Radiant, page 5
Samantha groans again and flops her head down onto her knees.
I recall when I needed to heal myself after being tortured by Veronica. Elm gave me a mental boost when I thought I wouldn’t be able to continue. Could I try something like that on Samantha?
I gaze at her as she hugs her knees to her chest. She needs to feel stronger. I imagine a little ball of energy flowing from my mind to hers.
At once she bolts up from the ground, glaring at me with fury.
Blanca looks at us in surprise.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Samantha fumes, her voice nearly a shriek. “Do you want to kill me?”
“S-sorry.” I stammer and step back. “I was just trying to help you feel stronger.”
“Until you actually know what you’re doing,” she spits out, “keep your crazy, untrained abilities away from me.”
Well, if nothing else, she’s moving again. And in the right direction. Blanca shrugs at me and we follow.
At last we reach the city. Like Prism, there are Benefactors at every turn. However, there is so much bustle that as long as we’re very careful, we run a lot less risk of being noticed here in our invisible states. Samantha wordlessly gives Blanca’s device a quick charge, and we head off in search of food.
The big supermarket at the center of town is probably a better option than the smaller shops, because we can more easily avoid shoppers in the large aisles. Besides that, anything we take is less likely to be noticed among the ample rows of well-stocked commodities. I stuff down the guilt at the theft we’re about to commit. Life or death, Ava. You were forced into this position.
Samantha takes her time strolling through the doors of the market before Blanca and I can get inside. We find the freezer aisle so the noisy refrigeration equipment will mask our quiet conversation.
“Remember,” I say, “the copier can only duplicate plant-based materials, so stick to plant-based foods.”
Blanca pretends to pout. “No cheese?”
“Sorry. Now remember, this is just a super-quick run. Be back here in five minutes. We can duplicate, so we don’t need a lot.” I hesitate. “I don’t like being a thief, so please don’t take anything we don’t need.”
“What am I supposed to do?” Samantha complains. “I can’t buy anything.” Magus only uses currency cards instead of physical cash, which makes purchases impossible. Anything would be tracked.
“Just browse around,” I encourage. “Be normal.” Assuming she even knows how to do that. Maybe that wasn’t the best suggestion.
We split, and I hit the dry-goods aisle, grabbing small bags of beans and lentils so we have a good source of protein. A bag of rice as a filler. Some oatmeal and nuts. Blanca has a produce bag of fresh fruit and vegetables. Easy as pie. As an afterthought, I grab a couple of seed packets from the gardening section. Elm will likely want to plant again.
It feels strange to just leave the store with full backpacks and without paying, but since our only other option for food right now is to turn ourselves in, I’ll deal with the guilt. Maybe someday, when all of this is over, I’ll be able to return to this store and repay what we took.
Once outside, Blanca pulls a couple of candy bars out of her pockets and begins to peel back the wrapper on one.
“Blanca!”
She looks at me with feigned innocence and takes a bite. “We need strength to get home.”
My stomach complains loudly as I’m about to argue with her, so I just shake my head. It does not surprise me when Samantha demands the other bar.
As we make our way back through the city to follow our path home, the library across the street catches my attention. It’s surrounded by red caution tape, and official-looking signs hang on the doors. A group of Benefactors enters, carrying hefty-looking boxes.
“Hold up for a second. I want to see what they’re up to.”
“We shouldn’t push our luck.” Blanca’s eyes shoot darts at the Benefactors. “Forget them. Let’s just go.”
I’m already heading across the street. “I’ll only be a moment.” I have to know what they’re planning.
The signs on the door read:
CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS
The library is currently undergoing repairs as a result of the earlier attack by Elm. As always, please report any unusual sightings. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope to have the library running again soon.
I jump out of the way as another Benefactor enters and quickly slip inside behind him. I look over my shoulder and catch a glimpse of Samantha’s and Blanca’s equally horrified expressions as I enter the building.
