machine.>
Eleanor smiled.
Eleanor hesitated before typing.
. . .
. . .
Poor Uncle Jack.
Eleanor chuckled.
<:)>
. . .
Eleanor stared at the screen as the wind picked upoutside. It always got windy after dark.
. . .
Already? Theyâd barely started talking.
. . .
The feeling returned. There was something her mother wasnât telling her. If her mom was sitting here in person, Eleanor could probably guess what it was, but through the Sync, she had no idea.
Eleanor didnât believe her, and her mom had never kept stuff from her.
That did not comfort Eleanor.
And that was it. The connection between them went cold.
CHAPTER
3
I T HAD SNOWED A BIT DURING THE NIGHT, A FINE, DRY DUST that looked like someone had shaken a bag of flour over the city. The sunlight fell sharply against it. Eleanor took the walk to school warm inside her inner and outer coats, mittens, and the hat her mother had bought her before sheâd left for the Arctic. It was an old-style leather aviator cap, lined with fur, with flaps over her ears. As she walked, Eleanor went back over the texts from last night in her mind. Sheâd stayed up late worrying about what it was her mom was keeping from her, trying to puzzle it out. Did it have something to do with her motherâs expedition onto the ice sheet? But now, with the clarity of the fresh morning,Eleanor had begun to wonder if she was worrying about nothing.
She approached the Ice Castles and found Jenna and Claire waiting outside their building for Eleanor like they usually did, bobbing a little in the cold. It was her first time seeing them since theyâd all been hauled into the police station, and Eleanor didnât quite know what to expect. She hadnât even been sure theyâd wait for her.
âHey,â Eleanor said when she reached them.
âHey,â they said.
The three of them formed a little circle, huddled around the cloud of their mingled breath.
âSo . . .â Eleanor swept a trail through the snow dust with the side of her boot. âDid you guys get in trouble?â
âA little,â Jenna said. âBut my mom believed me when I told her I got tricked into it.â
âMe too,â said Claire. âAt this point, my parents really donât like you, Ellie.â
Eleanor shrugged. âThat has already been duly noted. But are you guys still mad at me?â
âI was,â said Jenna. âBut Iâm not anymore.â
âMe neither,â said Claire.
âGood,â Eleanor said. âOkay.â
âOkay. Can we get to school now?â Jenna bobbedagain. âThey rationed the heat in the Ice Castles last night, and I am so cold. I just want to get warm.â
âRationed the
Eleanor smiled.
Eleanor hesitated before typing.
. . .
. . .
Poor Uncle Jack.
Eleanor chuckled.
<:)>
. . .
Eleanor stared at the screen as the wind picked upoutside. It always got windy after dark.
. . .
Already?
The feeling returned. There was something her mother wasnât telling her. If her mom was sitting here in person, Eleanor could probably guess what it was, but through the Sync, she had no idea.
Eleanor didnât believe her, and her mom had never kept stuff from her.
That did not comfort Eleanor.
And that was it. The connection between them went cold.
CHAPTER
3
I T HAD SNOWED A BIT DURING THE NIGHT, A FINE, DRY DUST that looked like someone had shaken a bag of flour over the city. The sunlight fell sharply against it. Eleanor took the walk to school warm inside her inner and outer coats, mittens, and the hat her mother had bought her before sheâd left for the Arctic. It was an old-style leather aviator cap, lined with fur, with flaps over her ears. As she walked, Eleanor went back over the texts from last night in her mind. Sheâd stayed up late worrying about what it was her mom was keeping from her, trying to puzzle it out. Did it have something to do with her motherâs expedition onto the ice sheet? But now, with the clarity of the fresh morning,Eleanor had begun to wonder if she was worrying about nothing.
She approached the Ice Castles and found Jenna and Claire waiting outside their building for Eleanor like they usually did, bobbing a little in the cold. It was her first time seeing them since theyâd all been hauled into the police station, and Eleanor didnât quite know what to expect. She hadnât even been sure theyâd wait for her.
âHey,â Eleanor said when she reached them.
âHey,â they said.
The three of them formed a little circle, huddled around the cloud of their mingled breath.
âSo . . .â Eleanor swept a trail through the snow dust with the side of her boot. âDid you guys get in trouble?â
âA little,â Jenna said. âBut my mom believed me when I told her I got tricked into it.â
âMe too,â said Claire. âAt this point, my parents really donât like you, Ellie.â
Eleanor shrugged. âThat has already been duly noted. But are you guys still mad at me?â
âI was,â said Jenna. âBut Iâm not anymore.â
âMe neither,â said Claire.
âGood,â Eleanor said. âOkay.â
âOkay. Can we get to school now?â Jenna bobbedagain. âThey rationed the heat in the Ice Castles last night, and I am so cold. I just want to get warm.â
âRationed the
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