We are no longer safe.
CHAPTER EIGHT
SWEATING, HEART RACING, I’m outside the dome, surrounded by Shredders. They’ve got me. I struggle to get free but someone grips my shoulder.
“Hey,” a familiar voice says. “You’re dreaming.”
I blink as light fills the space. The anxiety of last night’s escape from the Comps and my meeting with Burn must have impacted my dreams. But I’m safe in our room. It was Drake’s hand on my shoulder. His shirt’s off and a cup of water and a cloth sit beside him. He’s been washing.
As the puzzle pieces fall together, I keep my gaze on his forehead and will my heart rate to slow.
“Are you okay?” he asks, concern in his voice. “I was asleep when you came in last night.”
“I’m fine.” I look down and wince. My ankle is purple and swollen, and my scraped knees and hands left blood marks on my blanket. Those won’t come out even if I wash them today, and I can’t. I’m due in GT.
“You missed curfew.” Drake reaches for his shirt.
“So?” I turn my ankle in small circles, trying to block out the pain and stifle the emotions brought on by my dream.
“Don’t take crazy chances, Glory.”
Anger rises up and my glare locks on his. Instantly, his armor appears like scales of iron covering his torso. Ashamed, I look down.
He drags himself back onto his mattress and turns from me, crossing his arms over his chest. “No need to hurt me.”
“I’m sorry.”
He spins around. “Sorry’s not good enough. You need to learn to control that.”
I leap to my feet, holding back a cry as my ankle protests. “Like you know how to control your Deviance?”
He squares his jaw. “I didn’t just try to hurt you.”
Guilt rises in my throat. “I’m sorry. You know I’d never hurt you. Let’s drop it, okay?”
He nods and someone knocks. It’s probably just Jayma, but what if it’s Burn? It might be too late to move Drake.
“Who’s there?” I ask.
“Glory.” It’s Cal. “Open the door.”
I spin around but Drake is already pulling on his long-sleeved shirt, even though his armor has disappeared. He pulls his blanket over his legs, arranging them to look natural.
“Just a minute.” I pat down my hair, and then scold myself. Who cares about my hair?
“Turn out the light,” I whisper to Drake. When he does, I limp, taking short breaths, and then open the door a crack. Cal’s leaning at the door’s side, his shirt tight against his arm muscles. He moves to enter but I put my hand on his chest and push back, sliding out the small opening and into the hall.
“Hi.” His voice is deep and husky, and the sound of it sends a thrill through me. I can’t believe I want him to kiss me again under these circumstances.
“Why are you here?” I ask.
Hurt and shock flash in his eyes.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that I need to leave for GT.”
“You’ve got a few minutes. I need to tell you something.” He glances around. “Let’s go inside.”
I shake my head.
His lips twist and then he says, “Come to my place then.” He takes my hand and pulls me forward. “What happened to your ankle?” He stops. “I knew I shouldn’t have let you go home alone last night. Now that we’re dating, it’s my responsibility to keep you safe. I failed.”
“I hurt it after I got home.” I’m shocked at how easily I’m able to lie to Cal. It’s not right.
Bending, he pulls my arm up and over his shoulder, and then wraps his hand around my waist. I have to admit it’s easier to walk with his support, even though it means we need to walk sideways.
After we turn into the next corridor, we run into Jayma, her sleeve pushed up, no doubt to make her new bracelet more prominent. Happiness radiates from her face. “Ready for GT?” She cocks her head to the side. “Aren’t you working today, Cal?”
“Day off,” he says. “And Glory might be a few minutes late for GT. Tell your instructor—” He pauses. “Don’t tell her anything.”
“You’ll get in trouble,” Jayma says. “If Mrs. Cona gives you a bad performance evaluation, it’ll affect your work placement. That means the rest of your life.” Jayma sounds so much like her mother sometimes, which makes me miss mine.
I wish I could ask Mom’s advice now. She’d know whom I could trust, and she’d help me understand my feelings for Cal—how I can go icy-cold thinking about his joining the Jecs and yet buzz with heat when he’s near.
