One year ago, everything changed for Cody and Brody Novex. Their parents, Dr. Elias and Dr. Mary Novex-brilliant neuroscientists-died in a sudden plane crash. "Mechanical failure," the reports said. No survivors. The details stayed fuzzy, and the boys learned not to ask.

  One year later...

  Now age twelve, they lived with their grandparents in a quiet Washington, D.C. neighborhood-close enough to glimpse the Capitol dome on clear days, far enough for tree-lined streets and the illusion of normal life.

  The final bell rang. Hallways flooded with kids. Cody and Brody met the crew at the bike racks.

  "PC Night tonight?" Riley asked, flipping his skateboard. "I'm bringing energy."

  James grinned. "Only if you don't rage-quit in five minutes."

  Mia rolled her eyes. "As long as we hit VR later. I want to slice blocks to music."

  Sam gave a small smile. "I'm down. Just no more ghost games."

  Cody laughed. "Hub at seven. Bring your A-game."

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  Brody added, "And controllers-PS5 is calling."

  The friends scattered, buzzing. The twins unlocked their matching red bikes and pedaled home through shaded streets, past brick row houses and distant views of the Washington Monument. The late-afternoon sun glinted off the Potomac.

  They rolled into the driveway. Grandma Anne watered flower boxes on the porch; Grandpa Richard sat with his newspaper.

  "Boys!" Grandma called. "How was school?"

  Cody leaned his bike against the wall. "Pretty normal. Math wasn't brutal."

  Brody nodded. "Virtual frog dissection in science. Gross but cool."

  Grandpa lowered his paper. "Another night glued to screens?"

  Cody grinned. "Team-TX6 needs us."

  Brody said, "PC, PS5, maybe VR."

  Grandpa chuckled. "At the table by six. Lasagna waits for no one."

  Grandma poked her head in. "They'll smell it from the Hub. Go have fun-no all-nighters."

  The twins grabbed snacks-pretzels, cheese crackers, juice pouches-and burst into the Favourite Stuff Hub, the converted garage out back.

  Fairy lights crisscrossed the ceiling. Shelves held half-built gadgets, including the pancake pan with honey-berry dispenser. Bean bags ringed the PS5 TV corner. VR headsets charged on stands, AR glasses sat nearby, and five glowing PC rigs waited.

  Cody snatched his headset (black with neon-blue accents and explosion sticker). Brody grabbed his (circuit-board design) and plugged in. They powered PCs, checked PS5, glanced at VR stations.

  Discord lit up.

  RileyParker: "TX6 online! Who's hosting?"

  JamesHayes: "In. Load times trash."

  MiaO'Flynn: "Your PC crying. VR later?"

  SamPeterson: "Here. Sound check?"

  Cody typed: "All good. What first?"

  James won the poll: Forza Horizon 5 on PC.

  PCs roared. Multiplayer joined. Team-TX6 formed-Cody in red, Brody in blue, Riley drifting, James plotting, Mia speeding, Sam cornering.

  Voice chat exploded.

  "Left clear-go!"

  "Riley, dirt incoming!"

  "James, rear cover!"

  "Sam, nice block!"

  Alliances formed, boosts shared, drifts synced. Team-TX6 moved as one-laughs, roasts, victories.

  Snacks sat forgotten. Headsets glowed. For those hours, it was just the road, the team, the rush.

  But on a side monitor, static flickered across the Forza map-something wrong. Cody blinked. Brody felt a tug in his chest.

  They shook it off. Just lag, right?

  The race wasn't over yet.