Part 12 (1/2)
”She did! She called me into her office after I left you with Oliver.”
This doesn't make sense. First, we don't get in trouble. Next, Mother erases all evidence of my actions. And then she gives Kyra a house?
”Who lived there before?” I ask.
She blinks. ”What?”
”Who lived in your new house? I doubt it was vacant, just waiting for you.”
Kyra's eyes look like they're going to bug out of her head. ”What is wrong with you? Malin gave me a house for being a good employee. Why can't you be happy for me?”
Something about it doesn't feel right. ”Why would she do that? Did she make you promise her something in return?”
Kyra makes a face like I've insulted her. ”Maybe she likes me, Lark. Not everything has to have an ulterior motive.”
I want to tell her Mother doesn't like anyone, as evidenced from the way she tried to barbecue me, and she claims to love me. All these favors she's doing for Kyra-not having to sit for the rest of the a.s.sessments, a new home-are going to come with a price, but I bite my tongue. One thing's been clear to me since my return, Kyra may be my friend, but she's willing to give up certain things, like friends.h.i.+p, to be a Dark witch. She loves the power it brings.
We're in need of a change of conversation before she becomes upset. So I ask Maz, ”Do you like your new job?”
Kyra yawns loudly. ”Are we playing twenty questions? Because I can think of some much better ones than that. For example: Ryker, do you like Lark?”
My eyes grow wide and I blush. ”What?” I stammer.
Ryker, to his credit, gets up and walks over to the piano.
”My job is interesting,” Maz answers even though we've moved on to something else. I appreciate his effort to spare me embarra.s.sment. ”I'm working with flying technology. The ancient stuff. It wouldn't do us any good, not with transporting.”
Kyra sashays toward the liquor cabinet. She fake shudders as she pours drinks. ”Can you imagine humans flying around? Not a good idea. We need to keep them confined so it's easier to manage them.”
I nod in agreement, as if the thought of humans having free reign appalls me. In reality, I wonder if Kyra's right and the State's forbidding of private vehicles and aircraft had more to do with keeping humans under control and less to do with the environment, like they claim.
”I had no idea you wanted to work in ma.s.s transit,” I say to Maz.
Kyra hands me a drink. ”It's not like you ever asked. Or cared.”
She's right. In the past, I tolerated Maz. Not because of her, but because he was Beck's best friend. Our interactions, until he showed up on my train, never went beyond him doing something asinine and me becoming exasperated.
Unlike Ryker, who I've always gotten along with. Until now.
Silence falls over us. Kyra and Maz resume their display of affection and I study the gla.s.s of whatever Kyra poured for me. After last night, I can't say I'm particularly fond of the effects of alcohol.
Across the room, Ryker plunks out a short song on the piano. I can't remember having ever seen him play before. In fact, I vaguely recall him making fun of Beck for practicing. Not that Beck ever advanced beyond intermediate songs, but at least he tried.
”When did you take up playing?” I ask as I walk closer to the piano.
He s.h.i.+fts over on the bench to make room for me. The song he's playing changes into something upbeat. ”Lena taught me.”
”When? I never saw you practice.”
His fingers come to a rest. ”We used to play together after school in the music room.”
”Ah.” He doesn't need to say anything more. In the music room, they'd be alone for a little while. I blush at the thought.
Ryker jerks his head toward our friends, who aren't paying any attention to us. ”Why don't we go for a walk?”
My stomach flops. Earlier when Kyra asked if Ryker liked me, I marked it up to her being...well, her. But here he is asking me to go walking. Alone.
Stop it, Lark. You're being ridiculous. Ryker's asking you to go for a walk because he wants to talk to you. Probably about Beck. And you want to talk to him.
Ryker stands up and holds out a hand to me. I stare at it for a long second. He tilts his dark head slightly and grins. ”Coming?”
It's such a Beck gesture. The angle of his head. The way his eyes twinkle. The mischief in his voice. I shove one hand into my pocket and toy with my necklace, while my other hand hovers just above Ryker's, waiting for me to decide if I should accept his offer or stay here, with Kyra and Maz.
”We can talk,” he says, trying to prod me into accepting.
I don't take his hand, but I do walk to the door and lead him to the back of the house. I stop just outside the kitchen. What am I doing? Going for a walk with Ryker? Didn't I decide last night that he can't possibly know anything about Beck?
I turn around and eye his Enforcer uniform again. ”What exactly is your job?”
”Sorting and organizing data sets.”
That sounds far from uninteresting. ”Since you're in enforcement, surely that data must hold secrets.”
He shrugs. ”I see the information off every wristlet that pings the system. I'm supposed to scan and cla.s.sify it.”
”Anything good?” I ask, trying to keep my tone conversational. Fis.h.i.+ng for information has never been my strong suit.
Ryker's eyes light up. ”Cla.s.sified.”
I smile pleasantly. Somehow, this is beginning to feel like a challenge between the two of us. ”Lucky for you, I'm allowed access to cla.s.sified information.”
”Of course you are. Is there something you want to know?” He's trying to dodge my question and I can't figure out why.
Our eyes lock and my heart whirls. Madly. Like it wants to leap from my chest. ”Where is he?” My voice is embarra.s.singly breathless.
Ryker touches the back of my hand. Warmth spreads up and down my arm, into my chest and stomach, all the way to my toes. I drop my gaze and back away from him.
”Wait, don't go.” The softness in Ryker's voice locks me in place. ”He's alive. But that's all I can tell you.”
”How do you know?”
His eyes harden and his jaw clenches as if struggling with the answer. ”How do you think?”
”From a wristlet feed you read?”
He face falls and he shakes his head.