“Shoo!” The woman called again, flapping a hand at her. Alina released a disappointed sigh and turned to go, just as Eris flipped back her hair and swayed toward the window. She stopped shimmying when she caught Alina laughing at her.
“Hey!” Eris hollered and bolted to the window, her eyebrows pinched together.
Alina continued walking but kept glancing back so Eris would see her laughing. Eris swelled with fury and stuck her head out the window, screaming after her, but Alina didn’t catch the words. Eris would make her pay for this later, but for now, she enjoyed herself. Alina spotted Rex’s estate the moment she turned on Infinite Way—the largest home on the street, surrounded by acres of flowery grounds and illuminated trees. Alina shielded her eyes as she approached. People couldn’t get enough of shimmery things, it seemed. Even the sun couldn’t compete with Pria’s celebrations.
On the highest balcony, she spied a man hanging a banner from the twisted steel beams. Rex was head of the Celebrations Committee—a prestigious and busy job, as parties constantly filled the venues and streets of Pria—especially on Infinite Way. Jade said people were always looking for a reason to dress up and find love, or at least something to mimic it. If a party didn’t produce what they hoped for, they could always find love in a drink. From what Alina could see, this was the usual outcome.
Rex acted peculiar at the celebrations he planned. He was the one who praised Father Sampson with deep, bellowing chants that put Jade in fits of laughter. Alina stopped walking when she thought of this. She had no desire to see Rex. But the memory of Jade’s pleading voice held her interest, so she continued her steps. Perhaps she would walk past and return home.
Rex climbed his balcony, spread out his arms and leaped into a perfect dive, somersaulting when he touched the ground. He shuffled backward into the street to gain a full view of his mansion and seemed so immersed, he surprised Alina when he turned to greet her.
“Alina! How are you?” he called.
She blinked, astonished he knew her name.
He walked toward her. “Please give me your honest opinion about the lights. Will they do for the feast tomorrow?”
She shaded her eyes with her hand as she viewed his grounds. “I hate them.”
He didn’t seem ruffled by her blunt answer but nodded his head. “Yes, I think they’re a bit outrageous myself. It’s what I hate most about my job. I have to do what everyone else wants, no matter how excessive it gets.”
“You hate your job?”
Rex glanced around then dropped his voice. “Between you and me—yes. There, I said it. Out in the open too. I must be getting careless.” He smiled. “Anyway, are you just going for a stroll, or is there something I can help you with?” He gave her a searching glance.
“Jade said you were putting up decorations and thought it would help me feel better to see them. I had a bit of a rough day.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “But you hate my decorations! So much for helping you feel better. Well, come inside—I bet sampling the food will cheer you up. I need feedback, and your honesty is refreshing. Everyone’s so fake around here, I don’t know what they really think.”
Alina raised an eyebrow and decided to follow him inside. Maybe she’d misjudged him. She’d dreamed of entering the mansions on Infinite Way and held her breath as she stepped inside. A grand staircase with no railing overlooked the foyer, and a brilliant chandelier refracted the late afternoon sun into countless tiny rainbows on the floor. White couches with square corners and bright decorative pillows sunk into the lush carpet of his living room, facing the largest monitor Alina had ever seen. The screen stretched from the carpet to the vaulted ceiling of the second floor. Rex dashed inside and pulled curtains over the front glass wall. Alina tilted her head as she watched him.
Though she knew little of him, she was aware his job made him popular with the ladies. Every woman in Pria coveted the position of hostess to Rex’s lavish celebrations, except perhaps Jade. He was exceptionally handsome, with sandy blond hair and green eyes as bright as the grass. She found it strange he lived alone in such a large place, yet as he shuffled about the room, he did seem rather eccentric.
He peeked through the curtains, then turned to her and clapped his hands together. “Have a seat!”
She sank into the plush cushions. He disappeared through a swinging door, where she caught a glimpse of a black and white checkered kitchen. He returned with a tray of plump fruits and pastries, dark chocolate, spotted cheese, and a round, soft bread Alina hadn’t seen before.
