From the moment the rain started, it felt like it was trying to flush us out. After Nova and I had come to our senses and ducked inside, it continued to pour for hours, like the entire world's water supply had been poised above our heads. There had been a warning, but nothing could prepare us for this much rain in such a short space of time.

Nova was panicking.

"It's been hours, and it's not showing any sign of letting up."

She'd been pacing the dining hall for the last hour; I could see her through the hatch from my spot in the kitchen. After our confrontation outside, her next move had been predictable: to busy me with a job as soon as possible. Before I knew it, I was in the kitchen alongside Erica, batch-making sandwiches like we were stockpiling for the end of the world. I didn't know why we needed so much food, but it was hardly the right time to stop and ask.

We were both pretending like nothing had happened, but the lingering tension between us was undeniable. Erica must've been able to sense it – but if so, she said nothing. Instead, she focused on Nova's pacing, and with every lap beside the window I could see her patience wavering.

"Nova," she said, "you know, no matter how many times you walk up and down, it's actually not going to do anything to the weather outside."

A scathing look from Nova was sent in her direction: one that made me glad I wasn't on the receiving end, and only further incentivised me to keep quiet. "Sarcasm aside," she said, "you know this isn't a good sign."

"We're in the middle of a city," Erica pointed out. "An empty one, I'll give you that, but a city nonetheless. They're built to handle a little rain."

"It's way more than a little rain."

"Well, if you want to be pessimistic about it." Erica freed her hands of the bread she was slicing, moving out of the kitchen to head over to where Nova was standing. I watched as she approached the window, placing her hands on her hips. I expected a counter argument right away, a dismissive retort telling Nova to stop overreacting, but instead I got silence.

"See," Nova said.

"Huh. It does look like it's starting to flood."

"Which is exactly what I'm worried about."

"It won't be the end of the world," Erica assured her, though my sister hardly seemed convinced. "We've had some rough storms before, and we always get through them. There's no reason this one will be any different."

"We haven't taken precautions for a flood," Nova said. "How many of our storage units are on the ground? If things get bad in the east, we could lose a lot of stuff. It's really not what we need right now. And if the wind picks up, we can't guarantee that the weaker buildings will stay intact."

"Well, there are a lot of things we don't need around here – but we deal with them, and we move on. It's how it always works."

"I still think we should take precautions." Nova looked out of the window again, her gaze transfixed by the pouring rain, which slammed against the glass with surprising force. Even the small window was taking a battering. "We need to get people inside here. Use this place as a base. It's the safest option."

Erica raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be sure?"

"Well, it's a dramatic measure," she said. "And it might scare people. I don't think we should do it unless we have to."

Nova met her gaze, and even from some distance away I could see the stern, authoritative look in her eyes. The message was clear: she was in charge, and not to be argued with. "I'm not taking any risks," she said evenly. "The safest option is to get people here and in one place. If the storm takes a turn for the worse, we're not getting caught out."

Erica could sense it was time to back off, and she held her hands up in defence. "Okay. If that's what you think we should do, let's do it. You want me to round up everyone I can?"

"I can do it," I piped up.

Though I'd been standing away from the conversation, I could tell they were both aware of my presence, choosing each word to ensure it was suitable for the obvious eavesdropper. In an ideal world, I would've stayed quiet, making myself as invisible as possible like this might allow me to vanish into thin air.

But the tension was becoming too much. If there was an opportunity for me to get out – and potentially get into Nova's good books at the same time – I was going to speak out.

Not to mention, going out there could mean finding Jace, and that might be the only shot we had at finding a moment alone. Even if there was a storm raging around us at the same time.

Through the hatch, they both looked at me.

"I can do it," I repeated. "I don't mind going out there and finding everyone. Spreading the message."

The silence was unnerving. It left too much time for me to realise what I'd done was risky, and that daring to address Nova directly so soon after an argument was treading on thin ice.

"It's fine," she said eventually. "Erica can do it."

"But I don't mind."

"Neither does Erica." She shot a sideways glance at the girl in question, exchanging silent words not meant for me. "I'm sending her out there."

