Flashback ( PDFDrive )

the beach, their feet kicking up sand as they tried to hurry without
seeming frantic—even though Sophie had never felt so impatient.
She managed to wait until they’d rounded a bend and left Silveny’s
cove for a wider, rockier stretch of shoreline. Then she reeled on
Tarina and whisper-hissed, “Okay, what’s the plan?”
“It’s best if we continue in my language, just to be safe,” Tarina
warned, and the chirpiness of the words made it clear she’d already
switched. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we have a few eavesdroppers.
Your boyfriend in particular.”
“He’s not my boyfr—” Sophie started to tell her, but she cut herself
off when she realized that might not actually be true.
Fitz had almost kissed her.
And he’d told her he wanted to find her name on his match lists.
And she’d told him she’d liked him forever.
And he’d been so helpful and amazing ever since.
But . . . none of that actually meant they were dating.
She wasn’t even sure if she was ready to date Fitz, knowing it would
cause all kinds of changes—new rules from her parents, possible
drama among their friends.
But that definitely wasn’t what she should be thinking about at the
moment. So she shoved all those complicated new worries into
another mental box she’d deal with later and asked again in Tarina’s
language, “How do we save Silveny’s babies?”
Tarina turned to watch the dark waves crashing against the shore.
“This is likely going to sound very strange. But remember when I told
you that those in my species are hatched when they’re born and you
assumed I meant hatching from eggs?”