Threader

by Rebekah Turner

Cora smacks her lips together. ‘I’d be the tastiest kind around.’

  When the bell for the end of class rings, the professor is startled out of her trance and quickly dismisses us, nudging her bulldog awake and glaring at him like falling asleep was his fault. Cora and I grab our bags and join the crowds in the corridor.

  ‘Hello, ladies.’ Darsh joins us. ‘We on for some study time tonight at the library?’

  ‘I can’t tonight,’ Cora says. ‘I’m meeting up with Jeremy later.’

  ‘Again?’ Darsh doesn’t look impressed.

  ‘You heard the woman. She’s got a date with the great Mr Jeremy Murphy.’ I say it to make Darsh laugh, but I don’t miss the hurt expression that flashes over his face. While I’m apprehensive about seeing Vogel tonight, to the point I don’t think I can concentrate, I feel a little sorry for Darsh. Not to mention I’ve also got a whole lot of catch-up study I need to do. So I squeeze his hand and say, ‘I’ll come to the library. I could do with the company.’

  ‘Okay.’ Darsh sounds subdued. ‘See you at seven?’

  ‘Make it nine,’ I reply, thinking of the recovery time I need after my little sessions with Vogel.

  ‘God. Look at what she’s wearing,’ Cora says. I follow her gaze to see Olivia talking to Tina at the end of the corridor and I’m reminded of the expensive dress I couldn’t return. My feet slam to a sudden halt. Whatever evil plan Olivia is cooking up about Archer, I don’t want to be involved. Deal or no deal.

  ‘I left something in class.’ I turn abruptly and crash into someone behind me. A slate goes flying and skids along the floor.

  ‘Watch where you’re going,’ Jasmine snarls at me.

  ‘Sorry,’ I mutter.

  We both go for the fallen slate, but before either of us can retrieve it, someone trips on it. Shoving people aside, Jasmine snatches it up and stares in horror at the large spider crack across the flickering screen.

  ‘Sorry.’ I bite my lip. ‘It was an accident.’

  Jasmine’s eyes narrow. She drops the broken slate and lunges at me, her hands outstretched and grasping. ‘You’re gonna pay for that.’

  I’ve got time enough to register that she doesn’t mean financially, before her hands wrap around my throat. I lose my balance and we both topple over, Jasmine on top. She hammers me in the face and starbursts explode behind my eyes. Vision wavering, I catch a glimpse of Darsh and Cora trying to pull her off me, but then Dutch is there, trying to grab both of them at once so Jasmine can keep attacking me. Cora kicks Dutch in the shins and he lets go of her with a pained yelp. Then she launches herself towards Jasmine, but the blue-haired woman ignores her attempts as her fist smacks into my face again. Blood floods my mouth and my hands flounder about as I try to defend myself. My fingers manage to snag one of her lip piercings. Jasmine’s eyes widen and I give her a bloody grin before ripping the ring out.

  Jasmine howls, a second before my TK crashes into her and she flies off me with a yelp, rolling to a stop by the crowd of cadets around us. Fuelled by adrenaline and anger, my TP zips forward and braids with my TK, then stabs into Jasmine like a psychic spear. My talents weave a quick thread around the pulsating light of Jasmine’s talent and pull tight. Taking control of everything Jasmine is, I force her hair to extend and whip around her like ropes. The blue locks obey my command and I trap her arms by her side.

  ‘Let me go!’ she screams.

  I want to scream back at her, but my mouth hurts and I can already feel my thread unravelling, the weight of the lock sapping its strength. A crowd of shocked faces surround us, with people whispering and casting alarmed looks my way.

  Someone shouts a warning and the crowd quickly breaks up. The last of my thread dissolves and Jasmine’s hair relaxes, falling back to its original state. Cora and Darsh grab my arm and propel me down the corridor in the opposite direction.

  ‘We’ve got to go,’ Darsh says. ‘You don’t want to get expelled for fighting.’

  ‘Did you see how she controlled Jasmine?’ Cora snorts. ‘No one’s gonna tell on Josie if they know what’s good for them.’

  When I hear those words from Cora’s lips, a part of me cringes. In coming to Helios, I’d hoped to find others like me. Instead, it’s what I’ve always dreaded: finding out that I’m different. Something to fear.

