by Lyn Forester
Teeth clenched, my hand trembles as I reach for the bars of light, shifting them into a close approximation of what Nikola had done before.
Unlike the previous lock, this one uses all five light bars on the screen. The first time I watched Nikola do this, I’d wondered why he didn’t touch the far-right bar when opening the other lock but assumed it was already in the right position.
Now, I know the number of bars directly correlates with the difficulty of the lock. The two bar one in the dorms was almost laughable compared to this.
It takes longer to find the right frequencies this time, and pain builds behind my eyes with every minute that passes. When at last the energies harmonize, it leaves my entire body numb and floaty.
I drop the device back into my satchel, then take a minute to lean against the wall and steady myself. My pulse pounds painfully like I just ran a marathon and now need to nap away the exhaustion.
Belatedly, I remember to message Nikola that everything went smoothly and that I need him back in his room as soon as class ends. The message takes far too long to type out, my finger missing the send key the first two times.
A quiet tap sounds on the other side of the door as I slip my palm-port back into my pocket, and I force myself to straighten and push open the door.
Felix slips through, closing the door behind him.
Lips numb and awkward, I force out, “Everything go okay?”
Felix frowns at my slurred words and cups my face. “You okay, Sprinkles? Did you get hurt in the fight, too?”
“No, just...” I wave at the lock, which doesn’t relieve his concern at all, and I lean against him for support. “Lock hurt. Still recovering.”
“Okay.” He rubs my back and arms, feeling slowly returning to my body.
After a few minutes, I start to feel normal again and push away from him. “Let’s leave picking locks to Nikola whenever possible.”
“If it hurts, then I’m in full agreement on that.” Felix bends to kiss me, sparks jumping between us in a welcoming rush. He pulls back to sweep his thumbs over my cheeks. “I don’t want to see you in pain.”
I give him a rueful smile. “Liar.”
He growls low in his throat. “A little pain mixed with pleasure is completely different.”
“It is,” I agree, turning my head to catch his thumb lightly between my teeth.
He groans in response and firmly tugs me against his firm body. “You’re testing my vow to take things slow with you.”
Instantly, I release his thumb. I’m still not sure I can handle Felix unleashed, and his determination to do things right with me means a lot to him. I don’t want to push either of us into something we’re not ready for.
Rising onto my tiptoes, I kiss the underside of his chin. “I’m glad you’re back. It made me uneasy to have you gone.”
“I’m glad to be back.” His hands slip down my body, caressing my hips before they fall to his sides, and he steps back. “How’s Connor? Still alive?”
“He’s already trying to climb out of bed.” I search his face. “Did you find out anything from the blue guard?”
Expression grim, he shakes his head. “Her partner was the one who made all their back-alley deals.”
Disappointment rushes through me. “Could she have been holding back the info?”
Again, he shakes his head. “Not with Skittles’ method of interrogation.”
The dark look on his face kills any desire to ask for more details and leaves me secretly grateful he stayed behind instead of me. I’m not sure I could stomach watching Skittles interrogate someone.
I pull Felix’s school band from my wrist and pass it back to him. “We should get back before Connor decides to come look for us.”
“How’s his cheek? Skittles gave me some makeup for him.” Felix fishes in his pocket and pulls out a small, rectangular case. “I hope you know how to use it, because I have no idea.”
I take it from him and flip it open. A translucent substance fills the interior. When I swipe my finger across it, it glitters for a moment before darkening to match my skin tone. “I’ve never used makeup, but it seems easy enough. Myrrine gave us her healing salve, so we only need to hide a little redness where he was scratched.”
“That should make it easier.” Felix pulls the ventilator mask and night goggles over his head and holds them out. “Can you make these disappear?”
I slip the compact into my pocket, then fold up Felix’s mask and stuff it in the waistband under my sweater. Next, I pull the goggles over my head and swing them around to hang down my back. With a fluff of my curls, they vanish completely.
I fuss with my collar before glancing at Felix. “Good?”
“Almost.” He reaches out to pull a few curls forward. “There, now I can’t see them at all.”
My eyes sweep over him for signs of our earlier adventure. His school uniform is pristine, which isn’t surprising with the wrinkle and dirt resistant material the school uses. I study his face for evidence of the gray dust and black eye makeup we wore earlier and find his skin suspiciously clean.
I reach up to touch his tousled black hair. “Did you shower?”
“Skittles has a sanitizer she let me use for free.” He catches my hand and pulls me toward the door that leads into the theater. “She has a nice setup there. Those offices have pull-out couches that turn into beds. I think the entire place is a front to give other pirates a safe place to bunker down.”
“Ballsy of her to put it on Level 12, right next to the Peace Keepers.” I consider that for a moment, then sigh. “Or really clever. No one questions big business buildings in that area. With how many tech companies sprout up, it went completely unnoticed. Something like that on the lower levels would have people knocking on their doors looking for jobs.”
“She’s amazing.” Admiration fills Felix’s voice as he holds the door open for me to go first.
I glance back at him. “You planning to become a Night Pirate now?”
