Page 38 of Bound By Stars

“Don’t look down here. You’ll give me away.”

The hulking woman meets my eye. I grin and lower my face close to my computer like I’m reading, speaking through my teeth. “Your mom’s henchwoman?”

“Yep.”

She marches along the back of the room, searches the aisles, makes one more visual sweep of the tables, and exits.

“All clear.”

Jupiter grips the other side of the table and slowly peeks over, climbing into a chair when he’s sure she’s gone. His shoulders relax, but he keeps his eyes on the door. “Thanks.”

“Might be the longest game of hide-and-seek in history. Are you keeping a record?” I leave a note on a line of code. It’s not the issue, but I’m grasping at stars now.

“This is probably round fifteen for me and Gianna, but I think she’s enjoying it.”

“Yes. That scowl screamed pure, unadulterated fun.”

“My mom decided I should have tutoring sessions after lunch five days a week. I decided they can only make me go if they can catch me. I take it your parents didn’t track every moment of your day on Earth?”

“Just my mom, but no. She works a lot, and, unfortunately, she’s between henchwomen.”

“Do you get along?”

“Most of the time.” I hear her voice in my head, the way she sounded on the outside of my bedroom door, calling me Wesi like I was five again. The last thing she said to me before I snuck out the back door to get on a ship to a planet a hundred and forty million miles away. I swallow hard and shake off the memory, reminding myself that the last thing shedidwas basically unforgiveable.

“Do you miss Earth?”

I meet his eyes. What did I give away?

“I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer.” He means it. Not in the way people usually do, trying to make you feel just enough guilt to open up. Like he would move on without another word.

“I miss the air.” And my mom. The farther we get from Earth, the less angry I feel. “Everything here smells fake. I think I prefer dust over plastic. Is it like this in Elysium?” Mom and I could probably get used to it.

“Maybe. I didn’t have anything to compare it to until a little over a month ago. This was my first trip to Earth, at least that I can remember. But my mom didn’t let me outside much.”

Resting against my seat back, I cock an eyebrow. “Afraid you’d go full Earther?”

“Probably. I was supposed to stay for longer, travel around to different cities.”

What he’d said in the arboretum replays in my mind.This is the best place to pretend you’re on Earth.It had deeply annoyed me then. I thought he was playing a part. Trying to convince me that he was on my side, so I’d let him work with me and ILSA. But maybe it was real. Maybe, unlike most people, Jupiter Dalloway is exactly who he says he is.

“Why didn’t you? Couldn’t miss theBoundless’s historic maiden voyage?”

He rubs the base of his throat. “I became an heir. I don’t really have any say over what I do now.”

Okay, poor little rich boy. “Aren’t you born into that position?”

“Not always.” He swallows hard and drops his eyes to his interlocked hands resting on the table. “I’m second born. My sister was the heir, but she died in an accident a couple of years ago.”

Of course. My stomach twists into a knot. I could have put that together if I stopped for a second to think. If my default setting wasn’t asshole. “I’m sor—”

A robotic voice fills the room.Attention,Boundlesspassengers, please be advised a curfew has been put into effect this evening to allow our crew time for maintenance in the night hours. All passengers are required to be in their quarters by the twentieth hour of the day. Thank you for your cooperation.

“Maintenance again? Think it’s still because of the elevator?” Jupiter grabs his stylus, erasing and redrawing the curve of ILSA’s head.

I shrug. “Maybe. Seems like they’d have it cleaned after three days.”

“Do you know what E.F.E. stands for?”

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