Graduation Day (20 page)

Aside from the sound of my boots against the gray tile, everything is quiet as I head for the stairs. On the third-floor landing, I pause when the murmur of voices reaches me. I'm tempted to walk down the hall to see if anyone there knows whether the president really did postpone her Debate Chamber proposal and if the search for Michal continues. But as much as that information would help me understand what is happening with the president, I cannot afford the time or the risk of being seen by too many people. I continue down the stairs.

I am crossing the lobby when I see the front doors open. Several officials in ceremonial purple and red walk in. The two Safety officials near the front desk stand as one last person enters.

President Collindar.

There is nowhere to hide.

Stepping to the side, I tilt my head down in what I hope looks like a respectful gesture. My hair fans out on either side of my face, giving me some cover, but when the president looks my way, I see her eyebrows rise. I hold my breath. Has she heard about Enzo? Will she decide that my being on the run makes me more of a liability than an ally?

“Official Dresden.” Though the president is addressing one of the Safety officials, she takes a step toward me. “Can I see the list of all personnel who have checked in tonight?”

The official takes the clipboard off the desk and hands it to her. She looks down at the list and then back at me. “It's nice to see that so many of our staff are dedicated enough to overcome the concern Official Gallen's disappearance has caused. The increased number of Safety officials that I have just ordered to participate in the evening patrols should also ease fears. Don't you think?”

When the Safety official agrees, President Collindar hands the clipboard back to him. “I'm hopeful this upheaval will be smoothed over and things will return to normal. We need everyone from the Debate Chamber to focus clearly on our proposal.” With an almost imperceptible nod in my direction, the president turns and heads down the hall. “Fredrik, what can we do to convince Nigel's department to vote with us? I've heard they are wavering and might be willing to come to our side if given proper incentive.” Her officials trail after her, debating ideas, and I head for the door.

As I step out of the building, a black skimmer passes by. The white seal on the door marks it as a Safety and Security vehicle. One of the extra patrols President Collindar just warned me about. The fact that she chose to give me such a warning speaks volumes. Some of the Safety officials who roam the streets are doing so to reassure the Tosu population. But there must be others who are searching for me.

I duck back into the entryway alcove and stay there until the skimmer has disappeared down the street. Then I head for my bicycle. Coasting, I approach the roadway that leads to the building where Tomas is waiting and only turn when I see no one is around.

I click on my flashlight when I walk into the building, shine it down the hallway, and whisper Tomas's name. He doesn't appear. My heart stills. I whisper again. Panic resonates in my voice. Finally I see someone step out of a doorway on the right, far down the corridor. Tomas.

“Sorry,” he says, walking through the shadows toward me. “I decided to see if there was anything on this floor we could use. Did you find what you needed?”

“I saw the president. She warned me additional Safety officials have been added to the evening patrols. We have to be careful when we go to the next location. Once we get there, we should be safe.”

“Where are we going?” Tomas's hand finds mine in the dark.

“Someplace no patrols would go.”

Tomas exits first. He waits several moments before motioning for me to follow. Then we climb onto our bikes and ride. Twice we stop and crouch behind bushes or duck around the edges of buildings to wait for a skimmer to pass us by.

The buildings we pass grow smaller. Tomas asks if I am sure we are going the correct way. I know he is concerned that we have veered to the north. The same direction as the University. I check the Transit Communicator and assure him that we are on course.

When my front wheel hits several holes in the pavement, I know I have found the street I have been searching for. In the dim moonlight, I study the dilapidated, graffiti-laden houses on either side of the roadway to find the one I entered two days ago.

“That one,” I say, pointing to the small one-story structure. After taking a closer look, I pick up my bike and walk carefully across the grass to the back of the house. Tomas does the same.

Tomas leans his bicycle against the wall and then walks to the door and eases it open a crack. Just enough for us to squeeze ourselves and our bicycles through.

