Avalon

CHAPTER 17

JETH SPENT THE NEXT DAY AND A HALF DOING HIS BEST TO avoid Sierra. It was hard, and not just because the living quarters were so tight with this many people aboard. No, trouble was, he wanted to see her. A lot.

Instead he made sure there was always someone else present whenever they were together. It wasn’t too difficult, given the attachment between her and Cora. And there was nothing like having a kid present to stave off romantic inclinations.

Not that Jeth resented Cora hanging around. Just the opposite. He was actually starting to enjoy it. He’d never realized how much kids laughed. And at the simplest things, like funny faces and corny jokes. Being around her made him feel light, oddly removed from himself and his troubles.

It was this lightness perhaps that finally gave him the courage to ask Lizzie for their mother’s data crystal that first night.

“Oh,” she said, eyes widening. “I don’t have it. Milton took it yesterday.”

“Huh.” The news didn’t surprise Jeth. He should’ve guessed it for himself. Milton had just as much interest in it as they did, and unlike Jeth, he wouldn’t fear facing the pain that opening those memories would bring back. Milton had never moved on, never buried it deep inside. No, he buried it deep in a bottle, only to have it rise up again and again, waiting to be drowned by more booze.

Jeth went to Milton’s cabin after saying good-night to Lizzie, but Milton wasn’t there. At the end of the corridor, the door into sick bay stood closed. Jeth knocked on it, leery of just charging in.

Rather than call for him to enter, Milton opened the door a crack and peered out. “What is it?”

Jeth shot him a penetrating look. What was his uncle up to? Surely there was nothing doctor-related for him to be doing. “Lizzie said you have the data crystal she found.”

An odd, guarded expression enveloped Milton’s face. “Yes, that’s right.”

“Well, I’d like to take a look at it.”

Milton shook his head. “I’m not done with it yet.”

Jeth opened his mouth to argue, but closed it once more at the sight of Milton’s watery gaze. He swallowed, realizing yet again that he wasn’t ready to face it. He might never be ready. And if Milton was offering him an excuse to delay, Jeth would take it.

“Okay. Just let me know when you are.”

Milton nodded, then closed the door without another word. Jeth retreated to his room, pushing all thoughts of his parents as far from his mind as possible.

Late the next evening, Flynn pronounced the job done.

“Done, done?” Jeth said. He, Lizzie, and Flynn were alone on the bridge. “Like, we can fly out of here now?”

Flynn raised his hands over his head, fingers laced. Several loud pops echoed around the room and he sighed. “No, not yet. I just initialized the system recalibration. Should be done come morning.” He patted his stomach. “I’m starving. And it’s my turn to cook.”

Jeth and Lizzie exchanged a grin, both of them knowing they were in for a feast tonight. The last few days had been tough on Flynn, and cooking was his favorite way to unwind—or, the eating that followed it was. It worked out great for everybody, except perhaps for the unfortunate souls stuck with dish duty afterward.

Ready by the morning, Jeth thought, doing a mental calculation. That left them four days before their deadline with Hammer. Such a short timeframe would make things tight for the meetup and exchange with Sierra’s contact, but still within the realm of doable.

Jeth entered the common room an hour later to find the atmosphere electrified, excitement a palpable, buzzing feel surrounding them. Word that they would be crossing the border had infected everyone with anticipation.

Jeth’s excitement swung closer to nervousness. He still hadn’t decided how to go about stealing the data cell from Sierra without her noticing. He had several scenarios in mind, but none of them were the perfect plan he hoped for. He supposed he’d have to settle on one tonight. He’d need time to go over it with Lizzie and anybody else he might require to pull it off. He intended to keep the job on a need-to-know basis.

Loud, fast music blasted out from the speakers in the common room. Lizzie was dancing to it, side by side with Cora, who was throwing her arms wildly in the air like she was a helicopter trying to take flight. It looked painful, but judging by the huge smile on her face, Jeth could tell she was having fun. And she was laughing, of course, that light, musical sound that seemed to fill him up, making him light, too.

Celeste, Shady, and Vince were once again at the gaming table. Jeth spied Sierra through the doorway into the galley, helping Flynn with the cooking. He sat down, wondering where Milton was. Probably in sick bay. Jeth had barely seen him lately.

“Just a few more minutes,” Sierra announced from the doorway, shouting to be heard over the music.

Cora stopped midtwirl and raced over to her. She grabbed Sierra by the hand and hauled her to the makeshift dance floor. “Dance, dance, dance,” Cora shouted.

An exasperated look crossed Sierra’s face, but she gave into the girl, raising her hands above her head and twirling around in a circle. Her long hair, which she had let down from her customary ponytail, swung out around her like a golden cape.

Jeth’s heart seemed to somersault inside his ribcage, and he sucked in a breath. He should never have let that kiss happen. The memory of it only intensified his guilt over what he planned to do. Not to mention the torment of unfulfilled desire.

“Ahem,” a voice said from above him.

Jeth looked up, his face going red as he saw Vince staring down at him with his arms folded across his chest in a manner that emphasized his large muscles.

