"Bye, I'm going out!" I say in the morning.
"Layla," Dad says, "we need to talk."
Uh-oh.
I follow Dad to the living room, where Mom's waiting.
"Sit down," Dad says, sitting on the couch near Mom.
I sit on the recliner.
Omega-Xis, it looks like you'll fulfill that promise early…
"Have you heard of the Brotherband?" Dad says.
I nod and say, "It was a 'modern' way of keeping track of relationships through EM waves, right?"
Dad nods and says, "I plan to revive the Brotherband by making it a program accessible through TRs and TAs. It'll help many people, a lot better than simply calling them up. Did you know that the Brotherband was shut down 170 years ago when a kidnapping spree involving Brotherbands struck?"
I shake my head in amazement.
"That leads to our next bit," Dad says, "I believe that the Brotherband can also help you stay in contact with your friends. Petra, for example."
I nod slowly.
"It can also be dangerous though," Mom says, "as people without Brothers are prone to…being taken over by FM-ians, like you have."
"Michelle," Dad says, but too late.
"T-taken over?" I say, trying to pretend like I don't know what they're talking about.
Dad sighs and says, "Layla, we heard you talking in your room with an FM-ian, about things like Battle Cards."
I feel my heart beat harder.
What do I do? There's no waveholes in the house, not that I've seen…
"Activate your TR, Layla," Mom says.
I move to activate it but hesitate.
What if Omega-Xis chickened out?
My parents stare at me, waiting for me to activate it.
I take a deep breath before activating the TR.