Vanquished (12 page)

“Did anyone else in your family get the pills?”

Ava shakes her head. “No, my dad's OK. My mom refused them. I'm working on that, though. They will really help her feel better.”

We reach the stairwell and climb quietly to our floors.

“I'll see you around, Hana.”

I wave as she steps through the door. It slams shut behind her. I stare at the cold metal, thinking about what she said. She took her concerns to someone who could help—a doctor, and therefore a Greater—and instead of a solution to the problem, she was given a pill. Chills creep up my spine at the implications. A pill to shut her up, because they didn't want her asking questions or trying to figure things out. I'm more convinced than ever that something is going on with Markus.

Ava obviously doesn't see any need to explore the situation further. That bothers me.

Fischer is in Mom's room when I get there. She's sleeping.

“Don't you ever get a day off?” I ask. I'm trying to lighten the mood, but I'm anxious to hear how last night went for him. Did they wait for me? Did they know why I never came?

He smiles, and I'm surprised that he doesn't appear to have had a single worry about me. “It's part of the training. You'd better get used to it now.”

“Really? You don't get a day off?” No wonder Keegan doesn't have time to write.

“We get a day here and there, but I don't mind. This is what I want to do. How much longer until your Test, again?”

“About two weeks.” I can't believe it's coming so fast. I've been so confused lately I just hope I don't end up as Lesser at the end of it all.

“You'll do great,” Fischer says.

Did he read my mind?

I glance at Mom and frown a little. “Can I ask you a question?”

His lighthearted face changes immediately and he's all ears. “Absolutely. What do you need?”

I bite my lip and take a cautionary look at the door. “Do you know anything about pills? Like for people who can't calm down through meditation?”

He smiles a sad, lopsided smile. “Unfortunately, yes. Why do you ask?”

I hug my arms to my stomach. “They've given some to my friend, Ava, because she wouldn't calm down about her brother. That's—that's another strange thing. They won't let the family see him.”

He watches my face for what seems like forever. Finally, he nods slowly. “I'm not surprised, but I'll see what I can find out.”

I smile a little. “Thanks, Fischer. How do you know about the pills?”

“They give them to Lessers all the time.”

Of course. The Lessers aren't strong enough to do anything on their own, are they? All the more reason they need help.

He frowns a little, watching my face, but finally he asks, “Did you sleep well?”

I lick my lips. “Not particularly. We had visitors.”

“I heard.”

Does he mean he literally heard the chase? But I don't ask.

He goes to the door and glances out. “It's my fault, and I'm sorry. I should have known something like that wasn't the best idea.”

I shake my head. “No, it's not your fault. I'm the one who wasn't paying attention.”

Fischer smiles like he always does, dropping the subject and letting me win. “We'll figure something out, and soon. I'll let you know.” He slips into the hall.

After my visit with Mom, I go back home. I make it well before curfew this time. My dad sits grading tests at the kitchen counter.

“There's another letter for you.” He nods toward a white envelope beside the sink.

No hi, or how was your day. He's still upset from last night.

I snatch it up and head for the stairs. I never wrote Keegan back after his last letter. I just figured he was obviously too busy, and he didn't have time to read about the strange things going on around here. Besides that, I really didn't think about him all that much.

I roll out my meditation mat and flip off my shoes. Meditation might not work for Ava, but it does make
me
feel better. Maybe that's why I'm so edgy, because I haven't meditated in so long. I settle onto the mat and rip the letter open.

Dear Hana, I'm sorry for the short letter last time. It has been so busy around here. We actually went on a trip to Greater City.
Greater City
! Can you believe it? It was crazy there. There are strange cars, and they have these places called movie theaters. A movie is like a play, but it's on a screen. The people aren't really there. I guess that sounds weird, but you'd have to see it to understand.

He's right. It does sound really weird. I frown at the thought of all the Greaters having cars, though. I thought there wasn't enough gas to go around. I don't understand why everyone there gets to use it up.

If you get to work in government, you'll get to come, too, Hana. They say the government studies come here often. You'll love it!

We came to meet the important people in the entertainment industry. They think I'll do best in music, since I sing and play guitar.

He sings and plays very well. He's mesmerized me more than once.

I'm going to be home in two weeks. Isn't that great? I'll be there when you take your Test. You're going to do great. I can't wait to see you. Keegan.

He sounds happy and truly excited to come home. I try and put Greater City out of my mind so I can meditate, but I'm not very successful. I keep picturing movies on a screen, where the actors are taking odd pills to calm their nerves.

 

 

 

 

22

 

My shoes make a soft thud with each step I take toward Ava's house. It's Sunday morning and Dad went to the hospital to visit Mom. I've decided that if Ava isn't going to figure out what Markus was doing that night, I'm going to try.

Maybe it will help sharpen my sneaking skills too, since I'm going to try and do this without drawing any attention to myself, and I definitely plan on meeting Fischer again. I'm curious about the address he gave me on Kensington Avenue. What would I have found if I'd met him? If I do well here, I might sneak over there, too.

A few kids play in their yards on Ava's street. Houses are lined up like dominoes down the old pavement, and I hurry toward Ava's. It looks like the house is empty, but really, how could I tell?

Taking care to avoid the front windows, I sneak to the side of the house where I know Ava's room is. It's most likely that Markus climbed out this window when he sneaked out of his house that night.

It strikes me that he sneaked out. I always thought of people sneaking out for one reason—to meet a boy or girl. Now I realize there are other reasons. After all, I sneaked out to meet Fischer's group. Really, there are endless possibilities. Maybe there are people who cause trouble at night. Rob people. Murder people. We've always been told that all crime happens by the Lessers, but really, how would we know that's true? We're all inside when the crimes happen.

