‘I saw the recruiters in your classroom, they didn’t notice you or anything?’
‘No,’ she says. I watch her for a moment trying to gauge what’s wrong.
‘But someone got recruited?’
‘Sophie did,’ she responds, still refusing to look at me.
‘Oh.’ Sophie will be pleased. I hope she’ll be safe over there, especially considering everything I’ve just heard from Hunter. I guess she’ll be better off in the north than I’ll be in the west when they finally find me.
Lara looks as though she’s about to walk off so I quickly interject. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean the things I said earlier today,’ I say, guessing she’s upset because of the way I acted at lunch. ‘I’ve just been so overwhelmed by everything that’s been happening. I didn’t ever want to upset you. You just don’t know what it’s like being up here with all these people who can do these things you can’t do. It’s hard.’
‘You want me to feel sorry for you because you’re untalented?’ she asks, looking at me incredulously. ‘You keep saying how hard it is for you, not being talented, not being able to do things—I get it, it can be scary. But as hard as you think you’ve got it, you’ve got nothing on how scary it has been developing this talent.
‘Can you imagine breaking down crying in class, because you’re feeling someone else’s sadness? Or starting a fight because you’re feeling someone else’s anger? Or worse, when I would feel something. Like last weekend when we went to the loft and I got so angry I caused an all out brawl. You think you have it bad, but you really need a reality check.’
I stand in stunned silence.
‘Lara, I had no idea—’
‘Of course you wouldn’t,’ she says, cutting me off. ‘These “talents” aren’t everything you think they would be. They’re scary and daunting, and I’m only just beginning to get a grip over mine. You have no idea what it’s been like.’
Her eyes are welling with tears. I can’t believe how selfish I’ve been. I’d never even thought about what it would be like to be talented. I raise my hand out to her arm, but she knocks it away.
‘I don’t want your sympathy. It’s suffocating…’ She turns and walks away down the street. I want to follow her and tell her the truth about why I’ve been behaving the way I have, but it’s clear she wants some space and I can’t stand the idea that my emotions only make it worse for her. I need to get some control over my feelings before I try to fix things.
I sink down to sit on the step and watch as people walk past. I feel as though the truth about my escape from the ARC is slowly catching up with me. With the recruiters checking for talents at school, it won’t be long before they inspect one of my classes and I’m found. I don’t want to be taken to West Hope, especially after seeing the people that live there, but I can’t spend the rest of my life skipping classes and hiding from recruiters. My time in the east is running out and I have to do something quickly if I want to find Sebastian.
I sit on the step thinking about what to do next until after the sun has set and darkness has descended. I shudder as the cool night air seeps into my bones. The wind whisks around the city streets and licks my body with its icy waves of cold air.
I huddle my arms around my body and try not to think about my warm jacket, still hanging in my locker at school, exactly where I’d left it. The cold and the ache building in my head indicate it’s definitely time to go home. I gather myself and begin slowly walking back.
I’m almost back to the Mason’s apartment building when I see Hunter walking towards me. His eyes light up when he notices me.
‘Hey stranger,’ he says, as he approaches. ‘Where have you been?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I’ve just been at the Mason’s place to check you got home safely after the recruiters today. They said you weren’t back yet. I was beginning to worry…’
‘I’m fine I just stopped for a while on my way back, taking some time to think,’ I say.
‘You look freezing,’ he notices, looking down at me rubbing my own arms. He takes his jacket off and places it over my shoulders. The warmth of his body still coats the inside of it and I instantly feel respite from the cold. I look at him guiltily though and try to shrug it off.
‘I can’t…’ I say, trying to give it back, ‘and I’m nearly home now.’
‘Don’t be silly. I’m fine. Seriously, I’ve got a sweater in my bag if I get cold.’ He firmly places the jacket back over my shoulders.
‘Thanks. I forgot mine at school. Are you sure you don’t mind?’ I check one last time.
‘Not at all.’ He begins humming as he walks with an irritatingly smug grin plastered across his face.
