by Dylan Steel
“No,” he said firmly. “Don’t move this.”
This? She followed his eyes down to her wrist and the glowing bracelet. Why did it have them so spooked?
A feeling of uneasiness churned in her stomach. Sam had told her she’d always been safe with them. Had that been just another lie? Or was her safety no longer important to them now that she was back in Eprah’s hands?
“Leave them!” the senior officer barked into the air at no one in particular. “You know why! Do it!”
One of the younger officers holding Sage’s arm looked startled by his outburst but quickly forced his attention back to her. “You’ll be ok. Just stay still,” he said.
She could tell he was straining to keep his voice calm. That just made her more nervous as she and the other officers waited for some sort of sign from their leader. He was pacing back and forth in front of her, agitated by something. When he turned again to grind the dirt in his small loop, she caught a glimpse of an obsidian-colored device in his ear. That must be how he was talking to someone she couldn’t see. And why no one thought he was crazy.
“Everyone out? Good.” He turned back to his men, his eyes falling on Sage’s glowing bracelet again. Without taking his eyes off of her, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small disc, depositing it on the palm of his hand before pressing his other hand against it. A pale blue sphere lit up, hovering above the disc.
“Alright. Your terms have been met, and we’ve found the girl. Now,” he growled at the sphere, “give us the coordinates for the dezamm.”
All the officers held their breath for a few moments as a silence stretched over their group, punctuated only by nature’s sounds. They didn’t have to wait long. Sage’s eyes widened as she heard a voice crackle a response from the sphere.
“Confirmed.”
The sphere suddenly shifted and disappeared. In its place flashed a stream of numbers in a repeating sequence.
“You seeing this, Rahn?” The senior officer looked at one of the men standing near Sage. He nodded. “Well? Don’t just stand there. Go get it.”
“Yes, sir.” Rahn nodded again and shot off into the woods, clearly unbothered by the noise he was making as he crashed through the trees.
“Now, as for you, young lady,” the senior officer met Sage’s gaze steadily, “it would be beneficial for all of us if you would keep as still as possible right now until we can get that off you.”
Her heart thumped wildly in her chest. His voice was too calm.
“Rahn’s getting a key for it. While we’re waiting for him, is there anything you can tell me about where you’ve been for the past year?”
Sage’s shoulders slumped. “No,” she croaked. “No-ot re-eally.” She licked her lips painfully. Talking was harder than she’d expected. She realized she hadn’t even meant to lie—it had become almost second-nature. Her instincts told her that the truth was the only leverage she had over Sam or Sophia or these men or the Institution, and she needed to be very careful who she shared information with.
He waved his hand dismissively. “You don’t have to say anything now. We’ll talk at the Peace.”
She whipped her head around nervously at the sound of twigs snapping. It was growing louder. Rahn was returning.
“I’ve got it!” he hollered across the darkened woods. Sage could see the impact of his announcement on all the officers around her. It was as if they all let out a collective sigh of relief, but their tension hadn’t completely disappeared.
The senior officer faced her again, a reassuring smile spreading over his face as Rahn came crashing toward them, waving an object over his head victoriously. “Don’t worry. You’ll be safe and sound back at the Institution before you know it.”
Sage’s heart sank. Those words were a lot less comforting than he’d meant them to be.
Rahn skidded to a stop just in front of his superior, thrusting the object into his hand.
“Alright now, Sage, this won’t hurt a bit. I just need you to stand very still. Can you do that for me?”
She nodded, but she was unable to stop her hands from shaking.
“Rox,” he cursed, looking at her trembling hands. He nodded at the men flanking her. “Hold her steady.”
The men tightened their grips on her arms. She let out a small cry as they forced her hands forward violently. She could barely see what they were doing as they stretched her wrists away from the rest of her body.
The senior officer barked orders at his men as they bent over her bracelets, working to remove the second, glowing one.
“It’s done, sir,” one of the men said as he backed up, holding what must have been the dezamm in one hand and wiping his free hand clean on the top of his pants.
“Where’s the—” he stopped and stared at the man’s empty hand.
“It… it dissolved. Or something.” The younger officer stared uncertainly at the hand he’d just wiped clean as if he didn’t believe his own observation.
Sage screwed up her face in confusion. The men had let go of her wrists, but they’d kept a solid hold on her shoulders. They weren’t going to let her slip away. She peeked down at her hands and saw that she was only wearing one bracelet again, just like every one of them. They all belonged to Eprah.
Relief. That was definitely not the emotion she was experiencing at that thought.
“Looks like everyone’s safe now and you’re ready to go home, Miss Indarra,” the leader said as he flashed her a rehearsed smile.
Home.
She wished more than anything that she was actually heading home, but this time she knew better than to trust that the officer really knew where home was.
19. THE INTERROGATION
Sage paced back and forth while she waited for someone to come get her. She was almost certain that she’d worn a section of the concrete down into a smoother, glossier path in the short time she’d been stuck in the room.
It had been a surprise when she’d been escorted into the Dignitary of the Peace building and deposited in one of the upper level rooms she’d seen on her Interest Society tour not that long ago. Fortunately, this room wasn’t one of the ones designed to intimidate and disorient, so she was able to gather her thoughts a bit while she waited for someone to give her some answers about what had just happened.
