By the time my feet land with a light thud, I let time resume.
The sudden loss of resistance throws the girl off balance. She stares confusedly at her palm, uncertain about what happened. I wasn’t supposed to land so gracefully. I was meant to collapse in a heap of broken bones and anguish.
The girl’s eyes widen. “What?—”
I take a step forward to punch her in the throat when I hear the thud of footsteps. Sora returns with the sergeant, who is putting out his cigarette. I let out a sigh. She came back for me, which is surprising, because she owes me nothing.
The Transporter grips his friend’s shoulder, prepared to leave. The girl hesitates, eyes burning in rage.
“This isn’t over,” she warns.
Then they’re all gone.
I sway, adrenaline crashing through me. Sora catches my arm.
“Are you okay?” she whispers.
“Yes,” I say. “Thank you. For coming back for me.”
“It was nothing.” Sora shrugs. “You’d do the same for me. Do you think they’ll return?”
I stare at the space where the Gifted stood, my pulse still racing.
“Yes.”
I’ve made myself visible. And in the Forge, that’s the most dangerous thing a Common can do.
chapter
six
Ender
Haven has been avoiding me for days, and while I welcome the reprieve, it is a jarring contrast to her behavior the day we met. Overnight, her barbed tongue and defiance have melted, giving way to a skittish nature. Her footsteps glide across the library floor, soft as falling snow, and every night her silver platter is left outside her bedroom door, as if she dreads entering the dining hall.
“She’s spooked,” I say aloud.
“Who is?”
Knox sits across from me, inhaling a thin cigarette. We sit in my office, the window cracked just enough to let the night air in. A lamp sits on the oak desk, throwing long, disjointed shadows across the walls. My monitors are dimmed and silent as I attempt to process my thoughts.
“What are you thinking?” Knox asks.
I don’t answer immediately. I watch the smoke he exhales curl in the air, dissipating too quickly.
“How is the sister doing?” I ask instead.
Knox blinks. “Mercy?”
“Yes,” I say impatiently. “Mercy.”
“Since when do you care?”
I drag my finger slowly across my lip, feeling the cold bite of my military ring. The one I received when I graduated from the Forge.
“I get the distinct impression the sisters are colluding.”
Knox snorts. “You think they’re plotting what exactly?”
