Deliverance (11 page)

Supreme Moon turns to the secretary. His face isn't necessarily venomous, but I wouldn't call it pleasant. “Fallon, you may come inside.”

She pushes past me, not meeting anyone's eye, and I step outside before I get caught in the door that Sindy is quickly closing.

Guard Nev and I stand on the steps for a moment. He shifts back and forth, almost like he's considering barging into the Mansion. Finally, he turns to lead the way to a transporter.

The drive home is quiet, but I am reminded of Supreme Moon's person, and I'm ashamed that for the last two hours, I have allowed him to fool me.

We reach my apartment without ever speaking a single word. Guard Nev doesn't even watch as I head to the stairs. An idea forms in my mind, but I'm not sure how to pull it off. I glance one last time at Guard Nev's indifferent frame. If ever I wanted to sneak away, now is the time.

I eat quickly, barely taking time to taste the food. If I want to make a break for it, now would be the best time. Guard Nev is newly distracted. He won't notice me sneaking out the back door. I take my time going down the steps. If he's watching me, then I need to look casual. At the bottom of the stairs, I pause and hold my breath. Will he come?

One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi. He doesn't come, so I push through the back door and into the alley. My steps are quick now, and I make it to the corner and peek around. No guard in sight. He really didn't see me, and I'm really free to do some exploring. The possibilities are endless.

I make my way toward the Training Dome for one reason—if Guard Nev were to realize I was missing then he would look at the Lake first.

A transporter zips past and I watch it go. Taking one would get me to the dome faster, but still I hesitate. Few things allow me to feel at home, but walking is one of them. I keep walking.

The Training Dome sparkles in the sun as it always does. A guard sits at the gate. He looks as bored as ever. “Name?”

“Hana Norfolk.”

He glances at his HELP comp and his bored look changes to a frown.

Uh oh.

“Miss Norfolk, I'm going to have to ask you to stay here for a minute.”

Great.

My first instinct is to run like I did the first time I ever sneaked out at home. I was caught by a guard while trying to meet up with Fischer's group of Christians. That didn't end so well, so in spite of my instincts, I make myself to stay put.

Only a few minutes pass when a transporter arrives. Guard Nev climbs out, his nostrils flared and his eyes shooting flames of fury at me.

“Identify,” the gate-guard says.

Guard Nev holds out his arm and the other guard runs his HELP comp over it. It makes a beeping sound and the guard nods. “Nice time, Guard.”

Guard Nev doesn't reply. He jerks his thumb toward the transporter. “Get in.” His words are as chilly as the Mississippi in the winter.

I climb in, frustration and shame running through me.

“I thought you were better than that,” he says. It's so unlike him to open up this way that I stare at him. “You took advantage of me.”

It hits me then that he thinks we're friends. He's opened up to me and I've opened up to him. He knows my mother. He was beginning to think he could trust me. I let him down.

I sink into the seat of the transporter, wishing I could disappear. “I'm sorry.”

He doesn't reply and we make the rest of the ride in silence. At my building he walks me all the way up to my apartment, and when I move to enter, he positions himself to the right of the door, his hands clasped in front of him. He's keeping watch directly outside my door.

Perfect. The one true friend I might have made in Greater City, and I just ruined it. He's never going to help me now.

 

 

 

 

17

 

Guard Nev remains silent as he walks me to class the next morning. Supreme Moon humiliated him, but what's worse is I humiliated him. He is angry.

We ride the vac chamber to the third floor, and Professor Higgins waits for me in the hallway.

“Hana, may I speak with you in private?” He glances at Guard Nev, but Guard Nev doesn't move. He frowns at the professor instead.

“Of course,” I say, surprised at Guard Nev's rude behavior. I step away from him. Thankfully, he doesn't follow.

“We will be taking a trip to Lesser City 1 this week. I know you are searching for someone—that's been obvious. That isn't allowed. Are you aware?”

Why is he telling me this? I shift uncomfortably. “I'm aware.”