  CHAPTER 24

  I skip the rest of my classes and hide out in Cora’s room. She and Darsh offer to stay with me, but I tell them I need some time alone. As I lie on Cora’s bed, feeling my face throb, I replay what happened. Jasmine’s rage was way out of proportion for a broken slate and what I’d done to defend myself could see me thrown out of Helios.

  Cora’s bathroom mirror shows me a split lip and a bruised face. I take painkillers then lie down and doze, only to be woken by Cora a few hours later. She’s managed to get some cream from the medical bay, which reduces my swelling and fades the worst of the bruising. Not feeling up for a session with Vogel, I send Wendell a message that I’ve come down with something and need the night off.

  When Cora announces she’s going to cancel her practice slide that night with Jeremy, I assure her I’m fine to still hang out with Darsh at the library. Cora looks doubtful and I end up having to practically push her out the door. Of course, that’s not before she insists on putting make-up on my face, including sparkly green eye shadow, which she claims will draw all the attention away from my not-quite-healed lip.

  I watch old horror movies until it’s time to meet Darsh. When I venture out of Cora’s room, people stare at me, conversations falling silent as I pass. The library is half full and curious eyes watch us as Darsh and I sit down. He does a great job of pretending nothing is wrong, pulling out two energy drinks and pushing one over to me. He pops the top of his drink, then hesitates, clearly wanting to say something. I don’t press him, just pull out my slate and start scrolling through my notes.

  ‘I want to tell you something.’ He fiddles with the top of the can. ‘I didn’t want to tell you before, but after that stunt Jasmine pulled today, I think I should.’

  I look up at him. ‘What are you talking about?’

  Darsh shifts in his chair. ‘I didn’t think it was something you’d want to know.’

  ‘What did you find out?’ People glance our way and I make an effort to lower my voice. ‘Tell me. Please.’

  ‘Okay, okay.’ Darsh picks up his slate and brings up the screen, his fingers flying as he pulls up data. ‘The project I told you about? The Ciliary Gate?’ He passes me his slate. ‘I found this footage. There’s not much left.’

  A video plays on screen and I get a glimpse of machinery in the background, with access stairs and platforms. Before I can study it closer, the camera shifts to frame my mother and my breath catches. I’ve only ever seen photos of her, and now here she is, a record of her when she was living and breathing.

  ‘There’s no audio,’ Darsh says when I start searching for the volume. ‘And it only lasts for a minute.’

  Alice wears a white lab coat and her long chestnut hair hangs loose around her shoulders. She looks excited as she explains something to the camera, gesturing at the machine that looms out of view. Then the video cuts to black. I frown and play it again.

  ‘Why is it so short?’ The video finishes for the second time and I repeat it, transfixed by the sight of the mother I can’t quite remember.

  ‘I’m sorry, a lot of the data was corrupted.’

  ‘What did you find out?’ I ask.

  ‘The machine behind her is the Ciliary Gate. It was supposed to be able to generate an opening into the shadow biosphere and collect data. But there was some sort of miscalculation.’

  ‘So I heard,’ I say. When he raises his eyebrows, I relay the conversation I had with Eckhart on the balcony.

  Darsh taps the side of his drink as he listens. When I finish, he nods his head. ‘Whatever came through the gate went through all the security measures that had been put in place and deadly poisons leaked into the environment.’ D
arsh pauses. ‘Nearly eighty people died. Others were contaminated and quarantined. Some of them made it, some didn’t. After that, the Ciliary Gate was put in storage and the project was shut down.’

  I suddenly know why Darsh wanted to tell me this now, after my fight with Jasmine.

  As if he could read my thoughts, he says, ‘Jasmine’s parents were technical assistants on the project. Both were killed.’

  I hand his slate back, feeling ill. ‘How did my parents survive?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Darsh says. ‘I found a heavily censored report that suggested everyone blamed them. There were also a few psych reports that stated your mother was becoming paranoid. She was convinced there was something in the shadow biosphere that was coming for her.’

  My head sinks in my hands and I concentrate on taking long, deep breaths.

  ‘The academy buried what happened,’ Darsh says, ‘but I guess Jasmine did some digging and found out.’

  Grief rises inside of me, unexpected and unwanted. When I look up, Darsh’s face is stricken and he looks like he wished he’d kept his mouth shut. He goes to say something, then his eyes skip over my shoulder and he frowns.

