The Tracks We Leave by Maggie Maxfield

Author:Maggie Maxfield
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2022-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 19

Jack

A howl echoed from outside. I glanced at the window, then determinedly back to the book in front of me. Anytime I heard Stasia outside, I quickly came back in and drew the blinds. I didn’t know why someone hadn’t shown up yet, forcing us back to the community for our violation of the treaty. Either way, I wasn’t going to give her anything else to report on.

The heavy steps on the stairs told me Brandon was finally up. He always slept later for several days after he worked out at the school. He walked into the kitchen, stopping at the coffee pot to start it, and looked over at me. Red lines showed on the right side of his face. He must have slept on something.

“We need to talk.” His serious tone juxtaposed against his relaxed appearance. Messy hair, wrinkled shirt, and red-lined face. I tensed.

I stood and walked over to him. Propping an arm on the kitchen island, I waited.

“Galton called Stasia into his office yesterday.”

My muscles locked so tight my shoulders ached. This was it. Maybe she just hadn’t had a chance to report before now.

Brandon’s brow furrowed, and he tapped his fingers against the counter. “She didn’t tell him anything.”

My face screwed up in confusion. “Explain. Everything. From the beginning.”

Brandon told me how he had snarked at her when he first walked in for class. He had been irritated at seeing her standing so casually in front of an air class at one of those medical stations. I felt a prick of annoyance at him for that. We didn’t need to poke at the spy. He told me how she had covered for the air elemental. My jaw tightened. Despite myself, I angered when I heard how he’d slapped Stasia in the face with sand.

Conflicting emotions continued filling me as Brandon went on, recounting the odd interaction between Stasia and Shaw. “Shaw left early, so I snuck upstairs. Nobody was paying attention. The way Galton was talking, Stasia didn’t know she was living next to Stepuli. He apologized for the mistake. He talked about Lilly like she already had powers, telling Stasia some bullshit about how he worried about Lilly the most. When he tried to get Stasia to confirm, she bottled up. Said she’d never had a clue until she saw me come into class that day.”

I swallowed hard. Hope formed in my chest, but I ruthlessly crushed it. “Did she see you?”

Brandon straightened as the coffee machine beeped. “Yeah. I mean, at the end. I think she caught me as she was walking out.”

The small bud of hope wilted before it ever had a chance to grow. “It was probably just a trick B. Don’t mention this to Lilly.” I couldn’t stand the thought of her getting her hopes up too. Knowing Lilly, she was ready to forgive and reform a relationship with Stasia so they could talk about boys and braid each other’s hair.

Brandon shook his head at me. “She didn’t see me until after Jack.

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