Off Center (The Lament)

by Power, P. S.

  Could she fake being a slightly different version of herself?

  That idea nearly got her to laugh. Of course she could.

  "It might be in Utah. Not that I know where that is, but Zeke mentioned going to the compound there. I... Should we go back for them? If they're still there, then we might..." She really didn't want to try that. It was a stupid idea, going back.

  Clark loved it.

  "Lead on. If we can take them by surprise we might get even more information." He turned and started to ride back.

  It wasn't far, but the three buildings were all totally empty when they returned. There wasn't even dust on the floor to show footprints. That meant hiding, she realized, since they didn't want to find them again. Or at least she didn't. That had been far too close already.

  Her life wasn't always the best, but it was hers, and not having her mind stolen was a good thing, as far as she knew. Yes, Doctor Millis had spun a good tale for her, about how wondrous the Network and the fake world there was, but if it was all that great, why were people from there trying to leave it?

  For that matter, why try to take over at all? Why not just, oh, send a note or something? There had to be a better way than infiltration and building up a military, didn't there? What that was, she didn't know, but almost anything would work, she thought. They had enough people to change things, and they could have done it slowly, over time.

  She shuddered a little bit, remembering what her arm had felt like, being numb. Dead to the world. Was that what it was like, not having a body? She didn't know, but didn't want to find out either.

  "So, we hide for a few weeks then get back to the ship?" She tried to sound strong and like it was a real plan, not some half desperate thing that she wasn't certain hadn't come from insanity.

  Clark gave her a considering look and then nodded.

  "Right. That might change, and fast, but we can give it a shot. One way or another, this is going to be over soon. I can feel it. We're too close for it not to be. Either we're going to stop them this time, or..."

  She knew the answer to that bit, even if the Guardian didn't say it out loud.

  Either they won, and soon, or the other side would. If they had part of the High Council, it might well be that they'd already done it. If that was the case, the rest of their plan was going to happen, sooner or later. In that case, Pran had to find a way to get in on the other side herself. She might not fare well, if they were going to be stealing bodies like they seemed to do, but it might be her only chance to survive.

  She grinned, feeling like it was hopeless. That there was almost no chance for her at all.

  "Let's get hidden and set up a camp then. I'm exhausted."

  "Right, let's."

  They rode for a while then, and set up a nice camp. They shared a little shelter, but the weather wasn't nearly as cold here yet as it had been when Mara and she had done the same thing, weeks before. It was a lower elevation, she thought. The hard part was actually caring for the horses, and a lot of their time each day was spent looking for things they could eat, and collecting them up. It was something to do, until the time came for them to go back.

  Pran worked on songs, and tried to practice when the conditions were right, since she still had to prove herself worthy of being the High Bard's Apprentice.

  It was almost shocking then, when they packed up ten days later, to head back.

  "Remember, we're supposed to be trying to pretend to be ourselves." Clark said, over and over again, as if that was going to be lost on her.

  She got it.

  They were going to be playing themselves, in a show that, if she had it right, was the most important one ever.

  That was what she was thinking when they got back into sight of The Lament.

  That this was really important, and that she was on the other side now.

  The hard part there was that, as scared as she was, Pran wasn't certain that she really wasn't. If she wanted to survive, she knew one thing for certain. She had to be with the winners.

  For the time being, she didn't think that was going to be the real people's side at all.

  Thinking about that, she and Clark went into the ship, to pretend they weren't really themselves anymore. The most frightening thing there, was that no one seemed to really notice at all.

  Thanks for Reading

  "Off Center".

  The rest of The Lament trilogy will be coming in 2014. To find out more about what books are coming out when, please go to: pspowerbooks.com

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