For one thing, it’s not like you could actually steal anything when everything there was to be had could be easily manifested again. And for another, in case you hadn’t already guessed, the Here & Now really isn’t the kind of place where you find a lot of criminal activity. People Here mostly do the right thing. They want to learn and grow and improve. They want to glow brighter so they can move up as many levels as possible. Which is why it was so easy for me to sneak my way back inside. But which is also why I felt so terribly guilty about having done so successfully. Still, the guilty feeling didn’t last all that long. I had a dream jump to get to. I had no time for shame. I needed to keep moving. I needed to find a way to be thirteen. It couldn’t wait any longer—the need was too great. I headed toward the soundstage, figuring I’d reenact everything Balthazar had taught me. I’d go silent, go quiet, tune in to Ever’s energy pattern, her imprint, and take it from there.
