Artificial Absolutes (Jane Colt Book 1) by Mary Fan Page B

I’m fine . Just leave me alone.”
    The officer stiffened. “Miss Colt, we still have some questions for you.”
    “Look, I am not a suspect, I am not a witness, and I am not a victim.” She imitated the poisonously soft tone her mother used to employ. “I talk to Devin once a month if I’m lucky, and I don’t know anything about his life. He didn’t even tell me when he got engaged to Sarah DeHaven. So unless you need a blood relative to perform some creepy ancient seeking ritual, I suggest you stop wasting your time and mine.”
    The gray-eyed officer stood and looked uncertainly at his companion, who gave him an I-don’t-know expression. He attempted to resume his steely countenance. “Are you sure you don’t know where he might have gone?”
    Jane kept her toxic you’re-an-idiot gaze fixed on him.
    The officer cleared his throat. “That will be all for now. Thank you, Miss Colt. Again, we apologize for upsetting you. If your brother contacts you, we ask that you report it immediately.”
    Both officers turned and left.
    Jane had completely and unapologetically lied. She knew exactly where her brother would be. As soon as the officers were out of sight, she went to find him.

    The Colt estate, called Serena, had been in the family for generations. Jane and her brother had grown up there. They’d flown across the continent every morning for school in Kydera City and returned at night. Their parents had hired pilots to escort them, but whenever they weren’t around, Devin bribed the pilot into taking the day off. He would fly Jane to school himself before running off to do no good. Some of her fondest childhood memories had taken place in those moments when it was just the two of them.
    Once a thriving plantation, Serena’s fertile fields had long ago been left to nature, with tall blue and purple trees rising out of the rich brown earth. Acres of untamed forests surrounded the palace-like glass and steel mansion. The only other sign of civilization was the hangar by the glittering white landing pad.
    Jane loved the wilderness. It was so vast, she’d never run out of places to explore. She could live there a hundred years without knowing all the secrets of the ever-changing land or the buried riddles left behind by previous inhabitants.
    Twelve years before, Devin had hijacked one of the groundskeeper’s open-air hovercars and told Jane to come with him. He had something to show her.
    Jane jumped into the passenger seat, excited that her big brother was hanging out with her. “Where’re we going?”
    “It’s hard to describe.” Devin strapped himself into the driver’s seat beside her. “Buckle up.”
    Jane snapped the safety harness in place, and it tightened to accommodate her.
    The hovercar soared over the fields and into the trees, speeding around the crooked branches deep into woods. Jane laughed, thrilled at the danger and eager to be let in on a secret. Devin stopped the vehicle in a clearing covered in tall waves of azure grass.
    She gasped. “I didn’t know this was here!” She leaped out and ran into the grass, which was almost as tall as she was. Ducking down, she teased, “You can’t find me!”
    “C’mon, Pony. Aren’t you a little old for these games?”
    Jane giggled and curled up to make herself as small as possible. She looked at the sky, which was pale red and streaked with a gold filigree of clouds. It was late. Mom and Dad would be so mad if they knew she was out.
    Nah, they’d probably get mad at Devin for taking her. They were always mad at him. She didn’t understand why.
    Devin’s face came into view, expression annoyed.
    Jane grinned sheepishly. “Sorry, couldn’t resist.”
    He smiled and held out a hand. Jane took it, and he pulled her up.
    The clearing was square-ish, surrounded by trees with violet leaves woven together to form a dense canopy.
    “Where are we?” Jane asked.
    “A part of Serena that no one’s been to in a really, really long time.” Devin