The Brass Giant Read Online Free Page B

University and the pub down the street, but not the student she wanted to see.
    She wasn’t entirely sure why she wanted to see him.
    She hated him for his pretentiousness and his arrogance. She hated him for being an engineer, for being a student at the University. She hated him for the automaton and his money. She loathed him, but she equally admired him. He was everything she was not and everything she wanted to be.
    The bell above the pawnshop door tinkled, and Tolly came out onto the landing. “Pa said you need to clean the display cases. They’re smudged.”
    Petra released a heavy sigh and glanced over her shoulder. “I’ll be in shortly. Just give me a minute.”
    â€œIs everything all right?” asked Tolly, plopping down beside her. “You’ve been awfully distracted lately.”
    Petra only nodded. A rickshaw rattled down the road, followed by a trail of black smoke puffing from the stack. Several steam vents flew open and cleared the noxious fumes from the street.
    â€œDo you want to talk about it?” he asked.
    She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees. She released a puff of air, blowing her bangs away from her eyes. “Not with you .”
    â€œStill upset about the University, then?” He leaned back against the stairs and looked up the street toward the gleaming towers on the other side of the city. “I don’t know what you expected, Pet. You’re a girl. You don’t belong there.”
    She just shook her head. It wasn’t even about the University anymore, or the Guild. All she could think about was the automaton—­and its engineer. She wished she could disassemble the machine, discover the secrets of its hidden controls, find out what exactly made it tick, what prompted the Guild to purchase its design for such a large sum of money.
    She needed to know.
    But Tolly wouldn’t understand that. He would never understand.
    He didn’t want to.
    Petra turned on him. “Is there something else you wanted?”
    Tolly shrugged. “Just thought I’d ask how you were.”
    â€œAs if you actually care,” she snapped, suddenly angry. “Don’t pretend, Tolly. I’m not stupid. I know what you think of me, what you think of my tinkering. And I’m tired of hearing it. I’m tired of listening to you tell me over and over that I’m never going to be an engineer, that I’m not one of them, that I don’t belong.” Her throat tightened as anger filled her up inside. “Well I do belong. And one day, I’ll be there,” she said, pointing up the street. “I’ll be the best of them, and then you’ll see.”
    â€œRight.” He rolled his eyes and stood. “Well until then, you have some counters to clean, so hop to it.” He vanished back into the shop, the door slamming behind him.
    Petra hugged her knees, gritting her teeth as she focused on the University, its brass walls gleaming in the afternoon sun. She meant it. Someday, she would be one of them, and then the whole world would see.
    The shop door banged open, slamming against the brick wall as burly, snarling Mr. Monfore stepped onto the landing, Petra’s broom perched on his shoulder. Swinging the broom around, he smacked her in the side with the bristles.
    â€œGet up off them steps, girl. You have cleaning to do.”
    Petra clenched her hands into fists as rage boiled in her stomach, rising up her chest and into her throat. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled. “I said I’d be in shortly.”
    Monfore pointed through the doorway. “You get in there and clean—­ now —­or I’ll have your wages docked for the day. I don’t pay you to dawdle.” He flung the broom down the stairs and stalked back into the shop.
    Petra sucked in a deep breath, held it, counted to five, and slowly exhaled. She ought to break the broom over his