Roadside Crosses (Kathryn Dance 2)

"Some families do. We don't." He gave a wistful look. "We're happier that way."

She was smiling. "You know, you and I've met, Jason."

The boy looked down. "Yeah, I know. Mr. Boling told me. I kinda killed you. Sorry. I thought you were just some newb who was dissing us because of Trav. I mean our family--well, our whole guild order--has been totally dissed because of him and all the posts on that blog. It's happening a lot.

A raiding party from the north traveled all the way from Crystal Island to wipe us out. We made this allegiance and stopped them. But Morina was killed. She was our sister. She's come back but she lost all her Resources."

The skinny boy shrugged. "I get pushed around a lot, you know. At school. That's why I picked an avatar that's a Thunderer, a warrior. Kind of makes me feel better. Nobody fucks with me there."

"Jason, one thing that might be helpful: if you could give us the strategies Travis would use to attack people. How he'd stalk them. Weapons. Anything that might help us figure out how to outthink him."

But the boy seemed to be troubled. "You really don't know very much about Travis, do you?"

Dance was about to say they knew all too much. But interviewers know when to let the subject take over. With a glance at Boling, she said, "No, I guess we don't."

"I want to show you something," Jason said, standing up.

"Where?"

"In Aetheria."

KATHRYN DANCE ONCE again assumed the identity of the avatar Greenleaf, who was fully resurrected.

As Jason typed, the character appeared on the screen in a forest clearing. As before, the scenery was beautiful, the graphics astonishingly clear. Dozens of people were wandering around, some armed, some carrying bags or packs, some leading animals.

"This is Otovius, where Travis and me hang out a lot. It's a nice place. . . . You mind?"

He bent forward toward the keys.

"No," Dance told him. "Go ahead."

He typed, then received a message: "Kiaruya is not logged on."

"Bummer."

"Who's that?" Boling asked.

"My wife."

"Your what?" Dance asked the seventeen-year-old.

He blushed. "We got married a couple months ago."

She laughed in astonishment.

"Last year I met this girl in the game. She's totally cool. She's been all the way through the Southern Mountains. By herself! She didn't die once. And me and her hit it off. We went on some quests. I proposed. Well, sort of she did. But I wanted to too. And we got married."

"Who is she really?"

"Some girl in Korea. But she got a bad grade in a couple of her classes--"

"In the real world?" Boling asked.

"Yeah. So her parents took away her account."

"You're divorced?"

"Naw, just on hold for a while. Till she gets her math scores up to a B again." Jason added, "Funny. Most people who get married in DQ stay married. In the real world a lot of our parents're divorced. I hope she gets back online soon. I miss her." He jabbed a finger at the screen. "Anyway, let's go to the house."