‘You’re in a better mood than this afternoon,’ I say.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘You’re grinning … and humming. You don’t hum.’
‘I do when I’m around you,’ he replies.
‘Oh! I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.’ I put my hand over my mouth and pretend to gag, which earns me a glare.
‘So, did you really just want to check up on me, or have I gained myself a stalker?’ I ask.
‘You are very stalkable,’ he jokes. ‘But, unfortunately, I’m not here stalking today. Actually, I’ve been thinking about your friend Sebastian.’
‘You have?’ I stop in my tracks and face him.
‘Yeah. I think we may be able to find out where he is,’ he says, turning to face me.
‘How?’ I can barely contain my excitement.
He looks up and down the street before he continues. ‘I was thinking about Lara’s idea to contact M to get Sebastian’s location.’
I frown at the information he obviously gleamed while I was at his place and try not to get upset. ‘Go on.’
‘Nobody knows when the next loft party will be after the way the last one ended. It’s probably a much better idea we go to the reintegration centre to get the information we need. They hold files on everyone who’s in the ARC and on the surface. Technically there should be a file on Sebastian which shows where he’s gone.’
‘How do we…’ my voice trails off and I look him in the eyes. ‘You want us to break in, don’t you?’
‘Breaking in is such a harsh way of putting it—’
‘We’re not doing it.’ I cut him off before he gets any further ideas. ‘No way, are we doing it. It’s way too dangerous.’
‘Elle, we do have a slight advantage,’ he says, tapping his forehead.
‘Nope. Not going to happen,’ I say, firmly. ‘It was scary enough with those recruiters today. Besides, I’m fairly certain I know where he is.’
‘You are? Then why are you still looking for him?’ He looks at me exasperated.
‘Well, I don’t know for sure, but I’m pretty certain. And I would’ve gone to check myself, but I don’t know how to get there.’
‘Where do you think he is then?’
‘The north side of the river,’ I respond.
He gives me a calculating look. I can almost see the cogs whirling around in his mind as he considers what I’ve said.
‘You can’t go there,’ he says.
‘Why do people keep saying that? What’s the big deal with over there?’
‘For starters, untalents aren’t allowed on that side of the river. Even if you get there it’s dangerous. From what I understand, the energy of having all those talents in the same place makes the air unstable, and it’s difficult for untalents to handle.’
‘Would you be okay if you went there?’
‘Yeah I’ve been there before.’
‘Why can’t you just go for me then?’
He looks at me uncomfortably, guilt touching his eyes. ‘Because it’s risky for me…’
‘Risky how?’
‘Risky because my talent might be sensed, and there won’t just be one or two recruiters’ minds to be manipulated, but many. You know how I feel about the north�
��’
‘No, you’re right. I don’t want you taking that risk.’ I chew down on my lip. ‘Listen, I’m more than happy to go myself, I just don’t know how to get there. I tried to walk to the bridge, but it didn’t work out so well. If you could just tell me—’
‘What do you mean it didn’t work out so well?’
‘I tried to walk to the bridge so I could get to the north, but it was strange. No matter how long I walked, I never seemed to get any closer to it.’
He shakes his head as he listens. ‘I’ve never heard of that before. It sounds like something new they’ve implemented… Anyway, it doesn’t matter, you’re not going by yourself.
‘Listen,’ he says, taking hold of my shoulders. ‘I will come with you if we find out Sebastian is definitely over there, but I’m not letting you go alone. And we will only risk it if we can be certain he’s there.’
‘You think breaking into the reintegration centre is the answer?’ I ask.
‘Elle, we’ll be in and out of there so quickly. It will be fine.’ He lets go of my shoulders and we start slowly walking down the street again.
‘What happens if we get caught?’ I ask.
‘We won’t,’ he replies.
‘Seriously, Hunter. I want to know the risks. What would they do to us?’
He looks at my face and considers me before he continues. ‘They’ll probably just give us a slap across the wrists.’