Just as I feared, the Benefactors are implementing new tech. They place yellow devices on the innards of each digidome before the front panel is secured. Anger churns within me, although I don’t know why any of this should be a surprise. The library was one of their main hubs for control. Of course they would want to get it up and running again as soon as possible.
I want to smash all the tech I see, right here and now. I’m already gathering the energy in my fist. I could probably get at least a couple and be out before they could even process what happened . . .
But at what risk? At what cost? I relax my hands and clench my teeth instead. We will come back and take care of this. I can’t do it without a plan or with so many others depending on me. Begrudgingly, I turn back toward the door and wait for my chance to leave.
Blanca and Samantha have crossed the street to my side. Blanca stands tapping her foot in impatience, while Samantha nervously fidgets.
“Let’s get out of here,” Blanca says as I reach them. “All these Benefactors are creeping me out.”
I nod, then take one last glance into the library. “Although, they’re pretty busy with their own plans. We’re probably safe.”
At that very moment, I notice him coming down the street. The one person who could possibly see through our illusions and blow our cover. Jace.
“Drat,” I say under my breath. Blanca utters something much less appropriate.
“Samantha, keep walking. Act normal. It’s very important—we’ll explain as soon as we can.” I grab Blanca’s arm, and we duck into the narrow alleyway between the library and the shop next to it.
When I peer out, however, Samantha is acting anything but normal. She’s frozen in place, staring at Jace with what is clearly fear. Then it dawns on me—if she and Elm were childhood friends, and Jace was Elm’s teacher, they probably knew each other. I want to kick myself. She must know what Jace did to Elm. Why did he have to be here now?
At last, she lowers her head and stares down the sidewalk. Jace passes her by, but then stops. My heart stops with him. We’re close enough to hear.
“Say,” Jace says, “you look awfully familiar. Have we met?”
Samantha’s face flushes. “I don’t think so.”
“Are you sure?” Jace leans in as he studies Samantha’s face. “Even your voice . . .”
They both start as a red butterfly darts between them, hovering just in front of Samantha’s face. She gives a nervous laugh and brushes it away, but Jace doesn’t take his focus off her.
I bite my lip as Samantha responds. “I have a lot of siblings, so I’ve been to the color initiation ceremonies several times. Don’t you help Selene there?”
So, she knows about Jace even now. Did Elm tell her or has she kept tabs on him somehow? Regardless, I’m glad she has some kind of excuse. And she’s handling things well, I grudgingly admit to myself.
Jace nods. “Ah, yes. That’s probably it, then. Have a lovely day.” He continues on and disappears into the library. Blanca and I hurry out from the alley.
I grasp Samantha’s arm as we rush by and pull her with us. “We have to get out of here.”
She doesn’t protest, and we begin to run.
7
The food is well-received when we return. At Prism there was always a meal, so this is new territory for most everyone. And I still have to face the reality that someone here forced us into this position. For now, we store the food in the quarantine area, since it’s unoccupied, and resume with guard shifts. Acknowledging we can’t trust one another feels like finding half a worm in your apple—everything about it makes you sick, and you can’t do a thing to change what happened. But we can’t take any more risks. Nobody is getting near that food without someone else knowing about it. No more worms sneaking by.
“There were no further incidents while you were gone,” Elm states, glancing around the cave for probably the twentieth time. “I trust you had a safe journey?”
I haven’t told him about our experience. “More or less.” I shift. “Samantha was no problem.” I omit her complaining and my Mentalist attempt. I’ll tell him about the library later. “Samantha had a quick run-in with Jace, but I think she handled it well.”
He stiffens. His voice is taut when he speaks. “Because Jace was my mentor and Sammy was always tagging along after me, he got to know her quite well. Are you certain he didn’t recognize her?”
“He thought he knew her from somewhere,” I admit. “But she said it was probably from initiation ceremonies, and he seemed to accept that.”
“Perhaps . . .”
