She frowns at me.
“Science nerd,” I reply, shrugging and smiling reassuringly at her. “Trust the science.”
“Right.” Nova hugs her new wooden sled to her chest. “Trust the science.”
A few minutes later, we’re lined up at the back of the carriage, ducks and beads kicked out of the way, ready to hurtle to our death. Kole is hanging out of the carriage watching for the station. “Here it is.” He runs back to us and positions himself next to Nova.
“Pretend it’s that fairground ride,” Sam says, nodding at her. “The one that made your dad throw up. Remember?”
A laugh tickles her chest. “Sure. I remember.”
“Ready!” Kole yells. “On three...” He starts to count. We grip our sleds tightly. When he reaches three, we run.
25
NOVA
As my feet leave the edge of the train carriage, my heart leaps up into my throat. I’m hurtling toward death—that much is obvious. There’s no way Kole’s sled trick will work. The wood will shatter. I’ll hit the ground stomach-first, so hard my internal organs will get squished up into all the wrong places, and I’ll die before I’ve even had chance tothinkabout saving the world.
As I throw myself forward, slamming my belly onto the piece of crate I’m supposed to be using to slide down the hill, I screw my eyes shut and wait for the impact. Something is underneath me, but it’s not solid ground. I open one eye and look sideways to see Mack throwing a current of air in my direction.
So instead of hitting the ground with a huge thump, I swoop down and slide effortlessly into the dense thicket of trees in front of me. As my makeshift sled catches on a tree root, spins sideways, and throws me into the bushes, I hear the others yelling. Mack hurtles past and slams into a tree. Tanner groans, but I can’t see where he’s landed. As I stand, shakily, Sam’s head appears from a bush nearby. A twig is sticking out of it, and he looks comically dizzy. Kole, however, simply skids to a halt and stands as if he’s some kind of stunt double in a cheesy action movie.
“Okay, Little Star?” He strides over and puts both hands on my upper arms, examining me closely.
“Fine. Good. Mack gave me a helping hand.” I look in Mack’s direction. He’s rubbing his shoulder.
“Think it’s dislocated,” he mutters, wincing. “Where’s Tanner?”
“I’m here.” Tanner’s voice drifts through the crevices between the trees. “Hold on.” When he emerges, he looks in a better state than Mack or Sam. Not quite as suave as Kole though. “Ouch,” he says, wincing as he looks at Mack’s shoulder. “Sorry, Baloo, you’re right. Dislocation.”
Mack growls. He’s pale and sweat has broken out on his forehead. “Can you pop it back in?” he asks.
Tanner grimaces. “It’ll hurt like fuck, but yeah I can put it back in.” He cocks his head toward the shadows. “Come over here. We don’t need an audience.”
I move to go with them, but Tanner shakes his head. “It’s not nice to watch, Little Star. Stay here. Baloo will be fine.”
When they’ve disappeared, so I don’t have to wait for the sound of Mack’s shoulder being yanked back into place, I turn and scan the trees for Luther. Kole’s doing the same.
“He was behind you, right?” I ask, my heart catching in my chest. “We didn’t leave him behind, did we? I mean, he wasn’t still on the train, was he?” A slow heat creeps up my neck.
“He was next to me,” Sam says. “He definitely jumped.”
“Wait here,” Kole tells me. “We’ll go look.” He gestures for Sam to follow him. Folding my arms, I tap my foot impatiently. I wait a few more seconds before heading in the other direction.
I’m searching the ground when I notice a white sneaker sticking out of a bush at a funny angle. I crouch down and move the branches aside. “Luther?” I move up his body then put my hands on his shoulders. His eyes are closed. He’s bleeding from a cut on his forehead. “Luther?” I shake him, just a little. He groans and his eyelids flutter, but he doesn’t open them.
“It’s okay.” I move behind him and pull his head into my lap. The strength of the worry that’s twisting my insides takes me by surprise. Especially after what he said to me last night.
Raising my voice, I shout for Tanner. The sound makes Luther try to sit up, but I tell him not to move. “Wait. Tanner’s coming.”
He opens his eyes. Upside down, he looks at me. His eyes travel my face, skimming over my features. They leave a trail of warmth that makes my cheeks flush. “You,” he says. “You’re so beautiful.”
My mouth drops open. Quite literallydropsopen. Last night he told me to stay the hell away from him and now he’s telling me I’m beautiful? Not that he wants to fuck me—that I’mbeautiful.
Before I can reply, his eyes close again and footsteps crunch behind us.
“Nova? I thought you were waiting?” Kole helps me to my feet as Tanner kneels next to Luther.