He grins. “Don’t tempt me. There’s something to be said about the freedom they have.”
“What would Connor do if you defected?” I tease, walking through the theater and holding the door open for him to go next.
“He’d find someone more qualified, I’m sure.” Despite his light-hearted tone, a kernel of truth hides beneath it.
My steps slow as we enter the front room with the 8-Ball tables. “You question if you’re qualified? You’re one of the most intelligent people I know.”
He links our hands together, his voice low as if afraid of his next words. “I’m also brash, short-tempered, and I trashed my reputation. I’ll be a stone around Connor’s neck, a black mark against his integrity. When I returned to my family, I was self-centered. I only thought about my own pain and confusion, seeking any means to drown it out. Connor will never hold it against me, but others do and will continue to in the future.”
My heart aches for him, and I blink back the sting in my eyes brought on by his confession. I can’t lie and tell him he’s wrong. Without seeking them out, I heard the rumors. Even if he lives a perfect life going forward, the smear of scandal already clings to him.
I squeeze his hand. “What would you do if you weren’t tied down by family obligations?”
“I’m not sure.” He shrugs, looking away. “I like fighting, and I’m good at it, but I don’t think I’d want to turn it into a career.” He laughs softly. “I actually want to make it to old age with all my body parts in their original condition.”
I swing our arms together. “Oh, come on. You’d look dashing with a robotic limb.”
He leans in to bump his shoulder against mine. “Do you have a secret mech kink?”
I bump him back. “I might if you’re the mech.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He releases my hand to pull open the exterior door, and bright sunlight floods in to momentarily blind us.
Raising our hands to block out the dual suns, we step out onto the lan
ding. As we do, I turn back to Felix, eager to discover what else he’d rather do with his life.
“Ms. Lonette. Mr. Williams,” a crisp voice disrupts. “I had hoped the reports of your skipping class were an error.”
My hand drops to my side, automatically shifting my satchel out of view as I stare down at Dean Kauffman. The tall, slender woman stands at the base of the stairs. We rarely see her outside of the administration building, which makes me wonder if she used our school bands to track us here.
My heart pounds with sudden panic. Did she also check on Connor? Did she discover our contraband?
“Dean. Hey.” Felix waves and jogs down the stairs, pulling her attention to him and away from me. “Pleasant day we’re having.”
She turns on one spiked heel to track him. “Did you perhaps misread the calendar and think it’s already the weekend, Mr. Williams?”
Felix splays both hands over his stomach. “I wasn’t feeling well. Something in the protein omelets.”
Her lips purse as her head swivels back toward me. “Did you also eat the protein omelet, Ms. Lonette?”
I follow Felix’s cue and attempt to look sick as I rub my stomach. “Yes.”
Her sharp gaze moves past me. “And you felt the Entertainment Hall was the appropriate place to recover?”
“The bathrooms here are more private.” Felix drops his voice into a loud whisper. “Caitlyn was worried about being overheard, if you know what I mean?”
I fight down the urge to punch him and nod grimly when the Dean glances back at me.
“If you are unwell, you should report to the physician’s office in the administration building,” she says in a tone of clear disbelief. “I’ll escort you there personally. We can collect the younger Williams brother as well, since I assume he also partook of the protein omelet?”
Felix straightens. “We’re actually feeling a lot better now after, you know, using the nice facilities.”
“Then you will join your class. Their Etiquette lesson will be ending soon.” Her narrow eyes sweep over us. “I expect to hear of your timely arrival when I speak to Mr. Halcroft later.”
“Yes, Dean,” we say in unison.
“Mr. Williams, go collect your brother.” Dean Kauffman tips her chin toward the dorms. “Ms. Lonette, a moment of your time.”
“Yes, Dean,” we say again.
Felix casts me a concerned look before he jogs ahead down the path.
Tense, I wait for the Dean to say her piece.
Thankfully, she doesn’t drag it out. “Mr. Halcroft has reported that you seem distracted in class lately. Your after school activities have been noted as well.”
My heart leaps into my throat, blood rushing from my head to leave me dizzy. We’ve been discovered. A dozen excuses bounce through my mind, not a single one making it to my lips.
“While I realize this is your first time away from home, and it’s natural to...experiment outside of the restrictions of public view, I feel that I should remind you to be discreet. Your partners of choice are being noted.” Her focus shifts pointedly back to Felix as he bounds up the steps to the dorms. “You do not want to leave APA with a cloud hanging over what should be a bright future.”
My hands curl into fists, and I force them to relax before she turns back to me. “Your concern is noted, Dean.”
The corners of her lips tighten. “If you feel uncertain about what path you should take while here, perhaps you could benefit from a trip to the school counselor?”
A shiver rolls down my spine. From her flat expression, I can’t tell if it’s a genuine offer or a veiled threat, but I refuse to let her force me away from Felix any more than I would let Archie warn me away.
But unlike Archie, I can’t use my position to make her back down, so I paste a mask of politeness onto my face. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you for thinking of me, Dean Kauffman.”
