“I can. I’m going to make tarts and you’re going to like them.”
Stef grinned. “If you need help putting out fires, I’m next door.”
While I shot mock glares Stef’s way, Sam produced his SED and embarrassed me by taking more photos. After pairing me with each of his friends for a picture, he stopped someone and asked him to take a photo of the five of us.
“I’ve never seen you take photos before.” Sarit wrestled the SED from him and browsed through images. She giggled at one. “Decide it was important after all?”
My hat was suddenly fascinating while I pretended not to see Sam’s glance. “For now,” he said.
“You don’t have one of just you and Ana.” She smirked and motioned the others away from us. “Hold still, both of you. Ana, what are you doing with your hat?”
I held it against my chest with one hand and tried to work out tangles in my hair with the other. “I thought we were finished.”
“Here, let me.” Sam used his fingers as a comb, but before he was done, the flash went off several times and light boxes floated in the corner of my vision. “Maybe this was a mistake.” He angled his face away from Sarit as he eased my hat back over my ears. “Better?”
“Yeah.” The heat and attention had probably made my cheeks bright red. Maybe there was a way to get rid of the photos before anyone saw them. Even as I thought it, Sarit took half a dozen more.
An hour later, we had coffee beans, cheese, and supplies for tarts. The crowd and noise were becoming too much, but there were a few more things I needed. Now that we’d made a full circuit of the market, I knew where to find them.
“Can we meet somewhere in half an hour?” I couldn’t imagine needing more time than that. “I want to find things for my costume.”
“Sure. Ask them to write a bill and we’ll take care of payment later.” He gave a shy smile. “I’ve got a few things to get, too.”
“You’re going to dress up?” I hated how excited I sounded, but he didn’t seem to notice.
“Maybe. I should have stuff just in case.” Again, he looked shy, but I didn’t mention it and we decided on a meeting place with everyone else. “Call me if you need anything.”
I patted the Council-issued SED in my pocket.
“Want company?” Stef asked as we started on our separate ways.
“Nope. I don’t trust you not to tell Sam what I’m getting. He’ll have to wait and find out when people start demanding payment.”
She grinned and waved me on. “See you later, then.”
I wove my way through the crowd with only my new clothes and shoes to weigh me down; Sam had taken the rest of our purchases.
Now, walking through the busy market alone, I missed his presence. It wasn’t as if we spent every minute together—there were plenty of times we were on completely opposite sides of the library, him researching whatever a five-thousand-year-old teenager needed to research, while I focused on the Council’s demands—but I’d gotten used to having him nearby.
I didn’t like being so reliant on him. I’d have to do more things on my own, now that I knew my way around the city a little better. Well, at least I knew how to get to the Councilhouse and back.
My first stop was the jeweler’s stall, where I searched the coils of wire, overwhelmed with choice.
“What are you looking for?” the seller asked.
“I need something sturdy, but soft enough I that can bend it with my hands.” After imagining the finished product for a moment, I held out my arms. “About triple this much.”
He rifled around and produced several options. “I recommend this”—he jiggled one—“because it’s not expensive, and you need a lot.”
“That sounds perfect.” Thankful he’d made the choice easy, I gazed around at the other options. Silver, gold, things I couldn’t identify. “Where do you get all the metal, anyway?”
The seller began writing my bill. “Most of it washes down from the mountains, but there are a couple of drone-mined caverns around.” His pencil halted over the paper, and he squinted at me. “What did you say your name was?”
I tried to make myself taller. “Ana. But make the bill to Dossam, please.”
His eyes narrowed, and I resisted the urge to retreat as he finished writing. “Don’t come around here again, nosoul.” He shoved the paper and coil of wire at me. “Dear Janan, why are we being tested this way?”
A high voice piped up from behind me. “Sure would be a shame if people knew how rude you were to customers, Marika.” A young girl, perhaps nine years old, smiled widely at me. “Have a good afternoon, Ana.”
I grabbed my things and hurried away. Everyone knew me. People who hated me, people who didn’t seem to care one way or another, and even people who liked me for inexplicable reasons. Like Sarit, or the girl in the jeweler’s stall.