by AR Colbert
James chuckled. “Because I usually do. But in this case, I’m not sure what you should expect. I haven’t heard any mention of your new position around the building.”
“You don’t think it’s a trap, do you?” I don’t know why the thought suddenly crashed into my mind, but I wouldn’t put it past them. Especially not Justice Hines.
James paused as though he were trying to piece together his words before responding. “No. I’ve run through several possibilities, but I don’t see how promoting you could be a trap. If anything, they may be trying to get you out of their way here. But I haven’t been alerted to anything concerning. Still, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.”
I nodded solemnly as we walked ahead.
“Don’t worry about it though. We won’t let anything happen to you.” James’ smile reached all the way to his eyes this time.
“Am I doing the right thing?”
“You’re doing the best you can with what you know. It’s as close to the right thing as you can get I suppose.”
That wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear, but we were nearing the municipal building, and it was time to say goodbye.
“Be safe, James.”
“Always, Ms. Greenwood. You do the same.”
He nodded his goodbye. Any other visible interaction could have been harmful if seen by the wrong people. We didn’t want to blow our covers, but it felt abrupt. I lingered for a moment alone on the sidewalk with nothing but my backpack and a dash of anxiety swirling inside. My time in Classen City felt unfinished, and this was such an unceremonious goodbye. But then again, who else did I have to say goodbye to?
With a deep breath I took off around the backside of the building. Emmaline’s little black coupe pulled into the parking lot, right on cue.
“Ms. Greenwood,” she said as she opened the car door. “What brings you back here so early today?”
She had that same probing gleam in her eyes that I’d become so familiar with, like she was searching my mind for answers I wouldn’t reveal out loud. This was atypical behavior for me, meeting her in the back lot unannounced, and she almost certainly knew something was going on.
I stayed strong and didn’t break her eye contact. I didn’t have anything to hide this time around. “Good morning, Ms. Frasier. I’m glad I caught you here. I was hoping to speak with you as soon as possible. Do you have just a moment?”
“I do. Let’s go inside where it’s a bit warmer and speak in my office.”
I cut my eyes over to the building. I didn’t want to go inside. I didn’t want to risk running into Felix. But I didn’t have a choice. Emmaline would definitely suspect something was going on if I insisted we talk in her car. So I reluctantly followed her inside.
Emmaline’s office was on the fifth floor, with corner windows overlooking the entire Center and even a little beyond the walls that kept our Leadership safe. It was a crisp, clear morning, and I had a difficult time pulling my eyes away from the view.
“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Emmaline asked.
“It is,” I agreed.
“Classen City is beautiful. But it pales in comparison to Louisburg. They’ve got such interesting architecture there. It is truly a sight to be seen.” Her crystal blue eyes sparkled as though she’d caught me being ornery. Of course she knew why I was here. I couldn’t get anything past that woman.
“So you know why I’m here, I suppose?”
“I have a guess. A hope, really. Because I think you’d be quite happy with your decision if I’m right.”
I sat in a chair in front of her desk. “You’re right. I’ve come to talk about the position you mentioned at Felix’s party the other night.”
“I’m glad. Though I’m also a bit surprised. Senator Walsh led me to believe you were taking some time off. He said yesterday he wasn’t sure when or if we may be seeing you here again.”
“I had a change of heart.” I didn’t want to hash it all out with Emmaline. It was none of her business. And I really wished she’d just leave Felix out of this.
She studied me silently with those cold eyes of hers. I was cringing under her scrutiny. I wanted nothing more than to look away. But she needed to see that I was serious and that I wasn’t intimidated by her anymore.
“Does Felix know?”
“No. And I’d rather you didn’t tell him. I don’t think he’d be very happy with me leaving.”
Emmaline nodded in agreement. She knew how he’d pushed to have me in his inner circle. Hopefully that was all she knew about our relationship, however. I didn’t want this to get any more complicated than necessary.
“Very well. How quickly would you like to leave? I believe there is a plane carrying medical supplies to Louisburg today. If we act quickly, we may be able to secure you a seat.”
“I was hoping to maybe learn a bit more about the position before I go. You know, just to make sure it’s—”
“There won’t be another plane for a week. You can stay with Felix until then if you’d like. Otherwise, I suggest we get moving. We can talk on the way.” She glanced at a clock on the wall behind me. “He’ll be arriving soon. Would you like to stay?”
“No,” I said, standing. “Let’s go.”
We hurried down the stairs instead of taking the elevators. I didn’t know why Emmaline was being so helpful in keeping me hidden from Felix, but I was grateful for it. Unless, of course, James was right and getting me out of Classen City without any objections from the new Senator was in her best interests. Emmaline was never the type to do things from the kindness of her own heart. Did snakes even have hearts?
My breath quickened as I realized the implications of getting on that plane. Leaving with Emmaline would be sealing my fate as a District Leader. There would be no turning back. Was that what I really wanted?
