The Miri Gang Is Born
- Are you sitting down? Because we have something shocking to tell you: Lena Gu isn't dead. All this time while Bob and Miri told Robert that she was, they were just lying to protect Lena's privacy. (Think of that: we've had some unhappy break-ups in our time, but we've never faked our death to get away from an ex.)
- So after the weirdness with Sharif, Miri wants to talk to someone smart, like her grandmother. (That weirdness: there's at least one other person who can hijack Sharif's computer. That's so unfair—Miri is the only one who should be able to do that.)
- (Also, if you're confused about "overlays" and how people are looking at a robot but seeing a dinosaur at Pyramid Hill amusement park, this is a good chapter to read. When Miri goes through Pyramid Hill, she doesn't play any game, but she sees how some people are playing Scooch-a-mouti and some are playing as dinosaurs, etc.)
- As Miri goes through Pyramid Hill (to make sure her grandfather isn't following), she accidentally runs into Juan Orozco, who she thinks is a dummy. So she tries to get away from him, even as he talks about helping Robert (which is her goal).
- Miri makes her way to Rainbows End retirement community. To make herself feel more comfortable, Miri makes the place look like a fantasy where her grandmother is a powerful witch in a cabin.
- That's when she finds that Xiu Xiang is her grandmom's roommate. Which is quite a coincidence…
- The three of them talk about Robert (who they call "You-Know-Who" which tells you how much Lena hates him: he's like Voldemort to her).
- Since Miri notes it, let's add that Lena is mentally sharp, but has terrible osteoporosis, so she's in a wheelchair.
- We also learn here that Lena really did help Robert when he had Alzheimer's. That's why Robert keeps thinking Lena is around now, since he sort of remembers that time.
- Even though Miri argues that Robert might not be all that bad, Lena doesn't want anything to do with him. Although Xiu Xiang does keep an eye on him and tell Lena what he's up to.
- At this point, Miri notes two things: (a) maybe Juan isn't so stupid and might be helpful; and (b) maybe she can entice her grandmother by telling her that Robert is learning to use wearable computers.