“As long as I get to slap Anders,” said Wren. She peered out the porthole. “I see sand.”
“And what else?”
“Waves rising off the sand. Heat waves. Heat—oh. Yeah, we’re dumb. I blame dehydration.”
Elio stole my comm again. Silly hoomuns, he typed out.
Anders frowned. “But what are the odds that we happened to land so close to a key?”
“You tell me,” I said. “How many desert planets are in the universe?”
“Not many,” he conceded. “We know there are villages nearby. A resting place, as the clue states, though I don’t know how we’ll determine which is the correct one. Rebrone is home to dozens.”
“But we can work on that. This all fits. We’re in a different galaxy than the other keys, the planet is a heat source…”
“But what about the final clue?” Wren held the poem in front of her like a map. “Cliffs, darkness, full moon?”
Elio pulled himself up onto the couch, beeping, flapping his arms. He pointed from his chest to mine and back to his. He didn’t need to write out a typo-filled message this time, because I knew exactly what he meant. A fourth planet, a fourth galaxy, one we had explored thousands of times while hunting for all types of illegal treasure on my family’s orders.
It was fitting, really. The final key had left the care of one empress just to make a home with another.
“Verena,” I said, her name like a sigh on my lips. “The key is with Verena.”
Wren frowned. “Are we supposed to know who or what that is?”
I’d just opened my mouth to reply when Anders cut me off. “She’s the empress on Cora’s planet. Condor. A planet that, coincidentally, is dark all the time.” He looked at me, all cocky and proud. “See, I’m worldly. Thank the Andilly military.”
Wren tipped her head toward him. “Thank you, Andilly military.”
Beep! Elio echoed.
“Verena lives in a cliffside compound.” I paced the rec room, tracing the spires and arches of the glittering structure in my mind. The mansion had been built into the side of a mountain, almost looked like it had grown into the side of a mountain, rocks tapering into iron supports and platinum-rimmed glass—blaster-proof, rigged with sensors and alarms galore, as any good criminal knew full well. Condor’s darkness always appeared heightened around Verena’s fortress, black fog circling the towers and doorways, as if she was determined to keep all the citizens out. Which she was, of course. Except for one day out of the year: Condor’s annual New Moon celebration.
Our planet’s largest party, held during the first month of the year, was the only time Verena’s home was open to the public—or at least those who were fortunate enough to garner a coveted invitation to her aristocratic gala. And it was happening in three days.
“How do we get invited?” Wren asked when I gave them the lowdown on the event. As if my family, thugs and thieves, had ever been invited to such a high-profile function. Anyone who had heard of our reputation would know we would rob the mansion dry the second we stepped through the front doors. In fact, three years ago, Evelina had tried to do just that. She had been one priceless vase away from getting caught. She grudgingly hadn’t attempted entry into Verena’s compound since.
Maybe … it was time to change that.
“Invitations are always scarce,” I told them. “But I think with a few shape-shifting tricks, we’ll be able to get in.” I nudged Anders in the shoulder and he nodded, resolute.
“What about the chest and the elixir though?” Wren asked. “The warden said it’s in a different galaxy than the keys.”
“It could have moved,” said Anders. “Someone could have found it and given it to Verena, just like Teolia’s aide gave it to her.”
“Or if it’s not with Verena, we might be able to find a clue with her telling us where to go next,” I said. “But we need to focus on the key here first. Assuming there is a key here. And we’re still grounded.” I looked around at the sad, wrecked ship, then met Elio’s eager eyes. With one short, happy beep, he threw his arms into the air in triumph. I could almost hear his squeaky voice, declaring that we needed snacks to celebrate such a momentous step forward in our journey. I held out a hand to him.
“Soon,” I promised. “Soon we’ll be home. Soon you’ll be safe.”
20
We were still sitting in the rec room, munching on cheese puffs and orange lollipops that Anders had been reluctant to share, mapping out our itinerary for locating the final keys, when Wren leaned back into the couch and kicked her feet up on the armrests.
