Chapter 4

Erin held court at the restaurant table, laughter and noise all around her, the whole group falling over themselves to flatter her.

When the check came, Erin produced the black card again. "We're ready to pay."

She handed it over, and the card reader started beeping.

"I'm sorry, miss. This card has been frozen," the server said.

Erin waved it off. "That's not possible. Run it again."

The server gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, miss, but the card really is frozen. You'll need to use a different one."

Every classmate at the table turned to stare. Erin went…