Page 13 of Stormbreaker

Edward is rooming with Knox and his two best friends, Jackson and Sal. He grimaces, and I offer him a “sorry,” but he waves me off. I don’t think Edward minds them in general, but I understand he’s being loyal to me and my feelings. Trin is very lucky to have him.

Two staircases curve in opposite directions at the room’s far end, and Trinity, Edward, and I take the left. The corridors of Amery are decorated like the great hall, with gleaming wood floors and ornately decorated walls covered in brocaded silk and gilded molding. Stained glass sconces and marble statues line the walk as we make our way to another staircase.

Trinity says goodbye to Edward before we turn toward the girls’ wing. Technically, this is also the House Fiama wing, but we aren’t full-fledged Society members yet, only children of the pledged. New Manhattan loves a good ceremony, and we won’t be officially welcomed until we pass our initiations and offer allegiance over the next few months.

I glance back to see a group of cogs, including the girl I smiled at outside, following us before they duck into a room across the hall.

Then we enter a massive space with four beds, piled with lace pillows and covered in luxurious white sheets, pushed up against each corner. The walls are covered in white brocade silk, and a crystal chandelier sparkles in the middle, most likely foraged from a fancy hotel or house.

Next to each bed is a white dresser and a wardrobe, while at the foot sits a desk, shelves, and a chair. Our boxes from home wait in neat stacks in our respective corners, and large windows look out onto the Central Park Tree Farm and the distant Wastes beyond.

To the left of the academy stands another tall tower, the Citadel, which houses the government headquarters of The Shield on the upper floors, as well as the Tempestade, the Storm Guard’s military operations, in the lower half. If Amery is twisting curves and whimsical details, the Citadel is all straight lines and efficiency. Dozens of wires run out from the roof and the platform where General Sol channels electricity into the city.

I frown as I watch the clouds gather in the sky, swirling and tumbling.

I managed to put aside thoughts of the itching in my hands in the wake of the Solitude’s arrival and the excitement of our welcome, but the itching is constant now, burning through my fingers and limbs.

Joining the Storm Guard would mean I could hide in plain sight. I wouldn’t have to suppress my need to absorb the storms’ energy. As a Breaker, I’d be expected to channel small currents of Spark.

At home, I could lock myself in my room and lean out my window, but now I’m surrounded by people for the next eight months.

I can’t tell Trinity my secret. If she knew, she’d be obligated to turn me in. I know she wouldn’t, but it’s safer for both of us this way.

I’ve heard the rumors of a family who lived below us and hid their child’s abilities. The parents were jailed and later executed for deceiving everyone and breaking the law. I’m not sure what really happened to the child, and I’m not sure I want to know.

I know it makes me a terrible person, but my fear outweighs the guilt of keeping this secret.

Someone knocks into my shoulder from behind, forcing me to catch my balance with a step. Winter scowls before she marches to the corner where her boxes sit. Then comes Lacey, flipping her hair like she’s trying to relieve a crick in her neck. I can’t believe this is who I’m stuck with.

“C’mon,” Trinity says, directing me to my corner. “Ignore them.”

She stops me before my bed, adorned with Amery’s standard-issue sheets. Eventually, we’ll decorate and make our spaces our own, but today is a clean slate. A chance to start fresh.

My palms itch intensely, so I press them to my heart to steady my breathing.

In and out, I concentrate on keeping it churning at a normal pace.

“Poet?” comes Trinity’s soft voice. “You okay?”

I nod and start unpacking my things. Anything to distract me.

I open the drawers and lay my clothing neatly into their slots. When I come upon Teddy, I check that no one’s looking and stuff him in a bottom drawer to keep him out of sight. It’s not the same as having him watch over me, but at least I know he’s there.

“Let’s get some lunch,” Winter says to Lacey. She’s changed into a more casual version of our school attire—a gray sleeveless tunic with a high collar that falls just past her hips and thick black leggings with bands of silver running up the sides.

The two girls exit the room, but not before tossing another look in my direction. I can hear their mean-spirited giggling from the hall.

As I change into my own casual attire, the clouds thicken, and I resist the prickles biting at the back of my neck. Checking myself in the mirror, I grip my jeweled mask pendant in my fist, trying to focus on something other than my discomfort.

“Poet?” Trinity asks again, softer this time. “What’s the matter?”

I inhale a long breath and then turn to face her, plastering on a smile.

“Nothing. Let’s go see what’s to eat.”

She’s sitting on the edge of her bed, clutching a pillow to her chest. Inexplicably, her corner is already messy, her clothing strewn about. Her bedroom has always been a disaster, and now that we’re sharing a space, this might be the one thing we end up fighting about.

Her gray eyes brim with concern. “You sure?”