Hendrix ducked as an arrow whizzed past his head, missing by mere millimeters. He yelled and dove behind a barrel to check his weapon supply. Empty. He’d thrown his last knife at the enemy who’d been shooting at him.
He looked around, careful not to expose too much of his head. There! A sword was stuck into a wagon only a few feet away. Hendrix prepared to make a run for it.
And then the whole world went red.
He took off his headset and tossed it on the couch.
“Seriously, Kane?” he yelled. “How did you get a laser blaster in ancient Japan?”
Hendrix’s best friend appeared in the doorway connecting their hotel rooms. He had his headset around his neck and was twirling the cord in his hand.
“Transport bag,” Kane said with an evil grin. “I bought it in Jupiter 3412. It just came out yesterday. I can take anything anywhere now.”
“That’s not fair!” Hendrix said. The whole point of Time Hunters, their favorite game, was that you had to make do with only the resources of the time and place the portal took you to. Everyone started each new mission with nothing. That made the game a lot harder—but it also kept the wallet warriors from buying up extras and taking over. That was the biggest thing Kane used to complain about when they used to play Solar Surfers.
And now he’d done exactly that himself.
“You cheated,” Hendrix said.
Kane shrugged. “If the game allows it, it’s not cheating. It’s just good strategy.”
Hendrix picked up his headset and slowly twisted up the cord. He needed a moment to cool down. He couldn’t afford to lose his temper. And he especially couldn’t afford a fight with Kane right now. In less than nine hours they’d be starting a real-life mission—an episode for the show Escape!—with their friends Raymon and Ander.
Hendrix jumped at the sound of a knock on the door. Before he could ask who was there, Kane opened it. Ms. Pinkney, the show’s production manager, stood there with her arms crossed. Despite the light pink suit and high heels, she reminded Hendrix of Ama Amanda, Time Hunters’ most popular female avatar. Only Ms. Pinkney was twice as fierce.
“Lights out was almost an hour ago,” she said.
“Like we’re going to be able to sleep tonight anyway,” Kane said. He crossed his own arms and stared right back at her. Sometimes Hendrix admired the way Kane didn’t back down from adults. But he couldn’t see how arguing with the show’s manager was a good idea.
“We were just finishing up,” Hendrix said quickly. “This was . . . a last-minute study session.”
Ms. Pinkney’s lips drew into a tight line, and Hendrix thought she was trying hard not to laugh. Or maybe yell. He couldn’t tell.
“We’re going to sleep now. Right Kane?” Hendrix said, looking at his friend.
Kane yanked off his headset, rolling his eyes. But he went into his room and shut the door without complaining. Hendrix sighed in relief.
Ms. Pinkney walked over and put a hand on Hendrix’s shoulder. “I’m counting on you to be a good role model, Hendrix,” she said. “I need to know that when you boys go in tomorrow, you’ll make sure everyone stays on track.”
Hendrix squirmed. Before they came to California, he had been an average guy. He hung out with his family, did well in school, and spent most of his free time playing video games with his friends. When Raymon had suggested they apply to be on Escape!, Hendrix had only agreed because he figured it wouldn’t go anywhere.
So he’d made himself sound as good as possible when they’d filmed their audition tape. He said he was a natural leader who loved to help people achieve their goals. It was true he’d been voted the group leader in his church’s youth group. And he really did volunteer at the youth center twice a week, working with the little kids there. But if he’d known they would actually be chosen to participate on the show, he would have kept his mouth shut.
When they each filmed their pre-show interview pieces yesterday, Ms. Pinkney kept asking Hendrix how he was planning to lead the team. Hendrix had no choice but to play along. So now he was stuck. He told the whole world that he would take charge, making sure everyone followed the rules and did their best. The clips from the interviews were going to be used as filler between scenes of them in the Escape! house when the show aired in a couple of weeks.
Of course, first he and his team actually had to make it out of the house. And if they didn’t, it would be all his fault. Hendrix couldn’t stand the thought of letting his friends down, especially now that he knew they would be counting on him more than ever.
“Don’t forget, you’re the leader of this group,” Ms. Pinkney reminded him. As if he could forget. “Get some sleep. You’ve got a big day ahead of you tomorrow.”
Kane was right. Hendrix was never going to be able to get to sleep now.