“Players, carriages will arrive for you in the next two hours to bring you back to Thrace Tower,” a woman’s voice chimes. “We apologize for the inconvenience, but all players must return today.”
Frey nudges my arm, we go and grab our bags, then step out into the rain, heading back to his house since that’s where the Keepers think we are. Addie gave us an umbrella before we left, so we have some protection from the elements. Frey holds it above our heads and takes my hand in his other hand.
“Those statues,” I begin when we’re far enough away from Addie’s house, “they’re in your sister’s room also.”
“I know.”
“Did you know what they did?”
He hesitates in answering, which causes my stomach to fall. “Yes and no.”
“What does that mean?” I practically shout, jerking my hand out of his.
“They’re used to control those who otherwise can’t be. I used to have them, but stopped causing trouble, so they were removed from my room. My sister never did…which is why she’s not here anymore.” His voice wavers a little when mentioning his sister, but there’s also an undertone of resentment or hatred mixed in. “But they’ve changed. They’re not showing the same messages they used to.” He stops walking and lets the umbrella fall to his side. “I saw you in my dreams,” he says, moving his head to look down at me. “Leader Fallon was torturing you, burning you alive and I couldn’t stop her.”
I step in front of him and lift my hand to his cheek. “It was only a nightmare. None of it is real.”
“But why would they project such an image into my head? They’re supposed to be supporting a stable society, but nightmares like that could send anyone over the edge. It seemed so real. I could smell your skin burning.”
“Who, Frey? Who is operating those?”
“The Patrician,” he says.
“Come on, we need to get going,” I say, trying to pull him forward and out of whatever thought has him trapped.
He lifts the umbrella, but we’re already soaked. Nan isn’t around when we walk in. Frey grabs us a couple of towels from the laundry room to dry off with. We only have an hour until the carriage arrives. Frey disappears down the hall towards the bedrooms while I quickly strip down to my underwear and toss my wet clothes into the dryer. I go to his room, but he’s not there. His sister’s room is empty, and the bloodstain gone. I check her bathroom and Frey is standing there, shirt off, looking at his dragon tattoo in the mirror.
“She was right. Telling me to get this,” he says, his eyes never leaving his reflection.
“Your sister?”
He looks over at me. “How did you know?”
“Lucky guess,” I say, lying, sort of.
I really don’t know how I knew she was the one, but it just seems to fit. If his sister was starting to align herself with the Dracken, which it seems like she might have been if she experienced the same nightmare I did, then it would stand to reason she would recruit her younger brother. But where is she? What happened to her?
He puts his shirt back on, gives me a hug, and we go back to the common room to wait. Our carriage arrives right on time. The driver takes our bags and places them in the space behind the backseat. Frey and I both nervously stare out the windows as we leave and head towards the main city. We don’t talk, but I get the feeling it’s by his choice not mine. Our carriage queues up with the others outside of Thrace Tower. It takes ten minutes before we’re finally able to get into the holding area. Matron Kaniz is waiting for us in the lift corridor, a troubled look on her face. She tells us to set our bags next to her and she’ll join us upstairs after everyone else has arrived.
The lift up to the Looper unit is barely full. When we reach our floor, Rem and Addie are already in the common room, but the monitors are all off. Rem gives me a hug and punches Frey in the arm. Her way of saying hello to him. We join them on the couch as others arrive, but they head mainly to the bedrooms. Only a few wander into the common room.
“What do you think happened?” Rem asks.
“I heard someone was killed,” a guy with cropped red hair says from his seat in the corner of the room.
“Don’t be so dramatic,” Addie says. “It’s probably nothing. The Keepers just want to make sure we all return on time.” She doesn’t sound convinced of her own statement.
An hour passes before Matron Kaniz arrives, but our duffle bags aren’t with her. She calls for everyone to gather in the common room. As soon as everyone is situated, she clears her throat, tightens the bun at the back of her head, and clasps her fingers together in front of her.
“As many of you know from our recent history there is a slight rift between the ruling party and those who oppose her.” Matron Kaniz fidgets slightly, then moves her hands behind her. “The Litarian Battles were to have bridged the gap and brought us together as a society, however this is turning out not to be the case.” She tucks her hand in her pants pocket and removes a small device. She points it towards the monitors and they all turn on, showing the same newsfeed.
“Citizens of Tarsus,” Hammond begins, the city laid out behind him, “a Dracken leader has been murdered.” Only a handful of people in the room react. Many just take it in like it’s an everyday event. For me, it almost is. “Now, as you