She dug in and ate half the tray before remembering she should only be sampling the food. But Rex didn’t mind. He encouraged her when she slowed, complaining he ate leftovers for days after each event.
“Rex,” she said, pausing after a swallow, “have you ever had a strange feeling in your belly that doesn’t go away until you eat?”
He stared at her. She waited for him to say she was delusional.
“I’ve heard of it,” he answered.
“Really?”
“It’s called hunger.” He stood with his arms crossed, watching her. Then he spoke in a stern whisper, “I’m assuming you’re here because you’ve learned something about yourself.”
Alina’s heart skipped a beat. She nodded, and Rex took a seat beside her on the couch.
“What do you know?”
She whispered, “I’m mortal.”
He paused, and a tiny smile came to his lips. “Jade has sent you to me for a reason. You have much to learn, but you can’t hear it all now. You must leave before long and promise not to repeat what you hear to anyone.” He kept his eyes locked with hers. “When you leave my home, you must act convinced of your immortality to all you speak to, especially Jade.”
Alina’s mouth dropped. He spoke too severely for her to disobey. “Okay,” she stammered, “but why?”
“Because Jade is under surveillance.”
“What?”
“When Jade became your caretaker, Sampson implanted a device in her brain so he could watch her. He monitors her life as if looking through her eyes. He sees what she sees and hears what she hears.”
“But why does he care about her so much?”
“He cares what she says to you.”
Alina blinked her eyes. “I don’t understand.”
Rex got up and peeked through the curtains again. He rubbed the back of his neck as he turned to Alina and spoke in a harsh, urgent whisper. “You are the biggest threat Sampson has ever known. You pose such a danger to his ‘perfect’ world, that for seventeen years he has made your case top priority in his laboratories. Surveillance was the only way to keep Jade silent.”
“What?” Alina exclaimed. “I’m a threat?”
“More than you realize.”
Alina stared at him. “And Jade knows all this?”
“Everything. Sampson doesn’t want her revealing it.”
“That explains why she doesn’t talk to me,” Alina whispered.
Rex’s face softened. “I can’t imagine how difficult it’s been for her. I don’t talk to her, either, but I see the pain in her eyes. She’s not naturally aloof, you know. She has a gift with people. I know she wants to be close to you.”
Alina bit her lip. “Did she ask to be my caretaker?”
“Sampson wanted to keep you at Gordian but didn’t know how to care for you. Jade knew about you, which should have sent her straight to Carthem, but she made herself useful by volunteering to be your caretaker. She had other reasons for raising you though, not just to avoid banishment. In fact, she would’ve preferred Carthem, had her desire to protect you not been stronger.”
Tears came to Alina’s eyes. She wasn’t a punishment, or an insult. Jade wanted her.
Rex started pacing the room. “Sampson agreed to let Jade raise you only because there was no other option at the time. He made one condition: she be put under surveillance to keep her in check. The device is very effective—it does everything sho
rt of reading her thoughts, so her words must always be convincing. There’s no better actress in all of Pria because she knows the more proficient she plays her part, the longer you stay out of Sampson’s laboratories.”
“His laboratories!” exclaimed Alina. “But—what can he do to me there? I’ve been to those laboratories and there’s not much to them—”
“Oh, honey,” Rex cut in, shaking his head sadly. “There’s so much of Gordian Palace you don’t see on school field trips.”
“So, why doesn’t he put something in my brain, if he’s so concerned about what I think?”
Rex held up his hand. “Take a breath. This is a lot of information to soak in. The perfect world you’ve known your whole life has just turned upside down.”
“Oh, believe me, I haven’t thought too highly of Pria lately.”
“Yes, well, it’s worse than you think.” He sat down next to her and tapped his fingers on the arm of the sofa. “To answer your questions, not many people have the device—very few, in fact. It’s difficult to make, and implant, so Sampson uses other means to monitor people. If someone is chosen for surveillance, it’s because they’re of great interest to him—usually an enemy or threat. It keeps them in line, you see. Surveillance wasn’t an option for you because the procedure would kill you, and your death would ruin him. So, he’s searching for a way to keep you alive indefinitely, in some kind of comatose state.”
