“Go get something to eat. You have thirty minutes until Ahna briefs the three of you.”
One set of footsteps echoed, growing more distant with every passing second. Lysa and Christian shot each other a glance. His sister’s face was pale. Neither of them were supposed to have heard that conversation.
Hawk stepped into the break room and, spying Christian and Lysa, swore under his breath. “How much of that did you catch?”
“Enough. But it’s your business. I’m here if you want to talk, and if you don’t, that’s cool too,” Christian answered.
With a deep frown on his face, Hawk grabbed a cup of caff and plopped onto a chair at one of the small tables. He shoved his hand into his red hair and stared at the tabletop. “He just doesn’t get it.”
The room was so quiet that Christian could hear Lysa’s breaths. Then Hawk took a long swig of his caff and sat back in his seat.
“Dad was eighteen when he had me too,” Hawk continued. “But when he left for his Trials, he never came back. Me on the other hand, I’m in the same house where I said goodbye to my daughter, and yet he won’t let me see her.” He scoffed. “He actually had them relocated so I couldn’t even find her. I mean . . .” He shook his head, his good eye glistening with tears as he took another gulp of his caff.
Another bout of silence pierced the air. Christian itched to respond, but he couldn’t relate. It had been hard enough leaving his sister behind and hoping she’d be okay without him. But if he’d had to leave a child?
Fucking impossible.
“I’m sorry.” Lysa broke the silence. “That really isn’t fair at all. You could’ve at least seen her one more time before leaving again, you know?”
Hawk lifted his hand. “Exactly. But he refuses to tell me where they are, and knowing him, he’ll have stuck them with someone so loyal to him that I’d never figure it out.”
“She’s with her mom, at least?” Lysa asked.
Hawk nodded. “Yeah, her mom didn’t make it through the Trials. We were never really a couple to begin with, despite what we told people. She was just the daughter of some ass who wanted the money my dad sent him. It’s sick, really, what my family does. I never should’ve done it.”
“Yeah, but then your daughter wouldn’t exist. Melody, right?” Lysa asked, to which Hawk nodded.
Stars, she was so good at this. Christian had almost forgotten just how gentle and kind she was. He imagined their mom had been the same.
“Well, maybe he’ll change his mind about getting them papers so they can leave when you do. I heard he offered that to Cho for helping you guys.”
Christian flinched. He’d offeredhera chance to escape this place?
Fucking figured.
Hawk’s laugh in response to Lysa’s comment was halfhearted and laced with pain. “Nah, he’d never do that. Melody has to ‘earn her right to be a citizen.’ His words.”
Christian’s hands balled into fists. But before he or Lysa could say anything in reply, a message from Ahna came through.
MEET ME IN THE WAR ROOM.
Hawk was out of his chair without so much as a glance in their direction, slamming his now-empty caff cup in the trash on his way out the door.
Christian sighed. “Gotta go.” He patted Lysa on her knee.
“Be careful, okay?”
He smirked. “When am I not?”
“Um, always.”
He couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he left his sister to continue her book and hurried down the hall.
Ahna stood at the head of the war room, one hand braced on the edge of the table. Claude and Yosef were on either side of her. The map of Perileos sat on the table, routes highlighted in various colors. Places in the city they’d visited without success. Possible sightings. The map was shared between both the grave shift and the solar shift, and loads of information had already been added. The fact that they still hadn’t uncovered any thread was unnerving. The Dissent wasthatgood at maintaining anonymity.
Imara entered the room a minute later, her black hair looped into a bun, and the moment she sat in her seat, Ahna began speaking.
“We got chatter today. Solar shift pointed to here on the east edge.” Ahna tapped the map. “Old tram lines. Possible drop zone for the Dissent. Might be a cache there.”
