Page 91 of Stormbreaker

“Oh, sorry!” Trinity says. “This is Ruby. And that’s Brick and Axel.” I remember Brick from when he tried to intimidate me after my first test. He doesn’t look any less like a blank wall in the bright light of daytime. “This is my best friend, Poet Graves.”

Ruby folds her arms and cocks a hip. “We know who she is,” she confirms. “I hear you’re joining Aria, too.” She doesn’t say it with any kind of pride, only suspicion. But great, the news is already spreading. I shouldn’t be surprised.

Two people switching Houses in one night? That’s news worthy of a wildfire.

“Yeah, speaking of which,” I say. “I need to go meet Stevie.”

All three E-squad recruits are creeping me out, and I don’t like being anywhere near them.

“I guess you’re good?” I ask Trinity uncertainly. She can’t really want to leave with them. I thought we’d share a room. Isn’t that part of the reason I chose to join Aria?

“Yeah, I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Sure,” I say. I hate this. I grab my bag and stand as Ruby and the others fill the vacated seats. I toss out a quick goodbye, but Trinity is already deep in conversation with her new friends and doesn’t respond.

So I head for the main hall, where I find Stevie casually leaning against a pillar, dressed in Storm Guard purple.

“Wasn’t sure you’d show up,” she says, eyeing me up and down.

“Yeah, well, I did consider running away to the Wastes.”

That earns me a laugh.

“Talked to your dad?” Stevie asks.

“Yeah,” I answer. “To my mom, at least.”

Stevie winces. “How did that go?”

“About as well as you can expect.”

She studies me, probably wondering what in the Skies is wrong with me.

Same, Stevie. Same.

“Did the E-squad find your friend? They’re supposed to show her to her room.”

“Yeah,” I say. “They did. Will she . . . be okay?”

Stevie cocks her head. “Why wouldn’t she be?”

“I don’t know. They seem . . . intense.”

She laughs, and I get the sense she doesn’t entirely disagree.

“She’s one of them now. They hold tight to their people.”

That sounds ominous.

I look around the almost-empty hall. “Should we get going? I need to have breakfast and head to class.”

“We’re just waiting for one more,” Stevie replies, when footsteps echo behind me.

I turn around to find Rook sauntering toward us. I should have known. He’s dressed in first-year gray—a T-shirt and black pants with his standard-issue boots. Dark colors really work on him.

He approaches with his usual stoic expression in place. His arrival makes my heart flutter against my rib cage, and I order it to behave. But of course it doesn’t listen.

If he’s surprised to discover that I’ve left Fiama, he doesn’t show it.