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“If you’re going to do something, do it right.” I muttered, as I dried myself off and wrapped the towel around my chest, tucking it in under my armpit.
But just because I’d skipped tutoring Torq since he took me to the tunnels didn’t mean I was running. It did mean that I needed time to think and figure him out. And figure out what kind of game he was playing.
The Drexian cadet was one contradiction after another. At first, I’d been convinced he was a spoiled rich boy who didn’t deserve his place at the academy. Then he’d fought off deadly creatures in the maze, and I’d had to rethink my assessment. I’d been sure that he would reveal what he knew about the secret coaching sessions before the trials, but he hadn’t. I’d been certain that he was only using me for my brains so he could get ahead in class, but then he’d kissed me.
I could not unravel the mystery of Torq or his intentions, and as an Assassin, that drove me nuts.
One more surprise—I’d been positive that he would have hunted me down before now. I’d skipped two tutoring sessions, but instead of sending me a message or coming to my room, I hadn’t heard a peep. It helped that I’d done my best to avoid him, skipping meals, darting from the female tower to the School of Strategy and hiding in groups of tall Drexians so I wouldn’t be seen. Okay, when I said it like that, it sounded like I was hiding.
I slipped into soft, black pants that were not part of my academy uniform and a matching tee that had the Assassins emblem emblazoned on the front. Wrapping the towel around my wet hair, I coiled it into a turban on top of my head and prepared to finish my latest Strategy homework.
A hard knock on my door stopped me from pulling out my desk chair. So much for Torq not tracking me down. I expected as much, and had thought he’d show up sooner, but that didn’t mean my heart wasn’t beating wildly as I pressed my hand to the side panel to open the door.
As I braced myself to explain why I’d been so busy and no, I hadn’t been avoiding him, thank you very much, Britta strode into my room. My mouth had been open to launch into an explanation, but I clamped it shut as she held out a bundle wrapped in cloth.
“You missed dinner again, so I brought you some food.” The woman’s long, silvery hair was in a high ponytail, which made her dark eyes and olive skin look even more striking. “None of the stew, obviously, but the bread is the best part, anyway.”
My stomach rumbled, apparently my automatic reaction to any mention of food. “Thanks, that was sweet of you.” I took the bundle and unwrapped it to reveal several rolls and golden pastry twisted around strips of padwump. I didn’t hesitate to bite into one of the twists and was rewarded with a burst of savory flavor and flaky pastry that crumbled in my mouth. The Drexian Academy might be tough when it came to curriculum, but their food was better than any military mess hall I’d ever visited.
I waved a hand at the chair as I chewed, and Britta sat down.
“You’ve been MIA for a couple of days.” She eyed me, as if expecting me to look sick or incapacitated. “Morgan said you’re fine, just busy.”
Guilt stabbed at me for abandoning my friends. I was being ridiculous, and Britta showing up at my door with emergency rations proved it. “Sorry. I’ve been catching up on work, but I’ll be joining you all again for breakfast.”
Britta smiled as she watched me gobble up the bread. “If you miss too many meals, you miss out on all the gossip.”
My pulse quickened. There wasn’t gossip about me and Torq, was there? He wouldn’t have told anyone what happened between us, would he? “Oh, yeah? What’s been going on? Anything juicy?”
Britta tipped her head back and forth. “I wouldn’t say juicy, but there has been drama. I mean, it’s the Drexian Academy. When is this place not full of drama?”
I forced myself to laugh as I sank onto the foot of the bed, but it came out a strangled squeak. “Any drama with the Irons?”
My friend joined me in laughing. “The School of Engineering? You know I love being an Iron, but we aren’t exactly known for being dramatic. That’s Blade or Wing territory. I would say Assassin, too, but you all are too stealthy to let anyone know the drama.”
“So, things are going well for you in Irons?” Britta wasn’t the only human who’d gotten into the School of Engineering, but she was the only female.
Her smile brightened. “I love it. We work on the coolest tech and talk about cutting-edge designs that Earth isn’t even close to developing.”
Britta’s excitement was infectious, and my anxiety at being part of the school gossip had faded. She would have mentioned it if I was the subject of the academy scuttlebutt. “That sounds amazing.”
“Hopefully, some of the new tech can help to track down Ariana’s sister.”
That caught me off guard. “You’re working on finding her sister?”
“I offered to help. Ariana said that you and Morgan are already doing a deep dive into possible targets for the rescue mission. What we’re developing would make it possible to scan for human life forms from much farther away than we normally can detect them.”
I thought about how much of a game-changer this could be for our search. “Do you think you can do it?”
Her eyes sparkled. “We’re close.”
“You’re right.” I glanced at the empty cloth. “I have missed all the good stuff by skipping meals.”
“That’s not all you’ve missed.” Britta crossed her legs. “Did you hear what happened in Battle?”
“Battle?” I repeated, even though I’d heard her perfectly. My spine already tingled with dread as Britta nodded.
“They were doing these crazy grappling bouts on the climbing wall and one of the cadets took a bad fall.”
