Will he come here?’ The words tumble out in a less than graceful heap. Shepherd Fines looks into the air, an overly confused expression on his face.
‘Was he one of those two brothers?’
I shake my head. ‘No. Well, yes, them too, but William first. He was the boy I helped survive.’ I add the last bit quietly.
‘Aha! Yes, I remember. The boy. He’s still being treated, I do believe. Yes. He will come to train as soon as he has recovered.’ He smiles as if the matter is closed.
‘Um, and the brothers?’ I ask, sensing I’m pushing my luck although I’m not sure why. I haven’t seen either brother since my first day here, when one of them told me he would ‘see me on the other side’.
‘How worrisome you are! The brothers are being taken care of, no need to be troubled. Now, how about you concentrate on yourself for a while? Reach that twenty lap landmark.’
Something niggles at me; it’s as if I’ve returned home to find the important thing, but totally forgotten what it was that I needed. I dismiss it. Shepherd Fines has a point: I need to forget about everyone else, Dylan especially, and I need to train harder if I want to get home anytime soon.
I drain my glass and set it on the floor next to my feet.
‘Well, thanks for the tea,’ I utter, feeling more awkward with each passing second. Thankfully, Shepherd Fines stands, which means I can, and claps his hand onto my shoulder.
‘Absolutely no trouble, my dear. I’ve got to look after my Demonstrators, I wouldn’t want to be like Dr. Frankenstein!’ He does an odd, pretend roar and sticks his hands out in front of him, like a possessed demon or something.
I just stare.
‘Ah, the books ban. Of course. Never mind,’ he says, looking slightly deflated. He runs his finger over the scanner, and the door behind me slides open.
‘Right then, run along. And next time I see you, I want you wearing shoes, okay?’
I nod. As if the floor were scorching hot, I scamper down the stairs, pausing at the bottom when I hear my name again. I look up to see Shepherd Fines standing at the threshold of his door, silhouetted by the glowing lights from inside.
‘Oh and Sola, I watched your tryout. You were good, possibly one of the best.’ A pause. ‘Great stuff. Good night then.’ With that he turns. The door slides shut behind him, leaving me in the shadows.
I’m totally imagining things, but I swear there’s similarity in what he’s just said and the way he described his collections.
I look around. I’m alone in the middle of the playground. At least I no longer feel as though I’m about to be dragged off a cliff top. In fact, all around seems still, secured and unmoving. I wonder: if I wanted to fall, would I even be allowed?
I’M ALREADY DRESSED and ready to grab breakfast when Alixis wakes.
‘I thought you were going to be in the Medic’s Cabin all night?’ she asks, turning on her bunk so she’s lying on her side, hands folded beneath her face. When she yawns, she doesn’t cover her mouth, and I see all the way to her tonsils.
‘They let me go early,’ I lie. ‘You ready for breakfast?’
‘I’m always ready for breakfast. Oh, you might want to close your eyes, I sleep naked.’
Before I can even register what she’s said, she’s pulled back the covers. I yelp, just to realise she’s dressed in the usual white pyjamas.
‘Ha, ha,’ I say although I doubt she even hears me amid her cackling.
Over our breakfast of grapefruit, sugar, and the mushy brown stuff which is served en masse every morning, I tell Alixis about my evening with Shepherd Fines.
‘Well, I’m happy that William’s doing well,’ she says through a mouthful of mush. ‘He’s the boy you saved, right?’
I nod, suddenly uncomfortable. We haven’t spoken about the tryouts. Even thinking about that night causes the man I killed to surface in my nightmares.
‘That would explain why you have so many followers on Debtbook. You’ve overtaken me by a
‘Was he one of those two brothers?’
I shake my head. ‘No. Well, yes, them too, but William first. He was the boy I helped survive.’ I add the last bit quietly.
‘Aha! Yes, I remember. The boy. He’s still being treated, I do believe. Yes. He will come to train as soon as he has recovered.’ He smiles as if the matter is closed.
‘Um, and the brothers?’ I ask, sensing I’m pushing my luck although I’m not sure why. I haven’t seen either brother since my first day here, when one of them told me he would ‘see me on the other side’.
‘How worrisome you are! The brothers are being taken care of, no need to be troubled. Now, how about you concentrate on yourself for a while? Reach that twenty lap landmark.’
Something niggles at me; it’s as if I’ve returned home to find the important thing, but totally forgotten what it was that I needed. I dismiss it. Shepherd Fines has a point: I need to forget about everyone else, Dylan especially, and I need to train harder if I want to get home anytime soon.
I drain my glass and set it on the floor next to my feet.
‘Well, thanks for the tea,’ I utter, feeling more awkward with each passing second. Thankfully, Shepherd Fines stands, which means I can, and claps his hand onto my shoulder.
‘Absolutely no trouble, my dear. I’ve got to look after my Demonstrators, I wouldn’t want to be like Dr. Frankenstein!’ He does an odd, pretend roar and sticks his hands out in front of him, like a possessed demon or something.
I just stare.
‘Ah, the books ban. Of course. Never mind,’ he says, looking slightly deflated. He runs his finger over the scanner, and the door behind me slides open.
‘Right then, run along. And next time I see you, I want you wearing shoes, okay?’
I nod. As if the floor were scorching hot, I scamper down the stairs, pausing at the bottom when I hear my name again. I look up to see Shepherd Fines standing at the threshold of his door, silhouetted by the glowing lights from inside.
‘Oh and Sola, I watched your tryout. You were good, possibly one of the best.’ A pause. ‘Great stuff. Good night then.’ With that he turns. The door slides shut behind him, leaving me in the shadows.
I’m totally imagining things, but I swear there’s similarity in what he’s just said and the way he described his collections.
I look around. I’m alone in the middle of the playground. At least I no longer feel as though I’m about to be dragged off a cliff top. In fact, all around seems still, secured and unmoving. I wonder: if I wanted to fall, would I even be allowed?
I’M ALREADY DRESSED and ready to grab breakfast when Alixis wakes.
‘I thought you were going to be in the Medic’s Cabin all night?’ she asks, turning on her bunk so she’s lying on her side, hands folded beneath her face. When she yawns, she doesn’t cover her mouth, and I see all the way to her tonsils.
‘They let me go early,’ I lie. ‘You ready for breakfast?’
‘I’m always ready for breakfast. Oh, you might want to close your eyes, I sleep naked.’
Before I can even register what she’s said, she’s pulled back the covers. I yelp, just to realise she’s dressed in the usual white pyjamas.
‘Ha, ha,’ I say although I doubt she even hears me amid her cackling.
Over our breakfast of grapefruit, sugar, and the mushy brown stuff which is served en masse every morning, I tell Alixis about my evening with Shepherd Fines.
‘Well, I’m happy that William’s doing well,’ she says through a mouthful of mush. ‘He’s the boy you saved, right?’
I nod, suddenly uncomfortable. We haven’t spoken about the tryouts. Even thinking about that night causes the man I killed to surface in my nightmares.
‘That would explain why you have so many followers on Debtbook. You’ve overtaken me by a
Similar Books
