I dropped my voice to a whisper. “Because no matter howwell we do this year. We’ll be right back at zero in twelve months.”
For a split second, I saw it, the flash of irritation in her eyes. And then it was gone, replaced by a dazzling smile.
“But what a beautiful year it’ll be,” she crooned, “because of you!”
The crowd erupted again, and I caught Zaffir’s subtle shake of his head.Careful,his look warned.
Annalese forged ahead, perfectly unshaken. “Now, Brexlyn, there are twelve Challengers remaining. How do you think you fare for the medical trial?”
Twelve. That meant eight people–innocent people–have already lost their lives in pursuit of Reclamation.
I straightened my shoulders, forcing resolve into my voice. “I think I have a team behind me that’s going to help me save my brother’s life. And that means everything.”
That, apparently, was the right answer.
Annalese beamed, her expression alight like I’d finally delivered the line she’d been waiting for all along. A puppet hitting its mark. “Beautifully said,” she praised, her voice smooth as glass. Then her smile sharpened, too bright. “Speaking of your brother… Praxis has a little surprise for you.”
My stomach dropped, my pulse stuttering. Hope and dread twisted together, rising thick in my throat. I forced myself to keep my expression neutral, but inside I was already bracing for a blow I couldn’t predict. If he was here…if they did something to him. What twisted game was Praxis going to play?
The screen behind Annalese flickered to life. At first it was just static.
And then two faces.
Faces so familiar, so achingly perfect and heartbreakinglyfar away that the breath caught in my chest. My eyes burned as tears blurred my vision.
“Jax?” I whispered, my voice cracking like glass underfoot. “Ava!”
“Bex!” Jax’s face lit up, his eyes going wide as he recognized me. “I can see you!”
I felt the tears spill over as I pressed my hand to my mouth, trying to trap the sob that threatened to escape. “I can see you too, sprout,” I choked. “Oh God, Jax… it’s really you.”
He grinned, but it was a little too stiff, a little too rehearsed, and I saw it, the tightness around his mouth, the way his shoulders didn’t move when he spoke.
“Hi, Bex,” Ava added her soft eyes meeting mine, with something that looked like guilt.
“How are you both?” I asked quickly.
“I’m okay,” Jax said, because of course he would, he was never one to admit his pain, even to me.
“We miss you,” Ava added.
“I’m so sorry I’m not there with you.”
“It’s okay,” he cut in quickly. “Ava’s pretty cool.”
Ava smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes as she playfully rubbed her knuckles on top of his head. He chuckled and swatted her hand away. My heart constricted at the ease the two of them shared. I loved them so much.
I didn’t give a damn that the entire arena was watching, that my mic was live, that my face was undoubtedly plastered across every screen in the Collectives and in Praxis itself. None of it mattered.
“And you,” I pressed, desperate, my voice lowering as if that could protect him. “Your legs? Are they- ?”
He shrugged, a gesture so familiar it hurt. “Eh.” That tiny wince in his expression undid me. I knew what that meant. I knew he was lying through his teeth for my sake.
“I miss you, sprout,” I whispered. “I miss both of you.”
“We miss you too,” Jax grinned, that same crooked smile he used to give me when he knew he wasn’t fooling anyone. “But you’re kind of kicking ass, so… that’s pretty cool.”
The audience laughed. I barely registered it.
