"C'mon, best…uh…" Sara counted on her fingers, deep in thought. "nine out of seventeen?"
Cassie laughed. "I'm getting sleepy. Maybe you and Jordan could play another round."
"Nah, I'm bored. It's too easy when I always win."
"Beginners' luck!" Sara protested.
Marco, Jake, and Tom were in the middle of some video game when Marco's dad interrupted. "Time to skedaddle, kiddo."
"But he's just about to eliminate Jake for me!" Tom complained.
"If you weren't spending all of your time getting powerups you could have won two levels ago," Marco informed him.
"I wouldn't chance those roads," Cassie's dad called.
"We'll be okay," Marco's dad tossed his head.
They exited. Seconds later I heard Tobias's thoughtspeak. >Marco? You can't get home. Not in this weather.>
Ax was the only one that could respond, because human was a morph for him. >His father will not listen to reason.>
"Ax, ask Tobias if we should create a diversion."
>Should we create a diversion?>
>That could be helpful.>
"Oh Mar-co!" I sung.
He jerked his head around. Unfortunately, I had nothing to follow with.
"Uh…what?"
"Your, um, video game. Is it only for three players?"
"Nope. Two to eight."
"Wanna do a two-player?"
"Against you?" I could see the smile curling up his face.
"I'm better than you think."
"Marco, c'mon!" His dad was scraping the windows of the car. "Time to go."
"No, I need to embarrass Rachel."
"Marco, now."
"Don't think so. Besides, it's cold." He followed me back inside.
What could his dad do? Reluctantly, he reentered. I grabbed a control and began pushing stuff.
"So you want to play as Bluriskio? Bad choice, bad choice." Marco carefully selected his character. "I never lose with Thraukkew."
All of a sudden we were on a different screen. Marco's Thraukkew zoomed across while I waddled along, pressing buttons as I went. Marco laughed, enjoying his lead, while I jammed the controls.
"Hey wait a minute, what are you doing with 42 lives?" Marco asked.
"Losing? I don't know."
"You just unlocked a cheat code," said Tom. "Gimme that thing!" He wrenched the control out of my hands.
>Marco is completely engrossed in the game>, Ax informed Tobias.
>Great. And let's just say that if his dad wants to leave again, his car won't be starting for a while.>
"Ask Tobias if he's heading back to the forest," I instructed Ax.
>Rachel wants to know if you're heading back to the forest.>
>Not in this weather. I'm staying where I know where I am.>
"Ask him if he'll be okay."
>Will you be okay?>
>I'm an ex-human, now a hawk, fighting a war against parasitic aliens. I think the definition of "okay" is relative.>
"Tell him that-"
"Rachel, I am not a thoughtspeak broadcaster!"