by Jenna Moreci
thewindowinthebackoftheroom,shesawsomethingmuchmoreintriguing
thananyfrivolousclassroomchatter.
JJsnickered.“Andlastly,youkeeplookingoutthewindow,whichmeans
youdon’tgiveasingleshitaboutwhatthatbobbleheadinthefrontoftheclass
hastosay.Probablydon’tcareaboutwhatI’msayingeither.IguessIcanget
overthat.”
Evewasquiet.Shehadn’theardJJ’slatestramblings.Puzzled,JJturned
around,eagertoseewhathadcaptivatedherclassmate.There,justoutsidethe
window,stoodasinglepatrolman.
“Interestedinthepatrolmen,huh?Eitheryou’vegotathingformenin
uniform,oryou’veheardabouttheInterlopers.Mymoney’sonthelatter.”
Eve’seyesflickedbacktoJJ.“Doyouknowanything?”
“They’re taking chimeras. They go off-campus with them, somewhere
secluded.Theyuseanewlocationforeachabduction.Keepsthepatrolmen
guessing,Isuppose.”
“Thepatrolmen,”Evewhispered.“That’swhattheydo?Theyfindthe
missingchimeras?”
“They’re supposedtopreventtheabductions.Buttheyneverhave,notyetat least.It’sjustperpetualdamagecontrol.They’realwaysonehugestepbehind
theInterlopers.Bythetimetheyfindthem,thechimerasarealready—”
“Dead?”
“No.Somethingelse.”
Eveleanedincloser.“Whatarethey doingtothem?”
JJshrugged.“ThatIdon’tknow,notforcertain,anyway.”
“Thenyouatleasthaveanidea,right?”
JJglancedaroundtheroombeforecontinuing.“Peoplethinkthey’re
lookingforanon-switch:somebiologicaltriggerthatmakesthechimeras…
well,chimeras.Guesstheiroldmethodsaren’tworking.”
“Whathappensaftertheabduction?Afterthechimerasarebroughtback?”
“TheygostraighttotheBillingtonMedicalWard—someforlongerthan
others—andthenthey’rereleased.”
“That’sit?Don’ttheytellanyonewhathappenedtothem?”
“Ofcoursenot,andthere’stworeasonsforthat.One,becausethey’reouted
chimeras—noonewantstotalktothemanyway.Two,becausetheirpockets
areheavy.”
“Theirpocketsareheavy?Whatdoesthatmean?”
“Hushmoney.”JJplayedwithherbraceletsasshespoke.“Keepsthemquiet.
If this shit gets out, Billington is royally screwed. No one wants to back a schoolthat’soverrunwithaliens.”
Eveshookherhead.“Idon’tunderstand.HowdotheInterlopersevenknow
whotolookfor?Chimeraslooklikeeveryoneelse.”
“Don’tknow,butwhatevertheirsystemis,it’sprettybrilliant.They’ve
revealedmoreclosetchimerasthandaytimetalkshows.Andyouknowthe
craziest part? Over half the kids they’ve nabbed didn’t even know they were chimerasyet.Hadn’thitemergence.”JJtookonelastlookoutthewindowand
watchedasthepatrolmanstrolledaway,disappearingfromview.“They
probablyhavesomekindoftechnologythat’sabletodetectthatsortofstuff.
Bet the government is jealous as hell. I’m sure they’d love to track chimeras
likethat.”
ArangeofemotionsfloodedthroughEve,formingatightknotinherchest.
TheInterloperswerenolongerscavengers—thatmuchwascertain.Theywere
brutal, savage, aggressive; they were evil, and yet no one outside of the Billingtongateshadanyideaofit.
Shestopped—shecouldn’tdothis,nothere.Shehadtoremaincalm.She
turnedtoJJandsmiled.
“Thanksforfillingmein,”shesaid.“Iaskedsomeguyaboutthisstuff
earlier…hedidn’twanttotellmeanything.”
“Peopledon’twanttotalkaboutit.They’reafraidthey’llgetexpelled.That’s
therumor.Talk,andyou’reoutofhere.”
“Thenwhyare youtalkingaboutit?”
JJwinked.“’CauseI’mnotscaredof shit.”
Evethoughtbacktoherpreviousclass—tothefreckle-facedboyandhis
thicksetfriend—andrecalledtheiruselessinformationandmockingretorts.
SheturnedtoJJ.