“There’s still one thing I’m a little fuzzy on.” She licked the tip of a cheesy dust-stained finger. “When we were in Mieku’s bunker, she said that she could see everything we hid from each other. So … was she just trying to intimidate us to go along with her creepy, tortured alien vibe, or is there really something going on here that someone isn’t sharing?”
And so, of course (because this would only happen to me) at that moment, a cheese puff chose to get lodged in my throat, throwing me into a coughing fit. As if I could be any more obvious. Thank you for the betrayal, cheese puff.
Anders pounded my back, hard enough that a spray of cheese dust covered my lap. “I think we could ask you the same question, Wren. What haven’t you told us?”
“Andy, you can’t answer a question with a question.”
“I believe I just did. Look, we could go back and forth on this all day, but frankly we don’t have that much time on our hands.” Then, instead of staring at her with his usual disdain and suspicion, he gave her an encouraging smile. What in all the stars? Either he had been body snatched, or Elio had forced him into watching one of his favorite good cop/bad cop net dramas when I hadn’t been looking.
In the heat of the rec room, Wren’s cool composure melted away, and she started wriggling in her seat. “I don’t want you to hate me. I know we haven’t known each other long, but … I really do like hanging out with you guys.”
“We like hanging out with you too,” I forced myself to say. I knew it was the line I was supposed to feed her, a line to gain her trust, but there was a part of me that really did mean it.
Wren sucked in a deep breath. “Maybe it doesn’t matter. Maybe we’ll end up dead at the end of this or we’ll end up back in prison, but you should know that I did intend to abandon you in Ironside when we tried to escape. You were never supposed to get on this ship with me.”
“Well, it’s a good thing we did,” I told her. “Who else could have possibly crash landed so gracefully?” I swept out my arms to indicate the broken net screen and torn upholstery surrounding us.
Wren shook her head adamantly. “There’s more. Cora, you asked me about the birds from the cave on Cadrolla. The ones with human faces…” Her greatest fear. But then she hiccupped, and the strangest thing happened. Wren—strong, perky, giggly Wren—crumpled completely and started to sob.
Watching such a brave girl deflate so suddenly … It was one of the saddest things I had ever seen.
“Do you want a lollipop?” Anders asked hesitantly. His eyes were so wide with terror I thought they might fall out of his head. Guys were never good at dealing with crying girls, I realized, no matter which planet they were born on.
He patted his pockets, then searched the cushions behind him. “Wait. Where did my lollipops go?”
Wren stopped crying just long enough to hold up a plastic bag. “Right here,” her voice wobbled.
“How did you…?” Anders patted his pockets again, looked to her, patted his pockets a third time. He squinted in confusion and, if I wasn’t mistaken—which I usually wasn’t when it came to emotions—admiration. “They were over here two minutes ago. How did you do that?”
She wiped her nose on the back of her hand. “Just because I’m sad doesn’t mean I’m useless.” She took a handful of candy for herself, then gave him the rest before heaving another gasping sigh. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cry like that.�
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Elio reached forward to take her hand in both of his. Beep.
Wren sniffled. “Thanks. Uh, so yeah. That was awkward. Anyway, the birds. I freaked because … each one of them somehow had my brother’s face.”
“Your brother?” I asked.
Wren nodded. “Marcus. He disappeared a few years ago. My parents thought he ran away, but I think he was taken. He’s three years younger than me, but he’s always been a good pilot, better than me. Maybe someone wanted him for his talent. I don’t know. After he vanished, I started stealing more than usual. I wanted to get a ship and search for him. That’s how I ended up with the Starchaser.
“Cora, the reason I keep asking about your mother is because I was hoping that if I could join your family’s team, maybe I could meet the right people and learn something about what happened to my brother. I mean, no one knows more about shady criminal activity than actual shady criminals, right? No offense, of course.”