“I’ll be there soon.” I reach out and take her hands. “I just need a minute to talk to Cal. You go on ahead. Don’t worry.” Right now, I wouldn’t care if I got assigned to Custodial, Sewage, or the President’s Office. With all that’s happened the past two days, my career’s unimportant.
She runs her hand over her dating license and a soft smile creeps onto her face. “I don’t want to be late. I’ll catch up with Scout.”
“Jayma,” I call after her, then turn to Cal. “Just a minute, okay?”
He nods and I step forward slowly, readjusting to the pain in my ankle.
“What happened to your leg?” Jayma asks.
“It’s nothing.” I wave my hand. “I need to ask you something important.” I lean in close. “If anything happens, promise me that you’ll take care of Drake.”
She pulls back and stares into my eyes as if looking for the reason I’m saying this, and I wish I could tell Jayma about Burn and his claim that my father’s alive. I wish I could tell her Cal’s in the Jecs. I wish I could tell her I’m a Deviant. But I can’t share all my secrets with anyone.
“Why are you asking me this?” Alarm registers on her face. “Did Cal go beyond the terms of your license? Do you need me to call HR?”
“No. It’s nothing like that. Really. I just need to know you’d watch out for him.”
“Of course.” She squeezes my hand. “Of course I’d look after Drake. You know I would.”
My heart fills with love for my friend.
“Are you really okay?”
I nod. “Go to class. I’ll see you later.”
She kisses my cheek and runs off down the hall.
When I turn, Cal has approached and lifts me into his arms. “We’ll be faster this way.”
“No”—I push back from his chest—“put me down. If I don’t use my ankle, it’ll stiffen up.” Truth is, I love being in his arms too much and can’t risk letting my emotions race out of control. Not after I’ve confirmed that my Deviance hurts humans.
He sets me down but keeps his arm around me as we walk through a maze of corridors across to the apartment he shares with Scout and their parents. He opens the door and I turn to him with a question in my eyes.
“No one’s home.” His cheeks flush and his hair falls in front of his eyes in the way that I love.
I step inside. Their apartment must be more than twice the size of Drake’s and mine and is open at the side to the dome, giving a full view of the next building and the sloping sky above. Waist high, a railing stretches across the opening that must have once contained glass, and I hope the rail was placed lower when Cal and Scout were small. Fabric screens stand on opposite sides of the room, giving a little privacy to the spaces where the family sleeps. There’s also a chair, with metal legs and a dark green plastic seat. What a luxury.
“It’s beautiful,” I say. “Speaking of apartments”—I draw a deep breath—“I need to move.”
“Move?”
“Yes. Now that I know about that list you found, it’s just a matter of time before they come for Drake. I can’t let that happen.” I can’t mention the other reason: Burn.
“I told you.” He puts his hands on my shoulders. “I’ll keep you safe.”
“I know you’ll do your best but—”
He shakes his head. “You need to stay here. If you move, I won’t be able to protect you.”
�
�But—” I can’t carry Drake on my own over much of a distance. It will be easier if he helps. “I’m moving. It’s already decided. Will you help me?”
“Glory, you’re safe here. I’m certain.”
“How can you be certain?”
He drops his hands from my shoulders. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you.” He grins. “I’m certain because of Mr. Belando—you remember, the VP of Compliance we talked to?”
My heart thuds. I step back. “You told him about Drake?”
“No.” His eyes broadcasting hurt, he continues, “I was going to tell you this last night, but…”
“But what?” I cross my arms over my chest.
“You know I’m not supposed to talk about Jecs business.”
“Yet you expect me to trust you?”
Red flares on his cheeks. “Do you want to hear this or not?”
I nod, nerves racing.
“Yesterday, Mr. Belando gave a speech to the Jecs and made the department’s priorities clear. There are no plans to actively seek Parasites. Not until we’ve contained the Deviant problem.” He beams as if this is the best news ever and I chew on the inside of my lip. The words contain and problem rankle, even though I’ve heard words like that my whole life.
