Page 30 of Bound By Stars
“My sister. Andi.” I clear my throat, trying to cover the choked sound in my voice.
Weslie’s eyes meet mine full-on, and I could swear she’s peering directly into my mind, my memory.
Words gather in my chest, swirling and expanding like a building storm. Everything I miss about my sister, everything that happened that day, everything that’s changed since ready to burst out. I’m the one to look away, burying it all.
She lays the book down on the fake grass. “Thank you, by the way. For helping me at the pool. I shouldn’t have…I…” Swallowing hard, she lies back and stares into the branches overhead. Through a sigh, almost too quiet to be meant for me to hear, she says, “I didn’t realize it was going to be this difficult.”
“Thanking me? You didn’t have to.”
She laughs. “That, too. But I meant, this whole thing.” She waves her arms in the air. “I’ve always wanted to go to Mars, but I had no idea how hard it would be to get there.”
I’m not sure what to say. I always wanted to be on Earth.
She sits up, angling her body away from me like she realized she was giving away too much.
I glance up at the bot settled between the trees behind us. “You’re quiet tonight.”
“She’s in silent mode. Easier to sneak around a ship at night without a bot running her mouth the entire time.”
ILSA’s face screen blinks with a frowny face icon followed by an exclamation point.
I suck in a breath. “Speaking of ILSA…Calypso asked me how our partnership was going again. I lied. Told them everything’s great.”
“Perfect. I don’t need help. And you’d probably rather do…whatever it is that you do.”
“I don’t like lying.”
“And I don’t like babysitting.” She stands like time has run out on our conversation. “Time to go, ILSA.”
I rise to my feet next to her. Fine. I’m not above begging. “Please, Weslie. You’d be doing me a huge favor. And I’m not the worst company, right?”
“Debatable.” As she turns to follow ILSA out of the trees, she’s clearly fighting back a grin.
I follow, spotting my chance through the narrow crack in her resolve. “I’ll just watch. No getting in your way. Promise.”
She lets a leafy branch snap back in my direction.
I duck just in time. “You’ll hardly know I’m there unless you need someone to hand you a screwdriver or get you a snack.”
Near the arboretum’s back entrance, I almost run into her again when she spins around to face me. “No talking?”
I mark anXacross my chest. “Cross my heart.”
Glancing sideways, she purses her lips and then lets out a huff of breath. “Class lab. Tomorrow at three.”
“I’ll be there.”
She walks faster, shaking her head like she’s already regretting the change of heart. “No need to mow me down in the hall beforehand. I’m 80 percent sure I’ll recognize you without a collision.”
As I head for the elevator six meters away, she turns toward the back staircase a kilometer down the hallway. That’s a lot of extra walking just to avoid spending a couple more minutes with me.
The sound of pounding feet makes me spin back, automatically putting my hands up. Ready to surrender to Gianna. But a porter rushes at Weslie, herding her and then us toward the elevator.
“This way, please. You’ll have to take the lift.” His hair comes loose from his ponytail as he whips his head back and forth toward either end of the hall and aggressively mashes the elevator button.
“What’s wrong with the stairs?” Weslie’s voice is strained.
“Maintenance.” The porter hits the call button rapidly, three more times, staring down the hall toward the stairs and indecipherable shouts.
