Deliverance by Katie Clark Page B

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