"Why not me?" I pressed. I was well aware that I was probably digging myself a hole, but I couldn't seem to stop. "What is it – that you don't think I'm capable? Are you trying to shield me from the real jobs?"

"It's not that dramatic, Astrid." Nova didn't roll her eyes, but she might as well have done. "Erica knows the rota better, and she knows how to get to places quickly. Don't take it so personally – you'll help just as much by staying here in the kitchen."

It was her way of batting me off, countering with sensible rationale that meant I couldn't push back – at least not with Erica here. And yet it still made me feel about six inches tall.

"Fine," I muttered darkly. "I'll stay."

Earlier, I'd caught a glimpse of the real Nova: something beneath her constructed, stony exterior that proved there was more to her than met the eye. There was something going on beneath it all, perhaps even the same kind of twisted agony that kept me up at night. This could've been the point at which she let me in, allowing us to break through a barrier and start acting like a family again.

But this – this cold, distant stare – confirmed she'd made up her mind. If what had already happened between us wasn't enough to change things, surely nothing could. I was well and truly shut out.

And with that, I had no choice. Stay in the kitchen it was.

***

Later that evening, the dining hall packed out with more people than I'd seen in weeks.

Though our priority was ensuring everybody in Nova's group was in one place, Erica had encountered more people along the way. We didn't generally have much contact with the other residents of Birmingham – like us, they were perfectly content to keep themselves to themselves – but the worsening storm had changed the atmosphere. The dining hall was big enough to house at least a hundred people, and it wasn't like we could make much use of the empty space. With that in mind, the doors had been thrown open to anybody who wanted to take shelter – and there were now dozens of faces I didn't recognise milling around in the same room.

In some ways, though, it was kind of nice. After having eyes on me for what felt like every minute of the day over the last few weeks, it was a relief to finally blend into the background.

Erica had been right when she said the move might panic people. Though people were trying to stay calm, most couldn't quite nail a brave face, and many jolted each time another crack of thunder rang out. The order to take shelter had triggered a ripple of fear, turning a simple bout of rain into something to worry about, purely based on Nova's orders. The level of power she had was remarkable. Even if indirectly, here, my sister's control was so strong that she could dictate the weather.

"Did you get all those sandwiches made?"

On her return, Erica breezed back into the kitchen, her cheery tone not matching her appearance in the slightest. Her bright blue hair was soaked, plastered to the side of her face, and her heavy-duty boots squeaked with each dripping step. She looked like somebody had dunked a bath of cold water over her head, but it hadn't bothered her in the slightest.

She looked at the neat rows of bread laid out on the countertop, lined up perfectly alongside each other. They'd taken much longer without her helping hands, but in my opinion, I'd made good progress. "Nice. Seems like a good job."

"Good," I said, though lingering frustration from earlier forced a seething comment out of my mouth. "I'm sure Nova could find a fault with it, though."

Erica studied my expression, trying to gauge how much was a joke and how much was real irritation. "She wasn't trying to offend you," she said. "You know that, right?"

"It doesn't always seem like that."

"She can be a little... abrupt. But you know her, she's just trying her best to get everything done, to do the best for everyone here. It's a group mentality – the whole for the greater good thing. She doesn't mean any harm by it."

I wondered if she would say the same if she witnessed our conversation earlier. For a moment, back there, it had looked like Nova wanted nothing more than to hurt me. One foot wrong, and I wasn't sure I would've even been standing here right now.

"It's just difficult when I know what she was like before," I explained. "And it wasn't... this."

Erica nodded. "Yeah. I understand."

We didn't say anything more. Instead, she put her apron back on, tying it over her wet clothes without even bothering to locate something dryer. She must have been freezing, but she didn't complain. In a way that I had to admire, she just got on with things, not sparing a word to grumble.

Fifteen minutes later, the sandwiches were finished, and we covered the trays and slotted them onto the shelves in the fridge. There would be no hot food tonight, but these would at least fill our stomachs and save people going to bed hungry. It was just about making do, in the absence of what we really wanted.

It was a relief to finally untie my apron and hang it back up on the kitchen door. The afternoon had been unbearably long, and it looked like we were set for an even longer night.

