“What about you and Captain Stone?” Maryakasked finally. “It must have been even more exciting for you andhim since he almost won the match.”
“Well, we had that dinner with the primeminister, so . . .”
Maryak arched an eyebrow. “You are fightingwith him? Because of my mother? She treated him badly and made hismood foul. Is that it?”
“No.” Zia eyed her warily. “Do you know whoRomeo and Juliet are?”
Maryak shook her head.
“You must have a Malaran version. Two warringfamilies, and a female from one falls for a male from theother—”
“The Aikada!”
“Probably. Anyway, in our version, Romeo andJuliet die. In my version with Rem, it’s only our friendship thatdies. So ours isn’t as dramatic. Or romantic. But it still seems sounfair.”
“In our version, they kill their families,”Maryak told her. “But the families are evil, so probably thatsolution is not right for you and Captain Stone.”
“Trust me, dead relatives can cause just asmuch trouble as living ones. Oh, no, look.” Zia pointed toward thewindow, where groups of pilots could be seen walking toward the reccenter. “They’re coming back already. I thought they did maneuversfor hours.”
“Today is special,” Maryak explained. “Theprime minister will address us on the sky vid to share plans forthe first challenge. For the next four days, there will be paradesand bonfires. Schools are closed, as are businesses. From the timehe makes the announcement, the only thing that matters in our worldis the challenge.”
“It’s the only thing that matters to meeither.”
Maryak laughed. “I saw you kiss him.And he kissed you back.”
“Well, we saw you and Gannor too. Youdefinitely heated that roof up.”
“Porrrrrrn,” Maryak agreed. “Look, here hecomes. He is handsome, is he not? And I am sure Captain Stone istoo.”
“For a bald mono-tummy?” Zia laughed andwaved to Gannor, then winced when she saw Rem right behind him,looking good despite his oxygen mask. “Ugh, it’s easier when he’snot around.”
“Would you like Gannor to fight him foryou?”
“No, thanks. I don’t want you two getting allworked up again,” Zia muttered, only half kidding.
Rem came into the room and said hi to Maryak,then asked Zia to take a walk with him. She wanted to insist shewas busy with Maryak, but her friend had other plans. “We will allgo outside together to see the sky vid. You two and me. And Gannorif he wishes to join us.”
Zia rolled her eyes. “Now I know we’refriends. You’re using me to get to a guy so your mom won’t know?This is the story of my life, Maryak.”
“Good, then we shall go immediately. Comealong, Captain Stone. You will enjoy the sky vid. It is very, veryromantic.”
Rem eyed Zia. “You’ll need to wear gogglesand oxy masks. But Gannor tells me it’s worth seeing. So . . .?”
“Absolutely. The four of us.” She glared atMaryak to remind her that she was making a huge sacrifice just soMaryak and Gannor could have what she and Rem could never,ever have.
Maryak flashed a brilliant smile. “You are agood friend. Come, let us hurry before we miss theannouncement.”
Chapter12
When Rem helped Zia put on the oxygenator, itreminded her of the time he had adjusted her gear before the skypaddle game.
Which made her wistful.
Which made her angry.
“I can do it myself,” she told him, her tonesounding harsh through the built-in speaker.
“Can you breathe?”
She nodded, then strapped her lightweightgoggles into place without his help. Once she could see and breathewithout obstruction, she followed Rem and the other couple outside,where throngs of pilots and other personnel were gathering.
“Stick close to me,” Rem reminded her. “We’llstand over there where it’s less crowded.”
The intercom built into his mask made hisvoice sound tinny, but she suspected he could still be charming andpersuasive, and from the warmth in his eyes, she knew that wasprobably his plan.
She wasn’t in the mood, so she told him, “Ilike it here.”
“Come on, Zee. We need to talk. Inprivate.”
“We can’t just ignore the prime minister,Rem. We’re their allies, remember?”
“It’s pure propaganda. And we already knowwhat he’s going to say. In the meantime, I really need to talk toyou.”
She grimaced but followed him to a bench inthe shadows. “Okay, what’s so urgent?”
“I just wanted you to know.” He gave her apained smile. “I spent years doing what you did the other day.Watching the trial, searching for a way to clear my fatherwithout incriminating Elena Quito.”
“Really?”
“Sure. She was the president. I didn’t wantto believe she was evil or anything. Dad was her vice president,you know, and even though we lived in Washington and your familylived in California, I saw a lot of her when I was a kid. She wasalways nice to me. She and my mom were friends. And until thatwhole controversy about GARD developed, she and Dad were friendstoo.”
Zia studied his expression warily. “Youalmost sound like you liked her.”
“I did. But in my opinion—and Dad’s—shechanged. I’m not asking you to believe that. I’d be shocked if youdid. But their friendship deteriorated, and then everything went tohell.”
Zia wondered if she should just be quiet now.Accept the fact that she and Rem were at least speaking to eachother again, and let it go. But she had to clear the air a littlemore, so she told him carefully, “When you said I was looking for asolution where Mom was good and your father was bad, that wasn’tfair. I actually forced myself to consider the possibility that Mommight have done something wrong herself.”
Rem seemed shocked. “Huh?”
“I even asked Humber about it. About whatmotive she could possibly have had—theoretically—to frame yourfather.”
“That’s crazy, Zee. Your own mother?”
She glared. “You’re soooo obnoxious. I didn’tbelieve it. I just wanted to exhaust all possibilities.Because I’m open-minded. Whereas you have a titaniumblock for a brain.”
“What did Humber say?”
“He said—wow, Rem, look! It really issky vid!”
She stared in wonder as the entire sky becamea viewing screen. It was easily the most elaborate graphics displayshe had ever seen. “I keep forgetting the Malarans are a teensy bitahead
