Free Extras by Scott Westerfeld

middle of his back. It was a clean kill, and his war-body went into wild death throes, flailing its arms and gushing sparks before crumpling to the ground. The littlie inside crawled out and looked around in annoyance, trying to figure out who'd made the kill. Aya giggled at the lucky throw, stepping back onto her board. It felt as though fate was finally taking her side, and fame couldn't be far away.
    "Good shot," a voice said. "But not entirely rule-abiding." She turned and finally saw a boy sitting cross-legged on a hoverboard, his shape concealed by the dappled shadows of the trees. He smiled a radiant smile.
    Frizz Mizuno, appearing out of nowhere again.
    "What are you…doing here?" she said softly.
    "I came to see you," he said, bowing. "And when you weren't home, I thought I'd watch the battle. I haven't seen any mech combat since I turned sixteen. Which is very Prettytime of me—I used to love mechs."
    Aya returned his bow, trying to imagine Frizz doing anything as face-missing as wearing a warbody Sometimes it was hard to remember he was only a year older than she was.
    "Plus, I was hoping you'd come home," he said. "It's rather mysterious, turning off your locator. It makes you hard to find."
    "Oh, I didn't turn off my locator. I was just sort of… underground." He frowned. "You don't feel stalked, do you? I'd go away if you did."
    "Um, no. I don't feel stalked. Just sort of…"
    "Damp?" Frizz asked. "And covered with muck?"
    Her arms wrapped around her shoulders, as if that would hide her wet, bedraggled uniform.
    "Um, yes. Muck-covered."
    "As looks go, it's even more mysterious than your Reputation Bomber robe." She stood there, trying to think of something to say, but it seemed as though the cold of the reservoir had leaked into her brain and frozen it. It didn't help that Frizz's eye-kicking gaze was raining down on her, tangling her tongue in her mouth. The bigness of her nose suddenly loomed in the bottom of her vision.
    "I was doing some…underwater rescue."
    "Underwater and underground?" He nodded again. "That would explain wetness. And yet I'm still mystified."
    Another shiver went through her; her head felt hot now. "Me too. I didn't tell you my last name. How did you find me?"
    Frizz smiled. "Now that's an interesting story. But I think you should change."
    "Change?" Her hand went to her nose.
    "Into dry clothes—you keep shivering. Maybe some meds?"
    Moggle's night-lights flashed.

    He waited outside, watching the battle while Aya went upstairs.
    She stood under a hot shower for a solid minute, dizzy from watching twigs and slime swirl down the drain, wondering how he'd found her. This was all so shaming. Frizz had figured out her last name, which meant he knew she was an ugly and a party-crashing extra.
    And yet he'd come to see her anyway…
    What was wrong with him? Had the honesty surge broken his brain? His face rank had been steadily climbing—it was under three thousand now—and Aya was practically invisible!
    Clean and dry, she faced the hole in the wall. Nothing but dorm uniforms, and no merits to waste on disposable clothing. Of course, Frizz had already seen her covered with slime—a clean uniform wouldn't be that much worse.
    She dressed quickly and turned toward the door.
    Moggle barred her way, flashing its lights once.
    "Oh, right," she said, and told the room, "Meds, please. I was underwater and I'm all shivery and hot."
    The wall's hand-plate flashed, wanting to feel her temperature and taste her sweat. Aya lay her palm on it, and soon the hole was coughing up something murky into her favorite teacup. Drinking down its orangey sourness, she stared at her standard-requisition furniture and face-missing clothes, the smallness of the room, the obscurity of everything about her.
    At least medicine didn't cost any merits. And there must have been nanos in the drink—by the time the elevator reached the ground floor, her dizziness had mostly gone.

    "Finding you was easy," Frizz said.