Chapter 4

On the last afternoon before fall break, Dad’s SUV pulled up outside the school. The medal from awards night was still in the front pocket of my backpack. Neither of my parents had asked to see it.

Lena’s skis and a brand-new set of snow gear filled the back. Mom was adjusting her goggles while Dad freed a strand of her hair from the zipper of her jacket and promised they would inspect the slopes as soon as they reached the cabin.

Their smiles faded when they saw me, as though I had interrupted a family moment that was never meant to include me.

Mom recovered first. “You don’t enjoy snow training. Staying here to study makes more sense for you.”

“I never asked to go.” I held out the overdue notice. “The cafeteria froze my account. You said you’d transfer my living expenses last week.”

Relief flashed across her face. “We need to get on the road. Grant, send her enough to cover it.”

Dad shoved his hands into his coat pockets. “It’s Sea Cliff’s year. You deal with it.”

“She’s your daughter too.”

“I paid her exam fee and dorm deposit.”

At awards night, they had argued over which one of them should walk beside me. Now they were arguing over which one of them should feed me.

The security guard and half a dozen students stood close enough to hear them list every dollar they had spent on me, as if it were proof that I had already taken too much from them. Then Lena opened her backpack to find a charger, and a key card slipped onto the pavement.

It was for a mountainside cabin. My parents had rented it for the entire season to celebrate Lena passing her latest training assessment. The place was only minutes from the ski runs.

Lena snatched up the card. “You’re not going to say you deserve half of that too, are you?”

Dad’s voice softened immediately. “She shaved two seconds off her time this month. She earned a reward.”

I’d seen her score sheet. She shortened the route and missed two safety checks, but I didn’t call her out. I looked at Dad instead. “My rescue model made the national finals last week. Did you see the email?”

He blinked. “Don’t you get those kinds of notices all the time?”

Apparently, I did. So often that he no longer had to open any of them. He could remember the two seconds Lena gained, but he had no idea that the project I’d spent two years building had been nominated for a national award.

Mom climbed into the SUV. “I’ll handle it when we arrive. Don’t ruin Lena’s vacation before it even starts.”

By noon the next day, my meal account was still locked. I texted Mom and got no answer, though she found time to upload pictures of Lena in her new goggles. Dad’s assistant replied hours later.

[All expenses for the current school year should be directed to the Sea Cliff office.]

Josie bought two hot lunches and set one in front of me. “They messed up my order. I can’t eat both.”

Her ears turned red when she said it. I pretended not to notice.

Mom finally transferred the money late that night. At the same time, she and Dad exchanged more than a dozen messages in the family chat about whether Lena had packed an extra pair of gloves.

I muted the conversation. Through my bond with Sea Cliff, I could feel the faint tug of Mom summoning an entire patrol unit.

She could reach every wolf under her command, but she couldn’t send her own daughter a text asking whether she’d eaten.