Part 1
" . . . The Bank of America experienced computer problems today due to a hacker. The hacker mixed some of the banks' files around, causing problems with larger bank accounts. The hacker called himself the 'Carnage Lord.' The damage done by this hacker was easily dealt with, but there is concern that he will strike again. . . ."
Wendy smiled. She had made it onto the national evening news, and no one but a few other hackers that lived close to her knew it. Sometimes, things were just too easy for her.
Lianna looked up from her dinner and at Wendy. She knew that sparkle in Wendy's eyes. She had done something she was proud of, which meant it was something illegal, dangerous, or that Lianna should be afraid of herself. The worse thing about it was that Wendy never got in trouble. She had this sort of ability to steer clear of that sort of thing. Lianna really hated it.
She shook her head and started to examine the food her parents had left for dinner for the two of them. Their parents sucked at cooking. Eating was always somewhat of an adventure. One that Wendy refused to endeavor unless black-mailed or bribed into it.
Lianna sighed. Wendy's friends were going to bring her a cheeseburger and fries from In-And-Out [1]. And, what was Lianna going to get? Nothing. Wendy had her friends wrapped around her finger, where as Lianna's always had something better to do than help her out. Sometimes, it sucked to be popular. Oh well, small price to pay for hanging out with Casey Hunter's crowd.[2]
Wendy eyed her sister. She never trusted her. For a hacker with a nosy sister who would love to get her in trouble, paranoia was the best way of life. It had to be. Wendy didn't see staying out of trouble as something that would let her go out with her friends. She saw it as survival. And, so far, she was doing a
good job at surviving.
Sometimes, though, Wendy couldn't help but feel sorry for her sister. Wendy didn't have many friends, but at least the friends she did have were real ones. She knew Lianna couldn't truthfully say the same about the people she hung out with.
Wendy sighed. I must be getting soft. . . . "You want my friends to bring you anything?"
Lianna scrutinized her sister. She could tell when Wendy was lying or trying to trick her way through things, even when other people couldn't. She could tell that Wendy was being totally truthful and sincere. Might as well take advantage of this. I probably won't get another chance to use her sincerity to my advantage, at least for a while. "Sure."
"What you want?"
"Number two, with sauteed onions, and a lemonade."
"Right." Wendy reached for the phone. Bad Wendy! Growing a conscience, are you? Never thought I'd see the day.
Roger and Rachel smiled. It was going to be great! They were going to Malibu, California. Their father had been invited to some huge computer thing. After all, he was one of the best programmers in the U.S.
"We'll get to visit Wendy. This'll rock!" Roger said enthusiastically.
"Yeah! Maybe Hap can come down from Santa Barbara." Rachel and Hap had decided that a long distance relationship probably wasn't the best thing, especially since they were so young and because Hap had never been off the island. He hadn't really been able to experience everything the others had. Rachel and him were still very good friends, though.
"Yeah. That would be great! I wonder if any the others were invited."
Ray sat on his basketball, eavesdropping on his parents' conversation. They seemed pretty excited about something. The last time they sounded this way had been when Dr. Hwa had invited them to Anza-bora island, and he remembered how that had ended [3]. It wasn't like anyone who had been there could forget.
"RAY! Come here! We have something to tell you!"
Ray relunctantly got up, opened the door, and walked into the room. He was still thinking that this could be another Anza-bora.
Ray's stepmother smiled at him. "What's with the look, Ray? Be happy. We have some good news for you."
Ray looked suspicious. It was almost summer... God, not summer camp again! Anything but that!
Rays father smiled at him, too. "I've been invited to go to Malibu, California for some sort of computer conference with the biggest names in computer programmers in the U.S. We're all going. So are the rest of your friends from Anza-bora. Well, except for Hap, but he could probably visit you guys."
Ray looked at them. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he realized that he had gotten out of summer camp. Then, a jubilant smile crossed his face as he realized that the A.I Gang would be back together. "ALL RIGHT!!!!"
