Page 107 of Kingmakers, Year Three

“I need your help,” I say.

“I’d like to, but I’m extremely busy at the moment.”

Rakel is reading her favorite graphic novel for the twenty-eighth time while eating oranges in bed. The whole room smells of citrus.

“Come on,” I coax her. “It’s a computer thing, and you’re better at it.”

Rakel holds her place with one long, dangerously pointed fingernail and glances over at me.

“I haven’t beaten you at a programming challenge in weeks.”

“This is something different.”

“You’re being mysterious because you want to intrigue me.”

“Is it working?” I grin.

“Maybe. I’ll help you?—”

“Yay!”

“IF you do something for me.”

“What?” I say suspiciously.

“Go to the dining hall and get me four more oranges.”

“What!” I groan. “It’s hideous out there.”

“I know. That’s why it’s a good trade.”

“You already ate . . .” I try to count the towering stack of peels, “ . . . a whole fuck-load of oranges.”

“Nature’s candy,” Rakel says, returning to her novel and turning another page.

“I’m gonna freeze.”

“You’ll stay warm if you run really fast.”

Grumbling, I sprint up the stairs and then dash across the lawn with my jacket pulled tight around me. I already froze my ass off walking to and from the village with Dean. After this second excursion, I’m going to need a solid hour huddled under a blanket just to thaw out.

I steal as many oranges as I can stuff in the pouch of my sweatshirt, then I run back to the Undercroft, cursing Rakel’s extortionary tactics the entire way. She’s been paying a little too much attention in Professor Owsinki’s class.

“Here, you fucking terrorist,” I say, dumping the oranges down on her lap.

“Great,” Rakel says. “I’ll help you when I’m done eating them.”

“RAKEL!”

“Alright, alright.” She grins. “Tell me what you want.”

I take a deep breath. “I need to find somebody. But I only have a small amount of information about her. And she might be in hiding.”

Rakel considers. “Is Miles’ satellite still working?”

“Yeah, as far as I know.”

Miles and Ozzy set up their own private network on the island so they’d have constant internet access outside of the limited and highly-monitored connection available through the school computer lab.

---