Scavenge the Stars (Scavenge the Stars #1)(49)

She had to move forward with Boon’s plan. But first, she had personal business to settle.

Footsteps sounded behind her. Her hand drifted to her knife by instinct, her shoulders stiff.

But it was only Cicada. She relaxed as he gave her one of his infectious grins, a flash of white against the striking darkness of his skin. It crinkled the corners of his eyes and stretched the white tattoos on his upper cheeks. Amaya tried to return it, but it sat weak on her face.

“You only picked at your breakfast, so I figured you might be wanting for something else,” he said, placing a silver tray on the glass table beside her. It contained a small teapot, a cup, a plate of fried plantains, and a bowl of colorful fruit.

Unexpectedly, Amaya’s eyes began to sting. It may have been a small kindness, but it felt so much bigger. It reminded her of all the times he snuck her a bit of what Zharo ate—always better than what the Bugs got—and how that, to them, was only one method of survival.

This, though—it wasn’t survival. Not really. It was merely kindness and friendship, and Amaya had no idea what to do with either.

The Brackish had taught her that such things were practically nonexistent; that the world was cruel, and it forged cruel people to inhabit it. It had been a miracle that she had had Roach, considering how many of the older Bugs grew to turn on each other. Once, a Bug had told her that if she snuck one of the fish she gutted down her shirt, she could dry it in the Bugs’ cabin for jerky. But Zharo had seen through that in an instant and given her a black eye. The Bug had merely shrugged and said, “I wanted to see if it would work.”

People were not designed to be trusted.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “How…How are the others?”

He shrugged and took a speckled piece of pitaya from the fruit bowl. “Managing. Waiting. The smaller ones seem fine, but the older ones are itching to get home. I try to keep them busy with housework and meal prep and the like.”

Amaya didn’t blame them for being impatient. Again she thought of Roach, missing him desperately and wishing he were here to tell her what she should do. He had always been much better with the younger Bugs than she was, telling them fantastical stories and pulling laughs out of them when he could.

“I appreciate you looking after them,” she said. “Just let me know what else I can do.”

“You’re already doing plenty.” He gave her a mock salute before heading back inside.

Amaya sat back with a sigh, nibbling on a plantain. She didn’t feel like she was doing plenty. She felt like she was swimming in circles, knowing that as soon as she grew too tired she would drown.

Sunlight filtered through the overhead branches, spangling the ground and her table with coins of gold. A thin breeze ruffled the wide leaves of the palms surrounding her, creating a susurrus that kept her calm as she cycled through her troubled thoughts.

She didn’t hear Liesl until the girl was standing beside her. Jumping halfway out of her seat, Amaya dropped the plantain and pressed a hand to her chest.

“What in the hells, Liesl!”

“I apologize. I should have stepped on a twig to let you know I was coming.”

Amaya caught her breath and glared up at Liesl. One of these days she was going to ask the girl how exactly she had come to learn all these unique…skills.

“Is the first candidate already here?” Amaya asked, looking for the sun’s position. It was far too early for them to be starting.

“No, it’s not that.” Liesl hesitated, keeping her hands clasped before her. Amaya noticed then that she held a folded piece of parchment. “You asked me to look up your father. Arun Chandra. I went through some public records, pulled some things from his business that might be of note.”

Amaya’s heart beat faster. She had worried about asking this favor of Liesl, not wanting Boon to know that she was poking into places he didn’t want her poking. But she had to know what had happened to her father, and why the Port’s Authority would go after him the way they had.

That, and she wanted to prove Boon wrong.

“What did you find?” she demanded.

Liesl looked down, the sun glaring off her glasses. She handed the parchment to Amaya, who took it with shaking fingers. As she opened it, Liesl explained at her elbow.

“Chandra’s Pearls was making good income for a few years, and then something happened to create a significant dip in earnings. I don’t know if it was because of loss of business or some other factor—debts, perhaps”—Amaya flinched at the memory of Boon telling her that her father had gambled—“but he was in need of a loan to keep the business afloat.”

Liesl paused, then sighed. “He took out a loan with Mercado.”

Amaya’s fingers went cold. She scanned the words and numbers on the page before her, though she could barely understand them.

“That isn’t everything,” Liesl said, gesturing to the parchment. “Just the initial loan.”

“What…what does this mean?”

The girl moved to the seat on the other side of the table, fanning out her blue skirts before she sat. “Arun Chandra took out a loan with Mercado, and there was a plan to pay it off over the course of five years, plus interest. Merchants, you know—they’re greedy. Your father was able to pay off the first year, but after that…”