“What were you doing up there?” he asked as he wiped sweat from his forehead.
“Looking for Blaze.” She couldn’t very well admit she’d sought his face above all others, that she’d waited all year to watch him perform, or that he smelled wonderful and looked too kissable. No, she couldn’t confess any of that, especially after she’d lied and told him she’d invited someone else to the Celebration.
“Where is he?” Chai asked.
“You mean she? Blaze?” Rena said.
“No, the guy you invited instead of Nevan.”
“Chai!” he said, his broad hand clasped his sister’s shoulder and pulled her close. “Not in public,” he whispered.
“I only—”
“No. Not here. Not ever.” He released her, but not before giving her a scowl that would make any mother proud.
Curious, she inched closer. “What are you two talking about?”
He looked away. “Nothing.”
Chai tugged the hem of his shirt. When he peered down at his sister, she gave a slight nod. He hitched an eyebrow, and Chai rolled her eyes at him. It reminded Rena of times when she and her brothers plotted to ask their dad for permission to do something they really wanted, but feared he’d say no.
When Nevan leaned well into her personal space, the memory dissipated. Warmth rolled off him as he inched closer. His lips brushed her ear in a whisper. “Chai can read minds.”
A rumble shot through the ground, but no one noticed it.
Surely, she hadn’t heard him right. Slow, deep breath in.
“It’s true,” Chai whispered.
Rena started to respond, but choked on the words. Her mind swarmed with every bad thought she’d ever had, not to mention every private fantasy. Her ears burned hot. She thought they’d for sure caught fire. That heat slithered down the back of her neck and pooled in her hands. Yet, her stomach iced. She shook with comprehension.
Sudden lightheadedness forced her to reach out to steady herself. The instant she realized she’d touched Nevan, she snatched her hand back even though the brief contact eased her queasiness.
Mortified, she spun around to leave before irreversible things happened. Tension coiled in her leg muscles, forcing her to walk with a stilted step. She barely stifled a whimper. Never had she needed an escape to Westrock more.
Chapter Thirteen
“Rena, wait,” Nevan called out. He took her by the hand and swirled her around to face him.
She glanced from Chai to Nevan, waiting for him to somehow make it all better. For all she knew, he shared the same ability. But what did it really matter when his sister probably already told him everything. At that moment, she wanted to get far away from both of them, the little bodink and her conniving big brother.
“I don’t tell him things.” Chai’s eyes glistened with tears.
Still holding her hand, he faced his sister. The bottom dropped out of his voice as he spoke. “Stop it. Have some respect.”
A flood of emotions washed over Rena �confusion, curiosity, anxiety, shame. She tugged her hand. He wouldn’t let go.
“She’s young,” he said. “She doesn’t understand boundaries. Or I should say, she doesn’t want to.”
“I don’t. I can’t.” She jerked her hand away. This was too much. Even though she felt better, even without ‘venting’ in Westrock, she still felt like she was one shock away from disaster. “I’m going to find Blaze.”
“Don’t go yet.” Chai’s voice cracked as she spoke. “I won’t do it again. I promise.”
“Chai really likes you. After meeting you once, she thinks of you as a big sister. Guess I’m not good enough for her.” His tone sounded light, soothing.
Rena stopped, but couldn’t face him. It touched her heart how much he cared for his sister. Even after the fiasco at his house, he’d voluntarily started a conversation with her. She expected him to shun her for putting his family at risk with the Synbots or at the very worst, a demand for monetary compensation. Instead, he entrusted her with the deepest of secrets.
“It would mean a lot to her if you stayed.” He edged closer. “Mean a lot to me, too.”
She slowly pivoted. “How will I know if…you know?”
They closed the small gap between them. “You can feel it.”
“I didn’t feel anything before.”
“I can teach you. Focus right here.” He touched a spot on her forehead between her eyes.
His finger felt strong, warm. Stop it! Think about something else. Anything else.
“Now,” he said, letting his hand drop by his side. “Think of a number, nothing but a number. Okay? If you know what to expect, you should feel it.”
