Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation by Sylvia Liu

Author:Sylvia Liu [Liu, Sylvia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2022-06-21T00:00:00+00:00

24

There are secret layers under the secret layers.

—H. H. June 25, 2053

Two days later, Hana and Chuck jostled their way onto the hoverbus for their field trip to I Ching in City Center. Finally, Hana could start figuring out what Ma knew about I Ching’s interest in Start-Up. Her plan was to visit Ma at her lab and snoop around, and if she had the chance, ask questions. She hoped Ma had a decent explanation—or even better, knew nothing about all of this. The possibility Ma could be involved made her gut twist. She took a seat behind Tomás, and Chuck slumped down beside her. They buckled in as the hoverbus levitated and put on speed, leaving the school behind.

“I need your help today,” Hana said.

Chuck leaned her head against Hana’s shoulder. “I’m so tired of being tired. What’s up?”

“Remember I told you how Ink and I figured out the e-scroll had the DNA of the zombie fungus and the cat parasite?”

“Yeah,” Chuck said.

Tomás turned around. “You’re friends with Ink now?”

“She’s awesome,” Chuck said.

Tomás scowled. “You’re friends with her too?”

“Why don’t you like her?” Hana asked.

“I don’t trust her.”

“Well, she’s really smart.” Hana smiled. “I like her—a lot.”

“What do the parasites have to do with Start-Up?” Chuck leaned back and rubbed her forehead.

“That’s what I need to find out. My mom works at a lab in I Ching, and we can go visit and ask her about it.”

“Why haven’t you asked your mom before now?” Tomás asked.

Hana frowned. Of course he had to remind her that Ma had been ignoring her for the past two weeks. “I’ve tried, but she’s been busy.” Out the window, the crowded hill neighborhoods and the surrounding corporate junkyards and shanties scrolled by below. “I can’t wait till I can drive a hovercar,” Hana said.

“I can wait,” Chuck said. “Most of it is autopilot anyway. There’s not much driving besides setting the coordinates.”

“Still, it’s something to look forward to,” Hana said. Even though hovercraft piloted themselves, people got licenses at sixteen to learn how to operate them and to be human backup in case of emergencies. She glanced at Tomás. “You on Team Can’t Wait to Drive, or Team Rather Be a Passenger?”

Tomás rolled his eyes and looked out his window, not answering her question.

Hana sat back, trying not to let his snub bother her. Just as she was starting to feel like they were really friends, after they’d been spending time together, he seemed to close himself off again.

As they approached the rooftop landing pad of the glass-and-metalloid building soaring out from City Center, Mr. Zoble announced, “Welcome to I Ching.” The students got off and funneled into glass elevators heading down to the lobby one hundred floors below. The elevators hugged the inside of the circular building lined with a spiral walkway and a central atrium laced with floating hydroponic plants.

On their way down, the glass walls blinked with I Ching ads. A hologram appeared of Chair Mayling Chen in a shimmery robe that swirled around her ankles.

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