Cress dug her fingers into the hover's seat, leaning into the window until
her breath fogged against the glass. She couldn't open her eyes wide
enough, not when there was so much to see, not when she could barely
take it all in. The city of New Beijing was endless. To the east, a cluster
of skyscrapers rose up out of the earth, silver and glass and sparkling
orange under the late afternoon sun. Beyond the city center were warehouses
and arenas, parks and suburbs, rolling on and on. Cress was glad
for the distraction of all the new sights, the buildings, the people ... Otherwise
she thought she would-be sick.
She gasped as the palace came into view atop its cliff, recognizing it
from countless pictures and vids. Still, it was so different in real life.
Even more magnificent and imposing. She splayed her fingers on the
window, framing it in her vision. She could make out a line of vehicles
and a mass of people outside the gates, winding down the cliff side and
into the city below.
Wolf also had his fierce eyes focused on the approaching palace, but
she could sense no amount of awe from him, only impatience. His knee
wouldn't stop bouncing and his fingers kept flexing and tightening.
Watching him was making her nervous. He'd been so subdued back at
the Rampion, so impossibly motionless. She wondered if this burst of
energy was the first sign that the bomb inside him had started to tick.
Or maybe he was just anxious, like she was. Maybe he was tracing over
their plan in his mind. Or maybe he was thinking about that girl. Scarlet.
Cress was sad that she hadn't met her. It was as if the crew of the Rampion
were missing a vital piece, and Cress didn't understand how she fit.
She tried to think of the things she knew about Scarlet Benoit. She'd researched
her a little when Cinder and Thorne had landed the ship on her
grandmother's farm, but not very much. At the time, she'd had no idea
that Scarlet had joined them.
And Cress had only spoken with her once, when the whole crew had
contacted her and asked for help. She'd seemed nice enough, but
Cress had been so focused on Thorne she could hardly remember anything
other than curly red hair.
Fidgeting with the straps of her dress, she glanced at Wolf again,
catching him in an attempt to loosen his bow tie.
"Can I ask you a question?"
His eyes swept over to her. "It's not about hacking security systems, is
it?"
She blind. "Of course not."
"Then fine."
She smoothed her skirt around her knees. "This Scarlet . . . you're in
love with her, aren't you?"
He froze, becoming stone still. As the hover climbed the hill to the
palace, his shoulders sank, and he returned his gaze to the window.
"She's my alpha," he murmured, with a haunting sadness in his voice.
Alpha.
Cress leaned forward propping her elbows on her knees. "Like the
star?"
"What star?"
She stiffened instantly embarrassed, and scooted back from him
again. "Oh. Um. In a constellation, the brightest star is called the alpha. I
thought maybe you meant that she's ... like ... your brightest star. Looking
away, she knotted her hands in her lap, ware that she was blushing
furiously now and this beast of a man was about to realize what an over-
romantic sap she was.
YOU ARE READING
Cress
Novela JuvenilTheir best hope lies with Cress, a girl trapped on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she's being force to work for Queen Levana, and she...
