She fell asleep with the DS open, the battery light blinking red. The last image on the screen was her character, standing on a cliff overlooking a sunset pixel sea.

Later, she switched cartridges. In Nintendogs , she whispered "Sit!" into the DS microphone. Her virtual Chihuahua, Pancake, obeyed. She rubbed the stylus across the touch screen to pet him. He yipped. She felt a swell of pure, silly joy.

At midnight, she slid into Spirit Tracks . She was Princess Zelda — not a damsel, but a ghostly companion riding shotgun in a suit of armor. Together, they drove a phantom train through a cursed forest. Sofía drew spirals on the touch screen to cast spells, her heart pounding. This was for girls too.

Her mom knocked softly. "Still playing those girl games?"