within me. "You avoided my question, mister." Then, I gasp, realization sinking in. "Whoa, seriously."

"Yeah," he breathes, his voice wobbling slightly. "She's a pretty influential and powerful woman."

"And she's related to you," I add, crossing my arms over my chest as my own voice wobbles. 'You're related to the woman who created Chips."

"Yes," he whispers solemnly. "But I'm not like her. She used to be such a wonderful person, but now she's married to her work, married to following orders. She's obsessed with Chips and perfection, along with doing everything he wants. That's why we have to stop Ingrid. We have to stop her and her associates before this gets too far. She won't divulge any information to me. That's why I have to fish for it!"

"How-"

"And that report showed some Chip malfunctions. They go from month to month. We're lucky they didn't pick up that time we were out after curfew."

I hop out of my chair, slamming my palms against the table once again. It sends a shooting pain up my both of my arms, but I ignore it. "How is she related to you?"

He sucks in a deep gulp of air. "She's my mom."