“I guess.” Rena didn’t want to play their little game. She needed to search for Blaze. Every passing minute, she grew more concerned.
Rena felt pressure where Nevan’s finger had touched her forehead seconds earlier.
“She’s too worried about her friend for numbers,” Chai said.
“Blaze?” Nevan asked as he looked from his sister to her. “What’s wrong with her?”
She saw the concern in his eyes. “I can’t find her anywhere. Nobody’s seen her. I’m getting worried.”
“We’ll help you. What’s she wearing?”
“A dress like this one.” She opted out of twirling the way she had for her classmate.
“Chai, scan for a redhead wearing a blue dress.”
“She can do that?” she whispered in disbelief.
Chai shifted, putting one small hand on her hip as she peered up at her brother. “But you said not to.”
“I know what I said, but this is an emergency. I’ll keep watch.”
Chai let her arms rest by her sides. Soon after, her eyes glazed over, and her brown irises faded to white. Rena gasped, covered her mouth, and shifted a little away. When she realized what she’d done, she moved back no matter how much those solid white eyes freaked her out.
Nevan locked his hands behind his back. His gaze steadily perused the crowd while they waited. Rena wished she could help, but had no idea what he was looking for and didn’t want to break Chai’s trance-like state by talking.
Mere minutes later, Chai finally blinked. Her irises reverted to their original brown, but her face lost color. She swallowed and looked at Nevan.
“What?” He pulled Chai close to him. “What’s wrong?”
Rena’s heart raced as she waited. What happened to Blaze?
“They’re not here.”
“What does that mean? Who’s not here?” Rena asked.
“The redhead girls. They’re all gone. You’re not the only one looking for somebody.”
Rena swayed in sloppy circles. “Sweet Mother! Where could they be?”
Chapter Fourteen
Friday, June 23
Early Evening
Blaze was missing.
“You okay, Rena?” Nevan held her arm to keep her from toppling over.
This wasn’t happening. Blaze must be trying to teach her a lesson about being late. Nothing else made sense. More importantly, why would all the redhead girls be missing? Had the Syns taken them? Were they kidnapped? No one in Hollowcrest had anything worth taking a hostage for.
Coldness settled in Rena’s stomach, chilling her to the bone. She had a cave full of things worth a ransom. Sweet Mother Earth, the relics they took to market. She did this. She was the one who insisted Blaze make the trade. With a trembling hand, she rubbed her stomach and fought back a sudden wave of nausea.
“The Grunge,” she whispered.
“What? What’s a grunge?” Nevan asked.
Moisture welled in her eyes, and she wondered if this was the event Trace had drawn. “I think I know who took her, who took all of them. And it’s my fault. They probably didn’t know which one, so they took all of the redheads.”
“What are you talking about?” He squeezed her arm a little. “This can’t be your fault.”
“It is.” Her gaze fell to her
twiddling fingers. “I can’t tell you why, but it is.” She waited for the telltale pressure of Chai’s mindreading ability against her forehead.
Nothing happened.
“Aw’right then, let’s go back to The Dugout. Get you something to eat. You look like you’re about to pass out.”
“I should’ve gotten there on time,” Rena said as she led the way. She’d tried hard, but Anata had piled an extra heap of ‘can yous’ on her that morning. “If I wasn’t playing Mom for the twins, I would’ve been there. I could’ve protected Blaze.”
Nevan brushed past her and sat on the bench facing the Dugout. He removed his hat and set it on the table. “Well, Lil’ Mama, why don’t you have a seat and tell us what you can?”
“Lil’ Mama? That’s how it is, huh?” She plopped on the bench across from him.
“Too much?”
“No.” She set her hat beside his. “Better than Noodle.”
He bit his lip. “See, you didn’t have to go there.”
She laughed, but then her expression grew more serious. She was laughing and having a good time while Blaze was out there somewhere with the Grunge. She needed to concentrate, needed to stop getting lost in Nevan’s charisma. She studied her hands, drew a deep breath, and exhaled.
