her eyes made her look like somebody had punched her. She hadn’t come to school yesterday, and judging by how she looked now, she probably should have stayed home today too.
Becca, who had been waiting by the front doors, pushed her way through the tide of students to get to her. But as she approached Heather, someone shoved herself into Becca’s path, separating them. Laine.
Heather started to walk away. Laine grabbed her arm. “What makes you so special, huh?” Her eyes were wild. “What deal did you make to get Internal to let you go?”
Becca’s stomach twisted. After the scene in the cafeteria that first day, Laine hadn’t done anything more than shoot them nasty looks in the halls. Becca had hoped she was done with her and Heather. Apparently not.
Eyes vacant, Heather tilted her head, like she couldn’t quite decipher Laine’s words. She didn’t try to break Laine’s grip.
Becca stepped around Laine to stand beside Heather. “Let go of her.”
Laine dropped Heather’s arm, but didn’t walk away. Her gaze flicked from Heather to Becca. “And you. You’re in on it too, aren’t you? Otherwise you wouldn’t be protecting her. Did you make some kind of deal too, or are they going to come for you next?”
At least she wasn’t trying to recruit Becca to her side anymore. Simple hostility was easier to handle than barbed offers of help.
Another wave of students flowed out of the next bus and around the three of them, many keeping a wary eye on Heather as they passed. Becca grabbed Heather’s hand—it was shaking—and tugged her toward the school doors. Laine followed.
“Why didn’t you save your parents while you were at it?” Laine yelled over the roar of conversation that surrounded them. “Or did you not care if they died, as long as you could save yourself?”
Why had Laine chosen today to come after them, after days of leaving them alone?
Heather’s trembling was getting worse. She stopped moving just inside the doorway. “I’m not a dissident,” she mumbled, her voice barely audible over the crowd. “I’m not like them.”
Laine’s eyes narrowed. “Before, you said your parents weren’t dissidents. Now you’re saying they’re dissidents but you aren’t. You can’t even keep your own lies straight.”
Letting go of Heather’s hand, Becca turned to face Laine. “You’ve made your point,” she snapped. “Now leave us alone.”
Laine continued as if she hadn’t heard. “Everyone is going to think I’m a dissident now. They’ll say that if my friends are dissidents I must be too. But you don’t care about that, do you? You don’t care about anyone but yourselves.”
Becca tried to signal to Heather that they should go. Heather kept staring straight ahead, eyes glazed. “I’m not a dissident,” she repeated.
“Whatever deal you made, it won’t last,” said Laine. “Internal won’t let a dissident go free for long. You’ll end up just like Anna.”
Becca froze.
“What do you mean, just like Anna?” Her tongue felt thick.
“You didn’t hear? Anna was arrested this morning.” Laine’s words echoed through the rapidly-emptying hall. “I guess you aren’t as safe as you thought.” Her smile was like a snake, thin and dangerous. “Think about that while you wait for them to come for you.” She spun around and strode away, leaving Becca and Heather standing alone.
Chapter Five
Becca and Heather pushed their way out of the building that afternoon in silence. The only things Becca could think of to talk about were the things she didn’t want to think about. Laine. Her doubts about her mom. What she might have done to Anna.
Heather trudged beside her, blank-faced. She looked worse now than she had this morning, if that were possible.
As soon as they stepped into the sun, Heather stopped dead. It took Becca a couple of seconds to realize why.
Laine was waiting for them.
She met Becca’s eyes and took a slow, deliberate step forward. “We’re surrounded by dissidents in this school,” she spat as she approached. She raised her voice loud enough for everyone around them to hear. “If no one else is going to do something about it, I will.”
A few students on the way out of the building paused and glanced their way. Laine looked around at them before continuing. “I don’t know what you did to make sure Internal left you alone,” she said, her voice getting even louder as she spoke, “but we know what you are, even if they don’t.”
A few more people stopped to listen. Laine’s face lost some of its tension with every new addition to the crowd. She was putting on a show. Trying to prove she wasn’t a dissident like Heather. Like Anna.
Anna. What was happening to her right now? What had Becca done?
No. She couldn’t think about that. Not right now. Maybe not ever.
“As a Monitor, it’s my job to help keep this school free of dissident influences.” Laine took a step closer to Heather. “I take that responsibility seriously.”
How far was Laine willing to go with this? Becca didn’t want to find out. She stepped between Laine and Heather.
“Get out of the way,” Laine said. “Unless you’re going to defend this dissident.” She sounded like a stranger. Had Becca ever really been friends with this person?
Becca didn’t move. “She’s not a dissident. If she were, she would have been arrested. Do you think you know better than Internal?” Her mouth was dry.
Laine shoved Becca aside. Becca stumbled into one of the boys who had stopped to watch; he pushed her away as if she were contagious. She fell to the pavement, and only just managed to catch herself with her hands.
She got to her feet, heart pounding. Her hands burned.
Laine took another step toward Heather. Heather backed up until she hit the still-growing crowd. Nobody moved to let her through. Instead they squeezed closer together, trapping her inside Laine’s circle.
Trapping both of them.
Laine walked by Becca as if she weren’t there. She moved closer and closer to Heather until their feet almost touched. “Are you going to confess? Go ahead. Tell us you’re a dissident just like your parents.”
Heather cringed away from Laine. “I—I’m not…”
Laine grabbed Heather’s shoulders. Her fingernails dug into Heather’s shirt. She spun Heather around to face her audience, and addressed the crowd. “You all know what she is. What do you think we should do with her?”
Becca couldn’t just stand here and watch this. No matter what Laine and the others might do to her. On shaky legs, she started toward Heather.
Before she had taken more than two steps, someone pushed through the crowd until he was inside the circle. Someone with dark hair that fell into his face.
Jake pulled Laine away from Heather. “What do you think you’re doing?” he growled in a voice that made the hair on the back of Becca’s neck stand on end. His gaze drilled into Laine’s.
Laine took a step back. She straightened, visibly regaining her composure. “Protecting our school.”
Jake closed the distance between them again. “You’re protecting yourself.” His face was just inches from hers. The words overflowed with barely-restrained rage. “Are you afraid everyone will start wondering about you if you don’t show them how loyal you are?” His pitch changed abruptly, from a near-shout to a hiss. “Is there something you’re trying to hide?”
Laine backed up until there was nowhere else to go. Just like Heather had a moment ago. The circle didn’t open up for her either.
“Heather is not a dissident.” Jake’s voice was low, but it carried easily. “If Internal thought she was guilty,