“Of course.” She bows her head. “Your father made his desires clear when he sent you here. He was pleased with the removal of your other secretarial candidate and hopes it means you are showing favor to Mr. Koscov.”
Unease tightens my stomach into a sour knot. Definitely a threat. The Dean’s in contact with my father and ready to carry out his wishes.
I hold her gaze steady. “Nikola and I are enjoying reacquainting ourselves after our long separation, and he is helping me navigate the appropriate connections to make. House Williams sits second to House Lonette. Friendship would be beneficial, would it not?”
“So long as it doesn’t become a distraction.” Her head dips again. “I’ll speak with the kitchen staff about keeping better track of expiration dates on the ingredients they use. Have a pleasant rest of your day, Ms. Lonette.”
“You as well, Dean Kauffman.”
Without waiting to see if she’ll say anything more, I spin and hurry toward the dorms, her gaze burning a hole between my shoulder blades the entire way.
Concessions
When I reach the second floor of the dorms, I find Felix and Connor waiting in Nikola’s room. Connor now wears a set of Nikola’s uniforms, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows to hide their longer length.
He sits on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees, while Felix hovers in front of him. “Are you sure you can do this?”
Connor nods slowly, then winces. “Yeah, I’ll be fine as long as I don’t make any sudden movements.”
Felix glances over at me. “What did the Dean want?”
I promised not to keep secrets from them, but I can’t bring myself to voice her warning about Felix after what he said earlier at the Entertainment Hall, so I settle for a partial truth. “She’s monitoring our activities, where we’re spending time and how much we’re participating in class. We need to do better about acting like everything is normal.”
“That’s creepy as fuck.” Felix tugs on the school band on his wrist. “I hate these things. I wish we could just toss them in an incinerator.”
“Don’t even think about it.” I stride to his side and pull his hand away. “She brought up the school counselor. I don’t know what kind of stuff will land us in his office, but I’m sure the destruction of school property is on the list.”
He tenses, the muscles in his forearm turning to rock and the muscle in his jaw jumping. “Got it. We pretend and play it safe.”
“Yeah, at least until she stops watching so closely.” I release him to go to the desk where the folding-port rests.
I left it open, the video still on pause. Very sloppy. Closing it, I stash it in the drawer along with the lock-picking device, Felix’s ventilator mask, and his night goggles.
“We’re lucky she came to the Entertainment Hall first and not here.” My gaze sweeps over the room to make sure we didn’t leave out any other contraband. “We need to be more careful about putting this stuff away when it’s not in use. If she’d walked in here, we’d all be in trouble right now.”
“We’re getting too complacent,” Connor agrees.
“Miss half a day of school and the Dean comes swooping in.” Felix scrubs his hands back through his hair. “This place is stifling. How are we going to make it four years here?”
“At least we have a way out,” I offer, though it doesn’t seem like enough. I can practically feel Felix’s restlessness growing like a living thing beneath his skin.
“Even that’s restricted,” Felix grumbles. “We can only access it during shift changes.”
“What about this?” Connor’s hand lifts to his injured cheek. “How red is it? Will it draw attention?”
Felix grins. “I got you covered, bro.”
Connor eyes him warily. It’s never a good thing when Felix gets that glint in his eye.
I step in front of Connor, pulling the compact from my pocket. “Don’t worry, it’s not that bad.”
Suspicion deepening, his attention shifts to me. “Is that makeup?”
I snap the case open. “Yep. Now, tilt your face toward the light.”
; Not thrilled by the idea, Connor nonetheless shifts and aims his face at the holo-window, which casts a blue glow over his skin. Before I can ask, Felix moves to flip the switch and Day-Light floods the room. We all cringe and duck our heads until our eyes adjust. Having the lights slowly switch over to the daytime setting is so much easier on the senses.
Quickly, I dab my finger in the translucent makeup, then gently smudge it over Connor’s cheek, adding more when it doesn’t immediately hide the redness. After a little adjusting, I blot out the wound completely.
Felix peers over my shoulder. “Why’s his face look like it’s a different color on one side?”
I rub my fingers together, the makeup smooth against my skin. “Maybe you got the wrong brand.”
He shakes his head. “Skittles said it was universal.”
“I don’t know, but we don’t have time to keep messing with it.” I check the time. “If we’re not in our seats when class resumes, we’ll be in trouble.”
Connor reaches for his glasses and slips them on. “Do these make it look less obvious?”
Felix and I shake our heads.
I release a frustrated sigh. “The makeup’s going to draw as much attention as the mark would have.”
“If he keeps his head down, he should be fine.” Felix pats his twin on the shoulder. “Just pretend you’re sleeping.”
“I never sleep in class,” Connor protests.
“No, you don’t.” Reaching out, I pluck the glasses from his face and ruffle my hands through his hair until it lays in unkempt waves across his forehead. I turn and perch the glasses on Felix’s nose before I smooth back his hair in a semblance of order. “There we go. Problem solved. Now Connor can sleep in class without question. Let’s go.”
The twins eye each other.
Connor pushes to his feet. “Think you can pull it off, bro?”