“Before you start, why don’t we send Chai to get food?”
“What? No, you can’t send your baby sister out on her own,” Rena protested.
“Don’t worry, I’ll know if someone is thinking about hurting me.” She patted her hair twist, careful of the flowers. “Besides, I don’t have the right color hair.”
“Then it’s settled.” Nevan tapped the table, drawing her attention back to him. “You look like a vegetable and rice wrap kind of girl.”
How did he know? She gave him a sideways glance. Chai made her way up the small hill toward The Dugout. A banner with the words ‘Merry Summer Solstice’ in large letters and ‘Sponsored by Overlord Andrick’ in smaller letters flapped in the wind.
“You sure you’re not like your sister?” Rena asked.
“Nah, Lil’ Mama, I got other skills.” He winked, his dimple taunting her, tempting her to caress it.
The thought brought a fresh blush to her cheeks. She broke eye contact.
“Would be nice though, don’t you think? To have a special gift,” he said.
If he only knew. “Reading minds would be useful.”
“About your friend, start from the beginning.”
She pondered where ‘the beginning was’, not exactly ready to tell him, or anyone else for that matter, about the cave. Good thing he’d sent Chai away. The last thing she needed was for a mind reader to pull that information from her head.
“Well, Blaze and I took some stuff to Market.” She smoothed her finger over the tip of the silver birch leaf. “Turns out, it was worth more than either of us thought. We got a whole bunch of cash for it.”
He leaned forward, bringing his voice down to a conspiratorial tone. “What’d you take in?”
She offered him a smile.
“Aw’right, I get it. You think the missing girls are connected somehow. My money’s on the Synbots. They do stuff like this all the time.”
She shook her head and released the pendant. It felt cool against her skin. “This is different. I assume you’ve been to Market.”
He nodded.
“You know the vendor ‘cross from the Buyers? The grungy man who’s always sitting hunched over with that thing attached to his eye like an outdated Syn?”
“I know the one. What does he have to do with anything?”
“We sold him the stuff.” And he was going straight to the top of her Give-Me-A-Reason-Not-To-Kill-You list.
“But I thought you said you got cash.” Nevan leaned back. “Wait, you’re telling me that man has cash?”
She nodded. “I know. You should’ve seen Blaze negotiating.” She paused for a moment. “I need to find her. If you’re right and the Synbots took her, I have to find a way to rescue her.”
“Must be nice for Blaze to have a friend willing to fight for her,” he said.
“You don’t?”
He sat silent for a moment. “Not anymore. Closest thing I have now is Chai.” He peered over her shoulder, most likely checking on his sister.
“At least you have a cool sibling. Sisters are way better than brothers.”
“I’ll try not to be offended by that comment.”
“No, no, no. I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sure you’re a great brother. Who wouldn’t want to hang out with you all day, every day?” Her cheeks heated, but she didn’t look away.
“I get your meaning.”
Rena sensed Chai’s soft footsteps. She listened for her to make some kind of noise so she could act surprised and turn around. Her return was timed perfectly. They could focus on the subject and Rena could salvage what little pride she had left.
“I couldn’t carry drinks, too,” Chai said, as she neared the table.
Rena glanced over her shoulder to see the young girl carrying a huge plate piled with food. The aroma of grilled vegetables, imitation meat, and something sweet filled the air.
“We can get drinks later,” Rena said.
“Thanks for getting the food.” Nevan took the platter from her hands and set it on the table.
“That’s what sisters are for.” Chai sat on the bench and scooted closer to Rena. “What’s our next move?”
Nevan pushed the platter toward Rena while he studied his little sister. “You still doing okay?” he asked ignoring her question.
“Yes. Stop worrying.” Chai took a wrap next.
Rena leaned forward. “What are you guys talking about?”
“Sometimes when Chai—”
“It’s nothing. I’m okay. Did I miss anything good?” Chai asked.
“Long story short, Rena thinks someone from the Market took the redheads.”
“Why would they do that?”
