Chapter 2

Dinner ended with Mom wrapping Lena’s scarf around her neck while Dad texted his driver to bring the SUV around. They were still arguing over who should handle Lena’s training before tryouts.

“My school fees still haven’t been paid,” I said.

Mom pulled out her keys. “Your father is handling school expenses this year.”

“She’s registered with your pack,” Dad said. “Don’t dump the bill on me.”

“She’s your daughter.”

“Funny how you remember that when you need my credit card.”

The manager hurried over to open the doors for them. Two patrol officers watched through the glass as I stood between my parents with the overdue notice in my hand. Neither wanted to take it, as if the first one who touched the paper lost.

Dad finally transferred the money. “Competitions, applications, one thing after another. Why do you sign up for so much? Good grades don’t mean you know how to live in a real pack.”

“The scholarship application was free. This is my regular school bill.”

He glanced at his phone. “Then leave the money in the account, and don’t let the next bill chase me through three offices.”

They knew the size of Lena’s fitness-band strap. They remembered what she couldn’t eat before practice and could spot the slightest hitch in her right foot from a running video. I ranked first in my class and had won an award for my rescue algorithm. Their assistants had received every notification. Neither of my parents knew the name of my project.

When they divorced, they held three formal meetings to settle Lena’s living arrangements. Mom insisted she should live with Sea Cliff because the damp coastal air would strengthen her tracking skills. Dad argued that Black Pine’s mountain forests would make her tougher. They eventually agreed to switch our registrations every year, yet neither could stand to be separated from Lena.

I was eight when I slipped into the conference room during a break and offered to stay an extra year with one parent so Lena could make up her time with the other.

“The adults are handling this,” Mom said without looking at me. “Go back outside.”

In the end, Lena kept rooms in both houses and was listed under both family names. The rotation agreement only applied to me. When my name moved, I moved. Whichever parent got me also inherited a stack of bills they accepted like an unfair penalty.

Dad had a wall marked with Lena’s height every year. Once, I stood beside it too. He came over with a pencil, but the doorbell rang before he made the mark. Lena’s new training gear had arrived, and he went to bring it in.

Later, the wall was repainted. Her new measurements replaced the old ones. My name had never made it onto the plaster.

I wasn’t angry at a wall. I was angry that I’d waited all evening before letting myself admit he had forgotten me.

At Mom’s house, Lena’s room was beside mine. Her curtains changed whenever her favorite color did. My desk looked exactly as it had the day I moved in. At sixteen, I bought myself a lamp so I could work on my research at night. Mom saw the charge and asked why I hadn’t told her I needed one.

“I did.”

She thought for a moment, then waved it off. “Next time, take little things like that straight to my assistant.”

When I switched the lamp on, it shone over the research plan I’d written for myself.

Back at school, Ms. Bennett stopped me in the hall. She didn’t ask why my parents hadn’t come. She poured me a glass of water and said, “Your recommendation letter is done. What about housing?”

“Application submitted.”

“There’s one more form.” She slid a packet across the desk. “You’re legally an adult. Once Redwood accepts you, you can withdraw from Sea Cliff and register with the pack sponsoring the institute. You may be unaffiliated for a few days while you travel. Do you know what that means?”

“No Alpha link, and I can’t use Sea Cliff’s health plan.”

“Exactly, so buy temporary coverage.” She tapped the packet once. “And Nora? This isn’t running away. You’re choosing what happens next.”

I nodded and tucked the paperwork deep into my backpack. Ten years ago, I had offered up my name to solve a problem for Lena. Now I only wanted to carry it somewhere safe.