“Howlonghaveyoubeenhere?”
“I’mafreshman.Today’smyfirstday.”
“Oh,”Evemurmured,dubiously.“Thenhowdoyouknowallthis?”
“GuessIjustknowtherightplacestolook.”
Evetookinadeepbreath;whilecertainlybothersomeandrelentless,JJwas
atleastinformativeandmaybeevenfunnyattimes.
JJgrinnedwithself-satisfactionandplayfullypunchedEveacrossthe
shoulder.“Doyouseewhatwe’redoingrightnow?”
Evefurrowedherbrow.“Whispering?”
“We’rebondingoveracommoninterest.That’swhat friendsdo.”
Classwassoonover,andthelecturehallemptiedintothecongested
corridor.Evetriedtobehavecasually,asiftheInterloperswereofno
consequencetoher—asifshewerehuman,andthusunaffected.Itwasahard
parttoplay:theroleofanaveragecollegestudentwithoutthelingeringworry
ofjudgment,ofhatefulmisconceptions,ofabductionandGodknowswhat
else.Shemadeherwayoutoftheclassroomandthroughthehallway,her
thoughtsstillcloudedwithuncertainty,andJJfollowedclosebehind.
“So, friend,”JJteased,“whereyouheadednow?”
“Thegym.Ihavecombatclass.”
“Combat?Didn’tseethatonecoming.You’rekindofabeanpole.”
Evelettheslightesthalf-smileslip,thoughthistimeitwasgenuine.“IthinkI canhandleit.”
“Well,ifyoulivetoseeanotherday,youshouldintroducemeto yourfriends.
Wecanpainteachothers’nailsandtalkaboutboysorwhateverthehell
girlsdo.”
“Idon’thaveanyfriends.”
JJ laughed loudly. “With your winning personality? How could that be?” She poked Eve in the ribs. “You’re probably the biggest recluse in your entire dorm.Letmeguess,ClarenceHall?I’minHutchinson—wecallittheHutch—
but I haven’t seen your tall ass around there. Maybe you’re in Langley? You lookliketheLangleytype.They’reallabunchofhermitsdownthere—you’d
fitrightin.”
“It’sRutherford,”Evecorrected.“IliveinRutherfordHall.”
JJstopped,herbodysuddenlyparalyzed,hereyesandmouthgapingopen.
“YouliveinRutherfordHall?”
“Yes?”Eveanswered,reluctantly.“Why?Doesitmatter?”
“Ofcourseitmatters,Eve.”JJ’slightheartedattitudehadabruptlyturned
hardandstoic.“Youcan’tpossiblypretendyouhaven’tnoticedthecaste
systemhereatthegloriousBillingtonpenitentiary.”
“Well,yeah.RutherfordHallisalittleextravagant.”
“A little?RutherfordHallisa littleextravagantlikeI’malittle little.”JJ
shookherhandsasiftowaveEveawayfromher.“Youcangoonwithoutme.”
“Wait,Idon’tunderstand.You’remadatme?”
“You’reright,youdon’tunderstand:I’mnot madatyou.I’mmerelydeciding thatIdislikeyou.”
Evegrimaced.“BecauseofwhereI live?”
JJignoredherretort,takingonelastcriticallookather.“Haveanicelife,
&nb
sp; princess.Enjoyyourfalsesenseofsuperiority.”
EvewatchedinshockasJJ—the friendwhohadforcedherselfuponherand
justasquicklyshunnedher—walkedaway.SherecalledhowHeatherhad proudlydubbedheraRutherfordian;ittrulywasanuglyterm,justasshehad
feared,andsheknewthatbeingachimerawasnolongertheonlyburdenshe
hadtobear.
Therewasnotimetodwellonthesituation.Shemarchedofftothegym,her
mindoverwhelmedwithbitternessasshedissectedeverymaliciouswordshe
wishedshehadsaid.Shehurriedintothewomen’slockerroom—shewasthe
onlyonethere,thoughshe’dhalf-expectedthattobethecase—andangrily
yankedatthebuttonsofherblouse,almostrippingthemfromtheseams.She
flungopenherdesignatedlockerandfoundhercombatuniform—asolid
blacktanktopandapairofmatchingcargopants—whichshequickly
shimmiedontoherbody,alongwithherfavoritecombatboots,beforefinally
headingtoclass.
Theairinthegymwasmoistandfilledwiththethickstenchofperspiration.
