pair of agents tackle Skandar to the ground. His stunner flies from his hand. He’s defenseless. We could shoot- harness what meager defense equipment this shuttle has-but then we’d risk hitting him. Shuttles don’t fire stun darts. We could kill.
The landing gear retracts. We bolt into the air. I half expect the agents to open fire. Maybe it’s because we’re in an Academy vehicle. Maybe they did recognize me back there. Whatever the case, they keep their weapons still.
We gain speed and pull away from the island. It’s only when we’re a safe distance from land that Eva turns to me. “They’ve got Skandar, Jesse.” She chokes on the words.
“I know.” I pace uneasily. “What have we done?”
“They’ve got him,” she repeats. Her eyes widen. “They-”
She can’t finish the sentence. It finally happened. She can see what the Academy’s become. Otherwise she would’ve chosen different words.
They’ve got him. They. Not we.
They.
15
Cassius relished the chance to leave his cell, to move freely without shackles pulling him back.
The Unified Party Cruiser landed in the Fringes several minutes ago, opening its door to a world far different than the temperature-controlled room inside the Lodge. Madame surprised him earlier in the morning, arriving in place of the usual breakfast lady. “We’ll be going on an errand,” she’d said, and left it at that. It was like old times. She never revealed more than she had to.
His wrists had welts on them from being restrained for so long. He walked with a slight limp. His leg cramped.
Keep moving.
Madame’s voice echoed in his mind. She hadn’t actually spoken, but the device on his neck relayed her commands.
They were at the edge of a Fringe Town. Syracuse, just a short distance from the Lodge. Cassius couldn’t think of a more uncomfortable place. Every time he breathed, the air felt thick and sandy. Sweat dripped from his neck, staining the collar of his shirt. A dry wind ripped like sandpaper against his skin. And the sun… it was unstoppable. Syracuse, more than any other Fringe Town, had special significance. It was where everything had started, where he’d first met Fisher and triggered his power, where Pearls stopped being energy and became something else. He hadn’t been back since.
The town could be dangerous. The lawlessness of the Fringes wasn’t too far off from the slum lands back in Providence, though they were far emptier. Every time he’d ventured outside in the past, something had gone wrong. Fringers, like Slum Lords, were not to be trusted. Even though he’d denounced the ways of the Unified Party, he could still become a target. No Fringer would be happy to see someone like Madame walking through their town, not after the government all but banished them to a life in this hellish wasteland.
Madame wore a loose white blouse and tan pants. Casual for her. He assumed she wanted to blend in. Beside her was the boy, Theo Rayne, trotting along like an obedient puppy. Cassius didn’t know why she’d insisted on bringing him. As usual, she’d offered no explanation.
Cassius surveyed the buildings on either side of them. Gutted, dusty storefronts bordered the vacant street. This was a ghost town-brown and lifeless. There were thousands like it scattered throughout the country, each as dead as the last. He hoped all the Fringers had scattered to different parts of the state.
Keep walking.
Madame wrapped her arm around his shoulder and pulled him closer. “Lovely morning, isn’t it?”
He wanted to push away, summon fire, and fight, but the harnessing kept him at bay. It was an odd half-life, hazy and unfocused like a dream. He could move. He could talk. But he couldn’t break through.
Madame released him and steered Theo to the right. She pointed to a building on the nearest corner. “That’s a fine example of turn-of-the-century architecture.” Cassius glanced up. The windows had been blown out on all three stories. “Things were quaint back then. I would love to crawl inside a time machine, take an excursion back before it all changed.”
Theo tensed his shoulders. “Do I have to wear this jacket?”
“I know it’s hot, dear, but you don’t want to walk back into the Lodge with a Surface Tan. Besides, the material’s designed to help regulate your body temperature. You’d be less comfortable without it.”
Cassius dragged his feet beside them. “Isn’t it dangerous for someone like you to be out here?”
“It’s a dangerous world, Cassius.” She led them down an alley. “The trick is not caring.”
Theo’s head poked around her back. He grinned. “The great Cassius Stevenson’s not scared, is he?”
Cassius ignored him. The truth was, he didn’t think he could be scared if he tried. He couldn’t seem to summon any emotion at all.
“Now Theo,” Madame chuckled. “Play nice. I don’t want the incident in Cassius’s cell to repeat itself. It’s important to me that the two of you get along.” She paused. “Come. We’re nearly there.”
She led them halfway down another street, identical to the last and stopped before a wide, boarded-up building. Cassius thought he recognized it from his last venture out, but it was tough to be sure. Everything looked familiar.
Madame gripped the cracked door handle. “Cassius, you know I care about you. Everything, even what happened back in Seattle, I did for you. I dream of the day we can walk like this without the use of devices.” She pulled open the door without waiting for a response. A cloud of dust dislodged from the opening.
Keep walking.
They stepped into the foyer. It was identical to the ones he’d explored as a boy when he found it necessary to escape the pristine cleanliness of the Lodge. They ascended a short flight of stairs and turned the corner, heading for a room on the second floor.
Theo stopped in his tracks and blocked the way forward as Madame disappeared into the room. He turned around, eyes slit. “I don’t know why she brought you here, but I’m watching you.”
Cassius pushed past him. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
He followed Madame into the small room. It was empty except for a disheveled bed in one corner and a table in another. She stood at the foot of the bed, hugging a girl. Avery Wicksen.
Without the Unified Party suit she’d worn in Providence, she seemed much more like the girl Cassius remembered. Her straw-colored hair was tied behind her face, revealing soft features. A hint of freckles. She looked common, in loose jeans and a dirty T-shirt. Like a Fringer.
Avery’s eyes met his own. Any glimmer of recognition was fleeting. Dulled. Madame released her embrace and Avery perched at the edge of the bed, oblivious to him.
“My dear girl.” Madame backed up two steps to admire her. “Forgive me for these dreary surroundings. I hate to think of you out here in this heat.”
Avery opened her mouth. For a moment, Cassius expected to hear anger-brash confidence like she’d possessed months ago. Instead, her voice was quiet. “I’m comfortable. I have water.”
“Still.” Madame smiled. “A place like this, a town filled with rousers and thugs, is hardly what I want for my daughter.”
Cassius crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway. Avery was as much Madame’s daughter as he was her son. It didn’t count. It wasn’t real.
Straighten up.
He arched his back, standing tall without even realizing it.
Madame strode to a wide window at the opposite end of the room. It had been covered with wood planks, but lines of sunlight poked through. “It won’t be for much longer, I assure you. You’ll have Jesse Fisher back in good time.” She looked over her shoulder. “And when he sees you like this… well, he’ll be concerned. And rightfully so.”
Cassius watched Avery tense up. Her fingers gripped the bedspread. Her heel tapped against the ground. “Do
