Free Venus City 1 by Tabitha Vale

tongue—she was ready for it—but something held her back. A silent nagging, like someone poking at her chest, made her take pause. Unsettled by it, Braya shot up to her feet and raced out of the room, leaving Maydessa's claims unaddressed. It was the only thing she knew to do.
    Loud cheering and the scent of greasy snacks swept over her. The game was louder outside their box seats. Braya didn't know where she would go—she was on the verge of calling her driver—but she did know that she needed to get away from the Finches as fast as possible. Another second with them and she would have snapped again.
    After getting lost multiple times in the hollowed halls of the outer stadium, Braya lost her patience and caved. She called her driver, who was only ten minutes away. Their family had a couple drivers, but she only ever used the same one since her mother, aunt, and cousins used the others.
    Braya went outside to wait for her. The late afternoon warmth felt therapeutic against her skin—she hadn't realized how chilly it was inside until now—and she allowed her eyes to droop shut while she leaned against a tree.
    When she thought about it, she was glad she'd stopped herself from slapping that dumb May-Finch. The birdie had it coming, but she wasn't worth Braya's energy. Making her ride home on the Sky Rail would be a satisfying retaliation, but she felt a twinge of guilt at punishing the other two with her.
    A loud crash startled Braya out of her thoughts. She jerked backward, banging her shoulder into the tree's trunk. Cursing, Braya looked up to find the cause of the noise. Her eyes locked on two boys standing a few trees down. They were twins, she realized, and they were staring directly at her. Staring at her with...
    Green eyes.
    Instantly she heard Brielle's voice in her head. Apparently there's been more sightings of foreigners. Foreign men with blue eyes, brown eyes, green eyes! Can you believe it?
    That had been earlier in the week. Braya blinked furiously, hoping she wasn't seeing what she thought she was seeing. Brielle's voice rang through her head again. One of the conspiracy clubs is riled up about this. They don't believe it at all! So they're offering a huge cash reward to anyone who can find one and prove it.
    Braya didn't need the cash. Recognition, a favor. That she could use. If she caught them—or even one—she could bargain her way into a Crown job. This was like finding a unicorn grazing in her back yard.
    The boys were grinning at her now. Taunting her. Then they turned in unison and ran.
    Without giving it another thought, Braya raced after them. She didn't even consider how she'd capture the two of them, let alone one. It didn't matter, though. She needed those twins.
    They were fast runners. She tried to call out to them, shouted at them to stop, but she hadn't expected them to respond. To her utter astonishment they went to the Sky Rail station and darted into one of the compartments just as the doors were sliding shut. Braya threw herself into the one just behind it, intent on following them around the whole city if she had to.
    The Rail made many stops. There was a stop every two minutes, and Braya had to keep her eyes peeled to make sure the twins hadn't left their compartment. The minute she saw them dashing out onto a platform, she'd follow them.
    The pump of adrenaline she'd gotten from chasing them from the stadium to the station wore off quickly. Her breathing became normal and the sweat along her neck dried. The sun was sinking into the horizon and nearly an hour passed on the Rail when Braya started to wonder if she'd missed them.
    They had reached the Heart District now and most of the people were shuffling off. It was a popular place for socializing, and Braya realized if they got off here she could easily miss them in the crowd.
    Something told her to stay, though. It was an odd whisper of a feeling, like someone blowing on the back of her neck. She clenched the handrail