by Tanya Ross
“Shocked? You’re not dying, are you?” His heart leaped to his throat, the pulse threatening to push out his neck.
“No, no Will.” She hugged him again, quickly, before continuing. “I—I have a…condition…I’ve had it all my life. I’ve kept it hidden. It’s weird. Baffling. I’ve always felt freakish. I didn’t think it was…wise to tell anyone. Not even my mom knew.”
Will listened as Ember then revealed her secret and what she experienced every day. An Empath? I’ve never heard of something so bizarre. No wonder she didn’t want anyone to know! She’s amazing, though, to be able to keep that private. That takes real strength. I wonder if being an Empath is what caused her fainting spell at the Plauditorium…
“…and now that they know, I’m to be some sort of mascot or secret weapon. I have to live with the Magistrate, starting tomorrow!” Her face was flushed, and her brows knitted in a knot of dread.
Will felt as if he was on an airplane spinning out of control, ready to implode upon impact. Live with the Magistrate! His Alt vibrated and lit up, signaling a major emotional dive. Severe enough, and he could be suspended as a Plauditor. Think. Concentrate. He compelled himself to think only about Ember. His sympathy and compassion would bring his Alt back into line.
“Ember, I’m so sorry.” Will grabbed Ember’s shoulders and turned her to face him. “You are stronger than you know, and I’m already thinking about ways I can help.” There was always a silver lining.
“I’m going to be a prisoner, Will! This can’t be good in any way.”
“Shh. Don’t say that out loud! The Magistrate will expect your loyalty, and his decision not to punish you hangs in the balance. And, listen. Because of what I found out today, this can be an advantage.”
Will described the Alt calls briefly, watching Ember’s eyes grow wide with astonishment. She said, “It’s…bizarre. No one else seems to be poking around like we are, either. It…it…seems death’s just been accepted, and that’s it. Otherwise, their Alt scores would be at stake.”
“Yeah. We gotta find out what’s going on! But now, you’re going to be inside. You can find out everything we need to know.”
Ember squared her shoulders. He had been amazed that she had shed no tears, and now she looked resolute. He could see raw grit in her eyes. Secret weapon, indeed.
Journal Entry #5592
Nothing sensitive about our citizens is ever transmitted electronically. So when I receive a note delivered by a Sciolist I take it seriously. An anonymous source placed it on the Elite’s docket for review. They have determined some allegations to be a real concern. I have been furious about it all day. One of our most esteemed Plauditors has been visiting Augur Prize recipients. The reason for these visits is unknown, but not for long. Will Verus will need more counseling or Purging. He has already been corrected for his relationship with Ember Vinata and now he looks like a traitor to the City. Will Verus has become a problem.
--Serpio Magnus, Magistrate
34
Ember’s Dilemma
Ember was afraid. She couldn’t imagine what she would have to give up or…do. Would she still be able to see Will? Her biggest concern was about her privacy. Would she have her own bedroom or…? She shivered, and Will put his arm around her.
She knew Will was right. It put her in the perfect position to find out what was going on. She had to look on the bright side.
Will asked, “How long do you have before you have to report in?”
“Tomorrow, I go.”
“We’re gonna be together every minute until then, Ember. We have all night. And you probably know how I’m feeling about that, right?” Will winked at her, and Ember’s blood turned to lava. Good thing he can’t read my emotions. He might very well catch on fire. She laughed softly and smiled at him, dreaming about the possibilities.
“I’d love to just go somewhere and be alone with you, Will. I want you to know that.” She reached out and put her hands on his arms. “But I’ll probably be... cut off...from you after today. We should spend our time as detectives instead—get a game plan.” Disappointment streamed through her. And she didn’t need her empathic ability to know how Will would be feeling at her remark.
He clasped his hands tightly over his head and then released them “Okay…Ugh! So bummed! Just hoping to make today about us. But...you’re right.” Will glanced down at his Alt and then shook his head in disgust. He had taken a hit.
