Displaced by Bridget E. Baker

Author:Bridget E. Baker [Baker, Bridget E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Purple Puppy Publishing
Published: 2019-10-15T05:00:00+00:00

21

Reading two-thirds of the calculus book to prepare for tomorrow’s test makes my eyes cross. Not literally, but they feel crossed. Whoever thought this was helpful information to have? Math should not need letters.

When my phone lights up, I use it as an excuse to slam the book shut.

“Inara,” I answer. “How’s Hawaii?”

“Breezy, perfect.”

“And my twin?” I flop back on the bed.

“Irritable, apparently.” Inara drops to a whisper. “This morning she killed someone during her sparring.”

“Whoa.” I swallow. “Who?”

“Nihils.”

He had kind eyes and a startlingly clear singing voice. He used to write songs in his downtime. “Why? Why would she do that?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. She didn’t give any reason, and it won’t surprise you that she didn’t even apologize to his mother. I’ve spent all morning calming her down, which is why I only have a minute. I’ve been pondering something and decided to share my thoughts with you.”

“Okay.” I try, unsuccessfully, to shake the ominous feeling that slithers up my spine.

“How positive are you that Judica killed Mother?”

I nearly drop my phone. Not at all what I expected her to ask me. “Uh, pretty sure.”

“But not one hundred percent?”

I think back on how often Judica joined us for breakfast. She knew Mom loved eggs, but so did the entire kitchen staff. Judica was one of the few people who knew about the EMP, and she was smart enough to guess what Mom’s reaction might be. Which means Judica was the one who had the most to gain from Mom’s death, or so she thought. I close my eyes and replay the memory again, and again, and again. When Mom died, Judica didn’t even seem upset. She looked more guilty than anything else.

“Ninety-nine point nine nine nine nine,” I say.

“Which isn’t one hundred,” she says.

“You’re really good at math,” I say. “Maybe you should fly out and take my calculus test.”

“You can’t do it,” Inara says.

“Do what? Have someone else take my test?” I sigh. “I didn’t think so either, but it sure would be nice.”

“No,” Inara snaps. “You can’t kill her. No matter what magic Edam may work, if you aren’t one thousand percent positive.” She cuts off and clears her throat. “I know you, little Chancy. You won’t be able to do what it takes unless you’re sure.”

I hate that I’m so transparent. “Well, you and Edam agree on that.”

“Even if you’ve improved, it won’t be enough. Judica’s gotten better too. Something happened to her when Mother died. She’s. . . savage now, in a way she wasn’t before.”

I dig my toe into the carpet. She was the most uninhibited fighter I’d ever seen. What must she be like now, to have Inara describe her as more savage than before?

“Take his offer.”

I don’t throw the phone across the room. I don’t crumple it in my hand. I don’t growl into the speaker.

“Chancery? Are you there?”

“I’m here.”

“Well, you’ll do what you want, but my advice is that you either abdicate or take the escape hatch he’s offering.

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