Alek
I follow Deryn as she storms out the door, looking flustered. I finally have to speed up and stop in front of her in order to slow her down. "All right," I ask, folding my arms. "What's going on?"
"What?" she asks, folding her arms as well. She looks angry.
"I may not be amazingly observant, but I've never known you to enjoy fencing. What were you and Volger really talking about?" She hesitates and I add, "You know you can't lie to me."
"I managed it for quite a while." She doesn't meet my eyes, a blush spreading across her face and making her scars stand out white. "He wanted to... remind me. Of who I was.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"That I'm just a commoner," she says bitterly, "and I should limit my association with you."
I stare at her, completely taken aback. "After all you've done for us, Volger is trying to send you away? He's gone mad."
"No he hasn't." Her voice is very small, her eyes sad. I had decided to treat her as if she was still a boy. That was who she wanted to be, after all. But seeing her like this, I almost break my promise and put an arm around her shoulders to comfort her, even though I don't know why she's upset. "I understand why."
"Enlighten me, because I still don't." The command, something I'm used to giving, comes out imperious. I bite my lip, wincing at the tone. I don't need to sound like a prince now. I need to sound like a friend.
"It's because... because of your mother," she chokes out, turning redder than I could have believed possible.
"My mo-?" Finally it dawns on me. "But that's simply absurd. You're my friend."
"Good," she says, but her eyes are sadder than ever.
"Wait," I begin, my mind leading me in unpleasant directions, "you aren't - you don't -"
"I need to go," she says quickly, and almost runs past me. I try to catch her hand, but she's already gone. So I stand in the hallway alone, frozen. It seems that Deryn... loves me. My mind tries to skip over the word. But goodness knows how long this has been going on. A million signs present themselves, all quite obvious now. I'm a proper dummkopft, really.
"Is something wrong?" I turn and see Count Volger. I don't know how much I should tell him. But I'm done keeping secrets.
"It's Deryn. She-'" And then the alarms begin to ring.