She marches out the door.
I keep my eyes fixed on Riley, refusing to lose it again in front of Oliver. Still, fighting off more tears is difficult as I work to solve this puzzle with human pieces.
Rosa Linda. Kate. Riley. Oliver.
Riley opens her eyes. I push away my tears, though I cannot trust myself to speak. She stares vacantly for a minute, then focuses over my shoulder to where Oliver is standing. She squeezes my hand.
“Xoey,” she whispers.
“I’m right here.”
“You understand now, don’t you?”
I nod, my eyes flooding again. I do and it’s horrible.
Riley drifts back to sleep. I keep holding her hand until it slackens in mine. It gives me time to pull my thoughts together, to let my sorrow boil and thicken. By the time I let go and focus on Oliver, I’m not crying anymore.
He has not moved. He just stares at a fixed place on the wall, looking as if he might explode into a thousand pieces. I cross to the room’s control panel and scroll through the apps until I find music. I switch it on and turn up the volume. Once it’s loud enough to mask my voice, I grab Oliver’s sleeve and drag him toward the window, just out of the camera’s reach. I point to Riley.
“Is this what you were afraid of? The reason you have been ignoring me…avoiding Riley?”
He doesn’t speak.
“What about Rosa Linda? Kate?” My voice shakes.
He nods.
“Why?”
“You know why.” His voice is low, drained of emotion. “Kino has been looking for a way to get to me for months. She finally found one.”
I feel sick. “Explain it to me.”
He swallows hard. “You read The Prince and the Pauper, right? In the Hidden Library?”
“Mark Twain? Yes.”
“You remember Humphrey Marlow, then?”
I think for a minute. “The boy who was whipped when the prince misbehaved.”
Oliver nods.
“So Kino beat Riley and made you watch? And Kate? And Rosa Linda?”
“Any girl she thought I was connected to.”
“How far back does this go?”
“The first time was the day after you asked me about Mr. Patrick.” He swallows hard, still avoiding my eyes. “I was called to her office and she had this girl in there. A new shell I had spoken to once…only once! Haak held me down while Kino asked me questions. It didn’t matter how I answered. She beat her after every question.”
Bile rises in the back of my throat. I swallow hard. “Who was she?”
“Her name was Evie. She was shipped off the next day. After that, I thought if I just treated every girl the same, showed no preference to anyone, maybe Kino would…” His voice trails off. “It didn’t work. She just picked any girl she saw me with.”
I think of Rosa Linda talking to him in the courtyard. And Kate.
“When Middlebrooks told us we had to choose a date for the dance, I asked Betsy because everyone was talking about how pretty she is. I knew she would be on Middlebrooks’ favorites list. I thought she was my safest choice.”
He meets my eyes. “But it didn’t do any good, did it? Riley…” His voice breaks. “Why didn’t she just stay away from me?”
“Maybe because you didn’t explain this to her. To any of us!” I cross my arms. “Oliver, it was your idea to have Reed and Adam stage that huge fight…and to have Riley and Reed avoid each other ever since. Did it never occur to you to just ask us to avoid you too?”
“I didn’t want to take the risk. It was safer to just—”
“Safer?” I point to Riley. “Does it look like it was safer?”
“No! I screwed up! I know that now. I thought if you were mad at me, you would stay away. I figured your anger would make you the last girl Kino would target.”
“You asked me to trust you. But you never trusted me, did you?”
“This isn’t about trust.”
“You didn’t think I could handle it, did you?”
“That’s not—”
“Not what?” I’m shaking with anger. “I am not a damsel in distress, Oliver! I know I got hurt in the library and you rescued me. Then I freaked out in the tunnel and you helped me through that too. And then you and Riley saved me again when I got sick. Maybe I seem like some kind of wilted flower to you—”
“No, but—”
“—or so pathetic and weak, you don’t think I could survive torture.”
“Of course not! But it doesn’t mean—”
“I am not made of glass!”
“Xoey.” Oliver tries to take my hands. I pull away.
“Or so fragile I can’t handle whatever Kino—”
“Xoey, please.” He’s speaking quietly now, pleading. “Of course you could handle it. You are handling it! Every Sunday. You’re the strongest person I know.”
I shake my head, lower my voice. “Oliver…”
“It’s true. She tortures you every week. Every week. And yet you go back again and again because your conscience won’t let you do anything less. You think I don’t see your strength?”
I look down. “That’s different.”
“Yes, it is!” He reaches for my hands again. “Because you do it for something you believe in. And every Sunday the seconds tick by like hours while I wonder if you’re okay, wishing I could just be in there with you, or even sitting on the other side of the closet door to help you through it.”
“Oliver—”
“And that’s how I know…I know…if Kino saw us together, even for a minute, she would see how I feel about you.” His eyes are welling up. “Then you would be the next girl she dragged into her office.” He laughs, but it’s a bitter, miserable sound. “And then I would tell her anything. I would tell her everything.”
A tear escapes, falling down his flushed cheek. Oliver ignores it.
“It’s not you who couldn’t handle it, Xoey. It’s me.”
