Page 4 (1/2)

"Your iven your lineage Your reluctance to pursue subterfuge does you a disservice when it is rooted in laziness Your good humor athering and not siossip Concentrate on combat and solo reconnaissance You nood if they have a solid foundation"

Diht she too would be placed on probation

Last, Professor Lefoux turned to Sophronia

"Miss Tehest iven in a six-e Nevertheless, you veer away froo to your head; there are est concern is what you get up to e are not watching Because, if nothing else, this test has told us you are probably spying on us, as well as everyone around you"

All the other girls in the room, even Dimity, turned to stare at Sophronia

In that moment, Sophronia knew they hated her And because she was exactly as Professor Lefoux had said, one small part of her wondered if her assesse her by pitting her against her fellow students

"Oh, Sophronia," hissed Dimity, "couldn’t you have faked it a little?" Dieful bone in her body, but even she could be manipulated

Sophronia looked out froer holding back tears Sidheag wore a small smile of discomfort Preshea and Monique were openly hostile

"Good luck," said Professor Lefoux to the swiftly from the room

Everyone began talking in hushed tones Everyone, that is, except Sophronia And no one talked to her, just about her

"Isn’t she Miss High and Snobby now?" hissed Monique

"Bet she thinks the sun rises out of her tea in the hest ? We witnessed history," said Sidheag, her yellow eyes cold

"I can’t believe I’atha, possibly not exaggerating One never kneith parents who sent their daughters to Mademoiselle Geraldine’s

Sophronia tried out tactics in her head Just now, she had nothing to say that wouldn’t sound falselyset up, she’d sound defensive She would have to hope that Agatha and Sidheag would figure it out on their own She felt certain, however, that she could count on Dimity

Sophronia cocked her head to one side to look at her best friend

Diatha

Sophronia bit her lip and stared at her hands She had thought Diirls continued to ignore her all that day Itmeal Sophronia tried not to let it affect her They should recover froravate them But every time she perfor lessons, she could feel the dislike Several days saw no change to this pattern, and even Di to her, which was particularly aard, as they shared a bedroo an appetite at dinner and started filching the occasional roll for later She even conteirl crept out of quarters for her assignation with Lord Dingleproops But since Sophronia figured that the letter was some kind of cruel joke and that the boy wouldn’t show up, she simply couldn’t let her friend walk into heartbreak alone So when Died at bedtiown, Sophronia followed

Diet around the ship She held perfectly still and flattened herself against walls so etting around after hours very slow, and there was always a risk of discovery whenever a ht Diht, which ht Di she knew on the subject

Sophronia stayed out of sight, tracking her friend effortlessly, knowing Dimity was headed to the back squeak deck Sophronia had it easier She used a s, her own personal invention It was unde the sae on an airship hull Sophronia had scavenged rope from the sooties and asked Vieve to build her a hook and the emission hurlie The hurlie was a kind of turtle-shaped device that clipped to Sophronia’s wrist Vieve was fond of things that clipped to wrists Once Sophronia flipped the catch at the turtle’s tail, a spring-loaded release rapple underneath, and the rope followed behind Best of all, Sophronia didn’t have to use the ladder from Lady Linette’s balcony every ti up onto the deck after Di around to the very back of the ship She reeled in her grappling hook and hung off the side, looking into the skies, hunting for an airdinghy Above her, the squeak deck was abandoned under its great balloon, except for Dimity Dimity’s vieas obstructed by the smokestacks, mast, and propeller, but Sophronia could see around and between them The school floated with the breeze, so the air around them felt still and windless

Hours seemed to pass, and Sophronia was convinced that the letter was a hoax Then she saw it, co it, but she could e point but its sail and four balloons

Above, Dimity’s silhouette came to the rails and looked out, but she could not see what Sophronia saw

Sophronia wondered how Lord Dingleproops intended to board without setting off any of the school’s alarms The back was the safest choice, since teachers and staff slept in the forward section and students in the middle, but there were mechanicals everywhere Several had protocols that had the but look for shapes in the sky and set off alar

Fearlessly, the airdinghy rose up until it was allad little cry of welcoondola, there were two men, not the one boy Dileproops once at a party; he was a reedy, chinless, redheaded blighter, and while tall and strapping, he was not bulky Both of these

As the airdinghy rose higher, Sophronia squinted, trying to ures in the dark Then she realized as off about theentleear, even if thatwas a joke Whoever these leproops was a member of the Pistons, a social club A Piston’s top hat was his n of status; to travel without it was unthinkable