said.
“Sleep is for suckers.” Helms crossed the space andclaimed the free seat. “Besides, you are supposed to be keeping watch, but you’re completely stuck inside your own head. It would be a bummer if we got invaded right now.”
Remko turned back to the open plain. Helms was right; he was completely distracted, which was uncharacteristic for Remko . . . and for Helms. Helms was hardly ever right.
“So, you wanna talk about it?” Helms asked.
Remko shook his head.
“Good. Me neither. I did, however, hear about the incident in the city center today.”
Remko turned back to face Helms. He shouldn’t be surprised. Word of anything out of the ordinary always spread like wildfire.
“AJ asked me why you didn’t report it. I told him because it was a small incident and the paperwork wouldn’t be worth it. Then I reminded him that he should keep his mouth shut about things that aren’t his business or I might forget to keep his little secret next time Dodson is around.”
Remko didn’t know what the secret was, but Helms had a unique ability to collect the goods on everyone around him. It worked in his favor since he wasn’t the biggest guard in the barracks.
Helms weaved a silver coin that he always kept in his pocket back and forth across his knuckles. The coin caught the starlight as it moved from finger to finger. Helms’s father had given him the special coin with the expectation that Helms would give it to his first son. After being placed in the CityWatch, Helms had tried to give it back to hisfather, but he wouldn’t accept it. Helms treasured the coin above nearly everything else.
“Paperwork. That’s the story for anyone who asks, even though we both know that’s not the truth,” Helms said. A sly smile spread across his face, and Remko’s first instinct was to slap it off. “Don’t worry, man, your secret is safe with me. We’re brothers. You know I would never sell you out.”
Remko felt his anxiety ease and he knew Helms’s words to be true. The two of them had been through more than most, and Helms would never put himself in a situation to be a threat. The real threat here was Remko himself.
“Just one thing I need to clear up,” Helms said, leaning forward. Remko could already feel his face betraying him with a smirk.
“I wanna make sure we’re still going to be brothers when she meets me and forgets you exist.”
Remko chuckled and yanked Helms out of the chair.
“See, this is what I’m talking about. I’m already feeling your hostility just at the hint of it. Man, you know I have no control over the ladies’ reactions.”
Remko rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Get out of my box.”
Someone shook Carrington from her dreamless sleep, and her first thought was that this was another nightmare. It was the first time in nearly a week that she had sleptwithout a dream. The night before, she had lain awake replaying the scene in the city center over and over. Each time, her brother cried more violently and her mother’s face turned colder. She hadn’t even attempted to sleep. Tonight when she crawled into bed the weight of exhaustion was so heavy that sleep was no victim to her nightmares and she was out in seconds.
Carrington opened her eyes and saw the distorted face of someone familiar, but the fog of sleep kept her from seeing clearly.
“Carrington,” the voice whispered. “It’s me, Larkin. Get up.”
“Larkin?” Carrington said at normal volume.
“Shh —you’ll wake your snoring friend. Meet me out in the main room.”
The blurry figure stood and quietly exited. Carrington rubbed her eyes and swung her legs out from under the covers. She couldn’t decide whether to be panicked or angry. Grabbing the extra blanket at the end of her bed, she draped it around her shoulders and headed out of the bedroom.
Larkin stood waiting, fully dressed, wide awake.
“What are you doing here?” Carrington asked.
“I’m going to hear Aaron
“Sleep is for suckers.” Helms crossed the space andclaimed the free seat. “Besides, you are supposed to be keeping watch, but you’re completely stuck inside your own head. It would be a bummer if we got invaded right now.”
Remko turned back to the open plain. Helms was right; he was completely distracted, which was uncharacteristic for Remko . . . and for Helms. Helms was hardly ever right.
“So, you wanna talk about it?” Helms asked.
Remko shook his head.
“Good. Me neither. I did, however, hear about the incident in the city center today.”
Remko turned back to face Helms. He shouldn’t be surprised. Word of anything out of the ordinary always spread like wildfire.
“AJ asked me why you didn’t report it. I told him because it was a small incident and the paperwork wouldn’t be worth it. Then I reminded him that he should keep his mouth shut about things that aren’t his business or I might forget to keep his little secret next time Dodson is around.”
Remko didn’t know what the secret was, but Helms had a unique ability to collect the goods on everyone around him. It worked in his favor since he wasn’t the biggest guard in the barracks.
Helms weaved a silver coin that he always kept in his pocket back and forth across his knuckles. The coin caught the starlight as it moved from finger to finger. Helms’s father had given him the special coin with the expectation that Helms would give it to his first son. After being placed in the CityWatch, Helms had tried to give it back to hisfather, but he wouldn’t accept it. Helms treasured the coin above nearly everything else.
“Paperwork. That’s the story for anyone who asks, even though we both know that’s not the truth,” Helms said. A sly smile spread across his face, and Remko’s first instinct was to slap it off. “Don’t worry, man, your secret is safe with me. We’re brothers. You know I would never sell you out.”
Remko felt his anxiety ease and he knew Helms’s words to be true. The two of them had been through more than most, and Helms would never put himself in a situation to be a threat. The real threat here was Remko himself.
“Just one thing I need to clear up,” Helms said, leaning forward. Remko could already feel his face betraying him with a smirk.
“I wanna make sure we’re still going to be brothers when she meets me and forgets you exist.”
Remko chuckled and yanked Helms out of the chair.
“See, this is what I’m talking about. I’m already feeling your hostility just at the hint of it. Man, you know I have no control over the ladies’ reactions.”
Remko rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Get out of my box.”
Someone shook Carrington from her dreamless sleep, and her first thought was that this was another nightmare. It was the first time in nearly a week that she had sleptwithout a dream. The night before, she had lain awake replaying the scene in the city center over and over. Each time, her brother cried more violently and her mother’s face turned colder. She hadn’t even attempted to sleep. Tonight when she crawled into bed the weight of exhaustion was so heavy that sleep was no victim to her nightmares and she was out in seconds.
Carrington opened her eyes and saw the distorted face of someone familiar, but the fog of sleep kept her from seeing clearly.
“Carrington,” the voice whispered. “It’s me, Larkin. Get up.”
“Larkin?” Carrington said at normal volume.
“Shh —you’ll wake your snoring friend. Meet me out in the main room.”
The blurry figure stood and quietly exited. Carrington rubbed her eyes and swung her legs out from under the covers. She couldn’t decide whether to be panicked or angry. Grabbing the extra blanket at the end of her bed, she draped it around her shoulders and headed out of the bedroom.
Larkin stood waiting, fully dressed, wide awake.
“What are you doing here?” Carrington asked.
“I’m going to hear Aaron
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