Chapter 53

I scowl at Orion as I snatch my envelope off the table in front of me. Laila sighs and picks up hers too, much calmer than me.

Orion just sighs, settling back on the couch next to Anton, crossing his arms like Anton is. The boys glance at each other and shrug and I’m struck, again, but that…affinity. What on earth is it with these two?

But I turn my eyes down and concentrate on opening my envelope, putting the thought out of my mind. Another mystery for another day. I pull out the little piece of paper inside and quickly read.

As a Contestant sorted into the Top, you are invited to display a talent tomorrow evening. Please use this card to indicate the nature of your talent.

As usual, there’s no signature or further embellishment. Instead, there’s just a little line beneath the writing, where I guess I’m supposed to write what my talent will be.

I scowl and toss the card onto the table, glaring hard at Orion.

“What?” he asks, shrugging at me. “Honestly, Juniper, you can’t complain that this is worse than last week.”

Laila doesn’t comment, simply calling up a pen and quickly writing on her card before vanishing it away.

“Well, that was easy for you,” I say, looking up at her with interest.

“Sure,” she says, shrugging and lifting one knee up, wrapping her arms around her leg, I think still feeling a little self-conscious. “I’ve been training as a dancer since I was a little girl. It wasn’t a particularly difficult choice for me.” She shifts her gaze towards Orion now. “I assume that…I’ll be able to call up any music that I wish?”

“Of course,” he says, doing his best to give her a little bow even as he’s casually seated on the sofa. “Whatever you can imagine, Laila, we’ll be able to play.”

“Okay,” she says, giving him a happy smile. “That’s me sorted, then.”

All eyes turn to me and my scowl deepens. “Well, I don’t have a talent,” I snap, straightening my shoulders and looking down at the divination tools.

“Oh, June, don’t lie,” Anton murmurs, his voice cheerful and kind. “You give a withering glare like no one I’ve ever seen. Seriously, ten out of ten every time. A delight to behold.”

I smirk, looking up at him, grateful that he’s trying to chuff me up and make me laugh. Anton just gives me a wink. My smile grows, despite my wariness and my new bad mood. Orion looks over at Anton and then back at me, I think confused at the sudden change in my demeanor.

“I’m sure you can do something, June,” Orion says, holding a hand out to me. “And, I mean…there’s not a great deal of pressure this week. It’s not like you’re going to be eliminated because you’re a bad singer or something.”

“Oh really?” I ask, raising an eyebrow at him. “And if I truly bomb the Moon Valley national anthem in front of your father’s entire court, I won’t be sorted into the bottom next week to face elimination then?”

He sighs, tacitly admitting that that could indeed happen.

I sigh too, frustrated, remembering my conversation with Anton last night when we decided that I’m going to play it cool and be a good girl, doing what I’m told and not making waves. But god, the idea of participating in a talent show…

It just…makes my skin crawl.

So, I push the thought aside to be delt with later. “Let’s concentrate on this,” I say, tapping the divination tools in front of me. “Seriously, Orion, if you’re going to make Laila dance for you and me…juggle, or something, then the least you can do is agree to help me find some ghost in the Deadlands in exchange.”

“Not just some ghost,” Orion says, his amused tone making me lift my eyes to his pretty brown ones again. “A rival.”

“Oh, ‘Ryan,” Anton says, patting Orion on the shoulder and frowning at him. “Don’t insult yourself by referring to Redman Blythe as a rival.”

I scowl even as Orion laughs, glancing once Anton’s way. I narrow my eyes at Laila as she smiles too. “Traitor,” I murmur.

“What?” she asks, looking at me with a shrug. “It was funny.”

“Please, Orion?” I beg, changing tactics and clutching my clasped hands prettily beneath my chin, making my green eyes as big as possible. “Pretty please?”

He slowly smiles at me and I can tell that it worked.

“Weak,” Anton murmurs, grinning at Orion and shaking his head.

Orion just shrugs, keeping his eyes on me. “Look, June,” he says, holding out a pleading hand, palm up. “I will help you, but –“

“Yay!” I say, pumping my hands into the air, a big smile on my face.