“What’s that?”
“Permanent sleep. Forever.”
Alina gasped. “But—but why does it matter if I die?”
Rex put his hands on her shoulders, his eyes twinkling. “Alina, you don’t have the slightest clue who you are! Your existence has penetrated the immortal spell of Pria. If you die, all of Pria will collapse, and Sampson with it. Everyone will be subjected to mortality if you succumb to it.”
Alina couldn’t believe his words. “But—why?”
“Let’s just say there are many things about Pria you don’t learn in school. Pria is beautiful on the surface; underneath, it’s ugly and corrupt. Sampson is not as dear to his people as you think. There’s been a secret resistance growing for over two hundred years. My caretaker, Camden, helped organize it.”
“A secret resistance! Does Father Sampson know about it?”
“Oh, he knows it exists, but so far we’ve been pretty good at keeping our identities hidden. Occasionally he discovers a participant, who is then banished. Fortunately, because no one feels pain, there is little he can do to force information. Torture wouldn’t work anyway—we’re too strong. Strong enough to pull off the biggest conspiracy Pria has ever known.” He looked straight into her eyes. “You.”
Alina stared at him. “Me?”
Rex nodded, and grinned.
“But—”
“Try not to feel overwhelmed, or frightened. There are many powerful people protecting you.”
“You speak as if you’re part of this secret resistance,” she noted.
He winked.
“But wouldn’t Father Sampson suspect you, being raised by a traitor? Why did Jade send me to you? Won’t he suspect—well, the truth?” Alina asked.
“Don’t worry, I have fooled him,” Rex said with a sly smile.
“How?”
“I underwent his indoctrination process when I was thirteen, after he sent Camden away. It’s how he handles these special cases—when a young one is exposed to dissent. Sampson has a law, which he more or less follows, that children and youth can’t be sent to Carthem. He’d become unpopular very fast. Children can’t be expected to always behave themselves. Learning to control one’s temper is a process, so the young are allowed to make mistakes. With adults he plays his cards carefully, using banishment to create a margin of fear, but not to cause unrest. If he must expel more, he does so secretly. Camden was a tricky case for him. As one of the original founders of Pria, everyone knew and revered him, so Sampson couldn’t secretly dispose of him.”
“What did he do, then?’
“He exposed Camden as a law breaker, and with enough evidence, it worked. Of course, he twisted things to make Camden appear power hungry and selfish. People respected Sampson all the more when he, so reluctantly, sent an old friend and usurping traitor into Carthem to die,” Rex said bitterly. “For the indoctrination process he brainwashes those who might be influenced by the traitor, especially if it’s a child. Sampson believes this process is infallible—it almost is. I was raised by probably the only man who discovered its weakness. Camden fooled Sampson for a long time and taught me how to resist the indoctrination so I could do the same.”
“Father Sampson believes you have forgotten everything?”
“Yes, but more importantly, I’m ingrained with his propaganda. When I hear negative comments about Sampson or Pria, I immediately refute it. I’ve kept up my act perfectly since I was thirteen. Have you seen me at the Day of Genesis?”
Alina couldn’t help laughing. “Yes, and you’re a little over the top. Father Sampson might still suspect you.”
“Nah, he has no reason not to trust me. I obey, I perform, and he gets the results he wants from me. That’s why sending you to me was the best plan Jade and I made. We arranged it before she was put under surveillance. It’s also why you must act fully convinced of your immortality and loyalty to Sampson. If he buys it, we keep you out of Gordian longer—and we need more time. We’ve been working on a plan for years, but it’s too risky to execute right now.”
Alina’s eyes grew wide. “You have a plan? What is it?”
Rex sealed his lips and shook his head.
Alina sighed and thought for a moment. “So, if I’m mortal, I’m not a bad experiment after all?”
“Huh?”
