Lev makes a face. “I hate math.”
“You’re good at it when you don’t rush,” I reply without thinking.
He blinks, then gives a tiny, surprised smile.
I finish anchoring the thread, securing the ring to the edge of Saturn with a few tight, invisible stitches. It’s not pretty, but it holds. I hold it up like a trophy.
“One planet saved,” I announce, holding up Saturn.
“Neptune next,” Lev says, pushing it toward me.
Twenty minutes later, we’re in a groove. The boys hand me materials, argue over Pluto’s status as a planet, and continue their ongoing debate about who is smarter. (Spoiler: They both think it’s them.)
It reminds me of Julian when he was younger.
Julian, who’s still waiting for me to introduce him to Konstantin. Julian, who Irina threatened.
The thought makes my hands shake again, but I force myself to focus on the task in front of me.
“Bella?” Nikolai asks. “You okay?”
I blink, realizing I’ve been staring at Jupiter for too long.
“Yes, just thinking about… asteroid placement.”
He nods. “Between Mars and Jupiter.”
I ruffle his hair. He ducks but doesn’t move away.
“Will you help with my science project next week?”
That one hits differently. I don’t answer right away.
Next week. Will I still be here?
“Sure,” I say softly. “What’s the topic?”
“Lie detectors.”
I almost laugh. “Seriously?”
“To catch Lev when he steals my Switch.”
“I was testing battery efficiency,” Lev mutters.
“You were playingFortnite.”
“Children!” Yelena snaps. “Dinner in five.”
“One more planet!” Lev begs.
I shoot her an apologetic look. “Two minutes.”
She sighs. Disappears.
“Alright, NASA. Let’s wrap this up.”
We finish Mercury, Alya appears with her book, and I know what she wants before she says a word.
