time.”
“Glad to hear it.”
He smiled down at me so warmly I was reminded again of Rigel’s suspicions. I dropped my hand from his arm—and got a face full of rain.
“Watch out,” Sean said, holding his arm back out to me. He was laughing! “It only works if we’re touching. Sorry, I should have told you.”
I wiped my face with my sleeve and put my hand back on his arm. “Yeah, that might have been nice.”
“I really am sorry.” But I thought he still looked amused. “I’m so used to everyone knowing this stuff, I didn’t think to explain it.”
“That’s okay.” I was starting to feel kind of silly now. “A little water won’t kill me.”
“Maybe not, but we can’t take chances with our Princess, now, can we? Here.” He pulled out his omni again, the screen appeared, he pushed a couple more holographic buttons, too quickly for me to see what he was doing, and suddenly I was totally dry.
“Holy crap! How did you do that?” I asked, the last of my irritation swallowed by amazement.
Again he was laughing at me, but not maliciously. “Just another function, the instavap.”
“But how does it work? How does it dry just the water on the surface—and in my clothes—but not suck it out of my body?”
His eyebrows rose. “I guess your science education isn’t as primitive as I thought. It works from the outside in. Because it only lasts a second, it doesn’t have time to dessicate you, though your mouth might feel a little dry.”
I checked and it did. But only a little, and only for a few seconds. Very cool.
“So what other, um, apps do you have in there?” I asked, even more curious than before.
He shook his head. “If I tell you now, how do I know you’ll let me walk you home again? Anyway, we’re here.” He walked up the porch steps with me and handed me my backpack. I took my hand off his arm the moment we were under the overhang and the tingling stopped, making me realize I’d felt it this whole time without noticing.
“Thanks,” I said, ignoring his question and being very careful not to touch his hand as I took the bag from him. “Guess I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”
“And at our house next time you, um, tutor us?”
“That, too. G’night.”
He smiled down at me but didn’t try to get too close—to my relief. “Good night . . . Emileia,” he said softly, then turned and left.
I frowned after him for a moment, not sure what to think, then shook my head as I opened the front door. There was no point imagining motives where none might exist. And though I knew Rigel wouldn’t approve, I couldn’t help liking the O’Garas. Already, I found myself looking forward to my next visit to their house.
C HAPTER 9
graell (grayl): an emotional and physical bond believed mythical by most Martians
“Didn’t your aunt tell you I called when you got home last night?” Rigel asked when he met me at my locker the next morning.
“Good morning to you, too,” I said, going up on my tiptoes for a quick kiss—quick enough that no passing teacher would yell at us. “She did tell me, but she also said it was too late to call you back, even though it was barely past nine-thirty. I hung around in the kitchen hoping they’d go upstairs early enough that I could call you anyway, but they didn’t. I didn’t want to risk calling after ten-thirty.”
“You can call my cell anytime, M, you know that. So where were you, anyway? She wouldn’t tell me.”
I was startled he didn’t know. Hadn’t I told him I’d agreed to tutor Molly and Sean? Maybe not.
Watching his expression carefully, I said, “I was over at the O’Garas’ house. My aunt promised Mrs. O’Gara I’d help Molly and Sean catch up in History, but she didn’t tell me that until I got home from taekwondo.”
As expected, he didn’t look happy. “You were at their house? All evening? After everything I—”
“Not all evening, just for a couple hours after dinner. And you didn’t
“Glad to hear it.”
He smiled down at me so warmly I was reminded again of Rigel’s suspicions. I dropped my hand from his arm—and got a face full of rain.
“Watch out,” Sean said, holding his arm back out to me. He was laughing! “It only works if we’re touching. Sorry, I should have told you.”
I wiped my face with my sleeve and put my hand back on his arm. “Yeah, that might have been nice.”
“I really am sorry.” But I thought he still looked amused. “I’m so used to everyone knowing this stuff, I didn’t think to explain it.”
“That’s okay.” I was starting to feel kind of silly now. “A little water won’t kill me.”
“Maybe not, but we can’t take chances with our Princess, now, can we? Here.” He pulled out his omni again, the screen appeared, he pushed a couple more holographic buttons, too quickly for me to see what he was doing, and suddenly I was totally dry.
“Holy crap! How did you do that?” I asked, the last of my irritation swallowed by amazement.
Again he was laughing at me, but not maliciously. “Just another function, the instavap.”
“But how does it work? How does it dry just the water on the surface—and in my clothes—but not suck it out of my body?”
His eyebrows rose. “I guess your science education isn’t as primitive as I thought. It works from the outside in. Because it only lasts a second, it doesn’t have time to dessicate you, though your mouth might feel a little dry.”
I checked and it did. But only a little, and only for a few seconds. Very cool.
“So what other, um, apps do you have in there?” I asked, even more curious than before.
He shook his head. “If I tell you now, how do I know you’ll let me walk you home again? Anyway, we’re here.” He walked up the porch steps with me and handed me my backpack. I took my hand off his arm the moment we were under the overhang and the tingling stopped, making me realize I’d felt it this whole time without noticing.
“Thanks,” I said, ignoring his question and being very careful not to touch his hand as I took the bag from him. “Guess I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”
“And at our house next time you, um, tutor us?”
“That, too. G’night.”
He smiled down at me but didn’t try to get too close—to my relief. “Good night . . . Emileia,” he said softly, then turned and left.
I frowned after him for a moment, not sure what to think, then shook my head as I opened the front door. There was no point imagining motives where none might exist. And though I knew Rigel wouldn’t approve, I couldn’t help liking the O’Garas. Already, I found myself looking forward to my next visit to their house.
C HAPTER 9
graell (grayl): an emotional and physical bond believed mythical by most Martians
“Didn’t your aunt tell you I called when you got home last night?” Rigel asked when he met me at my locker the next morning.
“Good morning to you, too,” I said, going up on my tiptoes for a quick kiss—quick enough that no passing teacher would yell at us. “She did tell me, but she also said it was too late to call you back, even though it was barely past nine-thirty. I hung around in the kitchen hoping they’d go upstairs early enough that I could call you anyway, but they didn’t. I didn’t want to risk calling after ten-thirty.”
“You can call my cell anytime, M, you know that. So where were you, anyway? She wouldn’t tell me.”
I was startled he didn’t know. Hadn’t I told him I’d agreed to tutor Molly and Sean? Maybe not.
Watching his expression carefully, I said, “I was over at the O’Garas’ house. My aunt promised Mrs. O’Gara I’d help Molly and Sean catch up in History, but she didn’t tell me that until I got home from taekwondo.”
As expected, he didn’t look happy. “You were at their house? All evening? After everything I—”
“Not all evening, just for a couple hours after dinner. And you didn’t
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