secretary. She looked like she should be running gym classes instead.
“I was trying to call you earlier,” said Nell. “Ada’s going to need your help to make a couple of deliveries.”
“Ah, I’m on my lunch break at work, so I can’t stay here long. I wanted to make sure Ada was okay after last night.”
So she’d heard about the whole debacle. I said, “I’m fine. Honestly.”
“Well, if you say so. I’ll give you a hand with those packages of…” Her eyes widened as they landed on the bloodrock. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Yeah, that’s what I almost got caught stealing,” I said. “But I only just found out someone was killed. Do you know what happened?”
“No more than anyone else does,” said Skyla. “I listened in on a conversation on the way to work. Guy strangled in an empty office. Total chaos in Central, seeing as it’s the first time someone’s been murdered on the premises. Of course, it’s nothing to do with us, but it might make using the Passages tricky. There’s a chance they could alter their patrols.”
“Dammit,” I said.
“Yeah,” said Skyla. “I’ve never seen them like this. They’re interrogating all their staff. Well, that’s what I heard them talking about, anyway. Wouldn’t wish it on anyone else.”
“I’m more concerned with whether they recognised Ada,” said Nell. “If anyone saw her face…”
Shivers ran down my back. For once in my life, I didn’t want to go outside and deliver the packages, but only Alber and I knew the addresses of all the others who helped the refugees. Nell wouldn’t trust anyone else with that information.
“I can help,” Skyla offered. “Not that I really want to be caught running around with that stuff—also, I have half an hour before I have to be back at the office.”
“I’ll go with Ada,” said Alber.
“Tell you what,” said Skyla, with a glance at her watch. “I’ll meet you after work and come to the Passages. I can be your lookout. Okay?”
Nell’s eyes narrowed. She implicitly trusted Skyla, because she was sensible and didn’t take unnecessary risks, and we’d gone to meet Delta in the Passages together a few times before. But after everything that had gone wrong in the past twenty-four hours, Nell’s barriers had gone up again. She turned back to the bloodrock, contemplating the six heavy bags, and sighed heavily.
“Alber, Ada, you two go make the usual rounds. Save the Passages till last. Skyla, would you have the chance to check if the Alliance are running their usual patrols?”
“Sure, I’ll take a look,” she said. For all her pretence of posh office girl, part of the reason Skyla had interviewed for a job at that particular office was because it’d give her the perfect view of Central, patrols and all. I’d never seen her workplace, but it was on the road facing the Alliance building. “Come on, Ada, Alber. We’d better go deliver this contraband.” She grinned. Like me, she couldn’t resist a challenge.
“Sure, I’ll get my stuff,” I said, heading back to my room.
“It would help if you put socks on,” Skyla called after me. “No shift today?”
“Haven’t talked to my boss yet. Crap.” And sure enough, there were several unread messages on my phone, which I’d not heard when I’d been asleep.
“Ada, I need to talk to you. Two p.m. tomorrow.”
“Crap.” This had ‘bad news’ written all over it. Plus, I could hardly show up for a meeting with my boss carrying a ton of bloodrock, even if most people on Earth wouldn’t have a clue what it was. He’d probably think I was trading illegal drugs or something. “Alber, could you hang onto that stuff while I go meet my boss?”
“You couldn’t have picked a better time?”
“I don’t have a choice,” I said. “I’ll be quick as I can.”
“I’ll head back to work, then,” said Skyla. “I’ll message you, okay?”
“Sure.” I’d have to run if I wanted to make the
“I was trying to call you earlier,” said Nell. “Ada’s going to need your help to make a couple of deliveries.”
“Ah, I’m on my lunch break at work, so I can’t stay here long. I wanted to make sure Ada was okay after last night.”
So she’d heard about the whole debacle. I said, “I’m fine. Honestly.”
“Well, if you say so. I’ll give you a hand with those packages of…” Her eyes widened as they landed on the bloodrock. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Yeah, that’s what I almost got caught stealing,” I said. “But I only just found out someone was killed. Do you know what happened?”
“No more than anyone else does,” said Skyla. “I listened in on a conversation on the way to work. Guy strangled in an empty office. Total chaos in Central, seeing as it’s the first time someone’s been murdered on the premises. Of course, it’s nothing to do with us, but it might make using the Passages tricky. There’s a chance they could alter their patrols.”
“Dammit,” I said.
“Yeah,” said Skyla. “I’ve never seen them like this. They’re interrogating all their staff. Well, that’s what I heard them talking about, anyway. Wouldn’t wish it on anyone else.”
“I’m more concerned with whether they recognised Ada,” said Nell. “If anyone saw her face…”
Shivers ran down my back. For once in my life, I didn’t want to go outside and deliver the packages, but only Alber and I knew the addresses of all the others who helped the refugees. Nell wouldn’t trust anyone else with that information.
“I can help,” Skyla offered. “Not that I really want to be caught running around with that stuff—also, I have half an hour before I have to be back at the office.”
“I’ll go with Ada,” said Alber.
“Tell you what,” said Skyla, with a glance at her watch. “I’ll meet you after work and come to the Passages. I can be your lookout. Okay?”
Nell’s eyes narrowed. She implicitly trusted Skyla, because she was sensible and didn’t take unnecessary risks, and we’d gone to meet Delta in the Passages together a few times before. But after everything that had gone wrong in the past twenty-four hours, Nell’s barriers had gone up again. She turned back to the bloodrock, contemplating the six heavy bags, and sighed heavily.
“Alber, Ada, you two go make the usual rounds. Save the Passages till last. Skyla, would you have the chance to check if the Alliance are running their usual patrols?”
“Sure, I’ll take a look,” she said. For all her pretence of posh office girl, part of the reason Skyla had interviewed for a job at that particular office was because it’d give her the perfect view of Central, patrols and all. I’d never seen her workplace, but it was on the road facing the Alliance building. “Come on, Ada, Alber. We’d better go deliver this contraband.” She grinned. Like me, she couldn’t resist a challenge.
“Sure, I’ll get my stuff,” I said, heading back to my room.
“It would help if you put socks on,” Skyla called after me. “No shift today?”
“Haven’t talked to my boss yet. Crap.” And sure enough, there were several unread messages on my phone, which I’d not heard when I’d been asleep.
“Ada, I need to talk to you. Two p.m. tomorrow.”
“Crap.” This had ‘bad news’ written all over it. Plus, I could hardly show up for a meeting with my boss carrying a ton of bloodrock, even if most people on Earth wouldn’t have a clue what it was. He’d probably think I was trading illegal drugs or something. “Alber, could you hang onto that stuff while I go meet my boss?”
“You couldn’t have picked a better time?”
“I don’t have a choice,” I said. “I’ll be quick as I can.”
“I’ll head back to work, then,” said Skyla. “I’ll message you, okay?”
“Sure.” I’d have to run if I wanted to make the
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