Theimmensespacefeltbarren;everyfootstepseemedtoecho,bouncingfrom
floortoceiling,makingherentrancefarfromdiscreet.Agroupofroughly
forty boys had congregated in one corner of the gym, no doubt engaged in casualconversationaboutschool,sports,tits—whateveritwasthatboys
discussed amongst themselves. It was a small and, as Eve had suspected, all-maleclass,whichmadeherpresenceevenmorenoticeable.
Theboys’talksimmeredtoaquiethumandthentoanuncomfortable
silence, as one by one they turned around to gaze at the one spindly female
whohadjoinedtheirgroup.Herclassmateswerelargeandbrawnywith bulging arms and legs that were nearly as thick as her own waist. She stood quietly in front of them and watched them watch her, as if she were some strangecreaturelyingdormantunderamicroscope.Afewofthemwhispered
tooneanother,andacoupleevensnickered,asiftheyhadneverseenafemale
before,andEvefeltheraggravationbegintobrewinsideofheroncemore.
Beforethesituationcouldgrowanymoreuncomfortable,thegymnasium
doorslammedshut,andonelastpersonmadehiswaytowardthegroup:an
olderman,abitshorterthanEvebutmuchlargerinbuild,withbroad,heavy
shouldersandleatheryskinthatlookedtightoverhisprotrudingmuscles.His
facewascoveredindeepstresslinesandgreywhiskers,whichmatchedhisfull
browsandbuzzed,salt-and-pepperhair.Hestoodbeforethegroup,his
presencecommandingalevelofattentionthatnotevenEvecouldcompete
with,ashisauthorityseepedthroughtheroomlikepheromonesoozingfrom
hispores.
“Lineup.”
Eveandherclassmatesquicklyscurriedintoformation,theirbodiesspurred
toactionbytheman’sboomingvoice.
“IamCaptainRamsey.You willrefertomeasCaptainRamsey—notMister,
notSir,andmostcertainlynotBuddyorPal,becauseIam notyourfriend.”
Theatmosphereofthegymhadchangedabruptly.Evesawthather
classmateshadbecometense,theirfalseconfidencerippedawaybythissudden
intimidation,yetsheremainedpoisedandatease.
“IservedintheUnitedStatesNavyforovertwenty-fiveyears.I’vepaidmy
dues, and now it’s time for you to pay yours. You will take orders. You will followinstructions.IamGodandyouaremyloyalservants.Isthat
understood?”
Evewassilent.Afewofherclassmatesmuttered,“Yes,sir.”
“Yes, Captain,”hecorrected,hisfacestillwoodenandunvarying.Heheldhis handsbehindhisbackandwalkeddowntheline,lookingeachofhis
studentsupanddownwithacriticalstare.
“You’renotreadytofight.Noneofyouare.”
Hestoppedinfrontofachiseledstudentwithperfectlycombedlightbrown
hair,hazeleyes,andachindimple.
“Youhaveanyexperience,son?”
“Sir—”
“CaptainRamsey,”heinterrupted.
“CaptainRamsey,I’vebeenplayingfootballforthirteenyearsandI’mhere
onanathleticscholarship.”
“Ididn’taskifyoucanchaseaballaround,son.Iaskedifyouhave
experience.”
Theboystammeredandfumbledoverhiswords.“Well,I,Imean—”
“Doyouhaveexperienceinacombatsituation?Haveyoutrainedinany
form of fighting, self-defense, or martial arts? If we were ambushed here in
thisgymrightnowbyfullyarmedmen,wouldyouknowwhattodoto survive?”
Theboywiththechindimpleloweredhishead,hischeeksflushedwith
embarrassment.“No,Captain,”hebegan,“butIcanfight.Ipromiseyouthat.”
“Well,ain’tthatsomethin’,’causeyourpromisemeansso goddamnmuchto
me.”
Ramseyshookhisheadandmovedalong,continuingdowntherowof
sinewy bodies as if he were inspecting an assembly line. Eve could feel the anxietyfesteringintheroom,butsheherselfwasunconcerned.
Ramseystoppedbesideanotherstudent.Theboywasmassive,hisframe
loomingovertheex-seaman,andyethestaredattheceiling,toointimidatedto
lookthecaptainintheeye.
“Howaboutyou?”thecaptainaskedoncemore.“Anyexperience?”
“MuayThai,”hebarkedabruptly.
“Howmanyyears?”
