Deliverance by Katie Clark Page A

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