Queen of Volts by Amanda Foody

Author:Amanda Foody [Foody, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781488069352
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Published: 2020-06-19T14:06:06+00:00

LEVI

It was Levi’s turn to sit at the edge of Tock’s bed.

The box springs creaked underneath him, and Tock jolted. She blinked open her dark eyes warily. “You could’ve knocked,” she grunted, burying her face back into her pillow. Her short black hair looked a mess—there was a tangle the size of a ping-pong ball at the base of her neck.

“I did knock,” Levi told her. “Multiple times.” When Tock didn’t respond, Levi pressed, “I need you to get out of bed. I need to talk to you.”

In his hands, he clutched this morning’s copy of The Kiss & Tell, a magazine he did not typically subscribe to. But an Iron had shown it to him this morning, giggling hysterically at the compromising picture of Enne and Levi on the cover. The edition had passed through every hand in the museum faster than a queen of spades in Tropps.

Did you hint to those reporters to follow us? Enne had asked him. Her words still made Levi want to set every last copy of today’s Kiss & Tell on fire.

“Or, consider this,” Tock replied, “you could be miserable with me. There’s plenty of room in the bed. I’ll sleep on this side—you can have that one.”

Levi could smell Tock’s breath from here, so he’d truly rather not. “It’s Enne. Have you seen this front page—”

Tock grumbled something unintelligible.

“I can’t understand you,” he snapped.

She turned her head to the side, glaring at him. “I said—it’s always about Enne.”

He grimaced. “That isn’t true.” He’d also planned on telling Tock about Lola’s visit, but he was still working out how to do so without revealing the details of their conversation. Even if he trusted Tock more than anyone, the first person he’d tell about Veil was Enne.

“Fine. Then it’s always about you. What about me? What about my anguish?” Tock pounded her fist on the pillow beside her, and it exploded with a loud boom!, sending down feathers fluttering through the air, and scaring Levi so much he toppled onto the floor.

He clamored to his feet, blowing a feather out of his eyes. He hadn’t known Tock could be so dramatic, but he supposed he had little room to talk. “Fine,” he muttered. “Let’s discuss you first.”

Tock rolled over and sat up, sniffling. She wore a long-sleeved set of black silk pajamas with green piping along the edges. She’d been wearing the same pair the last time Levi had spoken to her, as well as the day before that.

Her room also looked untouched. As expected of Tock, it was decorated bombastically, with every piece of pawnshop curiosity or Casino District trash Tock had found inexplicably “chic” or “charming.” These included a shelf of milivolt-sale books, encompassing all obscure topics from birdwatching to pre-Revolution cookbooks to bad poetry written by university students. There was a poster of an advertisement for a men’s luxury clothing store, and another construction sign from the last time the city had filled in a pothole. She also owned a collection

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