  ‘What?’ I ask, just as Blake comes alongside our table.

  ‘Josie, can I talk to you for a minute outside?’ he asks me politely.

  ‘No. Leave me the hell alone,’ I reply, just as nice.

  Blake’s face tightens. Darsh takes a breath and gets to his feet. ‘You heard her.’

  Blake blinks at him, as if only just realising he’s here. ‘This doesn’t concern you.’

  ‘The hell it doesn’t.’ Darsh puffs his chest out, but I can see his hands give a tremble. ‘Josie told you to … get lost … so … you’d better leave, or else.’

  Blake heaves a sigh, then turns from Darsh, dismissing him, his dark eyes fixing on me. ‘This is important, Josie. Please.’

  My lips press tight and I stand. ‘Fine.’

  Darsh opens his mouth to protest, but I touch his arm and give him a reassuring smile. ‘I won’t be long.’

  He glares at Blake, then says to me, ‘If you’re not back in ten minutes, I’m coming to look for you.’

  Blake nods at him, then walks close by my side as we head out. The night air is fresh and we walk slow. The information Darsh gave me whirls through my head, filling it. A group of cadets pass and I hear them whispering among themselves, hear my name. Blake and I both ignore them.

  All of James’s paranoid warnings have some context now. But even though I can understand my past a little better, it doesn’t distil the low simmering anger I have. What happened with the Ciliary Gate isn’t my fault. Why should I be the one to suffer for my parents’ mistakes?

  ‘I heard—’ Blake’s voice cuts off as more cadets emerge from a nearby building, heading towards us. Grabbing my arm, Blake pulls me off the path and into the shadows of a nearby tree. I yank my arm from his grip.

  ‘What do you want?’ I snap. ‘You want to tell me again how I’m not your type?’

  Blake doesn’t say anything at first, just stands there, breathing in the dark. Then he says, ‘I heard you got into a fight with Jasmine Harper.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘So?’ Blake sounds like he’s ready to explode. ‘I heard you used your talents against another cadet. You could both get kicked out of Helios if someone wants to take this further.’

  The fight with Jasmine and the reason behind her hatred feels like a fresh wound. One that I don’t need Blake pouring salt on, so I just glare at him. He runs a hand through his hair, clearly agitated.

  ‘Look. I’m sorry for what I said before,’ he finally says. ‘I really am.’

  ‘Forget it.’ My lips press thin and I’m not sure what else to say. I’m still angry, still hurt.

  ‘What was the fight with Harper about?’ Blake gestures to my healing lip, then leans forward, squinting at my face in the darkness. ‘What’s that green stuff on your eyelids?’

  ‘Make-up,’ I mutter, then look away, confused. ‘You said some pretty nasty things to me, you know. And now you’re all Mister Nice Guy, so we’re just supposed to be friendly now?’

  ‘I said I was sorry,’ Blake says. ‘Things got out of hand and I reacted badly.’

  ‘Great. Apology accepted.’ I turn to go.

  ‘Josie, wait.’ Blake steps in front of me, his hands brushing my waist. ‘Don’t be angry.’

  ‘I’m not.’ I touch his hands with the intention to shove them off, but they just rest on his, unmoving. ‘I don’t trust you.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘Stop saying that.’ I pull away now and he lets me go.

  ‘Say you forgive me,’ he says, his hands falling to his side.

  ‘And if I don’t?’

  ‘I’ll just keep pestering you.’ Blake pauses, then adds, ‘I can be very persistent.’

  ‘Fine.’ I roll my eyes. ‘We’re friends. Happy now?’

  ‘Ecstatic,’ he says gravely. ‘And since we’re friends now, walk with me? I’m supposed to check in on some cadets.’

  I hesitate, knowing it’s not a good idea, but I’m unable to resist the temptation of being with him just a little longer.

  ‘Okay.’

  We stroll slowly along a hedge laced with night flowers, their sweet smell drifting over us. Blake is quiet and I’m too wrapped up in my thoughts about the past to find a safe subject for us. We stop outside a classroom and I try to think of something general to say before heading off. Blake attempts to smile, but it’s strained.

  ‘Are you upset about what happened with Aaron at the party?’ he asks finally.

