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Check outWarcrosss cover below along with an exclusive excerpt.
The book will be released Tuesday, Oct. 3.
Excerpt fromWarcrossby Marie Lu
Its too damn cold of a day to be out on a hunt.
Then I slam my boot down on my electric skateboard.
My bright, rainbow-dyed hair whips across my face.
a driver yells as I maneuver past his car.
I glance over my shoulder to see him waving a fist at me through his open window.
You almost clipped me!
I just turn back around and ignore him.
Usually, Im a nicer person than thisor, at least, I would have shouted an apology back.
72 HOURS TO PAY OR VACATE
Translation: Im almost three months behind on my rent.
Thatd put a damper on anyones day.
My cheeks sting from the wind.
The occasional scream of a traffic controllers whistle cuts above the chaos.
The air is thick with the smell of exhaust, and steam billows from an open vent nearby.
People swarm up and down the sidewalks.
Students coming home from school are easy to spot, their backpacks and fat headphones dotting the crowds.
Technically, I should be one of them.
This should have been my first year of college.
But I started skipping classes after Dad died and dropped out entirely several years ago.
(Okay, finetechnically, I was expelled.
But I swear I wouldve quit anyway.
More on that later.)
I look down at my phone again, my mind returning to the hunt.
Two days ago, I had gotten the following text message:
New York Police Department ALERT!
Arrest warrant out for Martin Hamer.
Thats where I come in.
A months rent in the worst apartment in New York: $1,150.
A months food: $180.
Electricity and internet: $150.
Boxes of macaroni, ramen, and Spam left in my pantry: 4.
The number of dollars left in my bank account: $13.
Not the normal things a girl my age worries about.
I should be freaking out over exams.
Waking up on time.
But I havent exactly had a normal adolescence.
Five thousand dollars is easily the largest bounty in months.
For me, it might as well be all the money in the world.
So, for the last two days, Ive done nothing but track this guy.
Ive lost four bounties in a row this month.
If I lose this one, too, Im going to be in real trouble.
I lean back on my board, pull myself to a halt, and start inching backward.
As I go, I glance down at my phone again.
Wake up, I mutter, squinting at the pixels.
I make my way out of the taxi jam and push my heel down on my board.
Frankie Denas latest, craziest music video plays on the side of one building.
Another screen features five of the superstar players competing in tonights opening ceremony.
I crane my neck to admire them.
Each one is dressed from head to toe in the hottest fashion of the season.
My targets little red dot on my phone shifts again.
It looks like hes turned onto Thirty-Eighth Street.
The red location dot now hovers over the building in front of me, right above a cafes door.
I tug my scarf down and let out a sigh of relief.
My breath fogs in the icy air.
Caught you, I whisper, allowing myself a smile as I think of the five-thousand-dollar bounty.
As I pass the newsstand, I glimpse the magazine covers.
I have a habit of checking them out, searching for coverage of my favorite person.
Below him is the logo for Henka Games, Warcrosss parent studio.
I stop to read the headline.
Too bad theres no time to stop and flip through the magazine.
My rainbow-colored hair spills out from underneath my hood.
I have a go at imagine this reflected girl printed on the cover of a magazine.
Change of clothes
6.
I started bringing a change of clothes (#5) after that.
The cable launcher (#2) is for getting to hard-to-reach places and catching hard-to-reach people.
My phone (#4) is my portable hacking assistant.
Handcuffs (#1) are because, well, obviously.
And the book (#7) is for whenever the hunt involves a lot of waiting around.
Entertainment that wont eat up my batteries is always worth bringing.
Now I step into the cafe, soak in the warmth, and check my phone again.
Customers are lined up along a counter displaying pastries, waiting for one of the four auto-cashiers to open.
Decorative bookshelves line the walls.
A smattering of students and tourists sit at the tables.
Maybe my target isnt on this floor.
I wander past the shelves, my attention shifting from table to table.
I look for the break in the pattern, the nail that protrudes.
My gaze pauses on a cluster of four boys reading on the couches.
My attention goes to the stairs leading up to the second floor.
My steps quicken as I climb the stairs.
No one is up here, or so it seems.
I move in closer on silent feet, then peek through the shelves.
A woman is seated at the table, her nose buried in a book.
A man stands over her, nervously shuffling his feet.
I hold up my phone.
Sure enough, both of them are set to Private.
I slip to the side of the wall so that they cant see me, and listen closely.
I dont have until tomorrow night, the man is saying.
Sorry, the woman replies.
