The Broken Code Read online

  The Broken Code

  LJ Byrne

  Amazon.com

  Copyright © 2020 LJ Byrne

  All rights reserved

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  ISBN-13: 9798573009551

  ISBN-10: 1477123456

  Cover design by: Canva.com

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309

  Printed in the United States of America

  Dedicated to ARMY everywhere

  We are not seven with you

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  THE BROKEN CODE

  PROLOGUE

  TWO MONTHS LATER

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  EPILOGUE

  Books By This Author

  THE BROKEN CODE

  By LJ BYRNE

  PROLOGUE

  Ne0Ranger21: More noise looking for an anti-antivirus toolkit.

  Arch4ngel101: Info from RReagan. New botnet. DDoS.

  Ne0Ranger21: Been tracking. Sending u parts of code now.

  Arch4ngel101: Received. Looks familiar. Let me run tracker tool.

  Ne0Ranger21: Hitting banks. Brits pissed.

  Arch4ngel101: Tracking

  Ne0Ranger21: We gotta stop meeting like this

  Arch4ngel101: In chatrooms. Lulz

  Ne0Ranger21: RReagan’s lucky u work for the good guys.

  Arch4ngel101: Got it. Do u see who it is? U wanna do the honors?

  Ne0Ranger21: Telling Pinocchio he’s pwned.

  Arch4ngel101: Tell him stop. I’ll get deets to RReagan.

  Ne0Ranger21: We solved this in what 4 hrs? new record. We make gud team.

  Arch4ngel101: bbl

  Someone’s knocking on the door. I wonder if Mom forgot her keys again. This is a common thing with Mom. I shake my head, smiling. But at the door, I realize it’s not Mom. The flashing lights. The police.

  “Mira Bell?”

  “Yes.” A chill runs up my spine. The world becomes opaque, indistinct. My knees turn to jelly as life moves in slow motion.

  The police officer starts speaking. It takes me a while to understand what they’re saying. I’m sixteen years old. The police are telling me that my mother is dead. I fall to the ground screaming.

  TWO MONTHS LATER

  Information flow is what the internet is about. Information sharing is power. If you don't share your ideas, smart people can't do anything about them, and you'll remain anonymous and powerless.

  --Vint Cerf

  000001

  Ne0Ranger21: How’s the new place?

  Arch4ngel101: Interesting. Did u go to DefCon?

  Ne0Ranger21: Yeah. A newb left his Bluetooth on.

  Arch4ngel101: don’t tell me what you did.

  Ne0Ranger21: Only fun and games, Angel.

  Arch4ngel101: Gotta run. Sent u a rootkit tool. Tell me what you think.

  When Mom died, someone handed me this brochure titled “The Five Stages of Grief.” It was well-intentioned, but I haven’t a clue where I’m at. I just feel lost. Here’s the thing. I can’t remember what Mom and I talked about that morning. I was busy online. I think I blew her off. It bothers me to no end that I dismissed her. My last words should have been “I love you” or something loving. I try not to get obsessive, but the thoughts still come. Did she feel pain? Did she think of me?

  All my life, it’s been Mom and me. I don’t have many friends unless you count Ne0, an online hacker I chat with frequently, and Kitty, who never does anything with me but brought me my homework when I was sick. She uses my name when she wants to go out with a new guy and doesn’t want her mom to be suspicious.

  There’s a long story behind my arrival in Royalton. The short version is this. Mom was born Gwen Anderson, not Wendy Bell. And I have an aunt – my mother’s twin. When Mom died, I thought I was an orphan with no family. But she left in her will – I can’t believe she had a will I didn’t know about – to contact her sister. That’s how I ended up in the fancy town of Royalton with my aunt, Erika De Vries.

  First, Aunt Erika and her husband Robert are sweet as can be. Erika owns this small cosmetics company – think Aveda but for super-rich people – that makes goo with snake venom and snail slime. Robert owns an Internet security firm called Maven Software. I’m familiar with it. In fact, we bond talking about bots, worms, viruses. I don’t tell him about my side gig as a hacker. That’s still private and personal, and I guess I’m a little shy.

  Second, I’ve gained a cool cousin. His name is Ethan, and he’s eighteen months older than me. When I first met him, I thought he was a cocky pig, but he warmed up quickly when he found me crying by the pool my first night in their home. He’s tried to draw me out of my shell since then with the help of his girlfriend Darcy.

  I learn that living in Royalton means change. My wardrobe isn’t fit for most of the homes here and appearances must be kept. I’m not comfortable buying clothes, and Aunt Erika tries to respect my wishes, but dresses and shoes show up in my closet regularly. Ethan tells me she always wanted a daughter so I must learn to live with the consequences of being her niece.

  The other thing I learn is that I’ll be going to a private school called Royal Bridge Academy. It’s a private school with optional boarding, which freaks me out, and you wear uniforms! I’m told that most kids go home over the weekends – the school designs the curriculum such that weekends, in general, are relatively free, but all students get a room assigned to them. I’m not comfortable with the cost of the school. I looked it up online; it’s one of the priciest schools in America.