Chapter 39
Reed
* * *
It’s three o’clock in the morning and I can’t sleep. Maybe it’s the rain, dancing with the wind, spitting at the windows. It started falling when Oliver told me about Riley. It hasn’t stopped since.
I knew something was wrong when I saw him with Adam in the cafeteria — the way his shoulders curved, how Adam jumped up and grabbed him by the front of his uniform, knocking over his chair in the process. Everyone stopped eating and stared while they exchanged a few low words, then Adam bolted out the door. Oliver followed. I caught up with him at the bottom of the Med Center stairs. He just looked up at the door and I knew. I knew it was Riley.
I held my breath, working to keep my hands by my sides while he confessed. Part of me wanted to act like Adam, but mostly I wanted to see her — to see for myself if she’s okay. I don’t know what held me back; the thought of Adam up there holding her hand or Kino’s threat to ship Riley off if I get anywhere near her.
“If you had just told me, Oliver…trusted me like I’ve trusted you—”
“I’m sorry,” he said.
The Med Center door opened and Xoey came out. For a second, she and Oliver just stared at each other, then he walked away.
I met Xoey at the bottom of the stairs. “How is she?”
Her lip quivered. “She’ll be okay.”
We walked to the library and sat down on the top step, out of the rain.
“Tell me everything,” I said.
So Xoey did, starting with Middlebrooks and the expensive treatment she ordered for Riley. We sat there all evening, the rain drowning our conversation. I kept my eyes fixed on the Med Center door the whole time. Adam came out a half hour before curfew and stormed off toward the dorms.
I stood up. “I’m going to see her.”
Xoey put her hand on my arm. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“No.” I stood there for a moment, then sat back down. “This hurts.”
“I know.”
I shook my
head. “How did we get here, Xoey?”
“We got thrown on a bus in the middle of the night.”
I took her hand, remembering our first night together — how scared she looked. How she proved her courage before the day was gone.
“I don’t know what I’m doing anymore,” I said. “Until tonight, the Bell was the only thing I could think about. Now I don’t even know why. Anyway, it may not even be possible now. If the train gets here while we’re marching or listening to the president’s speech, there’s no way I’ll be able to sneak away. No way.”
“You’ll figure it out.” Xoey lifted her chin toward the Med Center. “And that is why.”
“I thought you didn’t approve.”
“I have my doubts, but I understand what you’re trying to do. Kino is evil.” Xoey’s voice cracked. “If we just sit here and do nothing while she gets more and more dangerous, what’s good about that? No, you are right. We have to do something.”
“Like stealing the Liberty Bell? Something Kino doesn’t care about — something she doesn’t even know about?”
It all seemed so stupid right then. For a minute I thought Xoey agreed with me because she changed the subject.
“You never talk about your dad, Reed.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Tell me something he said or did. Anything.”
I thought about it for a minute. “He preached a lot about making good choices, surrounding yourself with positive people, having a hopeful attitude.”
“Sounds like good advice.”
“Yeah, but then he let some old guy talk him into joining the Resistance. I still don’t know why.”
“Maybe it seemed like madness at the time, but he just…had to.”
“Maybe.”
“My mom used to tell me to pray for wisdom. She said God promises to give it to anyone who asks.”
“But does He? And how would you know?”
“Faith, I guess. Listen, I cannot say whether it’s right or wrong to steal the Liberty Bell, but I do pray about it…for God to clear paths where we need them, or drop a huge boulder in our way if we are heading somewhere we should not.”
I squeezed her hand. “I’m glad you’re on my team.”
We said goodnight and I went to bed, only sleeping for about an hour before waking from a dream about Riley. I was in the library looking for her, and she was there — I’d swear she was — but still, I couldn’t find her. I’ve been laying here awake ever since.
At four o’clock, I shake Sam awake. He almost jumps out of his skin.
“Whoa! Relax, it’s just me!”
“What’s going on?”
“I’m sorry.” I feel bad for scaring him, but it doesn’t stop me. “I need to go offline a little while — can you cover me?”
Sam shakes off the cobwebs and reaches for his tablet. It only takes him a few minutes to tap in the right codes.
“Thanks.”
“Sure.” He’s already shoving his tablet to the side and pulling up his blanket.
I tiptoe past Brock’s bunk, but he doesn’t stir. Still, I need to be careful, so I stick to the shadows outside, circling a few buildings and watching my back before making my way to the shed. Movement behind the tractor makes me jump backward, whacking my hand on a rusty oil drum.
“Oliver! Dude, you scared me!” I shake out my bruised fingers while my heartbeat returns to normal.
“Sorry, I couldn’t sleep.” He shrugs. “I was offline anyway.”
I didn’t even notice his empty bunk. Still, it doesn’t surprise me he couldn’t sleep either.
I point to the tunnel entrance. “You want to check this out?”
Oliver nods and lifts the hatch. I switch on my Readybeam and start down the ladder.
Chapter 40
Adam
* * *
I wake right before Oliver and Reed get back, but lay there with my eyes closed, faking sleep. This is the third morning in a row they’ve snuck out before dawn to explore the tunnels.
“You want to come?” Oliver asked Friday night in the common room.
