SOLVED. YA Sci-Fi. Mutant teenage boy with webbed feet enters video game competition on Earth. Teams of two (pilot & gunner) shoot targets from their spaceships. Read 2010-2014. Spoilers ahead. [s]

[L-Diamond]

I remember reading this book a while back, I believe between 2010 - 2014.

The protagonist is a teenage boy who has mutated genes that gives him webbed feet. He's a fairly average boy socially, with one or two friends. He has great skill at video games otherwise [might be inaccurate]. He gets roped into a video game competition that has a prize for the winners.

This game requires players to form teams of two. The game's main goal is to fly around in a spaceship and to shoot down your specified target, which is another team of two.

The game itself requires the team of two to sit inside of a (red?) pod, one player in the front seat and one in the back seat. The front seat is the driver and the back seat is the gunner. Each player also puts on a special helmet that contains a reticle that moves around as the player moves their eyes. If they blink, it selects the option the reticle is hovering over. Each pod is also numbered, so the only way to identify people within the game is the number of their pod. They will not know the names or faces of the people in that pod until the game ends.

The protagonist ends up being partnered with this girl who is just as, if not better, than him at the game. She prefers to be the gunner, while he prefers to drive, which works out great.

(Medium Sized Spoiler)
As the story progresses, he (view spoiler)[ends up meeting people that are mutants like him. I remember two specific people. One had webbed hands and another had a tail. I remember that he found out about the tail person by peeking at him in the shower. (hide spoiler)]

(A bit of a larger spoiler)
One plot point that I specifically remember was one of the rounds inside of the competition. (view spoiler)[The protagonist and his competition partner are playing in the competition. One of his friends and the friend's partner are also in this round. The goal of this competition is the same: to shoot down your target. However, this time, everyone is invisible. The only person that is not invisible is your target. The friend and his partner end up sitting on top of a building (in the game) to hide from whomever their killer is. It turns out that the protagonist and his partner are their killers. They end up finding them and shooting them down. Of course, the protagonist did not know his friend was the target until after the game ended. His partner ended up saying how she believed that his friend was their target, removing him from the competition. (hide spoiler)]

Some other random info that might be true, but might be wrong:
- The protagonist and his partner have a numbered pod that they love to use because they believe it brings good luck. I think the number was 8.
- The girl has red hair? Not sure about this one.
- (view spoiler)[I think all of the competitors in this game competition are mutant. Not just the protagonist. (hide spoiler)]

Thank you in advance for those that find this post. I really want to find this book again.

[Kris]

L-Diamond, where does the boy live? At the start of the book, how do other people behave towards him?

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[L-Diamond]

I don't remember those details. I only know that this takes place on Earth for the most part.

[Mazen]

I think the book you're talking about is The Roar by Emma Clayton.

Sounds familiar. Did the boy have a missing sister? I think the girl he's partnered with had robot eyes?

[L-Diamond]

Yes! This is the book!
Audrey is the gunner's name. I remember now.
Thank you so much.