“I’d rather have a German shepherd as a partner,” I said. I glanced over at Regan and shrugged. “No offense.”

She flipped her hand dismissively. “None taken. I’d trade you for a gerbil.”

“You’re impossible,” I grumbled. “And annoying. I hope you know that.”

“I’ve been told,” she said.

“Queen Obnoxious and the Grade-A Jerk,” I said. “What a team.”

“Either that or a really delightful children’s book,” she said. With that she turned, clambered back out the window, and disappeared.

Chapter Sixteen

Regan

If anyone thought I’d be reluctant to move out of the mansion on the hill and into student housing, they’d be wrong. I’d been begging, literally begging, my mom for most of my life to let me live in one of the dorms. All the other kids at the Academy had a camaraderie with one another that I just hadn’t been able to achieve, and I was pretty sure it was because I wasn’t a part of their inside jokes about the cold showers or the tiny closets. Or, I reminded myself, it could be that I really was the queen of being obnoxious, like Elliot said. Either way, I was getting my wish and moving into student housing at last. I knew I wouldn’t make friends right away, especially since I was saddled with Elliot, but maybe eventually. A girl could hope.

Mom had insisted on helping me with the move, but I’d have given anything to make this walk across the misty early-morning campus by myself. I’d really wanted to begin this fresh start, well, fresh. I shivered despite my warm cadet jacket. A glance out of the corner of my eye showed that my mom was just as preoccupied as I was. She’d gotten called away for an emergency meeting right after I’d gotten home from my visit to Elliot’s room, and the dark circles under her eyes were more pronounced than ever.

“So, what happened last night?” I asked in an attempt to break the silence.

“Nothing I can talk about,” Mom said with a distracted half smile.

“Oh,” I said, and pressed my lips together. Seeing my reaction, she sighed and put an arm around my shoulders and squeezed.

“Besides,” she said. “The last thing I want to talk about on the day my daughter moves out is work. I’ll miss you, you know.”

“Now I’ll be just like every other cadet,” I said, “only seeing my mom every now and then.”

“You, my dear, are not just like every other cadet,” she said, but before she could go on, there was a shuffling noise to our right, and Elliot came around the corner, his blue regulation duffel bag slung over shoulders that were hunched against the cold.

“Hello, Cadet Mason,” Mom said, her voice too loud in the early-morning stillness. Elliot jumped about a foot and looked up in surprise.