“None taken.” I twisted my hands in my lap while Wren dabbed at the corners of her eyes. Marcus. The name I had seen scrawled into the armrest of her captain’s chair. Her brother. I’d never guessed, had never even thought to. It hadn’t crossed my mind that Wren might have someone out there she was trying to save, just like I was trying to save Elio. Now I wished she’d never told me. Knowing what she was after would only bring more pain—because I would choose Elio over her. My family over hers. Always.
“I’m sorry,” said Wren. “I was feeling guilty about using you to get to your mother. That’s why when we came back from Cadrolla, I hid the key in my cabin. I thought that if it got back to the warden that I was taking initiative to protect it, then maybe he would reward me and help me get Marcus back. That was stupid too. He doesn’t care about us at all.”
Anders scoffed. “Finally, everyone understands. But why did you say you commed him after we got the key?”
Wren shrugged. “I guess I wanted you guys to think I was taking initiative too.”
Stars, I wished we’d never gone down into Mieku’s bunker. Not just because the creature had harmed Elio, but because I was quickly discovering I was better off not knowing what was really going on in Wren’s head. She had been trying to impress us. She said she liked hanging out with us. She wanted a star-forsaken friendship, and that was the absolute last thing I could give her.
And yet I still found myself saying, “We’ll help you get your brother back.” The words were a lie, and they felt like one too. Like bile rising up my throat, choking me.
Beep, agreed Elio, patting Wren’s arm. Except he probably really did want to help her.
Clearing her throat, Wren drew herself up straight and wiped away the last remaining tears shining in her eyes. “Well, that got heavy. I think someone else needs to share their deep, dark secret. Anders?”
He jolted, his aura tensing with a spark that raised the hair on my arms. “I’m not a good person,” he said through his teeth. “It’s important you understand that.”
“What an adorable coincidence,” I said. “Neither are we.”
“No, but I’m really—I—Cora, I’ve killed people.”
“I could have guessed that.”
“Right. But you don’t know how many people.” He looked up at the ceiling, shaking his head.
“Go ahead and cry,” Wren coaxed. “It’s okay, Andy. It’s how we deal with our oh-so-dramatic pasts.”
“No, thank you. I prefer to shove mine in a metaphorical closet like any respectable person and forget it ever happened.”
Wren swiped the lollipop bag from him again. “Ugh. Men. Even when they’re aliens, they’re all the same—”
“I’ve killed innocent refugees,” he interrupted, and she fell silent.
“You’ve what?” she and I both whispered at the same time.
Anders wouldn’t even look at us. “When I was in the military. Andilly doesn’t respond well to outsiders. Years after Earth’s fifth world war, refugees came to my planet. Some were protected, hidden illegally. Others … well…” He flinched, and I had a feeling why. Things didn’t end well for the Earthans.
“My mother was one of many who organized groups to illegally harbor the refugees. I told her not to do it. I was already committing treason by knowing what she was up to and not reporting her. Things might have ended differently if I had.”
“She’s your mother,” Wren said softly. “You care about her.” I watched Anders as he seemed to think that over. If I were in his shoes, I didn’t know if I would have protected Evelina or not.
“On Andilly, parents are not close with their offspring,” said Anders. “I knew my father because, before he became Ironside’s warden, he was a general in Andilly’s army, but my mother only raised me until my twelfth birthday. It is customary for children to become the property of the government after that. I tried to visit her though, whenever I had a chance. I remember she would make me the most delicious meals. She would teach me how to cook, and she would hum songs the whole time. She had such a beautiful voice.”
He started humming a little himself, lost in the memory until he frowned and shook his head to bring himself back. “My mother was kind,” he said with a note of sadness. “Most on my planet are not, but she was.”
Just then it hit me that the entire time Anders had been talking, he’d only referred to his mother as a was, not an is. Which meant …
“Someone found out she was protecting the Earthans. I think it was my father, but I don’t know for sure. I do know that she meant nothing to him. On Andilly, we do not marry. I don’t think they knew each other well. The only thing they had in common was me.