There's a tree right outside Ava's window. That gives me pause. If Markus was trying to get out of his window, he would have certainly used this tree. He could have fallen from it easily, no questions asked. In that case, it wouldn't matter why he was sneaking out, just that he was, and that he'd fallen from the tree in the process.

My resolve waivers. Maybe it is as everyone says—he fell from a tree.

This isn't going to be as easy as I thought.

I force my mind to go through the possibilities. If he had simply fallen from a tree, would they keep him locked up? Would they refuse to let the family see him?

No.

I push forward. He obviously didn't fall from this tree, or else they wouldn't have known what he was up to. I need to figure out where Markus went from here. I look up and down the alley between houses. One path leads further into the city. The other path leads toward the levies.

If he was meeting a girl, he would probably head toward the levy. If he was meeting a group like Fischer's, he would probably head toward the city.

I try to remember Markus from school. Does he seem the type to meet in a clandestine group, discussing a rebellion?

That thought almost stops me. A rebellion? Is that what Fischer is doing? Is that what I want?

I go back to the task at hand. I didn't know Markus well, but he doesn't seem the type. Then again, does Fischer? Do I?

I choose the ‘meeting a girl' angle and head toward the levy. The path is a clearly defined dirt track, a lot like the one near my house. It takes much longer to get through the trees and reach the levies, though, and I'm surprised when I come out at the same place as the path that starts on my street.

My eyes immediately find the broken tree limbs and beaten down grass patches I noticed last week. I gasp. This is where Markus fell.

What did he see from that tree?

I look into the distance. No blinking lights greet me this day. Whatever they were, they're gone now. Did Markus see them? Did they draw him here? Is that what made him fall from his tree?

My breaths come in short, shallow puffs. I've just made a major discovery, but it gives me chills. If they locked him up for seeing the lights then it's good that I didn't get caught as well. I'm glad I didn't tell anyone.

I head back toward the city. As crazy as it is, I still want to see Kensington Avenue. I've been thinking the past couple of days that I hope I didn't get anyone in trouble. I don't think Fischer would tell me if I had. He's too nice, and he wouldn't want me to feel guilty. Did the guards go looking for the ‘boy' I was supposed to meet? Did they find Fischer's group?

I doubt it, since Fischer was at the hospital yesterday, but I want to see the place for myself.

I don't worry about sneaking anymore. It's broad daylight, and no one is paying attention to me anyway. I slow down as I reach the older parts of town, though. It might look strange, me going in there by myself. It's not like it's a well-travelled part of town. I look around, and when I don't see anyone, I move forward. I won't get this chance again for an entire week—the last break before my Test—and I don't want my resolve to fade.

An acrid smell hangs in the air, and I realize it's not just the smell, it's actually the air. It's thick, and it stinks. I put my sleeve to my nose and continue walking. Ash blows past me with the wind.

The old houses look better and worse in the light. Better because they're not so foreboding, but worse because I can see how very dilapidated they are. Now that I'm not really trying to sneak and hurry through the night, I actually get to Kensington Avenue quickly. I hurry to the place I got caught, and then start looking at house numbers from there. I get to 871 and freeze.

The house is not there, because it's been burned to the ground.

 

 

 

 

23

 

I glance around in a panic. No one is waiting for me. No one is watching my reaction. Still, I can't shake that trapped feeling, the feeling someone is watching me. I feel stark and naked and exposed, like I'm standing in an open field just waiting to be speared by the hunter.

I hurry toward home, glancing ahead and around and behind me constantly. I don't see a single person who seems to be paying me any attention as I pass through street after street, but I feel much better once I've gone into my own house and closed the door behind me.

My breath comes in short puffs. In, out, in, out. No one is following me. If they had been, wouldn't they have stopped me before I got out of the old neighborhoods? I have no idea, but I can't get home fast enough. Once I get inside I do something I've never done before. I lock the door.

A shudder races through me, and I grab a blanket and curl up on the couch. I usually wait for Dad to get home from the hospital before I head there, but today I'm thinking of going now. My parents and I haven't been together in so long it feels like eternity.

That makes my decision for me.

The walk to the hospital is scary. Empty buildings tower over me with every step. Shadows hide spies and guards, and maybe Lessers who wait to rob me.

I know I'm being ridiculous, but I can't help it.

The familiar lamps in the hospital lobby welcome me. Their warm glow isn't confusing anymore. Instead, it's comforting. I fly up the stairs to the third floor.

Dr. Bentford is on duty today, dressed in a crisp, white lab coat. He smiles as he passes me in the hall. “Hi, Miss Norfolk. How are you today?”

My heart still races out of fear, but I already feel much calmer. “I'm fine,” I say to the doctor who wanted to refuse Mom her chemotherapy drugs.

Fischer comes from behind a door carrying two glasses of water. “Hana! I was just taking these to your parents.” He pauses when he takes in my appearance. “Are you OK? Would you like a glass?”

“That's OK. I just didn't want to be home by myself.” Can I explain why? It's probably best not to, at least not here.

Like he always does, Fischer seems to sense I want to say more than what I am. “I get a break in a little while. You're welcome to join me on the roof.”

“That would be great. Do you want me to take the water?” I reach out, but he shakes his head.

“That's OK. I'll walk with you.”

We walk in silence to Mom's room, but I'm glad for the company. My nerves are calming now. I push through the door and freeze. My dad sits beside Mom's bed, holding her hand. I haven't seen my parents together in so long unexpected tears burn my eyes. I miss my family. I miss my regular life. I miss the way things used to be.

“Hana,” Mom says. She notices my tears right away, and of course, she knows why I'm crying. She holds her arms out to me, and I rush into them. We hug each other like we haven't done in years, and in less than a minute we're all crying.