Except for a torn corner, the yellow warning poster was so new it seemed utterly out of place with its surroundings.
It was stuck to a utility box on the side of the road, well below eye level. If one didn't bother to scan the area, their gaze would easily slide right over the box. 'Perhaps that's why I didn't notice it on my way here?'
Mai Mingle's mind was a tangled mess of thoughts, a flurry of questions arising all at once:
'Isn't hiding a rule in an inconspicuous place a violation in itself? The Nest data in her head clearly stated that rules were supposed to be as obvious and clear as possible to give humans a fair playing field, right?'
'Now that I've broken the rule, what's going to happen?'
"What did you say?" Emily's voice sounded from behind her again. "Were you talking to me?"
Mai Mingle's heart jumped—Emily sounded much closer, as if she were walking this way.