We search the house as I did the first time I was here. Aside from several puddles of water in the bedrooms where the ceiling leaks, the place looks the same. Tomas turns the faucet on in the bathroom to check if it works. The water that runs into the sink is tinged with orange. I find the pile of clothing in the same place I left it, and when I pry up the floorboards I see the folder I hid there.

My muscles tremble as I place my bag and the folder in the corner of the room. Tomas pulls a blanket out of his bag and spreads it in the middle of the dust-coated floor. Since the windows are boarded up, we leave the flashlight on as we sit down. I lean my head on Tomas's shoulder and snuggle close. There is so much we need to talk about, decisions to be made—but now that I am relatively safe, fatigue makes it hard to speak. Tomas doesn't seem to want to talk either. Instead, he just holds me. I don't know how long we sit like this. Ten minutes? Twenty? All the while I keep my eyes closed and imagine us back in Five Lakes, in a time and place that made sense. But as much as I try to hold on to the idea of us sitting near the fountain in the Five Lakes square, surrounded by all things familiar, the images of Michal's bloodless face, Kerrick's and Marin's corpses, and Enzo's burned body will not stay out of my mind.

When I shiver, Tomas holds me tighter and asks, “Are you okay?”

I shrug and burrow closer, but Tomas won't allow me to hide. His hand lifts my chin so that I am forced to look at him. In his eyes I see the same sadness I feel. But, I also see love. His lips brush mine. Once. Twice. The gentleness of his touch makes me want to cry.

Tomas leans back and looks at me again. His fingers brush my cheek, wiping away a tear I wasn't aware had fallen. When his lips find mine again, they are still gentle, but instead of kindness, the kiss shimmers with desire. I snake a hand around the back of his neck and pull him closer, deepening the kiss.

There is nothing more I want than to feel this way forever. I allow myself two more kisses before easing away from his touch. If it were just about this moment, I would allow myself to get lost in Tomas's embrace. If it were just about us, I would forget what tomorrow could bring. But I want a future that can happen only if we are successful in what we intend to do.

My breathing comes fast and my pulse pounds as I look up at Tomas, worried he'll be upset that I pulled away. But his face is filled with tenderness as he asks again, “Are you okay?” The same question, but this time he's asking about us.

I swallow hard and nod. “Are you?”

My breath catches when he doesn't answer right away. Tomas webs his fingers through mine, holds my hand tight, and says, “It's only been eight months since we left Five Lakes, but it seems longer. So much has happened. Some of it we understand, and much we don't. But there are two things I am certain of. I love you and you love me. We'll figure out what that means for us after all this is over. Until then, I'm grateful we're here together. Okay?”

I lean up to kiss him. Then I grab the flashlight, walk over to my bag, remove the weapons, and dig out the pulse radio. The message light is on. The first voice I hear when I press Play is Raffe. He sounds raspy and is speaking so softly I have to strain to understand him.

“Professor Holt called a meeting for everyone in the residence. The medical team thinks Enzo will recover.”

One of the knots inside me eases.

“We've been given an order to report any sighting of you to the Safety officials or to Professor Holt. Any student who aids in your capture will be rewarded with the presidential internship and a special independent study with Dr. Barnes.”

Tomas takes my hand and I squeeze his tight. All students, including my friends, have now been given two reasons to betray me. If Stacia's intent in testing Enzo was to help instead of hinder, I doubt she is still willing to aid in my plan. Not with an easier path to success in front of her. Frowning, I rewind and replay the last part of Raffe's message. “Stay safe. Let me know if I should meet up with Stacia. I'll do what I can to join you tomorrow.”

The recording ends but the light doesn't go dark, which means there is at least one more message.

“Raffe didn't ask you to tell him where we're hiding.” Tomas frowns. “Did you already tell him how to find this house?”

I shake my head. “I told him about the street, but not which house we'd be in. He didn't ask to confirm the location in case the signal was intercepted.” I changed the frequency to one I believe is not typically used, though there is always a chance another pulse radio within reception range could pick up the signal. But there is one person who I know has a pulse radio tuned to the same signal. I push Play again and hear her voice.