“Let’s talk. Plan. And then, maybe…?” She caught his eye and gave him a meaningful look.
“Yeah...We better get planning then.”He winked at her and then looked away. He put his hands in his pockets, as if to keep himself from touching her. Taking a deep breath, he began to pace in short steps. “We’ve got to figure this out. Before you’re incommunicado. And before someone else dies. It’s life or death. And us...well, you and I... we’re together, no matter what.”
Ember smiled up at him, his words settling into her heart like a downy blanket. She was still tempted to just push everything aside and just be with Will. Suddenly Ember’s eyes went wide. “Shazz! The Magistrate asked me in my first interview if I felt anything weird happened to me when I had my mom’s ring. I didn’t…not until I was at the Plauditorium and I felt faint. I had the ring with me! The exam today didn’t uncover anything about that, but what if it was the ring making me feel sick? It was in my pocket…”
“Right. Next. To. Your. Heart.” Will’s voice quavered as a troublesome possibility hit him. “The rings have something wrong with them! They’re causing illness—and death—and City Hall wants to cover it all up.”
“But why cover it up? Why not recall the rings if they’re harmful?” Ember felt more confused than ever. This had to be an accident, of course. But dread wound its way through her throat like a python, squeezing the air from her lungs. “They’re supposed to protect all of us here, but this isn’t protection—it’s murder! Oh my god, Will! My mother was killed because she wore her ring!” She grabbed onto Will, her nails digging pits into his arms. “My mother was trying to talk to me at the end. She was telling me not to wear something! It has to be the ring she was talking about. How could we not see this before?”
Will said, “Slow down. Let’s not think the worst. This has got to be a mistake…a coincidence. A murder—much less more than one—would never happen here, Ember!” He paced back and forth, his Alt vibrating with every step.
“You’re right, Will. I’m overreacting.” She reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him to a standstill.
“Someone who makes these rings is using something toxic, and they don’t even know it! The city is probably investigating it, and that’s why you didn’t get any answers. That’s got to be it.” Will’s loyalty to the city was still true blue, and right now, that’s how his aura looked. “We could figure out the problem, and the Magistrate will be so grateful!”
“Shoot, Will. We can help fix the problem.” She licked her lips nervously. “But, babe, I don’t know where the rings are made, do you?”
“Yeah, I do. South side of the city in the manufacturing district. Right nearby where the Level Two’s live.” Will tilted his Alt to speak into its face. “Give me the name and address of the jeweler on the South Side.”
“That would be Nemo Enterprises, Will,” the Alt replied. “1500 Amity Avenue. Shall I call a CommuteCar?”
“Yes, thanks,” Will said. He turned to Ember. “For, um, appearances, you might want to take a Level Eight.”
Ember shot him a dubious look, seeing a wave of his unease flaring out in a shadowy curve around his head. I hope he knows what he’s doing. “We’re taking separate cars?”
“It’s going to seem more normal, our not being in the same car,” he replied.
“But we’re going to the same place,” she argued.
“Appearances are everything, Ember. Trust me.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Okay, but I don’t understand why we can’t just go there together.”
“You’ll arrive after me, of course. I’ll wait for you outside.”
She nodded her head, forcing a smile. Will was acting weird. She absorbed his nervousness, and it caused a mirror reaction in her. A rush of jitters rippled down her spine and seemed to detonate in her tailbone.
Two seconds later, the CommuteCars pulled up and there was no more time for conversation.
The sign for Nemo Enterprises rose up on the left, its candy pink neon letters lit in a flashy display.
She wished she felt as confident as Will looked as she joined him at a medieval-looking ivory-colored door. The shop was definitely a Level Two establishment. Ember commented aloud. “The Elite must want to keep this low-key. A Level Two neighborhood? For these rings?”
The sign in the beveled glass window advertised jewelry, trophies, and Status accessories, but no one of any higher Status would ever come into this neighborhood to shop.