“It’s okay, Elm,” I soothe, tracing my finger down one of his arms, wishing I could pull the tension away. “Now that we have food, we can lie low for a while. It’s going to be fine.” Well, fine if ignoring the fact that there is an unknown wolf lurking among our sheep. I’m sure Elm is thinking of that too.
I study his face. He doesn’t wear his mask of devil-may-care as easily now. Ever since our rebellion at Prism and letting the students into the cave, I only see flashes of the carefree Elm I spent so many months with. Now, even when he’s trying his best to hide it, there is always a hint of apprehension beneath the surface. Somehow, I will find a way to get that old Elm back. It’s hard not to look on the days before our rebellion at Prism with longing. The days when I could visit him here and have him all to myself. I know it can’t be that way now—this is about more than us.
He gives me a gentle smile, the worry flickering away, and runs his thumb along my cheek. “How could I persuade you to divulge your thoughts right now? Those eyes have stories left to tell.”
I should have known. I return his smile and shake my head. “Just wishing things could be simple. Wishing I could have an afternoon with you that didn’t involve secrets and betrayal.”
His lips widen into a mischievous grin. “Since when did afternoons with me not involve secrets and betrayal?”
“Fair point. But I’m not sure betraying the bad guys really counts as betrayal.”
“Oh, yes it does. My favorite betrayal ever.” He laughs and plants a welcome kiss on my lips. For that moment, the shadows go away.
Three days pass quietly with no new incidents in the cave. Perhaps whoever it was realized the error of their rash acts after the possibility of going without food. I can only hope their actions were simply misplaced anger or some petty slight and nothing more sinister.
After a morning spent checking the light devices and making sure everything else is maintained, Elm and I move into the main room of the cave to assess the current situation. Most of the students congregate here during the day. Today they are smiling. Laughing. The atmosphere feels more relaxed than it has in a while. But there’s still one thing that’s not right. I survey the tear-shaped pendants on the student’s necks. A cluster of red here. A gaggle of blue there. We’ve come a long way in many aspects since Prism, but we’ve more to go.
“How do I get them to work together?”
Elm chuckles.
“What?” Does he think it’s impossible?
“You don’t see the irony? How do we work together, would be the better question, Miss Ava. You always attempt to take on everything by yourself.”
“I feel like it’s my responsibility.”
He levels his eyes at me. “Responsibility can be shared.”
I sigh. “You’re right, of course.” I have to get used to this whole teamwork thing. After spending so long working with Selene and looking out for my own desires, it’s hard to adjust to the idea of working toward something with other people. I should take comfort in the fact that I don’t have to do this alone, but because I dragged everyone into this, part of me still feels I should be the one who finds how to get us out of it. And, despite everything, they still don’t trust Elm because he’s a Mentalist.
“Those two, at least, manage to get along,” Elm says, glancing at Blanca who is teasing Kaito near the stream. Honestly it’s a miracle they became friends so quickly. An Augmentor and a Shaper, and not even in the same year—Blanca being older. He’s quiet and analytical. She’s boisterous and forward. Yet somehow they’re always together. It gives me hope for the rest of us.
All at once my ears grate with the echoing squeal of the one person I’m not sure I can ever be at ease with.
“Where is Elm?” Samantha’s shrill voice cuts over the noise of everyone else in the cave. “I need to see him now.”
I don’t even try to hide my irritation. “What does she want this time?”
“She sounds quite upset,” Elm merely says, and I trudge after him over to Samantha.
She thrusts a paper in Elm’s face. “Look at this! Look what they found!” I’m taken aback to see tears in her eyes.
I stand on my tiptoes to get a better glimpse of the paper Elm examines, and my stomach sinks. A wanted poster, this time with Samantha’s face sketched on it.
“Who found it?” I ask.
Brie appears behind Samantha, slightly out of breath, followed shortly by Jazz, who says, “Brie found it on one of the trees down the path to Prism.” He glances at us helplessly. “I know we shouldn’t have been out, but she wouldn’t stay put.”
