“I see.” The reporter looks over her shoulder at April. “Your sister seemed enthusiastic about the tour. Do you think today inspired her? Are we looking at the birth of a future scientist?”
“I dunno. Maybe?” When the reporter looks disappointed yet again, I stammer on. “I mean, this wasn’t something we even thought about before. We were in the woods. Surviving. It’s a totally new world for her.”
“Perfect.” She lowers her phone. “And not a moment too soon. My battery is dead.”
From the corner of my eye, I see every inch of Bradley Patterson deflate, including his voluminous hair.
“Will this seriously be in the paper?” I ask, now that I know her phone is off.
“Maybe. It’s a nice human-interest story. Might spruce up the election coverage,” she says. “Good luck, Mr. Charles.”
She goes to speak with Bradley, even if her phone is in her pocket now, and I grin up at Sid. “So? How’d we do?”
“Good, I think.”
“I’ll take it.”
Maybe I don’t suck at being his wife after all.
As if he can read my thoughts and wants nothing more than to sow doubt in them, Tom Sullivan’s voice cutsthrough the crowd. “Well done today, Ms. Hollins.” He’s smiling in that smug, satisfied way of his. “Let’s see how long we can keep this up,”
Keep this up. Maybe he’s only referring to my marriage with Sid, but I think again of my sanctuary papers, which I regret lying on more each day. Back when I made that choice, I didn’t think April and I would need to stay on the island. I didn’t think what we said mattered. If Tom ever gets proof that I falsified them, then he’ll… Actually, that’s part of the problem. I have no idea what he’ll do. And it’s not like I can ask Sid about it either, when the trust between us is so fragile. We’ve only just moved past TNS.
But I’m not letting Tom steal my confidence. I can keep this up all day. I loop an arm around Sid’s waist and go up on my toes. It takes him a second to realize what I want him to do, but eventually he bends down enough that I can peck him on the lips. Our first kiss since I learned about TNS.
Take that, Tom Sullivan.
I land on my heels to see Tom rolling his eyes.
“I CAN’T BELIEVEhow long she talked to me,” says April, who is still giddy during the bus ride home. “Like, she could have gone back to shmoozing with the reporter lady, but instead she talked tome.”
“And why shouldn’t she? You were the most interesting person there,” I say. But honestly, I am grateful for Amy Sullivan. I wouldn’t have expected someone who hustles as hard as she does to notice how much this meant to April. Ever since finding out she dated Sid—and that she’s Tom’s niece—I’ve been on a constant see-saw, trying to decide if I like her. Today, she’s in my good books.
“Ms. Sullivan says they run a summer program for high-school students,” says April. “Doing it really helps your chances of getting an apprenticeship at the guild after graduation. She says if I can get my math up, I should apply next spring.”
“That’s amazing! And you totally will. Didn’t you get an A on that test?”
April huffs. “Kayla, that was on factoring. We were coving stuff that kids here learn in Grade Four. GradeFour! I am so far behind, it hurts. In regular math, they’re adding exponents to polynomials.”
“What’s an exponent?”
“Exactly.” She looks down at a pamphlet Amy gave her, describing the program the guild ran this past summer. “I need a whole plan of attack. Would you mind if I stayed late at school a few nights a week? Sometimes there’s a teacher on duty to give tutoring—maybe if I got some, I would catch up faster.”
“Oh… um…”
“I think that’s a great idea,” says Sid.
“Thank you!” April squeals.
“Hold on, I’m still deciding. He’s not your big sister.”
Sid places a hand over his heart. “And here I thought I was. You wound me, Kayla.”
“Ha ha ha. I’m not saying no. I just want to think about it.” I still dislike the idea of April spending any more time separated from me than she absolutely needs to. But the way she lit up during the tour is undeniable.
“Why? What’s the big deal?” Sid asks.
“She’s still my responsibility.”
