Chapter 12: The Letter

The registry office was a long hall of oak counters, and at seven in the morning, it was already full of cadets.

Poppy stood at the front counter in a pale pink dress.

She was smiling at the registrar with her hands folded, and she looked like someone's very good daughter.

"I'm so sorry for the trouble," she was saying. "My sister is young. She gets confused. It's best for everyone if she comes home."

The registrar was a stout man with spectacles, and he was frowning at the form in front of him.

"Miss Carrow, I need to be clear," he said. "A withdrawal needs the signature of a guardian."

"My father is her guardian."

"Your father's seal is on this paper, but your father was not here."

"He trusted me to deliver it."

"Did he."

"Of course," she said, and her voice broke a little, perfectly. "We're all so worried."

I came down the hall with Captain Ferris a step behind me, and every cadet in line turned to watch.

Poppy saw me and her face lit up.

"Nessa!" she said. "I'm so glad you came. I was trying to fix things before you got hurt."

"Hello, Poppy."

"The paperwork is only so you can come home safely, I promise."

"I'm eighteen," I said.

I said it to the registrar, not to her.

"I turned eighteen on the day of my ceremony. I've been an adult in the eyes of the pack law for three days. I have no guardian."

The registrar looked at the form, then at me.

"Then this is not a valid withdrawal," he said slowly. "It is a forgery."

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