Among the Nameless Stars

“I had a bit of a problem with my antenna, and she helped me fix it.”
    “What do you need an antenna for?”
    He smiled broadly. Like mother, like daughter. Good thing they were the curious sort. “To beat your husband at the race.”
    Just then the sound of a pistol shot rent the air and echoed across the water, and the boats took off. Everyone’s attention turned toward the race, except for the two Innovation women.
    “What are you talking about, young man?” Mrs. Innovation asked.
    “Kai,” Sophia offered. “He said his name is Kai.”
    Kai kept his eyes on the boats. His fingers hovered over the switch. He needed to send the signal at precisely the right moment… .
    Mrs. Innovation’s hand came down on his device. “Talk to me—Kai.”
    There was something in the way she said his name. Something Kai hadn’t heard for months.
    Hadn’t heard for far longer than that. He risked looking up at her.
    “I—I work for Pen. I’m a mechanic.”

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    She raised her eyebrows in disbelief. “You can’t be much older than my daughter.”
    “I’m fourteen, and I am Pen’s mechanic. I’m the best in the enclave.” He looked back at the water. Pen had almost reached the turn. He was in third place. Kai hoped he’d make the turn without falling even farther behind or even the trick he had planned might not be enough to save them.
    “And you’re trying to cheat,” added Mrs. Innovation. She shook her head. “Should have known we couldn’t trust Pen to play fairly. Give that here.”
    Kai swerved away from her, keeping his eye on the boats. Just a few more seconds and Pen would be around the turn and heading back toward the marina. “Pen has nothing to do with this,”
    he insisted as Mrs. Innovation lunged for the box again. He maneuvered himself on the other side of Sophia. “I invented this device all by myself!”
    There! Pen had made the turn. Kai ducked away from Mrs. Innovation again and watched as the nose of Pen’s boat swerved back in their direction. All he needed was a clear shot… .
    Kai flipped the switch.
    Nothing happened.
    There should have been a small explosion, a burst of speed, a turbocharged wave of propulsion that shot Pen far into the lead. But nothing happened at all.
    “No!” he shouted. He tried it again. Flick flick flick flickflickflickflick . “Not now. Come on…
    .”
    All around him, the crowd was shouting, cheering on their favorite racer. Captain Innovation’s boat was in the lead, with another racer close behind, and Pen a distant third. Kai watched in horror as Innovation crossed the finish zone and the flag went up.

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    Everyone in the immediate vicinity started screaming with joy. Mrs. Innovation stopped her pursuit of him and gave a gleeful little hop. She grabbed Sophia’s hand. “Daddy won, sweetheart! He won!”
    Pen had lost. He’d lost the race, and he’d blame Kai. But that was nothing compared to what Kai had just lost—the only chance he’d ever have to impress the Innovations.
    His insides seemed to stick in place, dead as the device in his hands. His lungs wouldn’t expand; his heart wouldn’t beat.
    Mrs. Innovation paused in her celebration and turned to him. “Let that be a lesson to you, Kai. Pen is doing you no favors by forcing you to do his dirty work. Cheaters never prosper.”
    “ No one ever prospers!” Kai blurted out, his words choked with unshed tears. “No one does, unless it’s by cheating, or lying, or hurting others. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Luddites, or Pen, or— or you !”
    “Me?” The woman exclaimed. “I’ve hurt no one. Your machine didn’t work all on its own.”
    Kai’s eyes stung, but he would not cry in front of these people, even if Sophia wouldn’t be able to see. He turned to leave, but the crowd pressed in tight. Still, he shoved his way through as best as he could.
    “Wait!” shouted Mrs. Innovation. “Come back!”
    “Kai!” cried Sophia. “Kai!”
    But soon their voices were lost in the crowd.

    Among the Nameless Stars by Diana Peterfreund
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Eleven
    Kai had never been around so many people. They moved as one living thing, sweeping him along toward the dais, where the race officials sat and waited for the racers to leave the water.
    Kai had no desire to see Pen now. Doubtless, his master would be furious at him—not that his loss was Kai’s fault. Pen had no idea about