broken windows and missing roof tiles, why such a job had fallen into the hands of the Renegades. Weren’t there civilian tradesmen who could use the work? Carpenters who could frame walls and install windows just as well as a prodigy could?
Ducking past the line of orange safety cones, Nova stepped into the overhang of the building. Seeing her gray-and-red uniform, most of the workers ignored her, going about their business.
It only took a few minutes to find Magpie in a back room. She was sifting through a pile of debris, using her limited telekinetic powers to separate anything that could be deemed reusable, from an intact light fixture to a tangle of copper wiring.
She looked immensely bored.
Until she glanced up and spotted Nova. She started and the copper wiring tumbled back into the rubble.
Then she was sneering, which was exactly what Nova had expected.
“You have something that belongs to me,” said Nova, crossing the room. She held out her hand. “I’d like it back.”
Magpie stepped away, and made the subtlest of movements—one hand briefly pressing against the side cargo pocket of her pants. She covered it up quickly, though, by fisting her hands on her hips. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Nova raised an eyebrow and considered putting the girl to sleep and moving on with her day. She really didn’t have time for this. But that, she knew, could come with all sorts of negative consequences.
Instead, she exhaled through her nostrils and said, “My bracelet. Now.”
“I don’t have your junky bracelet,” said Magpie, which was about the most incriminating thing she could have said, given that she’d tried to steal the bracelet once already, and had practically drooled over the star when she’d seen it at the gala. They both knew Magpie didn’t think it was junky.
“I know Adrian gave it to you,” said Nova. “You were supposed to hand it over to Artifacts, but I just checked, and it’s not there.”
Magpie shrugged and changed positions, tightly crossing her arms. “Maybe Callum forgot to record it.”
Nova ground her teeth until her jaw started to ache.
Magpie held her glare, unflinching.
“Fine,” Nova finally said. “I guess I’ll check again.”
“You do that.” Magpie relaxed, just a bit, which is when Nova lunged for her.
She grabbed Magpie’s arm and spun her around, twisting the arm up behind her back. Magpie cried out—more in surprise than pain, though Nova wasn’t trying to be particularly gentle. “Let me go!”
Ignoring her struggles, Nova plunged her hand into the pocket Magpie had indicated earlier. Her fist closed around a couple of loose objects. She shoved Magpie away and opened her palm.
She could have danced with elation to see her bracelet again, undamaged, the star as bright as ever.
The second object in her palm was a little more unconventional. She would expect the little crook to carry around coins or swiped jewelry or even something useful, like lockpicking tools, but not …
“Is this a bullet?” said Nova, holding it up between pinched fingers. It was heavy for its size, its once-silver sheen dulled from time.
“Give it back!” Magpie yelled, her face flushed. She jumped for the bullet, but Nova easily swung it out of her reach.
“Why on earth do you have—”
Magpie spread her fingers. The bullet was torn from Nova’s grip and sent soaring into her palm. She wrapped it in a tight fist, clutching it to her chest. “None of your business!” she spat, face full of venom.
Nova snorted. “And you tried to call my bracelet junky? When you carry around a—”
“It’s not junk!” Magpie screeched. She was really worked up now, her face flushed red, her small hands clenched and shaking. “This bullet gave me my powers! Without it, I … I wouldn’t…” She released a frustrated growl, before repeating, “It’s none of your business!”
Nova cocked her head to the side. “A bullet gave you your powers?”
Before Magpie could respond, someone knocked at the door that had been left open. They both jumped to see the cleanup supervisor watching them with concern. “Everything okay in here?”
Nova glared at Magpie. Neither of them spoke for a long moment.
Finally, Nova huffed and began securing her bracelet to her wrist, using the same latch that Adrian had once drawn for her. “Yep,” she said, breezing past Magpie, who flinched away so their shoulders wouldn’t touch. “Everything is just as it’s supposed to be.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
“SO … NIGHTMARE SNEAKED into the house and stole some comic books?” said Max, his expression more than a