Edit | #Wattys2016

Sixteen

As Chance works on the sensor, Carmen and Dustin ask Dakota—who, to my surprise, is Chance's cousin—and Xavier to the room.

"You know, you've always wanted to know who created Edit, right?" Dustin says, smiling at me.

At that, Dakota tenses up, and she and Xavier exchange glances, like they're having a silent conversation between them.

Xavier's hand finds Dakota's, and Dakota's knuckles turn white from holding on too tight. Xavier sends her a smirk, and whispers something in her hair. They've moved closer now. Dakota rolls her eyes at him, and attempts to let go of his hand, but he holds on.

Dakota takes a breath, before turning to me and says, "I'm Dakota, and also Chance's cousin." She winces, and looks helplessly at Xavier, "That wasn't a good start."

Xavier chuckles. "Because you're such an 'eloquent talker', you can go on without further assistance from your lowly servant," he says. He hits me as the cocky, confident type of boy who loves sarcasm as much as Carmen does.

Dakota rolls her eyes. "I take that back."

"Uh huh," Xavier sticks out his tongue. "I will always win in the end."

Dakota kicks him, but he doesn't budge, like he feels nothing. Instead, he stares at Dakota with a blank face. Dakota returns it with an intensity that makes me want to look away because it feels like I'm intruding on one of their private moments.

Dustin clears his throat and slowly, they tear their gaze away from each other.

Carmen snorts. "Can you guys stop being so mushy in front of audiences?"

Dakota blushes again, shyly ducking her head. Xavier boldly replies with a no that makes the girl next to him squeak out of embarrassment. "We don't have that type of relationship!" Dakota tries to say, but Xavier laughs, and says, "Are you sure about that?" It sends Dakota into another flustered mess.

A smile cracks my lips.

"Anyway, so you know I'm the amazingly eloquent Xavier, and this is my..." Xavier glances over at Dakota, and before anything can happen again he looks away, and says, "this is Dakota, Chance's cousin. And...Dakota, she's an orphan. Her parents died from the plague."

Dakota bites her lip and looks away. I've heard of the plague, but it only exists in the Outer Cities.

"So my...Dakota, I mean, was adopted into this family, and her adoptive parents...they were the people who created Edit. Chance is her adoptive parents' brother's son, so technically they're not related."

"How do you know so much?"

"Dakota's parents sent her to the Black Hole to become a draft. And then she met me, and...we became pretty good friends."

"And you're dating," Carmen drawls.

"We're not!" Nervous, Dakota begins to wring her hands, and another blush takes over her face.

"She likes to pretend we're not, but deep inside she knows we are," Xavier sends a wink in her direction, and the weirdest thing happens.

Dakota begins to cry.

Concerned, Xavier immediately wraps her in his arms, and he begins to talk, but in such a low voice I can't hear what he's saying.

After a while, Dakota—still shaking—pulls back, and Xavier reluctantly steps back as well, scratching the back of his neck.

"Um...what just—" Dustin shares my confusion, but Xavier cuts him off with a sharp shake of his head. Dustin closes his mouth, and Xavier looks over at Dakota worriedly.