“See something you like?” Vince said.

Jeth didn’t answer. If he said no, Vince would know he was lying. If he said, yes . . . well . . . Jeth wasn’t interested in finding out what big brother might make of such a declaration.

Vince sat down beside Jeth, close enough he had to resist the impulse to scoot over.

“I’d be careful if I were you,” said Vince.

Jeth rolled his eyes. “Are you about to give me the if-you-hurt-her-I’ll-break-your-face speech?”

“Nope. She’s perfectly capable of breaking your face on her own.”

Jeth snorted, although a part of him didn’t entirely doubt this statement. He’d certainly seen for himself how silently the girl could move. She should’ve been a career assassin instead of scientist. She could kill him in his sleep if she wanted to.

“My sister has a hard time trusting people,” Vince said. “Especially with everything that’s happened recently.” His voice grew quiet. “I was shocked when she admitted how much she’d let you in on how we grew up. I think that might be the first time she’s ever told anyone.”

Jeth swallowed, uncomfortable with this news. He didn’t want to read too much into it. Something like hope fluttered in his chest, a pair of delicate wings. Across from them, Sierra stopped dancing. She looked over at them, a mixture of curiosity and concern on her face.

Forcing as much aloofness into his voice as he could, Jeth said, “Are you saying that she trusts me?”

Vince turned his head, pinning Jeth with his gaze. “No. I’m saying she’s thinking about trusting you, and I suggest you don’t screw it up. If you give her a reason not to, you’ll regret it forever. I promise.”

The fluttering feeling evaporated in Jeth’s chest, replaced by a tremor of guilt. Did Vince know he planned on copying the Aether Project? Was this some kind of veiled warning? Jeth wasn’t exactly afraid of Vince, but he had a good healthy respect for his size, not to mention his background as an elite combat soldier. Jeth stared back at Vince, trying to look calm and innocent.

No, he decided, a moment later. Vince didn’t know. How could he? No one knew about his intentions except for Lizzie. And besides, it was such a little thing, really. By the time Sierra’s buyer found out there was more than one copy of the project around, she would be long gone. No harm done.

Fortunately, Jeth was rescued from having to dwell on the subject any longer when Flynn shouted from the galley, “Soup’s on.”

“We’re having soup?” asked Cora as everyone filed in and sat down.

Jeth laughed, giving her blonde head a pat. “It’s just an expression. Although from the looks of this table, everything’s on the menu.”

Milton arrived a few minutes late, muttering a thin, awkward apology that no one paid attention to. Jeth felt a moment’s pity for his uncle. He supposed it wasn’t easy being the only old guy surrounded by a bunch of teenagers.

In minutes, the group had descended into their typical rowdiness, Sierra, Vince, and Cora blending among them as if they’d been there forever. Most of the jokes and stories they shared were old, but the presence of new ears made them fresh again.

“Oh, do you remember when Shady shot himself with a stunner?” Lizzie said as dinner was winding down.

“Did not,” said Shady, mouth agape.

Lizzie poked him in the chest. “Yes, you did. It was my second job. How did that happen again?”

“I remember,” said Flynn. “Shady was showing off for that woman with the big boobs, one of Chopper’s mistresses.” Flynn stood, pushing back his chair. Then he raised his hand like he had a gun. “He was going like this, and then he tried to twirl the stunner on his finger, but he did it wrong and BAM!” Flynn stumbled backward, crossing his eyes and sticking out his tongue. Then he fell down, landing with a loud thump.

Cora burst into shrieks of laughter. Most of the jokes had gone over her head, but not this one. Physical comedy she understood completely.

“Do it again!” Cora said, “Please, please, please.”

Flynn stood up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He moved to reenact the story, but froze at the sound of a loud crack.

Liquid splashed Jeth’s arms, and he leaped back from the table. “What the hell?” He glanced around. Everybody else had stood up, too. The next second he realized why—all the drinking glasses on the table had vanished. Nothing else. No holes, just one second, glasses full of water or juice or wine, and the next, nothing but free-flowing liquid.

“Whoa,” Shady said after a long moment, his eyes wide. “More Belgrave stuff?”

“It would appear so,” Milton said as he picked up a towel and dabbed at the red wine stains on his shirt.

Jeth glanced around the room, looking for more damage. He’d thought they were safe here, so close to the border, from whatever strange phenomenon had caused the damage to the Donerail. But it seemed he was wrong. Haunted. They’d been talking about it all along, the things people said about the Belgrave, but it was the first time the thought actually crossed his mind. Jeth didn’t know anymore if that was true or not, but something was out there, all right. Something that had either grown more powerful in the days since they first crossed the border into the Quadrant—or that had followed them back.

Jeth shivered once, then glanced at everybody in turn. “Everyone okay?”

“Just wet,” said Celeste, fear undermining her casual tone.

Jeth’s gaze landed on Cora. She wasn’t laughing anymore but looked terrified. Ignoring his own fear, Jeth forced a smile. “It’s okay, Cora. We’ll be out of here before you know it.”

From the expressions on all the faces staring at him, he knew it couldn’t happen soon enough.