He traces his fingers down my arms to my hands. “See? There’s no need to move.”
I study Cal’s face, searching for deception, seeing none. Cal believes he can protect Drake. But I can’t relax—not while I’m still facing the danger of Burn.
He pulls me into an embrace. “Everything is falling into place. If I get into Comp Training, we can afford a posh apartment on a lower floor, where the air is cool and clean. Maybe we’d even have water on our level.”
At this moment, in the relative safety of Cal’s arms, it would be easy to drift into fantasy land, to trust him fully and believe he can keep Drake safe. It would be easy to believe I can have an easier life, a normal life, but I can’t. An easy life is not in my future.
I will always be a Deviant.
CHAPTER NINE
BECAUSE I WAS tardy, Mrs. Cona makes me stay late at the end of the day. Jayma offers to wait, but I tell her to head home with Scout. Remembering they can walk together alone now, she doesn’t argue for long, and I’m on my best behavior, helping our GT instructor clean chalk dust from the walls and gather up fragments from the floor so they can be reformed into new chalk sticks for future generations. When I’m finally released, I rush home.
With my brow sweating from the pain in my ankle, I open the door and pause.
Jayma’s there. I slide into the room. Drake’s sitting on his mattress, a look of alarm on his face.
“What are you doing here?” I ask her.
She shoots up from where she was sitting on the floor. “I’ve been talking to Drake. He invited me, remember? I came to tell him you were kept late, and he shouldn’t worry.”
“It’s great that you came.” I hug her hello. “I was just surprised, that’s all.”
Drake’s still not sporting the huge smile I’d expect. Maybe he’s disappointed I interrupted the only alone-time he’s had with his crush? But his eyes look like he’s trying to tell me something. Does he want me to go?
Jayma sits on the floor in front of my brother, then looks up to me, which seems to increase Drake’s discomfort. His expression’s tight.
“Drake has been explaining those geometry equations that I messed up on the last quiz. It’s no wonder you do so well, Glory. If I had to repeat our lessons to someone every day, more might stick.” She smiles. “Since he can’t take a work placement, I figured Drake didn’t need training.” She cuts herself off and looks down.
Drake clears his throat and draws our attention. “Jayma, did I show you my new drawings?” He points to a place low on the opposite wall, and as she turns to look, he nods up to the ceiling while looking at me.
I glance up and gasp. Burn.
His back is to the ceiling. He holds himself suspended by pressing his hands and feet into the opposite walls of our five-foot-wide room. Facing down, he shakes his head then shoots his eyes toward Jayma. I drop to the mattress.
It’s a small miracle she hasn’t noticed him above her, and I’m thankful for our ten-foot ceilings. One advantage of the Pents. I need to distract her, to make sure she doesn’t look up. I cough.
She turns and puts a hand on my shoulder. “I hope you’re not coming down with something.”
“Maybe you should go.” I cough again and nerves buzz through me. “If I am sick, you wouldn’t want to catch it.” I rub my ring.
She pushes up from the floor and puts her hand on my forehead. “You’re flushed.”
“It was nice of you to stop by.” I keep my tone bright and turn toward the door.
Her smile fades. “You’re trying to get rid of me.”
“I need to rest. My ankle hurts.”
“I thought you said you wanted to keep it mobile.”
“It’s tired.” My neck cramps, straining to keep from looking up.
“See you later, Jayma,” Drake says. “Thanks for coming.” Kicking Jayma out must be breaking his heart.
“I’ll see if Scout’s done with his chores.” Jayma’s lips smile but her eyes don’t. She’s hurt and I don’t know how to fix it. Right now I have much bigger problems—like the huge, scary boy pressed against my ceiling.
Jayma pauses mid-slide through the door and whispers. “What’s up with your brother?” Her forehead wrinkles. “First he wants me to come by more often, and then when I do, he acts all strange, like my being here is some kind of intrusion.”
