wasn’t lying either. She wanted to go back into the
Veronica
and see Leanne again and go beyond the walls. And drive. “Is this my room, then? Like a permanent room?”
“It’s yours. Feel free to bring some things to keep in it, if you like.”
Bennett left and closed the door behind him. Clover heard a click. When she tried the knob, she found the door locked.
Mango was at her side, pressing his bulky body against her legs.For the first time, she realized she was rocking from foot to foot, and she wondered if she’d done that in front of Bennett.
She pulled the little slip of paper she’d saved from the fortune cookie from her pocket.
You are on the verge of a life change.
She slid the edge of the paper into the edge of the frame around the mirror above the dresser. Her face was pale, and she still looked silly in the far-too-big uniform.
She sat on the floor, her legs going out from under her so that she landed hard on her rear end. Mango pressed his head into her lap and she methodically petted him. “We’re Messengers, Mango.”
West’s scalp ached from yanking his hands through his hair so often in the last couple of hours. What was he thinking, letting Clover go to the Academy alone?
Was she lost? It was nearly inconceivable that anything worse than that had happened to her. Knowing that she was probably just wandering around somewhere didn’t stop a chill up his spine. He couldn’t remember the last time he didn’t know exactly where his sister was.
Yes, it was almost inconceivable that any of the terrible thoughts in his head were actually happening. Except here he was, conceiving.
He knew that no real, violent crime had been allowed to happen since the walls went up. He had faith in that. Faith enough that he’d sent his sister alone to a viper’s nest of primary school bullies who’d gone all summer without their favorite target.
She trusted too easily. Even people it was obvious she should be permanently wary of. They apologized when it suited their needs, and she believed them when they said they were her friends.
Usually just before they made her the butt of some miserable joke.
West stalked back into the kitchen, opened a drawer, and pickedup the blue folder holding his Company application. Less than three weeks from now, his little sister would be someone else’s worry. Someone else would freak out when she took off.
West sank down into a chair.
Clover never took off. She just wasn’t that girl.
So where was she?
He couldn’t call the guard. That would open a file in his sister’s name. His, too, for that matter. No good, all around. They’d treat Clover like a runaway and him like the guardian who couldn’t control her. The best they could hope for was that Clover would be allowed to keep her place at the Academy, under extra scrutiny. In the worst-case scenario, Clover would be sent to Foster City as soon as she was found.
And West? He didn’t know, but it wouldn’t be good. He’d involve the guard if he had to, but it hadn’t gotten there yet.
West put the folder back in the drawer, grabbed his jacket, and headed out of the house. He had maybe ninety minutes of light before sundown, when the curfew bells would ring and he’d better be indoors. Being caught out after the bells was to bring a lot of unnecessary trouble on a person. If he didn’t make it home on time, and the guard caught him, he’d be taken in for questioning and his chances of ever getting in at the Company would be close to zero.
It took twenty minutes to walk to the Kingston Estate, and then he wasted another ten pacing back and forth in front of the gate trying to make up his mind to knock on the door.
This was the delicate part, where he had to ask after his sister without making it obvious she was missing.
The front door opened as soon as his knuckles touched it. West stepped back, then squared his shoulders, trying to look like he belonged on the headmaster’s front porch even
Veronica
and see Leanne again and go beyond the walls. And drive. “Is this my room, then? Like a permanent room?”
“It’s yours. Feel free to bring some things to keep in it, if you like.”
Bennett left and closed the door behind him. Clover heard a click. When she tried the knob, she found the door locked.
Mango was at her side, pressing his bulky body against her legs.For the first time, she realized she was rocking from foot to foot, and she wondered if she’d done that in front of Bennett.
She pulled the little slip of paper she’d saved from the fortune cookie from her pocket.
You are on the verge of a life change.
She slid the edge of the paper into the edge of the frame around the mirror above the dresser. Her face was pale, and she still looked silly in the far-too-big uniform.
She sat on the floor, her legs going out from under her so that she landed hard on her rear end. Mango pressed his head into her lap and she methodically petted him. “We’re Messengers, Mango.”
West’s scalp ached from yanking his hands through his hair so often in the last couple of hours. What was he thinking, letting Clover go to the Academy alone?
Was she lost? It was nearly inconceivable that anything worse than that had happened to her. Knowing that she was probably just wandering around somewhere didn’t stop a chill up his spine. He couldn’t remember the last time he didn’t know exactly where his sister was.
Yes, it was almost inconceivable that any of the terrible thoughts in his head were actually happening. Except here he was, conceiving.
He knew that no real, violent crime had been allowed to happen since the walls went up. He had faith in that. Faith enough that he’d sent his sister alone to a viper’s nest of primary school bullies who’d gone all summer without their favorite target.
She trusted too easily. Even people it was obvious she should be permanently wary of. They apologized when it suited their needs, and she believed them when they said they were her friends.
Usually just before they made her the butt of some miserable joke.
West stalked back into the kitchen, opened a drawer, and pickedup the blue folder holding his Company application. Less than three weeks from now, his little sister would be someone else’s worry. Someone else would freak out when she took off.
West sank down into a chair.
Clover never took off. She just wasn’t that girl.
So where was she?
He couldn’t call the guard. That would open a file in his sister’s name. His, too, for that matter. No good, all around. They’d treat Clover like a runaway and him like the guardian who couldn’t control her. The best they could hope for was that Clover would be allowed to keep her place at the Academy, under extra scrutiny. In the worst-case scenario, Clover would be sent to Foster City as soon as she was found.
And West? He didn’t know, but it wouldn’t be good. He’d involve the guard if he had to, but it hadn’t gotten there yet.
West put the folder back in the drawer, grabbed his jacket, and headed out of the house. He had maybe ninety minutes of light before sundown, when the curfew bells would ring and he’d better be indoors. Being caught out after the bells was to bring a lot of unnecessary trouble on a person. If he didn’t make it home on time, and the guard caught him, he’d be taken in for questioning and his chances of ever getting in at the Company would be close to zero.
It took twenty minutes to walk to the Kingston Estate, and then he wasted another ten pacing back and forth in front of the gate trying to make up his mind to knock on the door.
This was the delicate part, where he had to ask after his sister without making it obvious she was missing.
The front door opened as soon as his knuckles touched it. West stepped back, then squared his shoulders, trying to look like he belonged on the headmaster’s front porch even
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