Spellhacke- M. K. England Page 0,22

looking to Remi as he holds the front door of our building open for us all. “What do you think?”

“You know what I think about them keeping maz all tied up in those pipes,” they say, inspecting their fingernails with studied innocence as I summon the elevator to our floor. “If they’re hiding a brand-new strain of maz from the world, I must liberate it, no matter the risks.”

“Yes, and the irony of that position from someone who’s spellsick never fades. You just wanna play with the shiny,” Jaesin says, stomping onto the elevator like a frustrated teddy bear. “But what about this job specifically? It’s so close to our time to leave. Do you really want in on this?”

Remi laughs and leans on the wall opposite Jaesin, leveling him with a frank stare. “What I think is that you want to have one last amazing job where you get to hit things and take home a big paycheck, but you want me to be the one to say yes so you can act all noble and resigned to your fate.”

Hell yes, call him out. I bark a laugh, then slap my hand over my mouth. Wouldn’t do to ruin this beautiful moment. So close. Just say it, Jaesin.

Jaesin slumps in defeat just as the elevator dings our arrival to the top floor.

“Fine. Fine. You win, both of you. I’m in.” He looks to Ania, his voice lowering to something smoother, softer, as he holds the elevator door open. “What about you? You’ve been suspiciously silent through this whole thing.”

Ania opens her mouth, then closes it again, flicking an evaluating glance over Remi, assessing their current condition. I catch her eye and shake my head ever so slightly. Don’t say it. You’ll regret it.

She sighs.

“Fine. I’m in too. But I want my protest on the official record. This is a bad idea.”

Despite himself, Jaesin grins like a kid about to jump off a roof. Not that I’ve ever seen that exact expression on his face before, and certainly not when we were eleven and living in our second group home together, with the headmistress looking on in horror. I stick my tongue out at Ania.

“Your protest is noted and discarded, princess,” I say.

Remi nudges me out of the way and sticks their thumb on the door lock, then throws our front door dramatically open.

“Okay, Supreme Overlord Dizmon,” they say with a sweeping gesture. “Step into my office and tell us your grand plans. If there really is a new strain of maz out there, I demand to play with it.”

I grin and step over the threshold with my arms spread wide, credit signs and plans for the future crystallizing in my mind.

“Unicorn Sparkles McSunshine,” I call to the flat’s computer. “Play my Badass Illegal Funtimes playlist, please.”

The bass drum kicks in, and I meet Remi’s gaze, remembering their body against mine in the club, the beat and the tension and the promise of so much more.

Maybe the possibility was real after all.

It is on.

Six

I WOULD LOVE TO GO back in time and slap Past Diz for her terrible life choices. Two days for a job like this? I must’ve been high. It’s the only explanation. Or, at the very least, too dazzled by credit signs and decimal points in good places to take into account the fact that this is our grand farewell week, and we have plans every single night. After we talked over the job last night, we somehow thought it was a great idea to stay up and rewatch the entire first season of our favorite series, then celebrate with 3:00 a.m. ice cream. Remi slept through 90 percent of it and passed on the ice cream, but my decisions were not nearly so healthy.

Thanks, Past Diz. You’re a jerk.

Jaesin is obviously hung over and doing a terrible job of pretending otherwise, and I’m still mostly unconscious. The number of unanswered notifications in the corner of my lenses ticks ever upward, but caring is just not in my arsenal right now. I know I owe Davon a message, and a thank-you for his gift, but that’s going to require some serious emotional energy, and I’m tapped dry.

Not that I can complain about energy. Remi slept in way late and had to be dragged to the clinic under duress to go to their monthly appointment with their care team. Blood draws to check cell counts, prescription adjustments as needed, gold stars for daily cardio (some of which comes