I stared at him hard. “No. I think I’ll visit Riley instead.”
He just walked away.
I shook my head, muttering under my breath. Paisley must have heard me.
“Give him a break, Adam. What would you have done differently?”
“I wouldn’t have just stood there while Kino beat her.”
“Haak held him down—”
“I would have fought him off!”
“Then what?” She put her hands on her hips. “You’re wasting your anger on the wrong person. Why don’t you blame Kino? She held the belt, not Oliver.”
I just walked away but her words stuck, reminding me how Riley stopped hating Reed.
I can’t explain why I’m mad at Oliver more than Kino. Maybe it’s because blaming her is pointless. Maybe it’s because he was supposed to be my best friend.
I didn’t visit Riley on Saturday, though. Not Sunday either. Xoey says she still sleeps most of the time, so she won’t know the difference. I tell myself staying away is for the best.
Today my guilt is too strong, though, so I pull on my uniform and head out, thinking I’ll stop in for a few minutes before our morning march. Turns out there’s no need. Riley’s in the courtyard talking to Paisley, looking pale but otherwise okay. Guess those stitchbots and expensive meds made all the difference.
“Hey,” I say.
“Hi.”
I touch her elbow. “You sure you should be up?”
She nods. “I’m sore, but okay.” Her eyes dart behind me, then return to my face. I don’t look. I know who just walked out of the boys’ dorm.
“I heard you came to visit me,” she says.
My heart beats a little faster. “You don’t remember?”
She shakes her head. “No. Vardelos said my meds were strong.”
“That’s okay.” The words leave my mouth too quickly. I’m flush with relief.
A bell sounds, giving us five minutes to get to the tackle field and line up for marching.
“You up for this?”
She nods but moves slowly. Her eyes dart toward Reed when he hurries past, hands shoved in his pockets. Oliver follows, slowing to share a look with Riley. Part trauma, part bond. I’m angry all over again.
I clear my throat. “We should get to the field.”
It’s UN inspection day, so our morning march takes longer than usual while the inspector walks between our rows, frowning and tapping on his tablet. Middlebrooks is staring at Riley, probably hoping she shows no outward signs of abuse. She doesn’t know, I guess. The UN inspector has seen plenty. He may frown, even shake his head, but nothing ever changes. It’s all just a show.
We march to the courtyard, keeping our lines straight, our rows perfect. Middlebrooks spends ten minutes praising us before running through her list of the obvious. No class this week, no double shifts. Just final preparations for the president’s visit. Crews to clean, more to set up for the speech, others for the dance. Final fittings, dance lessons. We’ll march twice a day. She hints at special surprises, but I stop listening. I’m watching Riley instead, wondering if she truly doesn’t remember.
Seeing her in the Med Center with those brutal marks on her back made me sick with anger. If Oliver had been there…well, I guess it’s good he wasn’t. I sat by her side, held her hand, glared at Vardelos whenever he made her move, made her hurt.
Made her wake up.
“Adam.” Her voice was raspy, slurred. Still I loved hearing her say my name.
“I’m here.” I kissed her knuckles.
She faded in and out for a while, trying to talk whenever she opened her eyes. I couldn’t understand much. Not until Vardelos left, telling me I would have to leave as soon as he got back. When the door swung shut behind him, Riley opened her eyes again.
“You’re so handsome,” she said.
My heart turned over. I squeezed he
r hand. For a full minute, I hoped. Then her eyes began to tear up.
“I try, but it’s no use.” She shifted, wincing from the pain.
“Shh. Don’t try to talk.”
“So handsome,” she said again. “I wish…” Her voice faded away and she closed her eyes. I thought she was asleep, but then her voice broke the silence. Broke my heart. “I wish I could love you.”
I’m in the cafeteria watching Brock. He’s watching me back. It’s something we do now. Stare. Glare. See who blinks first. If their routine holds, he and Xu will drive their truck through the gate once more before the president comes.
Unless they’ve told Kino I’m on to them.
But if that was true, I’d be gone by now, so I plan to keep watching.
Riley flinches beside me, drawing my attention. Kino walks in, heading straight toward Haak. I take Riley’s hand. She grips mine hard.
“I have to do something,” she says.
“No, you have to get well. Let me—”
“Let you?” She pulls her hand away, stares me down.
She’s whispering now. Every syllable angry, hurting. “She beat me, Adam. Beat me! With a shiny gold belt buckle! Would you leave it alone? Let me take care of it for you?”
“No, but—”
“But what?”
“Just…don’t do anything stupid. We’ll come up with a plan.”
“We already have a plan.” She jerks her head toward Reed, sitting two tables over. “And so far, the only part I get to play is this ridiculous…”
I swallow a lump in my throat, lower my voice. “It’s a week away. You’re still not well.”
She stands up and grabs her tray. I can tell she hurts, but she won’t show it. Not anymore.
“I’m well enough.”
“Wait.” I stand too, and follow her outside. I’ve got to do something. Anything to keep her out of the train yard. I wait until no one is around then lean in to whisper. “Reed needs a diversion on the night of the heist, right? I have an idea. Will you help me?”
Stealing Liberty Page 24