I’ve been watching him closely, and he isn’t telling me everything. It’s obvious there’s more to this than he’s letting on. ‘Okay, worst case scenario, what could happen?’ I ask.
‘Worst case? They send criminals to the farms.’ He lowers his voice as a man walks past us.
‘What farms? That doesn’t sound so bad.’ I always loved spending time in the plantation.
‘Trust me, it is. The living conditions are so poor and the labour so hard people actually die out there. And those that survive the conditions … well, you can imagine what some of these criminals do for fun.’
I gulp, wishing I hadn’t asked. I definitely won’t look at my food the same way again.
‘This doesn’t seem like a very good idea,’ I say. Horrible idea is probably a more appropriate description. If I’m sent to the farms I’ll never find Sebastian. Not to mention that, with a complete lack of talent, I’d be totally unable to protect myself. He’s not doing a very good job at convincing me.
‘That was, of course, worst case. I highly doubt they’d send minors out there. Don’t you want to know for certain where Sebastian is? I mean, how sure are you he’s in North Hope?’
West Hope still hasn’t been ruled out as an option and there’s never been anything that shows he’s in the north conclusively. I guess I’m not certain he’s there. ‘You’re right. I’m not certain,’ I reply. ‘You really think we won’t be caught?’
‘Elle, I wouldn’t take you if I thought we would. Besides, I know a guy who can help.’ He glances down at his cuff as he says this.
He knows a guy, yeah, that definitely reassures me. I’m really not happy with his plan, but Hunter would have a better idea than I do about how dangerous his idea is. ‘When do you want to do it?’
‘Tonight.’
‘You don’t think that’s rushing into it a little fast?’ I ask, as he checks his cuff again. The way he keeps looking at it I get the impression this plan isn’t quite as spontaneous as he’s making it out to be.
‘No, I don’t. Why? Do you want to wait and do this another time?’
I shake my head. There were recruiters at school today and they might be back tomorrow. I may not have that much longer to try this. ‘No, let’s not wait,’ I say. ‘You’re right, we should do it tonight.’
He grins in response. ‘Okay, let’s do it.’
‘And you think this will work?’ I ask.
‘Yeah I do, but first you need to tell the Masons you’ll be at Lara’s tonight and then we’ve got a few stops to make.’
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
‘Hunter, this is a bad idea…’ My eyes flicker uneasily to the doorhandle in front of us. It’s not nearly as bad as his idea to break into the reintegration centre, but it’s up there.
Hunter leans against the doorframe, a wicked smirk playing at the corners of his lips. It’s the kind of irritating look that deserves a good slap across the face.
‘Stop stressing, she’ll forgive you. She’ll be able to tell how sorry you are, so she has to. You are sorry, aren’t you?’ he jokes.
‘Yes. Of course I am.’ I clench my hands into fists to try and quell the anxious energy pulsing through them. There’s nothing funny about this situation. I’ve really upset Lara, and she wants space from me right now. We shouldn’t be here.
Hunter impatiently knocks on the door again. As we continue to wait his knocking gradually becomes an insistent banging. I’m about to suggest we leave when Lara finally answers. She doesn’t look happy to see me. In fact, she looks like she’s about to shut the door in my face.
‘Lara, I’m really sorry.’ The words rush out of my mouth before she slams it shut.
‘Lara…’ Hunter warns. ‘Give her another chance. You know she’s sorry.’ Lara looks at me guiltily and nods.
‘I’m sorry too,’ she says. ‘I know you never had any real problem with who I am. I’ve just been upset all afternoon about the recruiters and I took it out on you.’ I step forward and hug her. I hate that having a talent has been so upsetting for her.
When I step back she’s smiling.
‘Aw, now we’ve all made up let’s get down to business,’ Hunter says.
‘What are you guys doing here?’ Lara asks.
‘We’re breaking into the reintegration centre to find out where Elle’s friend Sebastian is. You keen?’ Hunter replies, in a hushed, steady voice.
