Burn this City: A Dystopian Novel by Brenda Poppy

Author:Brenda Poppy [Poppy, Brenda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Glass Fish Publishing
Published: 2020-11-19T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

“You scared me,” Burn said defensively, dropping her hands. Her heartbeat had ticked back up again, and she took slow, controlled breaths to try to lessen its speed.

“The look…on your face…” Kaz said between peals of laughter. “Priceless.” The laughter subsided and he wiped at his eyes. He looked over at Burn, his gaze still filled with mirth, but she glared back stony-faced.

“Oh, come on, Auburn,” he pleaded. “That was funny. You looked like you’d seen a ghost!” Burn didn’t respond, so he continued, “You know, I’ve been looking for you for at least a quarter of an hour. The least you could do is give me a smile,” he teased.

Despite the fact that part of her brain was still obsessing about Cross and what he might know, another part was glad to be back with Kaz. The corners of her lips rose in a small smile.

“Sorry I took so long,” she said, willing sincerity into her tone. “That drink hit me harder than I expected. I needed a few minutes to get my bearings, away from all the people.”

In reality, the buzz from the spirit had already subsided, leaving only a slight tiredness in its wake – although that also could have been because of the adrenaline leaving her system. She made a mental note to avoid combining the two in the future.

Kaz looked at her as if considering her response, weighing her truthfulness.

“I’m sorry,” he finally said, his tone sweet. “I know what that’s like. The drinks and the people and the music – it’s a lot. Do you want to take a walk?” Kaz indicated a side door that she hadn’t noticed, which led to an outdoor balcony that wrapped around the back of the house.

She nodded in agreement, silently noting that it was an ingenious way to avoid Cross while also taking her further away from the scene of the crime. She followed Kaz to the door, which he held open for her before following her into the night.

The air outside was brisk, but not unpleasantly so. After Burn’s exertion, the breeze felt refreshing on her skin. She walked to the railing and closed her eyes, inhaling the sharp, cool air. Kaz joined her, looking out at the city around them.

The patio was a large one, stretching the length of the ballroom and connecting to the statue garden on the house’s far side. A few other couples had also felt the call of the outdoors and were currently enjoying the night, although each kept their distance from the next, as if adhering to an unspoken understanding.

The two stood there for a moment, lost in thought. Burn went over everything she had heard, trying to make sense of it. The Peace Force was planning a massacre. They had the guns. They had the officers. They had a catalyst, whatever that meant. Were they referring to ManniK? That’s what they had been testing on people – mainly mutants like her. But how would that spark a war?

She

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