“That you’re a pain.”
“Ha.” With a low snort, I let the letter fall down on the bed next to Wilma. “Maybe I should write Devina a letter of my own and explain how self-absorbed and annoying you can be.”
Narrowing her eyes, Wilma sat up. “You wouldn’t.”
“Why not? I could use a friend too.” I kept my face straight, loving how easy it was to rile Wilma up.
“She’smyfriend.”
“But soon you’ll be gone. Then what?”
“I already thought of that. You’ll be our middleman. You’ll forward her letters to me by mail and I’ll answer. All you have to do is throw my letters across the border and collect her letters for me.”
“What’s in it for me?”
Wilma burst out in a joyful grin. “Isn’t it enough that you’ll be mentioned in a book in the Motherlands? You can tell everyone that your sister is famous.”
“Why would I care what people in the Motherlands think about you? Because of that stupid wall, I’ll never meet any of them in person.”
Swinging her hand at me, Wilma gestured for me to leave. “I don’t have time to talk with you when there are so many things I have to write Devina about. Do you think I should mention the time I almost drowned?” Not waiting for my answer, she nodded her head. “I should. It was a dramatic moment in my life.”
“You didn’t almost drown. Dad was right there to save you.”
“But I fell in the water and it was deep.”
“You jumped because you saw me and Frederick dive in. We were all ready to save you, but Dad got to you first.”
My little sister was the youngest of us five siblings by twelve years and not only was she spoiled but she was also overprotected. “Don’t tell Devina that you almost died when it’s not true. People are going to think we’re lousy protectors.”
“So what? You just said you didn’t care about what people in the Motherlands think of you.” Wilma got up from her bed and swung her hand to the door again. “Now get out so I can write.”
When I didn’t move, she pushed at my chest but being a head taller and much heavier, it wasn’t hard to stand my ground. “You’re not telling her dramatic lies. Do you hear me?”
“Yeah, yeah, I heard you.”
When I left my sister’s room, I walked downstairs and out in the garden. My dad was weeding nearby and looked up when he heard me. For a short second, I hesitated in walking over to him. I liked my father, but I hated his obsession with the same endless discussion we’d had ten times already.
“Tyton, come over here for a second.” He leaned back on his haunches and watched me as I walked closer. “Did you think about it?”
Oh fuck. Here we go again.
“You’ll need to raise the money and find a sparring partner. It was easier the last time because you and Frederick had each other.”
My jaw hardened and my eyes darted around the garden seeing projects I could be working on. “We need to trim the apple trees.”
“Don’t try and change the subject, son. In a few weeks, Wilma will be married and you’ll be my only child left without a spouse.”
“Yeah, well, it’s rare to find a spouse when you’re a man in this part of the world.”
“Frederick did it.”
I cracked my knuckles and tried to change the subject again. “How is Frederick?”
“He’s fine and he agrees with me. You should sign up for Tamara’s tournament. It’s not even a year away.”
“I doubt Tamara would pick me.”
With a stern expression on his face my dad pushed up from the ground and brushed his hands off. “Just because Starr chose Frederick over you doesn’t mean Tamara wouldn’t pick you. She’s met you before and that can be a huge advantage. Besides, because you were already a champion at Starr’s tournament, you’ll be fighting in the main arenas. There’s money to be made on bets if you win.”