“We received orders to break down her door, destroy her house. A dozen soldiers were there. My father was there.” His eyes took on a haunted look, as black as the storm raging inside them. “The kitchen where we cooked, where she sang. My childhood bedroom. The cellar where the Earthans were hiding in the dark … we set fire to it. I thought my father was going to leave them in there to suffocate on the smoke, but he had them pulled out. My mother too. And then he ordered me to kill them all.”
Wren gasped. Elio beeped. I found myself unable to breathe, my hate for the warden catching in the back of my throat. I understood ruthlessness all too well, but what he had done had been pure, unfiltered evil.
“I refused,” Anders continued. “It was more than enough to have me killed too, but that would have been too kind. He called another general, and they drugged me with a serum that was being developed in the army laboratories. It puts you in a hypnotic state, makes you susceptible to suggestion. My father ordered me to kill them a second time, and that time…” His voice finally caught, cracking and breaking and barely a whisper as he forced his lips to part and say, “That time I listened. And then we went to another refugee site. And another. And another. And when the drugs finally wore off, I remembered everything. The feel of the blaster in my hand, the look on my mother’s face. So naturally, I tried killing my father too.”
“I wish you had succeeded,” I said.
“Me too. I was dishonorably discharged after that. I thought for sure he was going to have me executed, but instead I ended up in Ironside. Shortly after, he took over as the warden so he could watch over me and gloat. I shouldn’t have expected anything less.
“I hate my father. I hate myself for what I did. You can’t understand how guilty I feel all the time.” He wiped his nose, turning to Wren. “If it ever seemed like I hate you, I don’t. But every time I look at one of your kind, I go back to that night, and the only way I can think to protect you from myself is to push you away. Because if I don’t, eventually you’ll all find out what a monster I am.” He looked at the floor. “I don’t want to hurt anyone again. Those screams that you heard in the cave on Cadrolla? They were mine—when I realized the horror of what I had done.”
I swallowed down the massive lump in my throat. “Anders.” But what else could I say except that? I felt his fingers brush the back of my hand, feat
her light, so quickly I almost wasn’t sure they had been there at all. Maybe I didn’t have to say anything. Maybe just being here for him was enough.
“So, Cora?” He gave me a sad, half smile. “Do you think you can tell a worse story than me?”
Worse as in violent? No. But I could tell them a worse story in other ways. At least Wren and Anders had shared their big secrets and still came out looking noble. I would have none of that. The words “noble” and “Saros” didn’t even exist in the same universe.
“I really don’t have a sad story.” I worried my bottom lip between my teeth. “You both know everything there is to know about me and Elio and our family. The only other thing is that … well…” I glanced at Wren. “I snooped through your cabin the other day, looking for the key, because I didn’t believe you when you said it was safe. But I didn’t find it.” I didn’t have to fake a guilty face, because that was the only emotion I could feel. A monstrous wave of it, like in the cave in Cadrolla, grasping at my chest.
I was not a good person.
But I knew that already.
If they thought my attempt to spill my guts was pathetic (and it was, compared to theirs), they had the good sense not to say anything about it.
“I figured.” Wren nodded. “It’s okay though. It made it through the crash. It was stuffed under my bed, but I decided to keep it a little closer from now on.” She showed me a chain around her neck, the key dangling from the end, almost identical to the chain around mine.
That key is a fake. Please don’t believe me, please see through the lie, please confront me about it.
But she did nothing. Anders did nothing except nudge me in the shoulder and whisper, “I guess you’re a kinder person than we are, Cora Saros.”
Please don’t believe me. I’m not who you think I am. I’m just a distraction. This is all just a distraction. Please, please, please.
Wren clapped her hands together. “So two things are going on here. First of all: this was a huge bonding moment for us. And second of all: it’s probably the start of a long-lasting friendship, and every long-lasting friendship involves matching tattoos. What do you guys want to get? I’m putting in a vote for Anders’s favorite orange lollipop.”
The Good for Nothings Page 23