Among the Nameless Stars

they’d ever stick.

    Among the Nameless Stars by Diana Peterfreund
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    Kai had to call them several times before either Cleopatra or Alexander—or rather, Napoleon—
    realized he was talking to them.
    Kai wondered if he’d have the same problem if he ever changed his name. He hadn’t done so yet. To begin with, there was still the chance that Elliot might come, though that possibility diminished day by day. If she was going to come, wouldn’t she have done so already? If she ever wanted to see him again, why didn’t she at least take her father’s carriage and come visit? If she really cared, wouldn’t she be the slightest bit curious to see how he was doing?
    The other reason was more personal. Kai didn’t want to change his name until he’d made a new life for himself. If he was still Kai, still Kai of the North Estate, he could pretend he was still in transit, that he hadn’t yet forged his own path into the future. This situation with Pen was not permanent if he was still Kai.
    “The Innovations are over there.” Cleopatra pointed. She handed him a small red slip of paper. “This pass will get you into their pavilion.”
    “How did you get this?”
    He could have bit off his tongue as soon as the words left his mouth. He knew how she’d gotten it. Cleopatra wasn’t saying anything, and he gave a clipped nod and stuck the pass in his pocket. He wouldn’t turn down her gift. That would only make it worse.
    He needed to make sure the pass was worth it. And then, one day, he’d pay them both back for helping him when no one else would.
    “Wish me luck,” said Kai, and took off.
    He liked Cleopatra and her brother—whatever the boy decided his name was. Whether he was teaching them to read or scheming with them to track down the Innovations, they reminded him of Elliot more than anything else in this strange place. His elegant Elliot would probably be Among the Nameless Stars by Diana Peterfreund
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    appalled to think she was anything like the angry, coarse Cleopatra, but the resemblance was there nonetheless. They were both so strong and so loyal.
    At least, he’d always thought of Elliot as the most loyal person he knew. But then she’d let him go on alone, after all the promises they’d made to each other. Maybe Kai didn’t know her at all.
    Those were thoughts for another day. He pushed through the crowd toward the spot Cleopatra had indicated. This close to the railings, the audience was a mess of rich Posts and Luddites. Everyone wore beautiful clothing, some in velvet or bright colors, and he could see jewelry glittering from every ear, neck, wrist, and nose. Nearby, a line of Innovation horses was tied to a rail, and colorful streamers that looked like they might be made of real silk bobbed along with sun-lamps over everyone’s head. Kai was jostled and shoved by the crowd, and there were more than a few dirty looks and grunts of disgust aimed in his direction. Even the man who took his pass at the gates they’d set up looked skeptical that someone as grungy as Kai should possess one.
    For the first time, he began to wonder if his plan was even feasible. He needed to get close to Innovation’s wife and daughter for it to work at all.
    At last he reached them—or the people he’d been told were they. Mrs. Innovation was dressed in a deep plum suit, with a split skirt that reminded him of the riding habits Elliot had been forced into for her lessons. For some reason, the trousers Elliot wore on a daily basis during her trips to the barn were deemed unacceptable for riding lessons with her father. The Innovation daughter, who he’d heard was named Sophia, looked to be about Napoleon’s age or a little older and was wearing more pieces of velvet than Kai had thought humanly possible. He looked closer and thought that beneath her fuzzy and quilted jacket, she was even wearing a silk shirt. Silk!

    Among the Nameless Stars by Diana Peterfreund
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    Kai supposed if you were rich like Sophia Innovation, you could have whatever you wanted, even if what you wanted was to swathe yourself from head to toe in the most luxurious fabrics imaginable. She didn’t even seem to care what colors she was wearing. Mustard yellow vied with chartreuse and rose and pumpkin and sea green, all in different patterns and textures.
    He came as close as he dared, then set down his bag and pulled out the box he’d spent the last week devising. It was all cranked up and ready to go. He unfolded the