“I got Raffe's message. Enzo must have decided to find the recording. Sorry about that, but I guess it's better to know now if he can be trusted. Right?” Stacia's tone is matter-of-fact. “Raffe, if you get this I'll meet you first thing tomorrow morning so you can tell me where to find Cia. See you all soon.”

The light goes dark as the message ends. Stacia wants to know where to find me. In order to join in the fight or to report me to Professor Holt and receive her reward for that betrayal?

“Now what do we do?” I ask. “I don't know if we should work with Stacia, and I can't leave a message for Raffe without her getting one, too.” Will Raffe believe she is supposed to come here with him tomorrow? “I don't know how to tell him to make sure to leave her behind and not let her know where he's going.”

“You can't.” Tomas looks at the radio on my hand. “Stacia knows too much to be left behind. She knows who is on our side and who our targets are. If we cut her out of the plan now, she will probably tell Professor Holt and Dr. Barnes everything she knows. By leaving her behind, we'll decide her loyalties for her. And let's face it, we need her.”

“But—”

“There's no way we can do this alone. We need all the help we can get, and Stacia's proven she's willing to do whatever it takes. Including turn on us if that's the only way to be rewarded for her actions. It's better to have her with us where we can see what she's doing than wonder what she's up to.”

Tomas has a point. I selected Will to be in my Induction group for the same reason, but then I knew we had the same agenda. Stacia wants to be rewarded for her actions. Who she plans on seeking that reward from—Dr. Barnes or the president—is still in question. But at the moment we have no choice in the decision we must make.

Pressing Record, I say, “Both of you be careful. I hope to see you tomorrow. And Raffe, if you have trouble, ask our other friend for help. He might know how to get away without being seen.”

“Ian?” Tomas asks.

I nod. “I don't think he'll leave the rebels, but he helped me get away tonight. I think he'd do the same for Raffe and Stacia.”

“That still leaves the problem of how Raffe will find us. All the windows are boarded up, so we can't see when they arrive. You said there are people living on this street. Some might not react well if strangers come too close to their dwellings. How are Stacia and Raffe supposed to know which house we're staying at without knocking on doors and alerting the people who live here to our presence?”

Good question. With the people on this street trying to live in the shadows, I'm sure they will not want the attention we could bring on them. To keep a low profile, they might ignore us, but it would be best not to test that hypothesis.

As I consider the problem, I put the radio back in my bag and catch sight of the painting Raffe gave me. Of the symbol he created that gives an identity to what we have planned. Seeing the crisscrossing slashes of yellow gives me an idea. Digging through my bag, I find the black charcoal pencils I carry and say, “I'll be right back.”

“What are you going to do?”

“This house is covered with graffiti,” I say, handing him the flashlight. “I'm just going to add a little more.”

Tomas helps shift the door wide enough so I can slip out. The night is quiet. Clutching the pencils, I walk slowly to the end of the structure. I peer around the edge. The street is empty. Nothing moves. But that could change at any moment, so I have to do this fast.

I carefully make my way to the front of the house, pick a spot on the stoop that is bare, and begin to draw. My artistic abilities are lacking. The lines I create aren't filled with the same raw power as Raffe's. But when I am done, the design in the center of the slightly egg-shaped circle is unmistakable.

Two crossed lightning bolts.

A symbol of power. Of the elimination of ignorance. And of a rebellion that must overcome insurmountable odds in order to succeed. A symbol that combines my past with my future. And the time has come for that future to begin.

W
HEN
I
GO
inside, I try to hail Zeen on the Transit Communicator. Never have I wanted to hear my brother's voice more. When he doesn't answer, Tomas convinces me that we should sleep. Lying on the blanket with the Communicator near my head and our hands linked, I listen as Tomas's breathing evens out and try to clear my mind so that sleep can find me too. But there are too many worries.