I headed back into the dining room. The place was abuzz with noise, from people clustered around tables and sat with their backs against the wall. My first instinct was to look for Jace, but that disappeared as soon as I located him. Perched at the end of a bench, he was right next to Nova – and the two of them looked deep in discussion.

The pang of my heart felt like a spear piercing right through it.

Nothing in the universe could make me approach them, wedging myself right in the middle of a private moment. I couldn't think of anything more awkward. So, instead, I took my feet in the opposite direction and headed for the window.

The rain was still coming down hard, and up close, its impact against the window almost drowned out the voices behind me. It wasn't the first severe storm I'd witnessed – what with our carbon-producing ancestors having royally screwed up the weather for generations to come – but never before had I felt such unease. Miles away from the safety of the capital's sturdy, well-maintained infrastructure, I might as well have been sleeping under the stars.

"Hey, stranger."

Dragging my gaze away from the window, I noticed Art leaning against the wall beside me. "Hey," I said flatly.

"You okay?" He sounded genuinely concerned. "You don't look like you're having the greatest of days."

"I'm fine," I said, though this couldn't have been further from the truth. Despite everything, the only real option was to put a brave face on it; I couldn't find a way to explain the events of the day – and the sinking feeling in my stomach – without sounding stupid. How I'd finally got what I wanted – a moment of real connection with Jace after weeks spent at arm's length – and my sister had chosen the worst moment to ruin it. Yeah, right. "Rough weather, huh?"

He peered through the glass with a frown. "It's definitely something. Still, doesn't seem like anything we can't handle. We're on our guard these days, especially after the damage we had a few months ago. We're not going through something like that again."

"What damage?"

"Oh, it was just a particularly bad one," he said. "Lasted a few days, and Birmingham seemed to bear the brunt of it. Roofs flying off, trees uprooted... you know, the whole lot. The place looked like a warzone when we finally stepped outside."

I looked at him in alarm. "Was anyone hurt?"

"No, everyone was fine. All hiding away in here, thankfully. That's probably why Nova's so keen to get us all back in here. It's the safest option, and she couldn't deal with it on her conscience if anybody got hurt."

There it was again: another mention of my sister, and her apparent dying priority to prevent all pain in this place. Not only was this completely impossible, there seemed to be a great big exemption stamped over my head. I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. It would only lead me into questions I didn't want to answer.

Art misread my silence. "You really don't need to worry," he continued. "It'll pass. And then we'll all be back to work in no time."

I forced myself to smile. "I thought you were supposed to be making me feel better."

"That didn't work?" he asked, grinning. "Hey, from what I've heard, we're going to be eating some outstanding sandwiches later, all thanks to you."

This time, I really did roll my eyes. "Who's been spreading that around?"

He shrugged. "Nobody in particular. Your talent for sandwich-making is just the talk of the town."

Sure he was having me on, I was all ready to come back with a sarcastic retort – but my words were stopped before they even had a chance to form. A loud whirring noise suddenly filled the room, and moments later the entire place was plunged into darkness.

For the first few seconds, nobody seemed to know what was going on. I glanced around, but it was difficult to make out more than ghostly silhouettes of faces in the pitch black; I could barely see Art, and he was right in front of me.

"What happened?" I asked.

"The power," he said, and I saw his head tilt upward, inspecting the overhead lights which had fizzled into nothing. "The generator must have gone out."

All of a sudden, there was a shuffle somewhere in the middle of the room, and this was followed by Nova's voice approaching. The crowd seemed to part effortlessly to make room for her footsteps. "Art," she said urgently. "I knew this would happen. The generator's been patchy for weeks – there was no way it was going to hold up in his kind of weather."

"Hey, don't panic. It can be sorted."

It was too dark to tell for certain, but I could've sworn I saw him reach out and take hold of her hands. Part of me wondered if I should look the other way, to remove myself from their bubble, despite the fact that I could barely see anything in the first place.

"We'll freeze in here without any power."

"Which is why we'll get it fixed before that happens," Art said purposefully. There was undeniable conviction in his voice, making it easy to latch onto, and it seemed to be working on Nova, too. "I'll go out there."

"Art," she protested. "No. It's dangerous."