A ding from the elevator launched me toward the back door. Getting caught by Felix wouldn’t give me a choice in the matter either, because he would refuse to let me go. No, I’d made a decision to go. I was going to stick with it. James assured me I would be safe, and there were plenty of other good people here to look after Classen City and the Embers in my absence. It wasn’t like I was able to do anything for them anyway. I was more useful higher up in the Leadership.
I trotted along behind Emmaline, following her to the back door that led out to the parking lot. She pushed it open quickly and we almost crashed right into the tall man pulling it open from the outside. His hand was still on the handle, and the black sleeve of his jacket drew my eyes upward to his muscular neck and the thin blue band that seemed to be tattooed into his skin.
I gasped and quickly scanned his features, eager to see the face of the man who I believed was scouting out the Ember camp one day before. His snow white hair was slicked back away from his face, revealing dark eyes over a crooked nose and a smile too big for his face. Light wrinkles etched his forehead and eyes, and everything about him seemed staged. His smile was as forced as the chuckle he pushed through his straight white teeth.
“Excuse me, ladies.” He held the door open for us, and I felt that same sinking dread I’d felt when I saw him on his motorcycle. His smile wasn’t fooling me. He watched us exit, and said “have a nice day,” as the door closed behind him.
“Who was that?” I asked Emmaline. I tried to sound nonchalant, but she almost certainly heard the tremble in my voice.
“That’s Conrad Reynolds,” she answered.
I quickly attempted to block my affect. I didn’t want her to feel my fear, but something about that man stirred up some really strong emotions within me.
She didn’t mention anything about my behavior, and continued speaking as though her next words were no big deal. “He was sent here by the Supreme Leadership.”
That seemed like a pretty big deal to me.
CHAPTER 5
“The Supreme Leadership?!” It came out louder than I’d intended. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down a notch or ten before continuing. I wanted to ask wh
y the Supreme Leadership was concerning themselves with Classen City, but I had a feeling I already knew the answer.
The only reason they would send one of their own here would be to finish the job we started. The job I purposely didn’t allow Justice Hines and Dimitri to see through to the end. They wanted to destroy the Embers.
Did they know about Frank’s plan? Were they concerned the Embers were going to harm the citizens of Classen City, or did they just not like the idea of change? And how did talk of our Outsiders get all the way up to the Supreme Leadership? Surely they had more important matters to concern themselves with.
Emmaline stopped outside her car door and gave me a long hard look. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I straightened my shoulders and collected myself. “It seems odd that the Supreme Leadership would send someone all the way to Classen City. Do you know why he’s here?”
“He’s just a consultant.” Emmaline unlocked her car with a couple of beeps and I climbed into the passenger’s seat.
“A consultant for what?”
Emmaline kept her gaze fixed on the road ahead as we made our way out of the parking lot and toward the edge of the Center’s walls. “I’m not exactly sure. He’s been working closely with Justice Hines. I suspect they may be working with her on her, uh... style of leadership. She hasn’t been winning over the hearts of our people lately with her coverage on the evening programming.”
Good. Maybe this wasn’t as bad as I’d originally thought. The tension physically left my body, and my heart began to beat somewhat normally again. But it still didn’t make total sense.
“So that’s all? They sent someone from the Supreme Leadership all the way down here just to train Justice Hines on her people skills?”
Emmaline pursed her lips. “It’s just a guess. The Supreme Leadership operates on a higher level of confidentiality. You only get to know what they want you to know. And this consultant has decided that his work here is not pertinent for anyone but Justice Hines.”
Okay. So maybe it was still bad. The more I thought about it, the more Emmaline’s guess didn’t make any sense at all.
“But you’re sure that he’s from the Supreme Leadership?” I was probably pushing this further than I should have, but it still wasn’t clicking. Something was off.
“Of course I’m sure. Didn’t you see his mark?”
“The band around his neck?”
“Yes. Once you join the ranks of the Supreme Leadership, you are permanently marked. They have access to everything you do and say for the rest of your life. It’s a little like Triple-T, but less in the mind—more just physical surveillance. They imbed the technology in one’s skin, recording every word spoken through fluctuations and vibrations in the tissue of one’s throat. They also monitor basic health baselines. But aside from all of that, it is a sign to others—almost like a symbol of protection. If you harm a member of the Supreme Leadership, they will know. That band is your signal to stay out of their way.”
“Why don’t they teach us about the mark in school?” I asked. It seemed like it would be useful to be able to recognize a member of the Supreme Leadership.
“Because they’d have to explain the technology behind it. We can’t do that for obvious reasons. But the chances of a typical citizen running into a member of the Supreme Leadership is basically zero, anyway.” Emmaline was beginning to sound frustrated by my line of questioning. I knew I should have dropped it then, but there was one more thing I had to understand.
“So if they can monitor anything and everything this consultant does, Justice Hines has basically been given a direct line to the capital. Does that concern you at all?”
Emmaline stopped the car abruptly, hitting the brakes just before we reached the guarded checkpoint at the edge of the Center. Her eyes narrowed, and the look on her face chilled my core. “Why would that concern me, Ms. Greenwood?”
“I just meant with the way she seemed to disagree with you so much on Triple-T.” Oh, and also with how she accused me of working with the Outsiders. But I couldn't say any of that to Emmaline.
