Hunger

complex programs. Maybe too much—even for you.”
    He shook his head, but barely. “It’s a trick. You’re just trying to get me to go back so Caine and Drake can teach me a lesson.”
    “Don’t flatter yourself, kid,” Diana said. Time to close the deal. Time to make him believe. “You’re only good for one thing. You’re not Courageous Jack or Fighting Jack or even Lover Jack, although I know you have your sad little fantasies. You’re Computer Jack. Sam won’t let you do what you can do. Caine will. And Jack?”
    “Yes.”
    “So very much technology. Such a huge challenge. And only you can do it.”
    “I…I have to think about…”
    “No, Jack. It’s right now. Right now, or never.”
    She turned and began to walk away. Jack stood there, hesitating. But she knew. She had seen it in his eyes.

    “Hey. Someone’s been in my room,” Zil Sperry said, coming down the stairs at a run.
    Hunter Lefkowitz was splayed out on the couch, one leg up on the back, one leg touching the floor, both arms behind his head. He was watching a DVD of Superbad . He’d watched it at least ten times before. He knew every joke.
    “How can you tell, man? The mess your room is in?”Hunter said, barely paying attention.
    Zil came around and hit the power button on the side of the TV. “Not finding that real funny, freak. Someone was in my room. Someone took something that belonged to me.”
    Hunter shared the house with three other boys, Zil, Charlie, and Harry. They’d been friends back before the FAYZ. They were all seventh graders, and the thing that had united them was their love of the San Francisco Giants. Perdido Beach was definitely Dodgers territory, with maybe a scattering of Angels fans. But Zil and Charlie had moved here at various times from the Bay Area, Harry had come from Lake Tahoe, and Hunter just plain liked the Giants.
    So they had banded together to irritate other kids at school by ostentatiously dressing up in the orange and black. They’d gotten together on summer afternoons to watch games.
    But there were no pro sports in the FAYZ. No TV, either. The four of them no longer had the one shared interest that had bound them together.
    And lately distance had grown between Hunter and the other three for a reason unique to the FAYZ: Hunter was a freak. The other three were normals. At first they’d all talked about it together, like, no big deal, they’d probably all get powers eventually, it was just that Hunter was first.
    But as the weeks had worn on, none of the other three had changed at all, whereas Hunter was rapidly becoming a potentially powerful mutant. That had bothered Zil.
    It had bothered him more with each passing day.
    “Hey man, turn the set back on,” Hunter demanded,pointing angrily at the set.
    “Give it back, Hunter,” Zil demanded.
    “Give what back, jerkwad?”
    Zil hesitated. Then, “You know what.”
    Hunter sighed heavily and sat up. “Okay, so you’re accusing me of stealing something and you won’t even tell me what it is? Man, you must be awfully bored to be starting some beef with me over nothing.”
    “Beef!” Zil cried accusingly.
    Harry came wandering in from the dining room, where he was building a complicated LEGO design, attracted by the sound of raised voices.
    “What’s going on?” Harry asked.
    “Moof boy here stole something from my room,” Zil said.
    “You’re lying,” Hunter shot back. “And don’t be calling me names.”
    “Moof? You’re a mutant freak. Why shouldn’t I call you that?”
    “What’s going on?” Harry asked again, bewildered.
    “Give it back,” Zil said. “Give it back.”
    “You stupid moron, I don’t even know what you’re talking about!” Hunter was on his feet now, red in the face.
    “The jerky,” Zil said. “You called me jerkwad. Then you said ‘beef.’ So stop trying to be clever. You know exactly what it was, because you stole it. I had a piece of beef jerky.”
    “That’s what this is about?” Hunter was incredulous. “First off, why were you holding out on us, man? I thought we shared—”
    “Shut up, you mutant freak of nature,” Zil shouted. “I don’tshare anything with you. I might share stuff with humans, but not with chuds.”
    They’d had disagreements before. Even arguments. And this was not the first time Zil had harped on Hunter’s powers. But this was more intense, and now it was starting to seem like a fight they’d managed to sidestep in the past was now