“Yes now. I’m tired of being lied to. I want to know the truth. Who are you and why was this done to me?”
She hushes me with a wave of her hands and then busies herself with cleaning up when Matron Kaniz pokes her head in to see what the fuss is about.
“I just need to do a couple of touchups,” Cil says. “It’ll only be a few more minutes.”
Matron Kaniz smiles and closes the door.
“You’re going to get me killed,” Cil says, anger in her voice. “They think I’m on their side. If you give me away, I’ll kill you myself.”
“Explain,” I say, my teeth clenched with aggravation.
“Leader Fallon wanted to make sure that when Head Master Edom submitted the names to the Keepers of those being drawn from the Outer Limits that you would be one of them. The Patrician instructed us to alter your body to ensure you made it to the event.”
“But why me? Why not someone else?”
“What a better person to use than a Dracken leader’s daughter. Your parents had no idea where you were, but Leader Fallon did because she placed you in the orphanage. She thought it would be fitting for the Dracken to be defeated by one of their own, but you’re here getting marked.” Her expression changes to one of concern.
“It’s not by choice,” I croak.
“You always have a choice, Max. You can chose who will win this realignment. Both sides are betting on you, they just don’t know it yet.”
“Where do you fit in?”
“Wherever I’m needed, but my real loyalties are with the Patrician. They’re trying to keep civilization together. The Dracken want to rip it apart, start over.”
“Would that be such a bad thing?”
“For someone like you, no. Your kind will survive, but not mine. I grew up in the second-level housing in the Outer Limits, so I will have no future if the Dracken win. All those workers will be killed, obliterated like what happened in the Dead Zone.”
I want to ask her more questions, but Matron Kaniz enters, ending our conversation. I put my shirt back on before I’m escorted up to the unit and settle into bed as quietly as possible. I get very little sleep. I’m dreading having to explain the tattoo to Addie and Rem in the morning.
How far am I willing to take this before I actually pick a side? Frey uses control and deception to get what he wants, yet that’s what Leader Fallon and the Patrician have done as well. Why am I the pawn in their game? Will I make that much of a difference to either side? What if I choose to die in The Litarian Battles and not continue with their plan? They’d have to find someone else, but would they even allow that to happen? I’m sure I’m being monitored continually by both sides at all times.
I give up on figuring things out and sleep. Frey is sitting on my bed when I wake up. Men aren’t allowed in the women’s quarters, and vice versa. Matron Kaniz must’ve given him permission. His fingers gently caress the outline of the image. The touch is comforting, warm, and desirable. I take his hand off my chest and hold it.
“It looks nice,” he says, leaning closer to me. He kisses me on the lips, then curls up in the bed next to me.
I’m hoping the room is empty, otherwise this is really going to be awkward. He holds me in his arms, nuzzling his face in my neck. My stomach rumbles since I’m starving. Frey pushes the covers off and we head to the common room for breakfast. We’re the last ones to get food. We take a seat where we can find one and eat. Addie bounces over to me, almost knocking the bowl of cereal out of my hands when she plops down. I sit hunched over, trying my best to hide the tattoo, but Addie catches sight of the wings.
“Oh my God, you got one!” she shouts, alerting the whole room. “That’s awesome. Can I see it?”
I pull down the collar of my shirt to show her.
“Rem is going to be so pissed when she sees it. Don’t be surprised if she scolds you. She gave me crap, but I got over it.” Addie wraps her arm around mine, making eating almost impossible.
“When is Hammond making the announcement?” Frey asks Addie.
“In about an hour. Matron Kaniz has already left to make arrangements for the changes. Apparently she knows what they are, but won’t tell any of us.”
My mind floods with possibilities. I can’t eat any more, so I toss my food into the garbage and go back to the bedroom to take a shower. All but one of the stalls is occupied, so I grab it before someone else can. My skin is sensitive this morning, not just around the tattoo. I have to wash slowly and gently. I dry in the same manner, put on clean clothes, and go back out to the common room. Addie and Rem are arguing, again. I wonder what changed between the two of them that they’re fighting so much. Rem glares at me and starts yelling.
“Traitor,” she screams, charging at me with her finger pointed in my direction. “How could you? I didn’t train you to become one of them!”
“Stop it, Rem,” Frey says, coming up behind me.
“No, she has to know.”
“She does,” Frey says.
“Probably only what you want her to know, not the whole truth.”
Frey grabs Rem by the arm and drags her down the hallway. She’s wincing from the pain of his grip. I follow them, but Addie stays behind.
“You have no idea what kind of havoc you’re going to cause if you keep this up,” Frey says through gritted teeth. “Max is a Dracken now, just like her parents.”
Rem looks confused by the last remark. It takes her a few moments before she puts the pieces together. “The conspirators? That’s not possible. The daughter