  After some debate, Aunt Erika and I come to an agreement. Because Mom disappeared before she got her inheritance when my maternal grandfather died, Aunt Erika has Mom’s share, which amounts to two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. That covers about two years’ worth of tuition including room and board. Since I’m not comfortable taking handouts – inheritance be damned – I tell her that I plan to pay her back. I know she thinks I’ll forget about paying her back, but I won’t. I already know I can since I’ve been doing random work on the side for the past six months.

  Ethan’s been trying to fill me in on how things “work” at Royal Bridge Academy. The school has two campuses: a lower school – the feeder school – and an upper school. The upper school consists of approximately a hundred and fifty students, and the kids who run the school are known as the Royals, and their groupies are called the Court. Ethan knows this because he is o
ne of the Royals – more specifically, the King of the Royals. The King of the Royals is always a senior. Royals are selected among the seniors based on wealth, social prestige, and how many goats they’ve sacrificed. (I’m kidding about the goats.) By some weird process, the retiring King chooses the next King and Royals as needed. It’s like they have their own social code. Currently, the senior Royals consist of Ethan, Arthur Huxley, Erin Beckett, and Elaine Blakely. The junior future Royals (no pun intended) come primarily from old money: Ryder Cabot, Cage Bennett, Ingrid Whitman, Xander Morrison, and Victoria Little. Judy Lee is the only one that hails from new money, but I’ve been told that she’s given a pass because her family has been wealthy for over three generations. Ethan’s clear I should stay away from Ryder and Ingrid, the future King and Queen of RBA.

  “I know you find the concept of boarding schools daunting, but Robert and I are hardly here during the week,” Aunt Erika says to me one morning. She smiles when she notices that I’m eating the oatmeal I requested. I’m just starting to get my appetite back so it must reassure her that I’m eating rather than pushing my food around. “We’ll have weekends free, and you won’t be alone at school. Ethan and Darcy will keep an eye on you.”

  Darcy Sanchez is Ethan’s uber-cool girlfriend. She’s in her final year at RBA, too, and Ethan’s broken the unwritten Royal rules to date her. The factions at school are divided into old and new money. Darcy’s parents are well-to-do, but not ridiculously wealthy, and they gained most of their wealth during the 1990s tech boom. This makes her “unworthy” of being a Royal or a Court member. (I find this ridiculous.)

  With Ethan being the Royal King, he should have picked one of the other Royal girls or someone from their Court – basically, date someone established. But for Ethan, there wasn’t a choice. I think it’s perfectly romantic. It’s thanks to Darcy that Ethan’s been more supportive – she pretty much hit him in the head with her purse when he seemed insensitive about my unease about school. Darcy’s arranged it so that we’ll be sharing a suite. The rooms are separated into quads – basically, four bedrooms that share a common bathroom and living room – but seniors have the option of having a single place. The fact that Darcy is willing to forego this puts her in the Nice category. With pull from Aunt Erika, my other suitemates are friends of Darcy’s. Ethan assures me they’re nice, so I won’t have to worry about mean girls.

  Talking about mean girls, RBA has them too. Ethan warns me about Ingrid and her close friends, Victoria Little and Judy Lee. Ingrid is not Ethan’s choice for the future Royal Queen, but she’s “filthy” rich and from old money. There are rumors that Ingrid and Ryder will become the new power couple at the school, especially when Ethan’s “reign” is over.

  Next summer, Uncle Robert might take me to DefCon with him. He goes yearly – I won’t lie, I’m excited by the idea. My aunt attends these cosmetic conferences – I never knew there were cosmetic conferences – and whenever possible, she tries to travel with Uncle Robert. That’s why they’re rarely home. They’re still madly in love.

  My aunt is a refined version of Mom. Mom looked her age. She had lines and wrinkles and her skin had lost some of its elasticity. Aunt Erika could pass for someone in her late twenties easily. What made Mom leave in the first place? It’s something I think about a lot. I don’t care about the money or anything like that, but it makes me sad that I don’t have memories of me and Ethan as bratty kids. You don’t realize how isolated you are until you find you have a bigger family out there.

  Ne0, who I’ve never met, tells me to count my blessings when I’m scared and feeling lost. It’s hard to be appreciative, but I know I have many things to be grateful for. Count my blessings. I do. Everyday.

  000010

  Ne0Ranger21: If we became professional cybercrime fighters, would you be Batman or Robin?

  Arch4ngel101: I’d be Superman. Or Captain Marvel.

  Ne0Ranger21: You can’t switch between DC and Marvel universes. That’s cheating. Btw, did you see what RatGh0st posted?

  Arch4ngel101: I can do anything! And yeah, saw that.

  Ne0Ranger21: FBI took down the other darknet market. Cut one head, another two rises, right?

  Arch4ngel101: See? Using a Marvel reference right there. Hydra. Ur helping RReagan with the darknet stuff, aren’t you?

  Ne0Ranger21: Could use your help with this pen test.

  Arch4ngel101: We’ll hit it this weekend. K?

  First day at Royal Bridge Academy. I can do this. Ethan scarfs down his fourth croissant while I try to finish my banana and coffee. Drinking coffee. I feel grown up.