Trip smiled happily. "Malibu. Movie stars. Super models. Hot babes on the beach. California. Hollywood. This is going to be great!"
He affectionately patted his cat. "I wonder how the others are doing?" Trip had, of course, kept in touch with the rest of the members of the A.I. gang but people overlook small details about themselves and sometimes don't mention the small changes.
Trip faced his cat, Lunkhead, towards him. "This is gonna be fun, isn't it?"
Hap opened his e-mail. It was from Roger and Rachel. His face lit up as he read the message. "Dad'll let me go. He's cool with that sort of thing."
Hap had stayed over at Wendy's once before because they lived about three hours away. It had been an adventure. Wendy's other friends were pretty . . . well, they were somewhat like she was. Kind of scary at times, always brilliant, sometimes intimidating, and always doing something they shouldn't be.
Hap smiled. "This is going to be a blast."
Eric gave the Wendell girls their dinner. "Bon-a-petite, ladies." He held out his hand and received the $6.97 they owed him. "What? No tip?"
Wendy took the coins out of his hand and gave him a dollar. A huge smile formed on Eric's lips. "WOW! A whole 3 cents!!! How generous!"
Wendy glared at him. "Don't be that way, or I'll -- "
She was interrupted by the phone. Wendy sighed and picked it up. "Wendell/Watson residence. Wendy 'the wonderchild' Wendell III talking. What can my glorious pressence do for you?"
"Have you heard? We're coming to Malibu! We're going to visit you!"
Wendy smiled at Rachel's voice. "Old news. My parents were also invited. I looked up who else was coming when I found out."
"What! You knew we were coming, and you didn't tell us?!"
"Uh-huh!"
Eric was trying to listen to the conversation. "It's a chick. Hey, chick," he talked into the receiver of the telephone. "I don't know you and you don't know me, but we'll see each other when you get here. -- " Wendy pushed him away from her and the phone.
Roger, who was also on the phone, spoke up. "Chick? Who does that guy think he is?"
"HEY!" Wendy would defend Eric no matter what. "He's my best friend. He didn't mean anything by it. He calls all girls chicks and all guys dudes. It's his thing."
Samantha and Rob, who were also at Wendy's house, started to throw their fries at each other. Eric soon joined in, along with Parker and Krave, two more of Wendy's friends.
Lianna had left the room as soon as she had received her food, so Wendy had to reprimand them. "HEY! Not in the living room! You break it you pay for it! No grease stains! Understand? Krave, don't make me hurt you!!"
The assault in the living room subdued, Wendy turned her attention back to the telephone. "Sorry. My room is fine dirty, but my parents would spaz if I got grease or anything on the leather couch and chairs."
Rachel answered. "That's okay."
Roger turned the conversation back to their trip. "We'll be in Malibu on June 5."
Wendy thought out loud. "June 5 . . . cool . . . I'll be out of school. I'll invite Hap to come down. I don't think he'll mind with you guys here. If you weren't coming, I'm not sure he'd visit me again. I think my friends scared him."
The twins heard laughter in the background. "Us scare someone? Who'd have thunk!" That was followed by more laughter.
Wendy sighed. She didn't want them to scare her other friends away. "Rach, Rog, don't listen to them. If you can deal with me, you can deal with them. I think I'm the worst one in the group. So, don't worry."
Rachel was getting kind of scared, but knew Wendy wouldn't lie to her about something like that. Wendy had a thing about being constantly blunt. "That's okay."
They talked a bit more about the trip, each other, and computers. June 5 was just around the corner, just three weeks away, and no one could wait.
Some notes:
[1] In-'N-Out is an awesome burger place! Some of the best burgers! If you ever go to California or Las Vegas, hunt one down.
[2] I don't know why I did this. Casey Hunter is a chick that goes to my school. She's nice, too. If you're reading this, sorry, Casey. :)
[3] I won't explain this. You should kinda know what happened if you read the notes.
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