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Glitch

Page 80

by Ivy Myst

“Yeah.”

“We’ve got her.” Lilac waved me toward the men.

I made it about six feet. From beside the food table I watched Wren talking to Austen. When Indira held out her arms, Wren passed Sparrow to her. Wren caught me looking and nodded. A few minutes later she caught me again and smiled. She’d started talking with her hands, the way she did at home. Every time somebody moved between us, I shifted until I could see her again.

Colt came to stand beside me. “I didn’t think she’d ever come back to this room.”

“Neither did I.”

He rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand. Austen said something that made Wren laugh, and we both looked over. Then Colt went to find Dutch.

I’d just found my way back to Wren’s side when Target called across the room, “Here—do you lot have road names? Or is it just Nick and Robin and that?”

The five of them looked at each other.

“No,” Robin said.

Dutch, from the end of the table, said, “Road names are earned. Give it a minute. Somebody’ll come up with something and it’ll stick, that’s how it works.”

Wren said, “Redd.”

The whole table turned around.

She was sitting on the arm of a chair with a drink she hadn’t touched and she said it again. “Redd. Robin Redbreast. I’ve called him that since I was nine, and these four shortened it years ago.”

“Absolutely not,” Robin said.

Moff said, “Only when he wasn’t listening.”

“I was always listening,” Robin said.

“Two ds,” Nick said. “Looks better on a patch.”

Dutch pointed at him. “Redd. Done.”

“I’ll kill every one of you,” Robin said.

Everyone laughed. Robin glared at Wren, and she laughed harder.

Robin could threaten us all he liked. Dutch had said Redd, and that was what we’d call him now.

Redd nodded toward Moff. “He’s already got one. Nobody’s called him Neil since school.”

“Neil?” Target looked him over. “You don’t look like a Neil.”

“Don’t start,” Moff said.

“Can we stick with Moff?” Nick asked Dutch.

Dutch looked at Redd. “What do you say, Redd?”

“He’s Moff.”

“Moff it is,” Dutch said.

I looked over at Wren. She’d finally taken a sip of her drink and was smiling at Redd. I’d spent the afternoon ready to leave the moment she asked. Seeing her enjoy herself in this room made me happy.

“Esco,” Handful said, pointing at Dion.