  Aunt Erika eyes me after scolding Ethan about chewing with his mouth open. “I’m getting a few boxes from storage soon. When Gwennie disappeared, I really thought she’d be back, so I packed her things up and waited.” My aunt’s eyes shadow with sadness. “I think it’s fitting for us to go through them together, don’t you think? When you’re ready.”

  I dip my chin. “That would be great, Aunt Erika. Thank you for being so kind,” I whisper, tears pricking my eyelids.

  Ethan puts a brotherly arm over my shoulder. My aunt covers my right hand with hers. “You’re all I have left of Gwennie,” my aunt says softly. “There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t have done for her. Maybe one day we’ll understand why she left. Until then, I have her daughter. I can’t replace your mother, but I can do my best to give you the next best thing.”

  I blink away the tears. But then Ethan checks his phone. “Crap. Come on, dear cousin, time to get going!”

  We arrive at RBA in style. Ethan drives a silver Bentley Continental GT Convertible, which seems like an impractical car but who am I to judge. After helping me get checked in – and locating my dorm for me – I get to meet my dormmates.

  My dormmates turn out to be just as awesome as Darcy. Of course, it helps when your cousin’s girlfriend brings you in. Celeste Danvers is a junior like me. She’s petite – I’m five-nine so I feel like an Amazonian to her – with ringlets of brown hair and doe-like eyes. Her mom is the famous Alisson Danvers – that’s right, the only African American woman to win an Oscar twice and be nominated three times. Celeste is cute and I can see why Ethan thought I would like her as a friend. She’s a bubblier (and shorter) version of me and we hit it off instantly. My other dormmate, Brittany Khan, is also a junior. She hails from India and her father owns this textile business. She’s dressed in this beautiful sari when I meet her, and I spend over five minutes feeling the material. Her first comment to me wins me over: “Don’t tell Dad, but no way am I marrying that dork back home. I want a hot Italian lover.” I don’t know why I find it so funny, but I do. She and Darcy have known each other since they were in diapers, but she treats me like I’ve known her forever.

  Ethan shows up just as I straighten out the last of my uniform outfits. Blue jackets, white shirts, blue skirts. My closet is monotonous.

  “Hey, babe,” Darcy purrs, giving Ethan a generous kiss. Brittany rolls her eyes with good-natured affection.

  “You’ll get used to the lovey-doveyness on campus,” she tells me, dodging Darcy’s swat nimbly.

  Is it wrong to want this camaraderie? It feels normal. I’ve never really been normal – a bit too shy and nerdy at school. I’m the girl that keeps her head lowered and hopes no one recognizes her. But here? My cousin rules this school. I think that means I’m part of something important, right? I try not to think about Mom. I know that’s wrong of me, but I’m tired of crying. I force the tears back.

  “Let’s get something to eat,” Ethan announces, and the way he says it makes it a proclamation. With his blond hair, he’s positively angelic.

  Celeste starts up a conversation with me while we walk. “So, first day of classes is tomorrow. There will be a first-day assembly before classes start.”

  “Hey, can I ask a question, Celeste? What’s this old and new money thing? I don’t get it.” Ethan is so touchy about it that I stopped asking him.

  “Well, it’s a bit c
onfusing,” Celeste admits. “If your family has been rich for a handful of generations, you’re old money. If you’ve only been wealthy for a generation, you’re new money. But it is somewhat arbitrary. There are kids here whose parents are in the top five percent of wage earners, but they aren’t necessarily in the top one percent.”

  Where does that leave me? Parentless. I mean, I don’t know for sure that my biological dad is dead, but I’m pretty sure he is. Mom indicated he died unexpectedly. Right now, I’m mooching off my aunt, even though I do intend to pay her back.

  “You okay, Mira?” Ethan asks in concern. Darcy flashes me a worried frown.

  Startled, I try to smile. “Yeah… Just thinking.”

  Brittany puts a sisterly arm around my shoulder. “Darcy said this was your first boarding school. I promise it won’t be so bad. We work hard during the week.” She gives a saucy wink to a passing student with brown curls. “And then we play hard during the weekends. It really does help to pass the time. A lot of projects are done in groups. The cafeteria always has pizza – not as good as New York, but hey, it isn’t bad either.”

  I’m guessing from their kind gestures they know my mom is dead. Duh. That’s why I’m living with Aunt Erika. I’m such a moron.

  “Ethan!”

  A few students come jogging up to us. Ethan introduces Nate Jacobs, Connor Van Doren (who I learn is the infamous Ryder’s cousin), and Erin Beckett. Erin Beckett is Ethan’s female counterpart in the court of Royals. Darcy told me in confidence that Erin expected Ethan to choose her and last year was a bit of a mess when Ethan chose Darcy. Erin is old money – apparently, her family owns a lot of land that they’ve sold in lucrative chunks – and the thought was that the old and new money alliance would stop the infighting. But Ethan had to follow his heart. Dreamy! Erin, however, doesn’t seem to be holding a grudge. She smiles at all of us, especially me.