away from us without answering. Star steps toward them, but I hold her back. Her eyes dart around my head, looking anxiously to where the Frontmen are going. She pushes doggedly against my steadying hand until I catch her eyes and stare her down. This brings her back to reality. Remember yourself, Star. Remember me. I hug her and whisper in her ear that she did all that she could. Sure, we both want the power, but there’s no way we’d throw anyone to the other side just to get it.
“I love you, too, Phoenix,” she whispers softly.
We walk back together, but som ething feels off. Her hand is limp in mine, and she doesn’t seem to hear me when I talk. I don’t mention it out loud, but I get the feeling that Star is holding something back. For now, I’ll let it sit. We can talk more when I see her tonight on the rounds.
*
I spend the rest of the day trapping porcupine. Now, it’s early evening, and the entrails need to be made into bait and the bones into tools. Standing over the ironing board at home, I pluck the thin brown-and-white striped quills out of its skin and set them aside in a pile. We’ll use them later as sewing needles. I pull the quills out faster as a wave of anger overtakes me.
First the Easies abandon us in the dark. Now, they try to tear our families apart. Hatred for the other side heats my blood as I wipe my hands on a nearby towel. A new fantasy of pulling Magic out of my bag by the Frontier plays in my mind. I imagine how the Frontmen would feel if they saw me aiming at them. Maybe they’d finally understand the fear and uncertainty that we’ve put up with for decades on this side of the wall. Hell, if I ever find them again on this soil—they’re doomed.
“Troublefields!” a shrill voice calls. “It’s Mrs. Campbell!”
She crosses the porch and enters the living room. My hands are fidgeting with the porcupine, so I can only shrug awkwardly. She sets down her bow and leans against the doorframe. Mrs. Campbell is a tall woman with broad shoulders and a nose like a bird beak. She tends to purse her lips and bob her head up and down throughout conversations, as if every sentence she hears is a sip of precious juice.
“Did you hear ?” she asks.
The Campbells live fa rthest away from the center of Dark DC. They should be the last to hear everything, but Mrs. Campbell’s gift is for gossip. DZs tend to be private people, but Mrs. Campbell is a little different. She asks the questions that make you squirm.
I nod and draw my mouth into a tight line.
“A breach in the Frontier!” She gawks, shaking her head. “Well, I never .”
“Yeah,” I say. I pluck a quill.
“Did you see it?” she asks, leaning closer.
“No,” I lie. I don’t want to get into anything right now. “I was with Star.”
“I see,” she says. “How are you two? Happy as always?”
I pluck another quill. “You know,” I say ambiguously. “The same.”
“Uh-huh,” she says. “So are you two keeping each other warm at night?”
Not going to answer that.
I pluck two quills at once and stab my thumb. A bright-red droplet of blood pools, the brightest thing I’ve seen all day. I sigh in frustration, but not loudly. Sure, she pries too much, but I still can’t hurt her feelings. She’s on the good side of the Frontier after all.
“Hm, not yet?” Mrs. Campbell digs deeper. “Don’t worry. One of these days, you two will drop all of this romance and just rip each other’s clothes off.”
This is too much. She doesn’t understand us at all.
“I kind of have some work to do,” I say gently, hiding my annoyance.
“Of course ,” she says generously. She reaches for her bow. “And when you two get started, I’m happy to answer any questions. You don’t even have to tell Star. It could be our little secret.”
“Thanks for the tip, Mrs. Campbell,” I say.
She winks and leaves, considering her news delivered. I jiggle my shoulders to shake off the lingering discomfort.