  ‘No.’ I shrug. ‘We’re not together or anything.’

  ‘He would make a good partner.’ Blake’s eyes drop from mine. ‘I heard Eckhart’s been on the hunt for a compatible threader and technopath team for a long time. No one would object if you were locked with my brother.’

  ‘Locking my talents isn’t something I intend to do again,’ I say. ‘I don’t think I could take it.’

  His eyes dart back to mine. ‘What do you mean?’

  My laugh is short and a little too loud. ‘I don’t know. I get this familiar feeling when I think of you, like I’ve always known you. But when we talk, I realise you’re so far away.’ I shrug. ‘It hurts.’

  Blake frowns. ‘I’m sorry,’ he says again.

  ‘Don’t worry about it. Hey, like you said, I’m not your type.’

  He clears his throat. ‘I might have overstated that a little.’

  ‘Oh?’

  ‘I might have given you a second glance.’ He smiles, but I don’t return it.

  ‘No. You wouldn’t have,’ I say. ‘The lock creates a false sense of intimacy between us.’ I suck in a deep breath. ‘In fact, I don’t know you any better than Aaron.’

  The smile drops from Blake’s face, but I know it’s for the best. Just as he knew that night in his room.

  ‘Josie—’

  Before he can say anything more, the classroom door opens and a red-headed guy rushes out. He sees Blake and stumbles over.

  ‘Jeremy?’ Blake grabs his arm to steady him. ‘What happened?’

  I realise this is the infamous Jeremy Murphy. Registering the panicked look on his face, my unease spikes.

  ‘There was a tremor,’ Jeremy gasps out. ‘I got out, but she was torn from the lightpath.’

  ‘Who are you talking about?’ I ask, but I already know the answer. My uneasy feeling evolves to panic.

  ‘Cora.’ Jeremy wipes a shaky hand across his brow. ‘We’ve got to find her. She’s off the lightpath.’

  ‘Was she wearing a suit?’ Blake asks. ‘Even if she doesn’t hit the emergency beacon, we could track the suit number.’

  ‘No.’ Jeremy shakes his head. ‘She said she wanted to go without one.’

  Anguish crashes across Blake’s face, then drains to nothing. He strides into the classroom and Jeremy and I hurry behind him. Blake walks to where the nanosuits hang and al
most rips his shirt off.

  ‘I’ll get help.’ I start for the door.

  ‘No time.’ Blake kicks off his shoes. I stop and stare at him.

  ‘What are you going to do?’ I ask.

  ‘I’m the only one who might have a chance at finding her,’ Blake answers, unbuckling his belt and stripping to his underwear.

  ‘I’ll prep the dark-room,’ Jeremy says.

  ‘And a suit,’ Blake instructs. ‘Send me your last known co-ordinates.’

  Jeremy nods, then hurries over to one of the doors and begins tapping into the control panel beside it. A chill settles against my skin. Blake was going into the deep to find Cora.

  ‘But a slider can’t survive for too long beyond the lightpath,’ I say.

  Blake pulls a suit from its mount and starts pulling it on. ‘I’m strong enough.’

  ‘What if you’re not?’

  His jaw clenches. ‘I am.’

  ‘You don’t know that,’ I say, because I know he’s not. I cross the room and strip quickly before grabbing a suit for myself. The decision to risk my life for someone else comes easy enough to me and a small part of me is surprised. I wonder what Bobby would think, with his lone wolf code.

  Blake stops what he’s doing and stares at me. ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘You need me,’ I say. ‘More importantly, Cora needs me. If we thread, you’ll be strong enough to find her and come back. I can use my TP to hunt for her as well.’

  His eyes widen, then narrow. ‘Forget it.’

  I don’t flinch at the steel in his tone. ‘Don’t waste time, Blake. Working together through the thread will make us strong enough to find her. You told me yourself my thread strengthened your talent.’

  ‘The lock—’

  ‘This is more important than the lock.’ I struggle with the suit. The material is difficult to manoeuvre, sticking to my skin as I pull it up. Finally, with more pulling and twisting, it slides snug over my body and feels somehow organic. My fingers fumble as I try to secure the many buckles and zips.

  Blake is just staring at me, his suit around his waist.

  ‘We’re running out of time,’ I tell him. ‘Cora’s running out of time.’