“But,” he continues, looking seriously at me. “First, you have to promise not to go searching for him in the Deadlands without me. Because you will, obviously, die.”

“Done!” I say, grinning, quite liking the tacit admission that he’ll go with me to find Blythe too.

“And,” he continues, “unfortunately, we have to wait to do the divination.”

“Why?” Laila asks, turning her head to peer at him, curious.

“The moons,” Orion says, nodding towards the darkness of the terrace. “Not in the right spot for this question.”

I snap my head to the side, peering out the window, trying to figure out where the moons are and what sort of bad configuration he’s talking about.

“Ohhh,” Laila says, nodding as she, too, looks outside. But then she turns back to me. “He’s right,” she says. “I didn’t think of that, but even at home you’d only ask certain questions at certain times of the day, or month, or year.” She points upwards at the ceiling and the cosmos beyond it. “Everything has to be lined up, or else you just get gibberish.”

My mouth falls open in dismay as I snap my head back to Orion. “Well, how long do we have to wait?”

He turns his head, ducking to peer out the window a little. “Two nights from now, I think? That should be fine. We have to wait for the little guy,” he says, pointing out the window at the smallest moon, “to line up with the middle one. That will give us a better reading.”

“Are your moons…boys?” Anton asks, making Orion turn back to him.

“Are yours…not?” Orion returns, frowning.

“We only have one,” Anton says, glancing at me. “And yes, traditionally, it’s a…girl.”

“Weird,” Orion says, nodding as he takes in this information. “Yeah, our moons are always referred to in the masculine. The myth is about three brothers –“

“Back to me!” I call, interrupting, bored with all the himbo mythology. I lean forward, holding Orion’s gaze as he turns his head towards me, grinning. “So, the night after the talent show? We can do the divination?”

“Sure,” he says, giving a shrug. “You’ll come, yes?” he asks, turning to Laila.

She blushes with pleasure to be invited. “I would be delighted.”

“Good,” he says, nodding and sighing as he stands. “We can go to the Lake. Make a night of it.”

Laila perks up at this. “There’s a Lake?”

Orion grins at her and nods. “But now I have to get going.”

“More brooding alone in your room?” Anton asks, dry, even as he smirks up at his friend. I can’t help my smile, pleased that he and Orion get along, that they clearly take pleasure in each other, even though to tease. Honestly, it’s a shock that such an easy friendship was able to develop so fast. Anton – he’s just…very good with people, isn’t he?

So unlike me.

“No,” Orion says, grinning at Anton. “Actually, I have a date.”

“With Alexandrica?” I ask, dry, leaning back on my hands, not liking that one bit.

“Yes, actually,” Orion replies, turning to give me a smug look in turn, daring me to say something about it. I scowl and refrain. “But perhaps we could have a word first?” he says, offering me a hand and nodding towards the terrace.

“Seriously?” I say, glancing down at his hand and then up into his face. “You want more terrace time, after last night?”

He laughs, still holding the hand out. “Reparative terrace time. I didn’t like where we ended. I’d like a chance to correct it.”

I sigh and take his hand, unable to argue or be spiteful to such a calm and contrite explanation. Orion pulls me to my feet and leads me towards my room’s outdoor area. As we go I look back over my shoulder at Laila, who looks concerned, and Anton, who…I don’t know. His face is inscrutable, but certainly not happy.

I pause at that, not liking it, not wanting him to be uncomfortable. But Anton just waves a hand at me. “Go, go!” he sighs, turning towards Laila and leaning towards her. “We’ll be fine in here.”

I hesitate again for another moment but then continue on my way outside on Orion’s arm.

“Don’t you try to kiss me,” I say all in a rush, snapping my head up to glare at him as I remember what Anton said last night.

Orion stares at me for a moment before bursting into laughter, looking up at the sky. “No promises, June,” he says on a sigh. “But I’ll restrain myself.”

I blush for a moment, embarrassed to have been so silly, because of course – of course – that’s not what’s happening here.

“So, um…” I say, confused and wanting to be on better ground. “What did you want to talk about?”