Hehesitated.“One.”
CaptainRamseyletoutaloud,discouragedsigh.Therestofthestudents
dodgedhisgaze,attemptingtofadeintothebackgroundashemarchedalong
the line. To Eve, the entire display was pitiful—she felt as if she was in the presenceofbeastly-lookingcowardswhoshrankawayatthefirstsightof
strength.However,herdisparagingopinionssoonwerepushedfromhermind,
asthedauntingCaptainRamseystoppeddirectlyinfrontofher.
“Andyou?”heinquired,hisvoiceroughandgravelly.“Youhavecombat experience?”
Beforeshecouldanswer,anothervoicechimedinfromtheotherendofthe
line.
“’EyCaptain,youbettertellherthatcatfightsdon’tcount.”
AchorusoflaughtereruptedaroundChinDimple,andhegrinnedsmugly,
pleasedwithhisowncomicgenius.Everefusedtomove,toturntheboy’sway
orshowemotion,togivehimanysenseofsatisfaction;andthoughherfingers
instinctivelycurledintotightfists,shesaidanddidnothing.
ThecaptainwasnotquiteascontainedasEve.Hisheadshotswiftlytoward
ChinDimple,hisfaceredwithanger.
“Issomething funny?”
ChinDimplelookeddown,butwasbarelyabletomaskhissmile.“No,sir.”
“No, Captain,”Ramseyspat,nowtrompingtowardthefootballplayer.“You
daretodisrespectoneofyourcomrades?”
“Comrades?Idon’tevenknowher—”
“Thesepeoplearenowyourgreatestallies,andwhenyou’rehere,you will
treatthemasequals.”
ChinDimplehesitated,hissmirkstillfaintlyvisible.“Yes,Captain.”
Ramseypausedforamoment,hisfaceinchesawayfromthefootballstar’s
cleftchin.
“Attheendoftheday,you’reagrown-assmanandyoucandowhatyou damnwellplease.”Henodd
edtowardEve.“Ifyouwanthertobeyourenemy,
then sobeit.Butyoushould neverunderestimateyourenemy,boy.Remember that.”
Ramseyfacedtheclass,hisexpressiondrippingwithdisapproval.
“Wewon’tbedoinganycombattoday.Ortomorrow.You’reallsoft,and
you need to toughen up. You’ll be working your asses off until I’ve decided you’rereadytodosome realtraining.Outside. Now.”
Thegroupscamperedoutofthegymandheadedtowardthefootballfield.
Whentheyarrived,Ramseyflashedamischievoussmile.
“You will run for the remainder of this class. We’ve got, what, thirty-five minutes?Whoeverfinisheslastwillstayhereandrundrillsforanotherhour.”
ChinDimplesneeredtauntinglyinEve’sear.“Sorryaboutyourdrills.I’m
surethehourwillflyby.”
Withoutwarning,Ramseyblewhiswhistle,andtheentireclasstookoff
down the track. Her supposed comrades sprinted like a herd of wild buffalo, theircumbersome,hulkingfiguresstompingalongthepathwayandkickingup
dust and sand. Amid this clumsy stampede, Eve felt graceful and serene; she couldhardlyfeelherfeetmoveassheplacedoneinfrontoftheother,andyet
shespedpastherpeerswithoutanystruggle.
Assheran,hermindwanderedtoherpastclasses;toJJ;hernew,slimytitle
asaRutherfordian;thecampusattacks;theInterlopers. CanIreallystayhere?
sheaskedherself.Ofcourseshecould—infact,shehadto,becauseshe’dspent
herentiresavingsonthemovetoCalabasas.Shehadnowhereelsetogo.
Interlopers or not, she was stuck at this university, pretending to be someone shewasnot.
Eve’smindshiftedbacktoreality—shewasoutatthefrontofthepack,
already about to lap the stragglers. Her eyes grew wide and darted back and forthacrossthefielduntilshespottedRamsey.Hewasstandingbythe
bleachers staring directly at her, his eyes small and focused. Eve gritted her teethand,despiteheroverwhelmingurgenotto,slowedherpace,allowingthe
stampedetoswarmaroundheroncemore.Fortheremainderofthelong,
tediousrun,shekeptherselfinthemiddleofthepack,allthewhileresenting
the mediocrity she was forcing herself to fake. It was for the best, she told herself.Noonecouldknowwhoshetrulywas,andifthatmeantfeigning