P.D.’s Reviews > Testing of the Stars > Status Update

“Just stop talking and go away,” Aidan snapped, stopping and spinning around to face Max. “I’m not a charity case, and I don’t need your pity. You can stop pretending like you care to hang around me when we both know that’s not true. No one wants to be around me, so just stop.”

“I’m sorry,” Max whispered, leaning back against the wall and forcing himself to breathe in and out slowly as Aidan loosened his grip and stepped back. “I . . . I didn’t mean to freak out like that.” It’s not normally that bad.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” Max said, taking a step toward him as he swept his gaze over the workbench.
“Have I?” Aidan said, frowning as he looked intently at whatever he was working on.
Max nodded. “Yes, yes you have.”

“That sounds boring as a black hole, and I just don’t do boring.”
“First, if you were near its gravitational pull, you wouldn’t think a black hole was boring. Second, is this going to become a regular thing with you?”

All the Novans had blue lines running all over their skin; it was almost as if their veins were glowing. But Max wasn’t a biologist, so for all he knew that could have been exactly what was happening to them. From what he did know, most of the scientist believed it was caused by a plant the Novans ate, called Echo root.