"Like you said, we'll freeze without heating. I'll be fine. I just need to take a quick look at the damage and see if I can get the backup circuit up and running."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." It was obvious he wasn't about to take no for an answer. Nova sensed it too, because I heard her sigh of resignation.

"Well, if you're going, I'm coming with you."

Art laughed, like she'd just told a hilarious joke. "I don't think so. This one's a solo job. You're staying here and keeping an eye on everyone, which is way more involved – I just have to worry about myself."

Nova's face flickered with indignation. "I don't need protecting," she said. "I can come with you."

"I'm not saying you need protecting. I'm saying I'm perfectly capable of taking a look at the generator on my own, and I won't get myself into any trouble in the process. So to add another person out there getting soaking wet would make no sense whatsoever."

For a moment, she considered it. "Fine," she said eventually, "but you better be careful. I don't want you getting hurt on my conscience."

"I promise I'll be fine."

Their hands dropped. Only then did Nova glance to her side, causing our eyes to meet, and there came her realisation that I was standing right beside him. I couldn't help feeling like I'd listened in on something I wasn't supposed to have heard, even though it had been completely innocent.

"Astrid," she said. "I didn't see you there."

I swallowed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

Nova paused, eyeing me up as best she could in the dark, but didn't say anything further. Mere seconds later, her attention returned to Art – and the more pressing matter at hand. "Don't be gone long, okay? I really don't want you to get hurt out there. If it doesn't look like it can be fixed, and the storm carries on like this... you have to come back. Or at least take shelter."

"Nova." I could hear a small smile in his voice, despite it seeming a little misplaced. "I will. I'm going to be fine. Don't worry."

There was something about her genuine concern that rattled me. It wasn't that I expected her not to care about Art – more that it seemed a stark contrast to her attitude toward everything else. Including me.

"I'll go now," Art said. I wasn't sure whether this was directed at both of us. "Do you know if there's a coat anywhere? I could do with something waterproof if I'm braving that."

"There's one in the storeroom out back."

"Okay. I'll go grab it. See you later, yeah?"

"You better," I heard Nova mumble.

There was a movement, steps moving away from us, and then Art was gone. It was just Nova and I left, stood side by side, struggling to find words that might dissipate the tension between us.

I couldn't see her face clearly, but the angle of her profile suggested she was looking out across the room, searching the space Art had disappeared into. Radiating off her was a sense of fear I was sure she would've preferred to keep inside.

I had to say something. We couldn't go on like this.

"Are you okay?"

Her head jerked toward me, like she hadn't expected the question at all. "Yeah," she answered quickly, leaving no room for thought. "Fine."

It was obvious that she wasn't, that fear had a tighter grip on her than she would ever admit aloud. But it wasn't my place to say anything. Even as her sister, I definitely didn't have that right.

"I should go check on Sylvie," she announced. "She doesn't like storms."

Then, just as quickly as Art had disappeared, she was gone. My mouth was open, and all the words I could've said seemed to hang in the empty space, like I could reach out and grab hold of them if only I tried.

And yet I hadn't tried. What happened earlier had shaken me, and I was terrified to risk it happening again. With no safe words left, Nova had slipped away, leaving me to wonder whether she'd ever come back again.

All of a sudden, the storm didn't feel like the scariest thing I would face that night.

---------------------

Hi, everyone! Monday seems to come around so quickly, doesn't it? Sometimes it feels like I blink and it's already time to upload the next chapter -- so it's just as well I had this one edited in advance.

So, a storm is brewing... quite literally. And this one might shake things up a little.

As always, I'd LOVE to hear what you think of the story so far. This universe and this story has become kind of like my baby, and sometimes I just get this great feeling about it and it feels like I'm really getting somewhere and that, actually, I may not be so bad at this sci-fi thing. I would love to know your thoughts (I'd also like to hear if you hate the story, but I won't be quite so excited). I might have something exciting to share with you guys soon.

Make sure to follow my social media if you'd like to (a) get extra reminders about when I update, (b) see sneak peeks for upcoming chapters, or (c) catch a glimpse of what my life looks like outside of writing Human Error. It's nonstop excitement (kind of...).

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Until next time!

- Leigh