Free Coiled Snake (The Windstorm Series Book 2) by Katie Robison

hate my dad! I’m sorry, but I can’t do it.”
    Miri looks at me thoughtfully. “How did you end up with the Yakone?” she asks.
    “What?”
    “You told me you ran away from home. Why?”
    My fingers play with the edge of the blanket. Part of me doesn’t want to tell her anything, doesn’t even want to look at her, but it’s the first time someone has asked to hear my story, really asked. And I don’t have to lie or pretend to be another person. I can just be me.
    “I ran away because Tom died,” I mutter, “and I didn’t want Sue to throw us out. I thought I could earn money in Winnipeg and send it back.”
    “Who are Tom and Sue?”
    “My foster parents. They took us in after Mom and Dad died.”
    “And you were living in Canada?”
    “No. Minnesota. I crossed the border so it would be harder to find me. And Winnipeg was close.”
    “I see. And then what happened?”
    I take a deep breath, and then it all comes out—working for Joe, selling the I.D.s to Aura, witnessing her murder, taking her place, making the trip to the camp, everything up to the fortress. The only thing I don’t tell her is that I removed the explosives planted by the Rangi.
    “And do you love this Rye?” Miri asks when I’m done.
    “What?”
    She shrugs. “You saved his life. Do you love him?”
    “I don’t know,” I stammer. “He thinks I’m his enemy.”
    She pulls her flask out of her pocket and takes a long draught. Then she looks at me. “Listen to me carefully,” she says. “You must never tell anyone here that you have feelings for a Yakone. You’re already in a tricky situation, and that won’t inspire confidence. They’ll doubt your loyalty. In fact, you should stop talking about the Yakone altogether.”
    “But—”
    “This is very important, do you understand? Your life is on the line. You may not be ready to accept me as your grandmother, but you must prove that you are loyal to the tribe or they will kill you. Don’t ever doubt that.”
    “I already knew that,” I say angrily. This isn’t exactly the sympathy I was expecting. You were the one who asked me to tell my story!
    “What I haven’t told you yet is that you’ll be required to speak for yourself at the meeting. You’ll have to convince them you’re not a traitor.”
    “Speak for myself?”
    “You’ll only have a minute, so you’ll have to make it count.”
    “But what will I say? How will I convince them?”
    “That’s what I’ve been telling you, girl! You have to stop thinking the Yakone are your friends. You have to accept the Rangi as your family, really believe it. That’s why I haven’t talked to you about this before now.”
    I shake my head, overwhelmed by this information.
    She sighs. “I know this must be hard for you. It’s hard for me too, to have a granddaughter who hates her people and loves those who have hurt her the most.”
    “Now, hang on—”
    “But I don’t want you to think you’re the only one who’s been hurt,” she says, her voice rising. “You lost your parents, but I lost my daughter, and later my husband and son in battle. All of them gone. You tell me who’s suffered more.”
    I glare at her. She takes another drink then turns toward the door.
    “You know,” she says, pausing with her hand on the knob, “I never even knew about the twins.” Then she leaves.
    I glower at the door, twisting the blankets into a furious knot. How dare she give me a lecture! I didn’t deserve that. She asked to hear the truth. Fuming, I shove my face into the pillow and knot the blankets even more.
    I can’t believe she’s waited this long to tell me about the speech. Only sixty seconds? What can I possibly say to convince them? And how soon will I need to?
    I lie awake all night, unable to sleep. When the sky turns a pale gray, I quietly get out of bed and steal out of the house. As soon as I reach the path, I start to run. I sprint as fast as I can and quickly leave the dunes, pass the cliffs, hit