ARC10

Chapter 28.2

"You look thin," Simon says when I slink home. I didn't expect him here.

"Yeah, haven't had the time or stomach to do more than watch food move by at the speed of light."

He slides over to the side of his cot, his elbows resting against his knees. "You should eat something. Let me make you a sandwich."

"I'm fine."

"You look awful."

"Thanks."

"I'm serious, Nika. You look real bad. Are you sleeping?"

I wave away his questions. "Louis was asking after you. You might want to go pay him a visit before he kills himself over his unrequited love."

Simon gives me his dad-look—the only one he has ever mastered. "I'm not dropping this," it says, "until I hear an acceptable answer."

"I can sleep when we're off this pile of debris. Until then, it's my duty as Commander of one of the ARCs to make sure everyone is way more prepared than me. On that note, what should I tell Louis? Have you packed? Are you ready to go? He seems to be very interested in the state of your clothes." I mock a little too hard.

Simon waves me off this time. "Louis can go to hell. He was screwing me toward the end of the Sink's life there and—" He rolls his eyes when he catches my smirk. "On sales, Nika. Sales. Holy Heap on a hand crank, get your mind out of the gutter."

This feels a little more normal, but not entirely.

"What are you up to today?" I ask out of politeness. I don't believe he'll actually give me a straight answer.

"To break it off with Tahn."

I double-take. "For real?"

"Yeah, for real. We have ten days left, right? I found out we're on the same ARC, so I'm going to have to break this off now. I don't know if I'd have the guts to do it later when we're stuck together on the ship."

"That's a really good idea." I slide next to him and put my hand on his erratically bouncing knee. "What's got you worried?"

"Not much. No one likes a break-up."

There's nothing left to say. He's stalling. He's distracting me away from what's actually twisting his brain around a bolt.

"And it's going to be awkward as hell, but at least it will be done. Yeah." He pushes himself off his knees to stand. "I'm going to get it over with now."

Simon on a mission is dangerous. Not because he's volatile, but because when he makes a decision, he moves through with tunnel-vision all the way to the end, ignoring the glaring red flags around him. From what I can tell, he hasn't thought about the consequences. This was a phenomenal idea at the time, and therefore, it will happen.

Impulsiveness must be an inherited trait through association. I am my father's daughter.

Drumming my fingers on the table, I consider my options. I can stay here to blink away a few more hours of sleep before heading back to ARC10. Or I can follow him and makes sure this impending disaster doesn't totally ruin him. As proud as I am of my father, I don't trust Tahn to accept the news well.

I push myself off the counter and head out the door before it closes.

So he doesn't think I'm spying on him, questioning his capability, or sticking my fists where they don't belong, I follow Simon at a distance. He barrels forward. Me? My muscles, bones, blood, everything—I'm as heavy as cinder blocks as I lag through the Rotunda behind my father.