Will appeared suddenly his old self. “Now I can be an All-Star Plauditor. See how well the rings are made,” Will joked. “It shouldn’t be a stretch for them to show me around.” He opened the door, a computerized chime announcing their entry.
Inside, the foyer sparkled with rhinestone walls. A marble desk of white and gray almost completely hid a dwarfish man behind it. With his white hair and scraggly beard, her reminded Ember of a gnome.
“Hello! Renner Fide, here. How may I help you today?” The pint-sized proprietor raised his arm in greeting.
Will returned the customary greeting. “Hello. I’m Will Verus. I’m a Plauditor. This is my friend, Ember.”
Across the desk, Will whispered in Renner’s ear. “Look, I’m hoping you can help me impress this girl. You know how it is.”
“Oh, well…sure…we just have to be secure,” Renner whispered back.
“Just checking up to see if the city can help you in any way,” Will said, his voice now full of a confident authority.
“I’m doing well here—busy as I can possibly be. Between the orders for the city and personal items for Status, I’m afraid I don’t have time for a tour. But I can answer any questions you might have.”
“Ah, well. I’m disappointed, but perhaps we can just see your most important commission. You make the rings here for the city, is that right? Perhaps we could just have a look at the ones for the next ceremony?”
The clerk seemed to puff up with pride. “Our very special requisition. Of course. And since you work for the city, I could give you a little sneak peek. We’re proud of our rings. And, it just so happens, it’s no trouble. I have the latest ones right here.” Renner leaned down just a bit and pulled out a tray from behind the desk. The rings sparkled as if they had divine light.
“Those are beautiful!” Ember gushed. “What a thrill to see them all together!”
“Incredible workmanship,” Will agreed as his eyes scanned the tray. He hesitated and then said, “But there are only thirteen rings here. Are you still making the other five?”
“No. All the rings are complete. We always send the higher-level rings right out to the city since they’re priceless. The Elite don’t want the rings for those levels at risk—they’re more valuable so they go to be kept in the safe at City Hall. Once they go, no one else sees them again until the ceremony.”
“Ah. So they go straight to a safe, then?”
“Yes, and these other rings will follow, closer to the ceremony.”
“Thank you, Renner. You seem to have an understanding of how important your work is. I appreciate your sharing and talking with me today. If I can ever be at your service…”
“Are you sure I can’t interest you in any other rings today?” Renner said, a twinkle in his eye.
Will chuckled and glanced at Ember, returning his attention to Renner whose expectant look was quite comical under the circumstances. “No, Sir. I don’t think my girlfriend here is quite ready for a commitment.”
The man’s face fell. “Well, remember me when you need something special.”
Ember observed that a camera filmed and recorded the entire conversation in case of any security breach. An electronic bell signaled their exit from the shop.
Once outside, Ember asked, “Will, won’t City Hall know we visited the store? You know better than anyone—Plauditors are watching our every move.”
“City Hall won’t receive any reports unless some Plauditor wonders why I was visiting the jeweler. Just like Renner, they’re gonna think we were shopping for engagement rings or something.” He gave her a wink.
For Ember, the wink delivered a warm, fuzzy buzz. “Good.”
Will’s aura shifted. Ember picked up underlying emotional pain. It hurt her. He’s struggling with something, but it’s not the cameras. Change the subject. “Weren’t the rings beautiful? All the different stones and craftsmanship! Amazing!”
“Agree—but the upper Status rings weren’t there. Remember, the people who are dying have been wearing those. Something is happening to those rings after they’ve left Nemo Enterprises.”
Ah, maybe that’s what he’s grappling with. It’s really affecting him, she mused.
Ember said, “I’ll bet they’re in a safe. But they’re in that safe because they have a poison or a drug or something.”
“When you get close to the Magistrate, you need to find out. Then we should get hold of one of the rings. That’s the only way we’ll know for certain.”