I’d let my guard down again. Emmaline was like a magician with the way she projected such comfort, and it was never obvious until she dropped it. Like now. I was a fool for speaking so freely around her again.
“Nevermind,” I said quietly. “I just hope they’ll take multiple points of view into account before making any major decisions.”
And by ‘major decisions,’ I meant destroying the Embers. But obviously I wasn’t going there with Emmaline, either.
We drove quietly through the city, and I couldn’t stop speculating on the real purpose of Conrad Reynolds’ trip to Classen City. I was almost certain he was the man I saw on the motorcycle when I was leaving the Ember camp with Raf. And if he was there, then the Supreme Leadership was there in a sense as well.
But why? The Embers weren’t a threat to them at all.
As we neared the Outside border, I returned to my present reality. I was about to hop on an airplane—a piece of equipment I’d only just learned still existed after the war. And I was going to fly in the air to a city I’d never seen, to start a job that I still had no information about.
I looked over to Emmaline, who glanced back at me through the corners of her eyes.
“Are you ready to talk about the work you have in store?” she asked.
My eyes widened in response. She told me back when we first met that she couldn’t read my mind, but I had a hard time believing that was true sometimes. Especially now that I knew what the Supreme Leadership did. She was just too good at this Empath thing sometimes.
“Yes. I should probably have some idea of what to expect before I arrive.”
“The work will be similar to what you were doing here with Felix. There’s a District Leader there who has requested you join his version of an inner circle.”
“I see.” My shoulders deflated a touch. “So I’ll be working on a project to eliminate the Outsiders that live near Louisburg?”
Emmaline’s flinch was almost imperceptible. “Not exactly. You’ve been recruited more for your... PR skills.”
“What do you mean by that?” I honestly didn’t know if that was better or worse than another Triple-T type project.
“I mean you’re good on camera. This Leader needs some help winning over the hearts of his citizens. Things are a little different in Louisburg than they are in Classen City. You have a way with the people, and he’s hoping you can help unite the people there.”
“I see.” So I was moving to a new city to be a decoration on another man’s arm. When would I be taken seriously? This was getting ridiculous.
But it was too late to go back now. I didn’t say any more until we neared the small airstrip outside of our city limits. It was well hidden. Several fallen trees appeared to block a gravel road off the side of the main throughway, but Emmaline expertly weaved her small car between the logs. After a small stretch of gravel, the road curved around and opened back up into a well maintained route to the small hangar that lay hidden by trees from the main road.
We were far enough away from Classen City that the planes wouldn’t be seen or heard by any of our residents, and far enough off of the farm roads that no one would know the airstrip was there if they weren’t deliberately looking for it. It was a little unsettling how easy it was for them to hide something as big as an airport. How many other secrets did they have hidden from us all?
“Will you be coming with me on the plane?” I asked. It’s not that Emmaline and I were friends exactly, but the thought of traveling through the skies had me feeling a little uneasy. What was to prevent the whole thing from crashing down?
“Afraid not.” She pulled to stop outside of the large metal building. “I have work to do here. But don’t worry. It may be a little bumpy at first, but then you’ll feel just like you’re riding in a car. Here, take this.” She shuffled through her leather bag and pulled out a piece of gum. “Chew it. It’ll help your ears.”
“Thank you,” I said, accepting the gum. But I had no intention of chewing it. My ears were just fine.
“I’ll alert the Leaders in Louisburg of your arrival. You should have someone waiting to drive you into the city.” She shifted in her seat as though there was more she wanted to say. “Do take care of yourself, Claren. I’m sure I will see you again soon.”
Emmaline extended her hand and I took it, saying goodbye before I stepped out of the car and made my way over to the building. Two men stood talking inside the open doorway.
“Are you Claren Greenwood?” one of them asked as I approached them.
“I am.” It was nice to not be known for once. I smiled at the middle aged man as he shook my hand.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Charles, your pilot. And this is Dusty. He’ll take your bags. Do you have any bags?”
I pulled the straps of my backpack tighter. “Just the one. And I think I’ll keep it with me if that’s okay.” There wasn’t anything of monetary value in there—just some clothes and a few personal items. But it held my letter from Cato as well, and I couldn’t risk that letter falling into the wrong hands. I probably should have burned it long ago, but it was the last piece of my brother I had. I wasn’t quite ready to fully say goodbye.
“That’s fine with me. Come on, I’ll show you to your seat. We’ll take off here in just a few minutes.”
I followed the men through the hangar and barely kept my eyes from popping out of my head when we exited the other side. The plane sat out in the open air, shiny white and larger in person than I ever would have guessed from the pictures I’d seen.
Charles laughed at my gaping mouth. “First time, huh?”
I nodded, still unable to pull my eyes away from the incredible feat of engineering that sat before me.
“Well Dusty and I have done this hundreds of times. You’re in good hands.” He winked and led me over to a steep set of stairs that took us up into a narrow cabin. Soft, pale gray chairs sat on either side of a dark blue carpeted aisle.
