“I won’t, Papa. I know I came in third last year in the Spy Division, but-”
“Third!” he roars. “My daughter in third place? I did not raise you to be a loser, trailing other students! Better students!”
“They were seniors,” I attempted to explain, “I’m a junior this year, and I won’t allow anyone to pass me in the rankings. Iwillbe first.”
“Let me be clear,” he says coldly, precisely. “I questioned you wasting four years at the Academy when I could have accepted one of several very promising offers for your hand. But I let myself be persuaded because this training would make you more useful to the family.”
Shuddering, I picture my cousin, married at eighteen, her white, terrified face when she saw the vile old troll to whom she’d been promised standing there at the altar.
“Iwillbe of more value after graduating from the Spy program,” I promise rapidly. “No matter what alliance you choose to make, my skills will be useful. My first loyalty is always to the family.”
I would have promised him anything, just to escape the smothering confines of my life in San Francisco. To get away from my family.
“See that you do,” he snaps, “it is bad enough that you are my best option after losing Michael.” There’s a bitter silence as he draws in a deep breath. “It should have been you.”
Currently…
“...you okay?”
Tatiana’s looking at me, concerned.
“Oh, sorry,” I laugh it off, “just drifting a little.”
“You sure?” Willow persisted, “Because you look like someone just shoved a stiletto into your kidney.”
“And you would know the look because you have, actually, shoved a blade into someone’s kidney,” I said, forcing a smile.
Willow looks affronted. “Only twice,” she says defensively, “and they both had it coming.”
“Most likely,” I agree, squeezing her arm.
I only have two years left at the Academy before my father owns me for life. It doesn’t matter what family he marries me into, I’ll be expected to spy on them and their allies. If I’m caught, my new husband will kill me.
And my father would dismiss it as “my failure.”
Two years,I think,and I’m going to make them count.
“Willow! C’mon,” I said, dragging Tati towards a band playing some kind of ska mix. “We’re dancing our asses off tonight!”
Checking behind me, I see the two bodyguards exchange a look of bleak acceptance.
The band is playing some disjointed version of “Mirror in the Bathroom” from English Beat and I’m laughing uncontrollably. Willow is skipping madly back and forth while two guys ska clumsily after her. Tatiana is dancing on one of the speakers and the two bodyguards are a helpless constellation around them, trying to keep them in sight. I’ve always been better about disappearing into the crowd, so I doubt they even remember me right now.
Shouting starts up from the mosh pit in front of the stage.
“You bleedin’ cunt!”
“Motherfuckin’ bastard-”
“Go to hell you-”
“This is why we can’t have nice things!” I shout to no one and head back into the mess of flailing limbs, trying to get to Tatiana and Willow.
A huge surge of bodies knocks me over and I roll, trying to get out from under all the feet before I get stomped. I roll and roll and just as I get onto my feet, I am knocked backward. Someone’s hands are on me, yanking me up by my arm and they’re squeezing tight, hurting me and my other elbow goes up hard, knocking them across the cheekbone and I feel a satisfying ‘crunch!’ of the bone before they swing me viciously in a circle.
I kick out, hitting him viciously in the side of the knee but he barely grunts, stumbling slightly. There’s someone behind me too, he’s got a fistful of my hair and I throw my head back as hard as I can, wincing as a sharp flash of white light sizzles through my vision. I hit bone - something - but I’m pretty sure I hurt myself worse, because he can still lock his arm around my throat. The other asshole is trying to hold my legs and I writhe madly, trying to shake him loose.
Shit. This is real. They’re trying to take me.
