“I—what?”
“If you’re as you say, and you can pay with stardust, I want proof that I’m not being scammed.”
Now, it’s my turn to stare. How am I supposed to prove that?
“Um, I could…” I shake my head and my entire body slumps. “I don’t know how to prove it,” I whisper, defeated.
Their eyes narrow, but XingXing doesn’t look put off as they continue to eye me for long moments. I take one breath, two, feeling like an ant under a microscope when they finally speak again.
“Tell me what it feels like.”
How would that… Wait, are they also a star-chaser? Or do they know someone like me? My heart rate kicks up a notch.
“It’s, well, do you mean like, when I get the urge to follow the stars? Or just like… being a star-chaser in general? Because that doesn’t feel too much different from what regular people feel, I don’t think at least?—”
“Star-chasing,” they interrupt. “What does following your ancestral gift feel like?”
Myancestral gift?I nearly scoff, but manage to hold it in. I’ve never heard it referred to in such generous terms before.
“Uh, it feels like this urge that I can’t deny. A pull like something is hooked into me, into who I am inside, dragging me toward the fallen star. If I ignore it… well. I can’t ignore it, not really. The pull just gets worse and worse, and I can’t help but follow it no matter how much I try not to. But once I give in, then I guess it doesn’t feel too bad. It’s just a sense of urgency, like I’m needed somewhere really important and I’m almost late so I have to rush, but no matter how fast I go, there’s no getting there on time. And then when I do find it… I normally ignore how that feels, to be honest.”
XingXing nods slowly, a thoughtful look on their face.
“Why wouldn’t you want to?”
I blink at them. “What?”
“You said you try not to follow it sometimes. Why?”
“Because… because it’s a curse. Because I hate being unable to control it. Because it has killed everyone in my family.”
They make a noncommittal humming noise, their eyes squinting as they take me in, but then jerk their chin once.
“Alright, agreed. One scavenging of stardust—no matter how much or how little, I want it in its entirety—in exchange for my help in clearing and covering all ofthesefeeds.”
They turn their computer around and show me a number of video stills of Ro on his bike in various parts of town the night of the fire. Then they click to another screen with more video stills, and then a third with another click.
“Shit, what was he doing?” I mutter under my breath.
“Trying to lose any tail that might have been on him, I assume,” XingXing replies, spinning the laptop back around. “Lucky for your friend, there was no one tracking him. He got in and out clean, apart from these videos.”
“And you can take care of all that? Make it look like he was with me all night?”
“Yeah, I can. It’ll be done tonight. I’ll contact you to collect the payment.”
Before I can reply, they snap the laptop shut, slide it into their bag, and are striding out the door.
I hope I didn’t just make the biggest mistake of my life.
Two WeeksLater
I’m a jittery ball of nerves, an anxious wreck, and I need to get it together if I’m going to do any good for Ro today. It’s his court date, and his attorney seems optimistic.
She’s been drilling me all week on questions and counter questions. I think there are proper terms she used, but I can’tremember them. All I know is I’m going to testify as a witness that Ro was with me all night, and I’ll be questioned by both his legal team as well as the prosecution.
She says I’m ready, I just hope I can keep my story straight, and that Ro doesn’t say anything to dispute it. I’m also feeling slightly nauseous at the thought of facing the big boss man, or whoever they send in his place. He hasn’t contacted me at all over the last two weeks, but I have caught glimpses of his goons hanging around. I suspect he’s waiting to see how this trial turns out before delivering whatever horrendous punishment he’s cooked up for me.
I won’t let my mind go there. I need to be focused on Ro right now. I have to trust that he’ll still want me after this; that despite his efforts at being a good person, he won’t hold it against me that I’m lying for him, essentially forcing him to as well.