She swallowed. “My theory: This vendor from the Market thinks Blaze has information. The problem is, she couldn’t tell him what he wants to know even if she wanted to.”
“What does he want to know?” Nevan asked.
Rena considered her words for a moment. “The location of something major.”
He lifted his eyebrows. “Must be important if he kidnapped all those girls. What is it?”
“Can’t say.” She glanced at Chai, wondering if the mind reader already knew. “Besides, I’m the only one who has the answer.”
“So, tell him and get your friend back,” Chai said.
“It’s not that simple.” She looked down at her hands.
The solution was simple, but if she relinquished the cave to the Grunge, she’d lose everything. She’d never get out of Hollowdump. If she could find a way to hold on to her claim and get Blaze back, she’d be able to afford enough property in the Nest for her family, Blaze’s family, and Nevan’s too, if he wanted. They could house-share, like most people in Hollowcrest. No, she’d have to find a way to rescue Blaze without divulging the salvage.
He folded his hands in front of him as he peered at her. “What are our options?”
“I don’t want to get you two all mixed up in this.”
“Too late, we’re already all mixed up in it.”
Chai looked at her brother as she spoke through a mouthful of food. “Wha’ ‘bout ya meetin’?”
“I’ll reschedule,” he said.
“But Dad said—”
“I know what he said. This is more important.”
“Nevan, I can handle this by myself.”
“Not gonna happen.” He shifted his weight and leaned forward, his elbows planted on the table and hands clasped in an I’m-not-goin’-no-where stance. “What’s the plan?”
She sighed, knowing somehow that nothing she said would discourage him. “We go to the Market. Find out if Grunge took the redheads and if so, steal them back.”
“There are a number of problems with th
at plan,” Nevan said. “Number one, Market is closed for Solstice and won’t open ‘til tomorrow. Number two, it’s about to be dark. Three, the Synbots will start curfew patrol soon. We’ll have to wait.”
“How am I supposed to do that? Waiting isn’t an option. Not for me. Not for Blaze.”
Chapter Fifteen
Saturday, June 24
Early Morning
Nevan finally managed to convince Rena she wouldn’t be helping anyone if the Synbots arrested her. She considered knocking on Trace’s door to see if he’d discovered anything, but she didn’t want to draw attention by going over there, and by the time she got home, all the lights were off anyway.
After the longest night ever, she managed to do something she rarely did—she showed up at Everwood Park on time to meet Nevan. Woke up, dressed, and raced right out of the house. She didn’t care if Anata got mad at her for skipping out on her responsibilities with the twins. Not her problem any more.
She sat on a swing, leaning a little forward to compensate for the backpack’s weight, and waited for her new partner in crime. Nevan had offered to come by her house to get her. She counter-offered by agreeing to meet him near the train line, which ran between their Quads.
She still hadn’t worked up the courage to tell him she lived in Quad 3 and didn’t want him to see her worn down house. He probably never had to share his living space with another family. She wasn’t ready for him to find out hers couldn’t enjoy that same luxury. She already had two strikes against her—being a Dustie and putting his family at risk with her after curfew visit. Though that didn’t seem to stop him from flirting with her. Her. Rena. Yesterday, Nevan had openly flirted with her.
Crazy times.
The only thing that could make it better would be to have Blaze back safe.
Her stomach sank thinking about it. She knew deep inside Blaze was okay. But under what conditions? Did she have food? Water? The questions plagued her. She blew out a long breath. Unlike normal people, she couldn’t afford to beat herself up with guilt. Even when she really deserved it, like now. If she swallowed too much negativity and her emotions fell out of whack, it might spark her power.
When Nevan strolled up the path, she focused her attention on him. She basked in the surge of happiness from seeing him. He looked as quality as ever. The letters S W A G crossed the width of his faded green shirt, which coordinated with his light brown pants, and brown tennis shoes. That sunhat, though. That was her favorite part. It fit snug over his dreads. The wide brim shaded his eyes and most of his nose. The sun highlighted his full lips in a way that pulled her forward off the swing.
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