Looking up as the door swung open, she started to let out a sigh of relief when the officer in charge of her rescue entered, then quickly sucked in a breath as Headmaster Alexander and Mr. Gaztok followed immediately behind him. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but seeing all three of these men at once felt like more of an ambush than her original kidnapping.
“Hello, Miss Indarra. Are you doing alright? Do you need anything? Water?” The officer lifted a questioning brow at her.
She shook her head and looked pointedly at the partially-filled glass already sitting on the table. An officer had already brought her a meal while she was waiting, and she was on her third glass of water.
“Please have a seat.” He gestured toward an empty chair across the table from them.
Swallowing uncertainly, she obeyed reluctantly, forcing her eyes to the floor.
“In all the excitement, I don’t think we were ever introduced,” the officer began. “I’m Captain Ludlo. And I’m sure you’re familiar with these gentlemen.” He glanced sideways at the headmaster and Mr. Gaztok.
Sage frowned. “Excitement?”
“Poor choice of words,” he said apologetically. “What happened to you—this type of case is highly unusual. I’m sure we can’t imagine what you’ve been through these past—”
“We could if she told us something,” Mr. Gaztok interjected stonily. He leaned forward. “What can you tell us, Sage?”
Her blood ran cold at the sound of his voice. Nothing about this man suggested she should trust him. Ever. She would never forget the indifference he’d displayed when he’d played his part sentencing Lita to her fate at the not-so-benevolent hand of Eprah’s citize
nry.
She shook her head. It wouldn’t be hard to convince them that she didn’t know anything. Her silence wasn’t about protecting her captors so much as herself. She still had no idea what Eprah planned to do with her now that she was back. Something told her it wouldn’t be as simple as rejoining her classmates for their year-end exams.
“Anything would be helpful, Sage,” Captain Ludlo prodded gently. “Where were you kept? How were you treated? Did you see anyone’s f—”
Tears came to her eyes easily. She wasn’t really even acting. She was incredibly grateful to be free from the prison and people that had held her for so long. But she wasn’t ready to go back to her old prison as payment for her rescue either. Especially not when she’d been so close to running off by herself.
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” the captain said soothingly, misinterpreting her tears. “Let’s just talk for a minute. Anything you say could be helpful. Even the smallest thing.” He studied her face carefully. She hated that he looked at her like she was fragile. It was insulting. “Take your time,” he added quickly.
Sage looked back and forth at their expectant faces. She knew she had to give something up. “I don’t know much,” she said slowly. “Most of the time, I was just stuck in a small room.”
“That’s good, that’s good.” Captain Ludlo nodded encouragingly. “What did the room look like?”
Dropping her eyes, Sage shrugged. “I dunno. It was just a room. There was a bed and a chair and a bathroom. Nothing else, really.”
“Did you ever see anyone?” Mr. Gaztok jumped in without hesitation. It was obvious he was accustomed to leading interrogations, not standing on the sidelines.
“Mr. Gaztok, please. I’ll remind you that your presence here is a courtesy to your office.” The captain’s eye twitched as he spoke through thin lips.
“Sounds like a good question to me.” The headmaster snorted impatiently, garnering glares from both the captain and Mr. Gaztok.
“Gentlemen, would you mind excusing us for a minute?” Captain Ludlo gave the other two men a pointed look. Irritation showed on Headmaster Alexander’s face as he made a motion to leave, but Mr. Gaztok maintained steely eye contact with Sage as he stood.
The headmaster’s hand was on the door when Mr. Gaztok stopped and turned back to Sage.
“What aren’t you saying? You know something.”
Her mouth fell open. She wasn’t sure how to respond.
“Of course, she does, Gaztok,” the captain barked. “Unless they kept her comatose for a year.” He turned to Sage. “Did they keep you comatose for a year?”
She shook her head uncertainly.
“There you go. Not comatose.” The captain scowled at Mr. Gaztok. “And we’ll find everything out in due time. Now, out. I know your duty to Eprah, but sometimes other methods are called for. You’ll have your chance for questions later. For now? Get out.” He ground out the last two words deliberately, staring icily at him.
Seething hatred spilled off of Mr. Gaztok, and for a moment, Sage wondered if the captain was in danger of losing all his Chances on the spot. She remembered Darren saying that officers couldn’t lose Chances on duty, but she wasn’t sure if all the same rules applied to captains. Or Mr. Gaztok.
He continued glaring at the captain for a moment longer, as if he were trying to establish dominance even as he was being shooed out of the room. Sage wished she could shrink small enough to disappear from the room altogether. It’d be less unsettling than enduring the looks the two men were exchanging.
Satisfied that his authority was still intact, Mr. Gaztok flared his nostrils and shut the door behind him. The headmaster had already scurried out before things had had a chance to get too heated.
The captain shifted in his seat, facing Sage. “Sorry about that. Office politics,” he grumbled, then brightened as if he’d just remembered he was trying to cheer up a kidnapping victim. “Nothing for you to worry about.”
