Page 16 of Supernova

“Sorry,” he said with a sheepish grin. “I didn’t know anyone was in here.”

“Right. It’s fine.” She cleared her throat. “I’m just not used to people sneaking up on me.”

It was a bit of an understatement. How had she not heard him come up behind her?

The answer came to her a second later. In the weeks she’d known Callum, she’d nevernotheard him. If he wasn’t pushing around a squeaky-wheeled cart laden with artifacts, then he was jabbering away in the incessant way he had, somehow managing to be both charming and obnoxious at the same time.

“I wasn’t sure you’d be in today.” Callum cocked his head, and she realized he was trying to see the folded letter in her hand.

“Why wouldn’t I have come in? I was on the schedule.”

He met her gaze and held it for a beat too long before his smile returned. “I must have forgot.”

Callum’s expression wasn’t judgmental, per se, but there was something amiss. Something suspicious.

Something very un-Callum-like.

Nova gripped her own smile like a weapon, already concocting a lie about the letter in her hand.

But he didn’t ask about it.

That was stranger than anything. The fact that hestillwasn’t talking.

“Oh!” she said, feigning a gasp. “I heard about your run-in with Nightmare. Are you okay?”

One side of his mouth twitched. “Yeah, yeah. She did her sleep thing on me. You know, I’ve heard that a lot of people have killerheadaches after she’s put them to sleep, but I was fine. Felt pretty well rested the next day, actually.”

“Oh… well, that’s good.” Nova hoped she sounded confused. “Maybe you’re just more resilient than the rest of us.”

Or maybe I was being nice.

“I seriously doubt that.” His brow furrowed, the grin fading for real this time. “Is it weird to think that maybe she was going easy on me?”

Nova guffawed. It was as fake as she feared it would be. “Nightmare, go easy on someone? That seems out of character.”

“Yeah, I know.” He squinted, inspecting Nova like he knew something. Her pulse thundered. “I know this sounds weird,” he added, “but she seemed familiar.”

Nova’s eyebrows worked their way toward her hairline. “Funny you should say that,” she said, lowering her voice in what she hoped would inspire conspiratorial confidence. “It might not be as weird as you think.”

He blinked, and for a moment he looked like a startled rabbit ready to bolt. She knew he suspected her. That he was well aware of why Nightmare would seem familiar.

But she had to convince him otherwise.

“My patrol unit had a meeting yesterday,” she said, crossing the room to him. His posture was a study of both curiosity and nerves. He should have been wary of being so close to her. If he really did believe she was Nightmare, then he knew how dangerous she could be. How easily she could put him to sleep again. Though maybe that’s what he was hoping she would do.

It would certainly prove his suspicions.

“Adrian has a theory,” she went on. “And at first it seemed a little far-fetched, but now I’m not so sure.”

Callum’s shoulders sank as it became clear that this was not about to become a confession. “What sort of theory?”

“About Nightmare. He’s been investigating her for months now, ever since the attack at the parade. He’s compiled a shocking amount of information and… well.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. Callum leaned in closer. “He thinks she might actuallybea Renegade.”

He said nothing. After another strangely silent moment, she saw him become suspicious again. Trying to see right through her.

Finally, he said, simply, “Oh yeah?”

“I wasn’t sure at first, but when Adrian started listing all the coincidences… like that she knew about the helmet, and had access to Agent N… and oh! The mist-missiles? It kind of starts to make sense, right? What if she’s a spy?”

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