velocity, and he felt like he was on an airship with broken levers and madly throttling pistons, shooting sparks, threads of electricity incidentally being discovered along every joint.
“Ow,” Legacy murmured, glancing down. “Something is really . . . hard.”
Kaizen was about to apologize when he remembered Newton-2’s key and grinned. “Sorry,” he said, pulling the large brass key out of his pocket. He tossed it, with a tinny clatter, to the foot of the steps, and went back to losing himself in her. The outside world blurred around them and the hand he’d been using for support, the same one holding the forgotten cigarette, changed positions and went to peel down one of Legacy’s suspenders.
Is this what I’ve been missing? It’s narcotic!
Then the girl yelped and shoved Kaizen away, leaping to her feet after an ember had brushed against her bare arm.
“Okay, I’m sorry!” Kaizen reiterated reflexively, still having forgotten about the cigarette and certain that his advance had repulsed her. “I just—I’ve never—”
“It’s all right,” Legacy told him, pressing her burnt arm with her hand. “It was just an accident.”
“Yeah, kind of,” he said, looking away in embarrassment. His eyes fell across the dwindling cigarette. “Oh! This!” He stubbed it out, equally regretful that the kiss was over and high-spirited that it had happened. “Right! I’m sorry!”
Legacy’s lip quirked with amusement. “You’ve never?” she had to ask. Although such things were technically illegal, most kids—particularly those too young to have taken their Companion tests—had kissed someone at some point. It was like exiting a store with a drop of candy in their pocket. It was mostly just for fun, and understood that it didn’t mean anything, and yes, Legacy had kissed before. Of course, most of them were part of some silly game, and none of them had been anything like the one she’d received the night before.
Kaizen nodded, running his fingers through his hair. “Yeah, never . . . kissed anyone before,” he admitted. “The difference machines can’t match me at all, and girls never visit the castle grounds, you know. No one does. It’s just me . . . and the servants . . . and Sophie, of course, and our—” Shit! No one could know about Sophie’s existence! Particularly a suspected rebel! “—our other horses,” he finished lamely.
“I imagine Taliko would probably put us in jail if he knew,” Legacy noted thoughtfully, seeming otherwise unperturbed.
“Well, not me,” Kaizen said. “I’m sorry. I guess we really shouldn’t have.” Now that she wasn’t within an inch of his lips, now that he was breathing evenly, he could view the situation with some clarity, and it was incredibly stupid. He couldn’t even honestly imagine his father’s reaction, but he knew that it had put Legacy’s safety even more at risk. “It won’t happen again,” he told her. “I won’t tell anyone.”
“If only Dyna Logan knew what she’d just missed on her very own stairwell,” Legacy replied.
Kaizen winced and stood, glancing around as if they could be discovered at any moment. “You should get out of here; I should have told you sooner,” he said. “They’re going to want to interview me, and Johannes will be here any minute, and you—you got a star next to your name on the blacklist.”
He’d never seen someone so impervious. She hardly reacted. “Really. Well, that’s good to know. Certainly does escalate the circumstances, then, doesn’t it? I suppose I should probably go.”
“Look,” Kaizen said, compelled to help her escape the notice of the CIN-3 sentries. “If you follow this stairwell all the way down, it’ll dump out right next to the back exit. But it’s guarded by an automaton who’s going to want to scan your clearance. If they’ve figured out you’re Exa Legacy—which they probably have—the automaton’s gonna detain you. But . . . here.” Kaizen
“Ow,” Legacy murmured, glancing down. “Something is really . . . hard.”
Kaizen was about to apologize when he remembered Newton-2’s key and grinned. “Sorry,” he said, pulling the large brass key out of his pocket. He tossed it, with a tinny clatter, to the foot of the steps, and went back to losing himself in her. The outside world blurred around them and the hand he’d been using for support, the same one holding the forgotten cigarette, changed positions and went to peel down one of Legacy’s suspenders.
Is this what I’ve been missing? It’s narcotic!
Then the girl yelped and shoved Kaizen away, leaping to her feet after an ember had brushed against her bare arm.
“Okay, I’m sorry!” Kaizen reiterated reflexively, still having forgotten about the cigarette and certain that his advance had repulsed her. “I just—I’ve never—”
“It’s all right,” Legacy told him, pressing her burnt arm with her hand. “It was just an accident.”
“Yeah, kind of,” he said, looking away in embarrassment. His eyes fell across the dwindling cigarette. “Oh! This!” He stubbed it out, equally regretful that the kiss was over and high-spirited that it had happened. “Right! I’m sorry!”
Legacy’s lip quirked with amusement. “You’ve never?” she had to ask. Although such things were technically illegal, most kids—particularly those too young to have taken their Companion tests—had kissed someone at some point. It was like exiting a store with a drop of candy in their pocket. It was mostly just for fun, and understood that it didn’t mean anything, and yes, Legacy had kissed before. Of course, most of them were part of some silly game, and none of them had been anything like the one she’d received the night before.
Kaizen nodded, running his fingers through his hair. “Yeah, never . . . kissed anyone before,” he admitted. “The difference machines can’t match me at all, and girls never visit the castle grounds, you know. No one does. It’s just me . . . and the servants . . . and Sophie, of course, and our—” Shit! No one could know about Sophie’s existence! Particularly a suspected rebel! “—our other horses,” he finished lamely.
“I imagine Taliko would probably put us in jail if he knew,” Legacy noted thoughtfully, seeming otherwise unperturbed.
“Well, not me,” Kaizen said. “I’m sorry. I guess we really shouldn’t have.” Now that she wasn’t within an inch of his lips, now that he was breathing evenly, he could view the situation with some clarity, and it was incredibly stupid. He couldn’t even honestly imagine his father’s reaction, but he knew that it had put Legacy’s safety even more at risk. “It won’t happen again,” he told her. “I won’t tell anyone.”
“If only Dyna Logan knew what she’d just missed on her very own stairwell,” Legacy replied.
Kaizen winced and stood, glancing around as if they could be discovered at any moment. “You should get out of here; I should have told you sooner,” he said. “They’re going to want to interview me, and Johannes will be here any minute, and you—you got a star next to your name on the blacklist.”
He’d never seen someone so impervious. She hardly reacted. “Really. Well, that’s good to know. Certainly does escalate the circumstances, then, doesn’t it? I suppose I should probably go.”
“Look,” Kaizen said, compelled to help her escape the notice of the CIN-3 sentries. “If you follow this stairwell all the way down, it’ll dump out right next to the back exit. But it’s guarded by an automaton who’s going to want to scan your clearance. If they’ve figured out you’re Exa Legacy—which they probably have—the automaton’s gonna detain you. But . . . here.” Kaizen
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