She returned his smile weakly.
“Now, Sage,” he began again gently, “I’m very sorry this happened to you. We’re going to do everything we can to bring these monsters to justice. But I need your help. Anything you could tell me could be helpful, even if you don’t see how.” He paused, leaning across the table. “My job is to sort through what you tell me to find clues. Your job is to tell me everything you can remember. Understand?”
She nodded. She kept her expression even, but thoughts were tumbling through her head as her heart pounded in her chest.
“Alright.” He smiled. “Let’s start again. What can you tell me about your time away?”
Sage took a deep breath. She’d run out of time. She had to decide right now how much to say.
20. THE DEAL
A soft humming grew louder overhead. Sage squeezed her eyes shut, wishing the light would go away. She knew better, of course, but her muddled sleepy brain didn’t want to admit it.
Forcing herself to sit up, she blinked blearily at her surroundings. Like every other day for the past year, she found herself in a small room. But this time, it was the same type of room she’d been in for her Cleansings years ago.
She shuddered. An ember of hope still glowed, a hope that they weren’t planning to keep her here forever. She wasn’t sure she could survive any more time in a small space, especially after seeing the expansive freedom in the woods the other night. What she wouldn’t give to have that back.
They’d taken her back to the Institution under the cover of night, almost as if they’d been ashamed. She wasn’t sure what they had to be ashamed of—her? It didn’t matter. She was back. Home, they said. Only she knew that still wasn’t true. She didn’t think she’d ever be home again.
She locked away those grim thoughts and hopped out of bed, rushing to get ready before her visitors arrived.
Mr. Gaztok and Captain Ludlo had been meeting with her every day for more than a week, trying to squeeze every drop of information out of her that they could. She’d shared bits of information here and there, never much, never enough to satisfy them, so they kept coming back with more questions.
The familiar clang of the door opening echoed throughout her small room. Sage was already returning her breakfast tray to the bin on the wall when the men filed into her room without a word. Today, it seemed, the headmaster had decided to join them.
“Good morning, Sage.” The captain was the only one who ever greeted her as if she was a human being who mattered at all. Mr. Gaztok always had a look of displeasure on his face when he was near her, and he only spoke to her when he felt the captain wasn’t doing his job well enough.
“Hi.” Sage took a seat against the wall, shifting her weight as she eyed the three men. It briefly occurred to her that she could rush past them and run out the door, but reality came crashing back as she remembered the bracelet she was wearing. The zeptobes would immobilize her as soon as she made any sort of real attempt at escaping.
“I trust you slept well.” It wasn’t a question. Captain Ludlo always began their sessions with the same speech. “Were you able to think of any new information since we last spoke?”
Sage sighed. “No, sir.” Yes. Not that she’d tell him.
“Very well.” He nodded. “I have to be honest with you, Sage.” His tone filled her with a sense of dread. “We haven’t made much progress. Finding your captors has proven to be quite difficult. We’ve spent an entire year communicating with them, trying to secure your release, without having the first clue of their identity. We’d very much hoped you would be able to shed some light on that when you returned.”
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
“Of course, I don’t blame you,” the captain added quickly. “It’s just that—it would help immensely if you remembered anything new. We believe it would help you find closure after such a traumatic incident.”
She shuddered and looked down at the ground.
“I am truly sorry, Sage. For what happened. For…” His voice trailed off. De
spite being driven by single-minded duty, the captain’s eyes were the kindest ones in the room.
“Enough. Tell her.” Mr. Gaztok sounded bored. Or maybe irritated. He probably wasn’t used to spending his days with children.
Captain Ludlo looked at the headmaster and sighed, nodding.
“We’ve reached a decision about you, Ms. Indarra.” Headmaster Alexander lifted his chin a bit higher so that he could look down on her as he spoke.
“A decision?” Sage asked, bewildered. “What decision?”
“About your education, of course. You’ve missed an entire year of classwork.” The headmaster frowned. “Ordinarily, independent tutelage is reserved for troublemakers or those who have proven themselves unable to keep pace with their classmates, sometimes even those who are—for whatever reason—unable to accept the nature of our society. Clearly, your situation is unique, but we cannot allow it to tarnish the potential of those around you.”
Sage’s jaw dropped. “Are you—are you shunning me?”
“Surely, you didn’t think you would be able to just rejoin your classmates, did you?” The headmaster looked almost offended at the suggestion.
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You’re saying I can’t return to my level? Even if I pass my exams? You’re seriously shunning me?”
“We wouldn’t want to put you through more hardships than you’ve already had to bear.” His nose twitched. “Perhaps if you were younger, you might have fit in with the Transitional Class, but,” he shrugged, “you’re not. Respectfully, it would be unfair to your classmates to—”
“All due respect, Headmaster,” she snapped, anger bubbling to the surface, “but I’ve already been locked away in a small room without being able to talk to anyone or really do anything for almost a year. I’d rather not have that happen again for something that wasn’t my fault.”
He eyed her wearily. “I don’t see how that’s up to you at all, Ms. Indarra.”
She clenched her teeth. “You’ve tested me before. Test me again. See if I’m behind in my classwork.”