Lara looks over her shoulder cautiously. Then stares back at Hunter for a moment. ‘You think that’s a good idea?’ she says, her eyes still focused on Hunter’s. I look back and forth at the two of them as something unsaid passes between them.
After a moment Lara’s eyes slip back into focus and she looks back at me. ‘What are we waiting for?’ she asks, grabbing her coat off the hook on the wall. She calls out a quick goodbye to her sister as she slams the door shut behind her.
‘Did I miss something?’ I ask, as we head back down to the street.
‘I just told her what I told you telepathically. It’s quicker that way, and Lara doesn’t mind,’ Hunter explains. He won’t look at me in the eye as he says it though, so I’m not certain I believe him. I’ve got a feeling that Lara and Hunter have ulterior motives here, and they are united in keeping me in the dark about it.
Once we’re outside Hunter leads us away from the bright lights and bustling noises of the busy intersection. Instead, we make our way into a quieter, darker area of the city. Without the bright and busy hubbub I’ve become accustomed to, the streets take on an eerie abandoned quality.
The street lamps are dimmer in this part of town and the few cars parked along the edge of the road are old, rusty looking things. I’d be surprised if they even worked anymore.
Hunter stops in front of a wide, brick apartment building. It’s only a few stories tall, with small slits for windows and a rickety looking fire escape that zig-zags across the face of it.
‘Stop number two?’ I ask Hunter, quietly. The words had been only just louder than a whisper, but it’s so quiet here that I feel like the sound could travel for miles.
‘Yeah. We need to deal with these.’ He lifts his wrist up and points to his CommuCuff. ‘The guy who lives here is talented. He can manipulate electronics.’ I give him a confused look. ‘You’ll see,’ he adds.
We push through a glass door at the front of the building and enter a small entrance foyer. Our reflections stare back at us from a mirror that covers the wall at the end of the room. I look away from myself, unable to reconcile with the fear I can see in my eyes.
‘This way,’
Hunter calls, waving us over to the stairwell door he props open.
Several flights of stairs later we arrive at a long carpeted hallway. The building has a modest interior, but it is by no means as dilapidated as Hunter’s building. It feels homely compared with the generic, clean lines of the Mason’s.
Hunter walks confidently to one of the doors and knocks loudly.
‘Gadge … It’s me,’ he calls. The door opens a crack and jars as the chain lock that stretches between the door and the frame reaches its limit. The two large eyes of a short, squat man peer through it. He looks like he’s in his late twenties, maybe his thirties.
‘Hunter?’ he asks, his eyes darting nervously between the three of us.
‘Hey man. What’s up?’
‘Not much,’ he stutters. He closes the door and detaches the lock, before swinging the door open wide.
‘Wh—what do you want this time Hunter?’ the man asks, as Hunter pushes past him and into the apartment. Lara and I shoot each other a questioning glance, before following him inside.
The apartment is small and messy. The open kitchen and living area we walk into is an absolute pigsty—actually, even pigpens in the ARC weren’t this messy. There is a mountain of dirty pots, pans and plates covering the food-stained, once white kitchen bench. Several bags of garbage sit on the floor next to a bin that is overflowing with filth. I try to breathe through my mouth to avoid the rank smell, but it doesn’t help much.
The living area isn’t as bad as the kitchen, but it’s still not great. The curtains hang ragged from the window frame, and the couches are weighed down by piles of clothes that have been strewn all over them. The coffee table is completely obscured by plates, bowls and cups. It’s like this man has never put anything away before in his life.
‘I was wondering if you could disable the GPS on our CommuCuffs?’ Hunter asks, once Gadge has shut the door behind us.
Gadge looks at Hunter thoughtfully. ‘I could…’ he ventures. ‘But they’ll know something’s up if your signature disappears completely.’
‘They track us with these?’ I ask. Lara and Gadge turn and look at me like I’ve just stated the most obvious of obvious.
The ARC 02: Talented Page 14