He presses something into my hand. “Use this. No one will question you.” He smiles and hurries away.

A glance at Guard Nev shows that he's watching me. I don't dare look at what Professor Higgins gave me until I'm alone, whenever that is. Squeezing the item in my palm, I rejoin Guard Nev and we walk to class. “He said we'll be taking our first tour of a Lesser City. Will you be coming with us?”

“I don't know,” he says. His words are clipped.

“Have you ever been to one?” I watch his face, gauging his reaction. The last time we spoke of Lessers, he said I would send them to their deaths.

“A few,” he says. His face is neutral enough, but his hands clench and unclench constantly.

Was Guard Nev a Lesser? I never would have thought such a thing, except it happened with Fischer. And me, of course. We'd both been promoted instead of demoted. Maybe it happened to Guard Nev, too.

Class begins and Professor Higgins announces our trip for tomorrow. Most of the kids grumble, making it clear they want nothing to do with the Lessers.

Berry holds up a hand. “Wait everyone. You never know, we might make a difference. Wouldn't having a more productive, more powerful nation benefit us all?”

Several of the trainees raise their eyebrows, including me. Has he lost his mind? Last week he was willing to throw me to the Lessers, permanently.

“You've had a change of opinion,” Professor Higgins says. “Care to expound?”

“I spoke with my father on the subject. He says I can be a pioneer. I can lead the way to Lesser reform.” He says this while looking at me. I'm not sure what he's getting at, but the chill in his stare makes me turn away.

“Well, I applaud you,” Professor Higgins says. “I wish that more of you would follow Berry's example.”

Berry keeps his eyes on Professor Higgins now, but I can't take my eyes off the back of his head. Something strange is going on with him.

“He's full of it,” Kassy says. She sits beside me like she usually dose, but she leans close. “I hope I didn't get you in trouble with the big guy.” Her gaze moves to the door where Guard Nev sits.

She's never asked why I always have a guard with me. I'm thankful for that.

“No, it was fine,” I whisper.

She watches him for another second, then turns back to me. “Good. I don't want to get you in any extra trouble.”

I turn to her but she's already looking at the professor. I stare for a moment before turning away. Maybe she knows more than I give her credit for.

Professor Higgins moves on to discuss economics. He says that people must provide enough for themselves, but when they also provide enough to trade, they make a profit. They can gain wealth and power when this happens.

Our country is poor, he says, except for the Greaters. According to our teachings, we barely have enough to feed ourselves.

Maybe I could believe that Supreme Moon truly is trying to better the country. That he is trying to help the Lessers as well as train up leaders who can forge us on to bigger crops and industries, allowing for trade.

Maybe I could believe that, if I didn't know there are other Lesser cities that are producing far more than we can consume, right now.

Confusion muddles my thinking. Supreme Moon is a terrible person. Haven't I seen it for myself? He demoted Mom because she was sick, and he brought me here for his own gain. My apartment is monitored every moment of every day.

He isn't good, no matter what these discussions would lead me to believe. But it looks like he has almost everyone else fooled.

Training finally ends and we leave for the day. Guard Nev follows behind me, not speaking. I'm thankful he isn't in the mood to lecture me. I want to get home and into my bathroom so I can examine whatever it was that Professor Higgins gave me before class.

I jog up the second, fourth, sixth floors. Finally, I reach my landing. I rush to my apartment and practically run to the bathroom. Once the door is firmly in place, I pull the pouch from my pocket and empty the contents into my hand.

A small vial of—blood? Wrapped around the vial is a note. I read it carefully, but only one word is printed in Professor Higgins' neat handwriting.
Scanner
.

I don't understand what he's telling me. The only scanners I know are the thumb scanners to open certain doors, like the elevator and Records.

The blood swirls as I turn the vial over. Maybe the scanners don't scan thumbprints at all. Everything in Greater City is different, unexpected. Maybe the scanners are checking something else entirely.

DNA? It must be what opens Records.