She explained Miss Rhonda’s lecture. Rex shook his head and laughed bitterly. “So good ol’ Samps saw people noticing you and decided to make up a cruel explanation for your differences.” He gritted his teeth. “How I hate that man.”
Alina inhaled as tears sprang to her eyes. Miss Rhonda was wrong! She hid her face in her hands.
Rex scooted near her on the couch and put his hand on her back. “Why don’t you go home and put Jade’s mind at ease. I’m sure she’s beside herself. We can meet again another day and I will explain more.”
Alina lifted her head. “I’m okay, I want to hear more right now.”
“No, you’ve stayed long enough. You must be careful on the way home. It’s likely you’ve been followed.” Rex stood up and peeked through the blinds again. “I don’t see anyone, but I know they’re close by.”
“Who, exactly?”
“Sampson’s officials. Don’t be afraid,” he rushed. “Fear will give you away. They may approach and ask a few questions. Tell them in your most convincing voice you know you’re immortal and express your loyalty to Pria. Go home and tell Jade, too. She’ll know we had a good discussion.”
Rex noticed the apprehension on her face. “Don’t worry! They won’t want to make a scene, either.” He led her to the door, put his hand on the doorknob and paused. “One more thing. When you talk to Jade, don’t be emotional about this. Today you’ve learned a lot about her and what she’s done for you. But remember, Sampson doesn’t want you to bond with her. If you grow closer because of this, he’ll notice right away.” Alina chewed her lip and nodded, and Rex swung open the door.
“Thanks for the visit, Alina,” he projected as she stepped onto the porch. “Promise me, you’ll come to the feast tomorrow and bring Jade. I’ve always wanted to get to know her better. You’ll persuade her to come, right?”
“I will. Thank you,” she said, surprised at the calm in her voice.
“Goodbye, sweetheart,” he said in a sugary tone.
“Goodbye, Rex.”
His mouth stretched into a dazzling smile as he waved and shut the door. His pretense was solid and convincing. She pictured him now behind his door, darting anxiously to the window to watch her leave.
She slowed her steps and li
fted her chin to mask the worry in her eyes. If confronted now, would she hide her emotions well? Too many thoughts swirled in her brain, but a clear picture began to form—the product of many pieces falling into place.
There was Jade and her distance; Pierce moving abruptly after the tree climbing incident; Miss Rhonda’s unusual biology lesson, and the bathroom at school no one else used. There was Father Sampson glaring at her and Jade at the Day of Genesis celebration. Was he always watching?
Before long, she spotted them—two men behind her, dressed in casual clothes. Though absorbed in their own conversation, they quickened their pace to overtake her. She fought a sudden urge to run, and her muscles tightened in preparation. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. If she appeared happy about her visit with Rex, maybe they would leave her alone. Slowing her steps, she started humming Pria’s anthem, but the notes didn’t sound right. She could never carry a tune.
She turned the corner to Aiona Avenue and released a long breath. The men were out of sight, for now. She would soon be home.
She risked a glance behind her, and the two men came into view. Don’t appear anxious. Pausing her steps, she bent over to examine the flower garden of a large mansion, when someone called her name.
Her heart stopped when she looked up. Zaiden stood in the garden not far from her.
The men came closer. A few more steps and they would be within hearing distance.
Alina fluttered her eyelashes. “How are you, Zaiden? I want to thank you for helping me feel better today. I had a beastly day, but I’m much better now.” She giggled, then held her eyes closed for a moment. She sounded like the flighty girls from school. Of course. That’s the point.
He hesitated before speaking. “Oh, good, I’m glad. I’ve been thinking about you today and about what happened—” his eyes glanced down the road and narrowed. The men nodded a stiff hello as they passed and continued talking between themselves.
Alina no longer cared about the men. Zaiden had been thinking about her! She dropped her eyes; afraid he might see her blush. She prayed the men would keep walking so she could be herself. She could tell Zaiden didn’t appreciate her act, and she liked him more for it.
The Perfect Outcast Page 4