"Are you sure this is legal?"
The concrete is slick beneath her fingers, and the night is wide with the promise of possibility.
Pearson smirks.
"No."
Skye holds her breath, waiting for the familiar black stars to overtake her vision.
She waits.
"Okay," she exhales,"Let's do it."
"You're practically a criminal."
Rosalind hisses at her.
"You defaced public property with the words 'Viva la Pluto'." Jane snickers. "That's basically the nerdiest thing ever."
"Viva la Pluto." Batty whispers, shoulders clenching and unclenching in silent laughter.
"In retrospect, it seemed like a good idea." Skye mutters.
Rosalind raises an eyebrow.
"It seemed like a good idea to spray paint the outside of the public library with 'Viva la Pluto'?"
"In retrospect-"
"Well, in retrospect, community service will seem like a good idea." Rosalind growls.
Like, actually growls. Like a goddamned lion or something.
"So, what are you in for?" Skye asks. The boy next to her-Jeffrey, she thinks- sighs.
"Don't call it that. You make it sound like we're in jail."
"Okay, what act of rebellion against society landed you here?"
"I broke into the senior center to play the piano."
"Why?"
He whispers something that Skye can't catch, something about "mother" and "music".
"What?"
"My mother doesn't like music very much- well, she paid for my lessons, but she doesn't want me to play any music other than classical."
"That sucks."
Jeffrey manages to not look like he's on the verge of tears for a second.
"Yeah."
"How was community service?" Pearson asks, as soon as she gets out of the library. (His mom, big-shot state senator that she is, bailed him out of doing service.)
"Boring. Shelving books isn't exactly the most exciting activity."
"Well, at least you rock the Dewey Decimal system now."
Skye groans.
"Don't remind me."
Pearson looks up from where he's trying to pick her pocket.
"Make any friends?" he mocks.
She jerks away from him.
"You wish."