I give Brie a harsh look. “Why were you anywhere near Prism?”
She tilts her chin downward. “I was bored. I thought maybe I could do some spying, but Jazz made me turn around.” Her voice is trembling.
I can’t entirely fault her; I left the cave out of boredom just a few days prior. She’s younger than I am. So I save the safety lecture for now. Samantha fastens onto Elm’s arm as her tears fall.
“So it appears Jace did recognize her.” Elm places a consoling hand on Samantha’s shoulder. “Chin up, Sammy. My face has been all over the city for some time now, and they haven’t snagged me yet.”
“You can’t let them catch me,” Samantha pleads with Elm. “You know more than anyone what they do to people like you and me.” She really is afraid.
Elm’s face pales. I’m sure he is not only thinking of what he suffered at the hands of the Benefactors, but of the countless other tortured and murdered Mentalists. I swallow. I use Yellow magic too. I carry the same risks. Likely the only reason I didn’t meet the same fate as Elm was because Selene wanted my own power hidden from me until she thought I could be properly manipulated.
“It’s safe here.” Elm comforts her, though his voice is less sure now than it was a moment ago.
“I found something.” Brie reaches into the bag at her side. “I was wondering if we could help it.” She holds out a small glass jar where a red butterfly rests inside, twitching in an odd way.
“Another one of those?” I take the jar carefully. The creature looks to be in poor shape. “I’ve been seeing them everywhere lately.”
“I told Brie I didn’t know if I could heal it.” Jazz sounds anxious. “I haven’t ever tried on something that small before.”
I examine the butterfly through the glass. Something is wrong with its eyes. They look almost . . . smashed? My heart plunges at the sight. “Brie, I don’t know . . .” I twist the lid open, and as I do so, I hear a strange sound. A faint whirring that seems almost . . . mechanic.
Elm’s eyes widen, and he grabs the jar from me, tipping the creature into his hands. He holds it up by the wings and his face hardens. “This is electronic. Some kind of transmitter.”
“Break it,” I say without hesitation, my own fear reflected in the faces around me. Who is it transmitting to, and what have they seen?
But Elm continues studying the butterfly—robot—whatever it is. I see his Shaper mind kicking into action. That part of him that innately understands how things work. “Fortunately,” he says, prodding the device, “this one can’t transmit anymore. The lenses in the eyes are smashed, and the transmitter is damaged.”
We all exhale at once.
Elm turns his head to me. “You say you’ve seen more of these?”
“Yes. In the city. Near Prism. In the forest. Pretty much every time I’ve gone out.”
Samantha gives a little cry. “One of those things was in my face in Violet City. Do you think that’s how they recognized me?”
Elm’s answer is to snap the head off the device. “Just to be certain it’s truly out of commission,” he says grimly. “I’d like to examine it with Kaito’s help, so we know precisely what we’re dealing with.”
“It was like that when you found it, right Brie?” Jazz asks.
“Looked like it was crushed by a rock.”
Brie looks nervous now, so I touch her arm. “If it was already broken, it’s not likely that it saw you or any part of the cave. That’s good.”
“Stupid buggerflies,” she grumbles.
We stare at her. “Buggerflies?” Our voices in unison break the tension, and we laugh.
Brie quirks a smile and gives a small shrug. “Since they’ve been bugging us, it seemed to fit.”
I look at Elm and he nods at me. I take a deep breath, preparing myself for the news I have to deliver. “We need to warn everyone else about the . . . buggerflies. If they’re sending information to the Benefactors, which is the most likely case, we all need to be diligent in avoiding them.” Our list of things to be wary of just keeps growing.
I open my eyes, thinking I heard a noise, but the cave is quiet except for the usual faint echoes in the stillness. My brain feels muddled, as though I slept too long. The light spheres Elm rigged turn on at sunrise, and the cave is still dark, so it must be early.