“Whatever I need to do, I’ll do.” Her inner core seemed to tighten with a single-minded determination. She would do more than try. She would make a mark.
35
Will’s Choice
The uncomfortable meeting with Winslow had been weighing heavily on Will’s mind. Even as he investigated the rings, he was torn. City Hall would never approve of his illicit relationship with Ember. It was doomed. Plus, if he continued to date her, all he had built—all his goodness—could be brought to an end. He would certainly be removed as a Plauditor if he continued to see her. From there, he would be counseled and then even sent to the Outside for his defiance.
Bottom line—he would have to break it off. His insides turned upside down as he thought about the pain this would cause them both. The struggle to stay happy about it would be a Herculean challenge, but in the long run, he was doing the right thing. The secret quest they had been on together was nothing Ember was in a position to fix, especially now that she was under the Magistrate’s control. It would have to be him, and he would need to do it alone.
His eyes suddenly glistened with spontaneous, careless tears. Unacceptable. He checked his Alt. Shazz! The downward flashing arrows were pulsing, and the dive would continue if he couldn’t put a positive spin on all this! Hmmm. Okay, new mindset: I’ll be doing both of us a favor, he thought. In fact, I’m doing the heroic, chivalrous thing for her, and also keeping myself in the game. Good. I can be happy about this—the relationship is just too complicated. He let the positive thoughts wash over him from the inside out until an actual smile lit on his lips. It would be all right.
Winslow was right to have talked to him. This relationship was poison—would definitely lead to unhappiness. It had taken him a while to look at the big picture, so blinded had he been by his attraction to her and by all the events that had happened since, but now he realized the obvious.
It was an easy “out.” Ember would be taken away, and it would keep him whole. He’d have to just forget about her, and yet still somehow solve the mysteries of the rings. She had become far too dependent on him; she needed to develop her inner strength. Because of this alone, he should no longer be involved with her. He would have to tell her that today would be the last time they could be together.
“Sorry about the separate CommuteCars, Ember. I know you can’t really understand.”
“What? You don’t think I know how dangerous this is?” She threw her arms out to emphasize her words. “Someone at City Hall discovering our investigations…that’s all I can think about!”
“Stay
calm. We have to be cheerful, Ember, no matter what. Already I know our concern triggers low readings of our Alts. It will be noticed and logged. We’re nervous about being discovered and we’re freaked out over the rings. We have to put it all in proper perspective, or we’re gonna be on the radar.” He wanted to sound positive, but his voice squeaked out, strained.
Ember said, “Tomorrow I’ll be with the Magistrate, so I don’t think my mood matters. He’s interested in my abilities, not my happiness.”
Her shoulders slumped, and her face seemed to gray in the afternoon light. He wanted to scream from the frustration of the challenges, the alien emotions, and the injustice.
“Your happiness does matter!” He impulsively put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “What do you say we go somewhere private? In all this crap we’ve been through—you’ve been through—we need to have some time just for ourselves. First the plan, and then us, right?”
He watched her face color pink and then transform as if it were illuminated from within. “I would love that,” she said. Her words came out sounding like a summer breeze.
It was hard to resist her. He reached up to touch the hair that had fallen across her face. Stop. Not now. Not here.
Where to go? he thought. They couldn’t go to his place or hers. They needed to go somewhere the all-seeing cameras wouldn’t easily pick them up, a populated place where they were just random people in a crowd.
Maybe at one of the Maglev Monorail stops. The epiphany made sense. Known as the “M”, the public high-speed elevated train ran on massive magnets. It generated an electromagnetic field to hold the monorail on its tracks. Dense, flowery hedges near the rails surrounded it. Not exactly the most romantic place, which was optimal. And, no one would find it odd if they were both discovered in the same general vicinity. Often the magnetic fields threw the Alt’s GPS off entirely without disturbing the collection of happiness points.