I slide out into the hall. “I’m sure it’s nothing.” I hope my voice doesn’t sound as tight as it feels. “I’ll find out.”
Jayma squeezes my arm. “Don’t forget to take care of yourself, too.” She kisses my cheek and pulls me into a hug.
I want to crumple into her but I stiffen so she’ll release me, then I slip back into our room, terrified that Burn has killed Drake. But our intruder’s leaning against the back wall as if he lives here.
Rage building, I glare directly into his eyes, but he’s too smart and quickly looks away. “Leave my brother alone.”
“It’s fine,” Drake says, as if Burn’s being here is the most normal thing in the world. “Dad sent him.”
“We don’t have a dad.”
Drake leans back on his arms and looks at Burn like they’re long-lost friends who can’t decide how to deal with me.
At the moment, I don’t know how to deal with me and I stare at the wall, focusing on Drake’s meticulous drawing of the streets and buildings around the Hub. How he uses a nail to scratch his intricate drawings, how he remembers places in such detail when he hasn’t been there since he was ten, astounds me. As hard as it will be to leave these drawings behind, at least the walls in our new home might provide a fresh canvas.
Burn pushes off the back wall. “Gather all the water and food you can. Not much else. The moon is on the lowest cycle setting tonight, so there’s good cover. We leave at 4:00 a.m., during the Comps’ shift change. I’ll carry Drake. Glory, you’re on your own.”
“Gather our stuff to go where?” I ask.
“I’ll tell you later.”
“You’ll tell me now.”
He ignores me and forgetting my ankle, I stomp toward him. “You’re not our boss.”
“Shit,” he says. “When did you get hurt?”
Ignoring his language—using that word is strictly off-policy—I stand more solidly on my sore ankle. “We’re not going anywhere with you.”
“I’m going.” Drake’s voice cracks. He winces, and then repeats his words in a lower teenager voice. “I’m going with him, whether you like it or not.”
“Don’t be crazy. He’ll kill you.”
“I can’t live the rest of my life in this tiny room.”
I crouch and put my hands on my brother’s shoulders. “So, you’d rather die?” I shake him a little but his upper bo
dy’s so strong, I don’t have much effect. Hopefully my words do. He’ll see the big picture.
Drake moves a hand to my arm. “I need to get out of here. Even if I die trying.”
My heart nearly breaks and I search his eyes for hidden meanings, all the while rubbing my ring for safety, but Drake seems sincere and determined to leave. Why?
I spin toward Burn. “Can you influence people’s thoughts?” I have no idea about the bounds of Burn’s Deviance.
He leans back, folds his arms over his chest and the muscles press against the fabric of his coat. “Can you?” He cocks an eyebrow.
I turn back to my brother and fight to keep calm. “Drake, why would you trust this stranger? I’m your sister. I’m the one who loves you. I’m the one who takes care of you. And you won’t always be stuck in this tiny room. We’re going to move to a new home. I found somewhere bigger, somewhere better, with a window and more light.” At least that is my hope, not exactly the truth.
Burn grunts.
I spin back. “I’ve been taking care of my brother for three years. We don’t need you.”
Burn pulls a watch out of one of several pockets on his pants. I’ve never seen anyone below Management with a private timepiece. It must be stolen. “Four a.m. Be ready.”
He yanks the door open, breaking the bracket, and strides into the hall, slamming the door behind him.
I rush to the door, but by the time I look out—mere seconds—he’s vanished.
Bending over, I put my hands on my knees and suck in long breaths. Drake’s right that he doesn’t have much of a life right now. I should have recognized that sooner, but I can’t blindly trust this boy who claims our father’s alive. Not if I still have options.
Footsteps come from my right, so I crouch and pretend to brush dirt off my shoes, not even looking up to see who owns the passing patched brown boots that look like they’ve had several generations of previous owners.
I must find us a new place to live. Fast. I don’t know who’s more dangerous—the Comps or Burn.
Casting my eyes down, I plead with the man who controls the rentals on the roof.
Deviants (The Dust Chronicles) Page 7
