Star Daughter(45)

Dev crossed his arms. “I thought you didn’t want to hear anything I had to say.”

“Are you serious?” Sheetal couldn’t believe him.

“I’m here to provide moral support. The trusty sidekick, or mortal companion, as they call it here.”

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” she said. “What I can’t get is why anyone would want a star torturer’s whatever-grandkid as their champion.”

She was so mad, but something treacherous deep inside her wanted to forget everything and just kiss him. That made her even madder. She leaned against the wall, trying to look bored.

“How long are you going to hold that against me, anyway?” Dev asked the mosaic ceiling. “It’s not like I even had anything to do with it. Jeet didn’t, either.”

“No, but—but,” Sheetal stammered. “But you knew what I was, and you pretended you didn’t!”

Gods, why did she feel like crying? He was just a stupid boy.

Just the stupid boy who knew I was a star and spied on me.

Dev stuck his hands in his pockets. “Look, none of us believed in that whole family legend thing, all right? But then someone from the Revati nakshatra showed up and asked him to be their champion.”

They should have picked you. She quashed the thought, horrified at herself. “How did they hear about him?”

“His fiction is starting to take off. You know, the kind of stuff in the New Yorker? Literary fiction?”

“Your cousin writes for the New Yorker?” Sheetal couldn’t help being impressed. “You never told me that.”

“No, but he wants to. Anyway, the desi community out there is buzzing about him, especially after he won a Flying Start grant last fall.” Dev smiled proudly. “Growing up, he didn’t always have it easy like I did, you know? But he always supported my music no matter what anyone else said. He’s earned this shot.”

“But he’s a star hunter. A star hunter.” Sheetal stared at him, waiting for that to sink in. “How is anyone here remotely okay with that?”

He threw her an annoyed glance. “Don’t you think you’re overreacting just a little? You might as well call me a star hunter, then. It’s been, like, fifteen generations since that happened. Most of my family doesn’t even believe you exist.”

Overreacting? Sheetal could have screamed. “So why do they keep telling that awful story?”

“I told you. It’s bizarre, something to make them stand out, like when people say they’re descended from Jack the Ripper. Does that make every single person who shares DNA with him a serial killer?”

Put like that, it sounded really stupid. Her cheeks heated. “Whatever. Did you ever even like me?”

She’d meant to hurt him, but he only looked mystified and a tad vulnerable. “Of course I do. Why are you asking that?”

“But your cousin made you talk to me. You said so.” Sheetal didn’t know why she was pushing this. What was she hoping for, anyway?

“Look, everyone here knows your mom had a kid on Earth. I guess that’s kind of a big deal? And the star from Revati told—”

“Told Jeet, and he asked you to spy on me,” Sheetal finished for him. Her throat stung, and she found herself tearing at a hangnail. “So what’d you report? Was I useful? Is he all set to win the competition now, what with his insider info on stars and our weak spots?”

“It wasn’t like that!” Dev protested, moving closer. “I didn’t tell him anything.”

“Only because I didn’t know anything for you to tell.” Sheetal shook her head. She kind of believed him; that was the worst part.

“Sheetal, listen—” His voice cracked, then broke off as a band of stars headed their way. The stars nodded at Dev but frowned at her. She made herself smile brightly in return.

“Save it, Dev,” she said the second they’d left. “Just admit you tried to use me.”

“Well, we both did things. I mean, you ran off without letting me explain!”

Sheetal laughed. “‘We both did things.’” Like kissing. Rivers of silver flame gusted up her arms and to her face. What if that had happened while they were making out? “You’re kidding, right?”

Eyes wide, he shrank back. “You didn’t exactly tell me you were a star, either.”

She was glad to have scared him, she told herself, even as the flames died away. She was. “Seriously? We were together for three months.”

“So? Would six months have been better?” Dev looked skeptical. “A year? Ten years? Were you ever going to tell me?”

“Oh, no,” Sheetal said. How was he putting this on her? “This is not my fault. Don’t even try that.”

“I’m just trying to say you had your reasons, and so did I.”

She couldn’t handle how calm he sounded. “Reasons? Really?”

He took a step toward her, his smile hopeful as he reached out a hand. “Look, I miss you. Can’t we just go back to how it was before?”

Yes, a pathetic part of her whispered. It urged her to tell him she missed him, too. She buried that part as deep as she could, where no one would ever know. Because she couldn’t say yes.

“Go back to how it was?” she retorted instead. “You mean, when you were using me to write your songs? Or how about go back to when I burned my dad because of you? Back then?”