My throat swells with tears and my eyes burn. He has given me a way to open Records and find Mom. I don't know why he would suddenly decide to do this, not when he seemed so appalled that I knew someone in a Lesser file, but I'm thankful.

I tuck the vial into my pocket, and will keep it with me always so I can get inside Records the first chance that comes along. After I wash my face and change clothes, I settle in to eat supper.

Tomorrow is our first trip to Lesser City 1. Will I find Mom there? I won't know unless I can get into that room, but I won't be able to do that without getting away from Guard Nev. Someone is always there, waiting and watching, ready to stop me. I toy with the idea of sneaking out again—if I got caught, Guard Nev would never trust me again. He'd probably take me to Supreme Moon himself.

On the other hand, it may be my only way to find Mom.

The decision is no decision at all. I have to go.

The only way to get out is waiting for Guard Nev to leave. He can't sleep in the lobby. He's dressed in fresh clothes each morning, which means he leaves at some point and returns. This is my window of opportunity to get out of this building.

Whatever happens, I cannot get caught again.

I sit at the window in my apartment, pretending to watch my comp. A movie plays that looks like it might be funny, but I don't care. All I can focus on is the street that runs seven stories below.

I pass the time by writing another letter to Keegan. This time I don't stop myself from admitting that I miss him like crazy, but I still don't write the words I would have given away so easily before—I love you. How can I say it if there's no future for us? Religion isn't the only reason we aren't together. Now social status also keeps us apart. I didn't know it before, and I'm sure Keegan doesn't know, but I do know it now. I tuck the letter inside my pocket for the morning, ready to mail it first thing tomorrow.

Hours tick by. My eyes grow heavy and I glance at the clock, but I have to haul myself up to remove the pillow. It reads eleven o'clock. I yawn and turn back to the window. A guard walks down the street and stops at my building. I frown.

A replacement. Why hadn't I considered this?

Stupid of me.

How am I going to get past a replacement?

A few minutes later, Guard Nev emerges and heads south toward the Training Dome. I've heard the military bases are in that direction, but I've never seen them. I haven't seen most parts of the city, which I don't like. Learning the city would give me the most opportunity to find the answers I'm looking for.

But that will come later, when I have time for other things. Tonight I only have time for one.

After Guard Nev disappears from view, I know it's time to figure out a plan of action. I've never met the new guard, and he has no reason to believe I will try to leave during his watch. He's never seen me, and he's definitely never caught me trying to escape. Catching him off guard should be simple. I hope.

 

 

 

 

18

 

I drift off sometime after one o'clock, but my eyes snap open as soon as the sun peeks through my window. The glass immediately changes to clear and my apartment lights up. I toss a pillow over the clock, hoping the guard downstairs isn't paying attention, and I dash around my apartment, pulling on pants and shoes, and brushing my hair.

My meals for the day haven't arrived yet, and my stomach growls. Can I make it through the day without something for breakfast?

I don't have time to think about food. I grab the first thing I come to in the cabinet, which happens to be bread and I stuff it in my mouth as I scoot through the hallway. It's my goal to not be seen by the cam disks, but their angle makes it impossible to go unnoticed.

Please don't let the guard be watching
.

I reach the stairs and push the tree from in front of the door, and I bolt down the steps. I have to stop once when I get choked on my bread. Too bad I didn't think to bring along some water. When I finally reach the bottom, I stop. What will I say if he's there, waiting?

Taking one last breath, I push through the door.

The alley behind the building is empty. A transporter zips by on the street, but there is no other noise, no other citizens out this early.

One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi. I count the old rhyme from Middle City 3. Being on the Mississippi River front, it had been a game.

When no guard comes rushing around the corner to catch me, I hurry to the street. No walking for me, it might take me too long. I walk a block north and then raise my hand for a transporter. The shiny machine stops in front of me, and I climb in. “The Training Dome.”

The transporter moves soundlessly through the streets. By this time in Middle City 3, the city would be teaming with people, but in Greater City, the streets are deserted. I make it there in record time and climb out to hurry to the guard station.