Codes (Book 2)

Chapter 1: Justin/Claire

Justin

I could kill my sister, I could take the most important life in the universe at any moment. 

You couldn't blame me for running all the way back to my apartment and crawling underneath the covers as soon as Amanda left Eva's office. I hated to leave Claire there alone with Eva's corpse, but I wanted to put as much distance between myself and my sister as possible. Never knew when I would turn into an Iceheart maniac. 

Even safely in bed, I couldn't get to sleep. No matter how much I tried to control myself, I couldn't stop touching the mark on the back of my neck. Every time my fingertips grazed the slightly puffy letters "IH," my disgust for Queen Saralee grew. 

She branded me, like an animal. 

I curled up into a ball, hissing every time the tattoo began to act up, growing extremely hot and painful for a moment before subsiding. 

As I finally began to drift off to sleep, I cursed my ill luck. I was in no way involved with the Icehearts or the Lessaenites, I didn't even exist! Yet, Claire/Princess Viviana had dragged me into this mess with her...

Claire

Queen Saralee chased me through the cold Lessaenite woods, gliding effortlessly on her Aura while I stumbled over branches and twigs. 

"Nine years," her voice echoed through the bare trees. "A long time to hide from me. The longest anyone ever has hidden from the Queen of Lessaenes. But, unfortunately, all streaks eventually come to an end!" 

I tried to escape, but she was all around me. She was in the sky, in the trees, in front of me and behind me. There were hundreds of her, and they stalked towards me in perfect synchrony, their arms outstretched like zombies. 

Soon, other Icehearts I remembered from my time on Lessaenes joined them, brandishing various weapons. Not knowing where else to go, I jumped into the stream that flowed to my right, swimming as fast as I could. Yet, to my horror, there were more Queen Saralees underwater!

They covered my nose and mouth with their cold, pale hands, dragging me under as I suffocated in their grasp. 

"Stop!" I cried, sitting up in my bed. Ever since I had gotten back my memories, I had been having these strange dreams, and I could tell that Justin being a Code was just making it worse. 

I debated my options, and realized that if I went back to sleep, I would probably have more nightmares. Tomorrow was a big day though, the Glitchketball Championship, and I needed my rest...

I decided to stay awake, this wasn't the first time I had gone without sleep, and I could certainly manage. Carefully rolling off my bed so I didn't wake Kelly, I walked over to my window. The dawn in WGO was one of the most carefully Coded things I had ever seen, and looking into it, I wondered if the Programmers were watching me right at that moment. It made me feel chills down my spine. 

Although, I probably shouldn't have been calling them the Programmers anymore. I now knew they weren't some powerful, far away researchers, they were just humans trying to survive. Humans who happened to know a thing or two about coding...

I brushed away all thoughts of the world outside the Program. I knew more about it now than I ever thought I would, and I would soon know even more. 

Pulling on my thin brown Team Sloppie jacket and some tennis shoes, I quietly descended the stairs and exited the Can. 

Running up to the nearest Glitchketball court, I stood in the Glitching box and assumed my stance. Reaching out slowly with my right hand, I created an Aural shield around one of the worn basketball hoops. It circled the hoop, preventing any shots from going in. 

Just as I was preparing to celebrate, my concentration wavered and the shield disappeared. I tried again and again, and after about fifteen minutes, I was able to hold a shield in place around the net for almost a minute. 

60...61...62! I counted the seconds under my breath. I had beaten my record! Suddenly, a basketball crashed into my shield, shattering it and sending my Aura back at my face. 

"You've got crazy endurance for a kid with no training," said a voice behind me. "But what good's a steady shield if it breaks on impact?"

"Amanda?" I turned around. 

"I couldn't sleep either," she shrugged, Coding the basketball back into her hand. "I get these crazy dreams about all the different ways Saralee could kill me," she shook her head. "I know, it's completely insane." 

"No, I get them too," I said with a weak smile. Amanda didn't seem all that scary anymore. I never thought I'd say it, but I thought she might've been getting...friendlier. 

"If it's like this for us...just think of your sister," Amanda put her head down sadly. "She took the brunt of it. She protected you as long as she could."

"I miss Tara," I whispered, my throat tightening a bit with the memory. 

"Me too," Amanda looked away. "She will be the best Queen Lessaenes has ever seen." 

"But Queen Saralee hates her. She's the Prototype, an immortal, and even otherwise, she'd never let Tara be Queen. She'd make Uncle Airel her heir or something" 

"Viviana..." Amanda trailed off, her face brightening. "No one is immortal. It's physically impossible for any being to live forever. It may be extremely hard, but there has to be a way to kill Queen Saralee." 

"Maybe there is, but she's the most feared monarch in Lessaenite history. Who's going to walk up to Icicle Hall and assassinate her?" 

At this, Amanda began to laugh hysterically, looking down at me with a condescending smile. "You are."