But theres not much I can do.
And Im sorry, sir.
The womans voice is calm and cynical, like shes had to say this countless times before.
The authorities are on high alert.
I have three hundred thousand notes with you.
Do you have any idea what thats exchanging for?
Its my job to know, the woman answers in the driest voice Ive ever heard.
Three hundred thousand notes.
Thats about two hundred thousand dollars, at the current exchange rate.
High roller, this one.
If you win a bet on a Warcross match, you win game credits called notes.
You trade your notes to her.
She gives you real cash in return, while taking a cut for her boss.
Its my money, the guy is insisting now.
We have to protect ourselves.
Extra security measures take time.
you might come back tomorrow night, and we can exchange half of your notes.
I told you, I dont have until tomorrow night.
I need to leave the city.
The conversation repeats itself all over again.
I hold my breath as I listen.
The woman has all but confirmed his identity.
My eyes narrow, and my lips turn up into a hungry little smirk.
When Ive solved the puzzle.
Suspect in physical custody.
I get a reply almost immediately.
I pull the stun gun out of my backpack.
It catches for an instant against the edge of the zipper, making the faintest scraping sound.
Through the bookshelves, both the man and woman jerk their heads toward me like deer in headlights.
The man sees my expression.
His face is covered in a sheen of sweat, and his hair is plastered against his forehead.
A fraction of a second passes.
He boltsI miss him by a hair.
The woman darts up from her table, too, but I could care less about her.
I rush after him.
He sprints for the entrance as I reach the first floor.
I burst through the revolving glass door right behind him.
We emerge onto the street.
People let out startled shouts as the man shoves them asidehe knocks a camera-clicking tourist flat on her back.
It makes a high-pitched whooshI lunge forward, speeding down the sidewalk.
The man glances back to see me gaining fast on him.
He darts left down the street at a full, panicked run.
I aim my stun gun at the mans back and shoot.
He shrieks and stumbles.
Instantly, he starts struggling up again, but I catch up to him.
He grabs my ankle.
I stumble, kicking at him.
His eyes are wild, his teeth clenched and jaw tight.
Out flashes a blade.
I see its glint in the light just in time.
I kick him off me and roll away right before he can stab at my leg.
My hands get a grip on his jacket.
I fire the stun gun again, this time at close range.
His body goes rigid, and he collapses on the pavement, trembling.
I jump on him.
My knee presses hard into his back as the man sobs on the ground.
The sound of police sirens rounds the bend.
A circle of people have gathered around us now, their phones and glasses all out and recording away.
I didnt do anything, the man whimpers over and over through a clenched jaw.
His voice comes out garbled by how hard Im pushing him into the ground.
To my surprise, he does.
They dont always listen like that.
When was the last time I had even half that much money at once?
Then Ill have $1,550 left.
My mind flips through my other bills.
Maybe I can eat something other than instant noodles tonight.
I want to do a victory jump in the air.
Until the next hunt.
I shout, hurrying after the closer one.
Are you giving me a ride to the station for my payment, or what?
Should I just meet you there?
She looks exasperated, and dark circles under her eyes tell me she hasnt gotten much rest.
You werent first, she says.
I startle, blinking.
Another hunter phoned in the alert before you.
For an instant, all I can do is stare at her.
Then I spit out a swear.
What a load of bull.
You saw the whole thing go down.
You all confirmed my alert!
I hold up my phone so the officer can see the text message I received.
Sure enough, thats when my phones battery finally dies.
Not that the proof wouldve made a difference.
The officer doesnt even glance at the phone.
It was just an auto-reply.
According to my messages, I received the first call-in from another hunter on location.
Bounty goes to the first, no exceptions.
She offers me a sympathetic shrug.
This is the dumbest technicality Ive ever heard.
The hell it does!
Whos the other hunter?
Theyre the only other ones canvassing this turf.
I throw my hands up.
You know whatyoure lying, there is no other hunter.
You just dont want to pay out.
I follow her as she turns away.
Get back, he says with a snarl.
Emika Chen, isnt it?
His other hand is wrapped tightly around the handle of his sheathed gun.
Yeah, I remember you.
Im not about to argue with a loaded weapon.
I force myself to take a step back and raise my hands in the air.
Im going, okay?
I know you already got some jail time, kid.
He glares at me, his eyes hard and glittering, before joining his partner.
Dont make me give you another strike.
I hear the police radio calling them away to another crime scene.
In the span of thirty seconds, my victory has been tossed into someone elses hands.
