Falling & Uprising Read online

  Well, I was hoping to avoid the actual phrase, ‘I told you so.’ This isn’t much better. “You say that as if I have any say in her involvement.”

  “I know you don’t.”

  “Then why are we having this conversation?”

  Her lips twist to one side, and she shrugs. “Who else can I vent to?”

  “Isn’t that the point? We each need someone to vent to. Why get so angry at Serenity for it?” It’s easier to recognize unfair judgment when other people do it.

  She glances away before a slight smile curls up her lips. “Is that all we need people for?”

  Her eyes lock back onto mine, and in my mind, we’re back in Sophos’ foyer, standing too close. But that won’t happen again. She made that clear.

  All right, I didn’t have a clue what ‘leaving this for what it is’ was supposed to mean, but it did sound like it was a one-time thing.

  “I need to go,” she says, standing up. “I’ll see you around.” She leans down and gives me a soft kiss on the cheek.

  All I can do is sit speechless, watching her leave. Kaycians are constantly touching each other: kisses, hugs, they can’t keep their hands off each other. It’s obnoxious. Tori and I do not do that. Casual touching is not our thing, making this mystifying.

  What was that? What does she want? What do I want? I have no idea.

  Chapter Eighteen

  SERENITY

  “You’re a lifesaver.” I throw my arms around Jase when he and Krisalyn enter Vogue’s apartment. “Thank you so much.”

  “Ironing out the mess with Sophos was nothing,” he says. “My rising celebrity status on the other hand…”

  “Welcome to my life. I did try to warn you.”

  The four of us settle into Vogue’s living room, and I relax for the first time since the gala. This week was a whirlwind of cleaning up messes. When I went to see Jase the day after it all, he was less than thrilled that I had Vogue with me and she knew everything. Krisalyn joined us to plot the coverup, and the games began. Fortunately, the city gives us plenty of material to work with. A picture of Jase and me at the gala came out, which Vogue used to make my long friendship with him a reality. As people questioned who this new person was in my life, Vogue popped in with dummy accounts replying with pictures of us together over the last couple of years. ‘Remember when they were at the Plaza together?’ No one remembers that because it didn’t happen. Vogue spliced pictures together, but now it’s real. People are actually claiming to remember it. No wonder it’s so easy for the Establishment to sell lies.

  “You did good work, Vogue,” Krisalyn says. “I almost believe they’ve known each other for years. And I’m shocked I wasn’t aware.”

  “I’m not dealing with your faux shock,” Jase says. “My mother has provided enough real distress for both of you.”

  “Mine is beside herself. Mind you, she didn’t care at all that Adwin and I broke up, even though she always seemed to like him.”

  “Maybe she knew he was scum,” Krisalyn offers.

  “If that’s the case, she could have mentioned it to me.”

  “Would that have changed anything?” Vogue asks.

  I shrug and braid my fingers together. Her opinion probably wouldn’t have mattered. I saw enough with my own eyes to hate Adwin, yet my heart still clings to what I thought we had. “Anyway, she’s distraught that she didn’t know we were friends.”

  “She’s conferred with my mother on the topic multiple times this week.” Jase shakes his head, and for this, I do feel guilty. I pulled him into a bigger mess than I meant to. Part of what makes it easy to believe we’d known each other also makes for family drama for both of us. Our mothers are good friends. I presented Jase’s mother—Aurora—with an award last month. Not that I knew of their connection until this week. His presence at the major events makes sense now. And both of our mothers feel it rather scandalous that we had ‘hidden’ our friendship. “I think they’re buying into the speculative part, too,” he adds.

  “That part isn’t my fault,” Vogue says.

  It can’t be helped. Apparently, I can’t be friends with anyone without said friend being my lover. Now that I don’t have a boyfriend to counter those claims, it’s a free for all. Maybe I could get back together with Adwin. He doesn’t know what happened, and I could pretend I don’t know… No, that would be torture. I can’t think of him the same way anymore. Though part of me wishes I could. Plenty of people know about the islands and maintain the lies, but I can’t love him if he’s one of them.

  “I was due for a mild scandal,” I say. “People will tire of it, have no fear. Now for you,” I say, turning to Vogue, “Sophos will work on moving you into the technology department at the EC, and because he doesn’t trust either of us now, he recommended we move in together.”

  “That would be fun!” Vogue claps her hands together. “We’d be great roommates, and our apartment could serve as a hub for our little band of rebels, which I have not named yet, but I intend to.”

  Jase looks at her like she has three heads. “What?”

  “There are already four of us,” Vogue says, “and I assume I’ll meet whoever Sophos has in tech. We need a group name.”

  “Need?” Jase repeats.

  “What, are you going to list all of our names every time you talk about us as a collective?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s annoying.”

  Krisalyn’s eyes meet mine, and we both suppress laughter at how well our best friends are getting along. Whatever Vogue decides to call us, we’re off to an interesting start.

  ***

  The daily grind isn’t as miserable now that I have people tethering me to reality. Floating through tedious jobs isn’t as mind-numbing with the near-constant buzzing at my wrist of banter from our new group. I stumble across a program I can’t get into, but I don’t even need to be frustrated by it. I’ll just have Vogue check it out. This is all so much easier now. Sophos keeping us all apart wasn’t only unfair, it was thoroughly inconvenient. Perhaps someday he’ll thank me for going behind his back and banding us together. Until then, I am perfectly content to accept Krisalyn’s invitation to pop into the cafe across the street for an afternoon break.

  The warm, autumnal scent of my chai spreads soothing tendrils through my chest. It fits in perfectly with this little nook of the cafe and its wingbacked leather chairs.

  “This cafe is the best part of working in this part of the city,” Krisalyn says over her iced coffee. “Their pastries are absolutely incredible.”

  “I’ll have to try one next time. I had never spent much time around here. My friends and I were always in the arts district.”

  “Do you still spend much time with them?”

  “I’ve been weening them from my presence. My breakup with Adwin is a convenient excuse now.”

  Krisalyn drops her chin and looks at me through thick eyelashes. “You don’t need an excuse to cut someone from your life.”

  “But it isn’t really their faults, you know? Did you have to leave anyone behind that you feel guilty about?”

  “I feel more guilt about pulling Jase along with me than for anyone I don’t talk to anymore. But I couldn’t have survived without him.” She shrugs it off. I guess the years have justified her actions. Understanding what she needed and letting herself have it is admirable. I guess I was willing to do that too. I was just so very wrong about who I needed.

  “Do you think he resents you for it?”

  “No, not at all. And before you say it, I think Vogue will be fine, too.” Oh, did she see the worry in my eyes? “We have to trust ourselves enough to be confident about who we can trust. Does that make sense?”

  “It does. Of course, I was wildly off base on who I trusted.”

  She shakes her head. “No one would have seen that coming. You figured it out. Vogue is your person, just like Jase is mine. That being said, I was getting a little bored of having him as my only real friend, so I’m thr
illed you found him. I needed another girl around.”

  “I’m glad I found you both, too. And hey, you got two for the price of one when I spilled everything to Vogue.”

  As we laugh and chat, Krisalyn’s warmth grips me. Her interest in me is so much more genuine than any of my old friends, and I know she isn’t another moth flitting around my flame. She has her own, and we can shine together.

  Chapter Nineteen

  BRAM

  “I found a program that might—”

  “I’m sorry.” Sophos cuts Serenity off and pops a pod into his ear. “Hello?… Yes… No, why?… What?” He opens a holoScreen from his desk, and the color drains from his face. “Of course not. He’s—I’ll come to see you.”

  Serenity and I look at each other before turning our attention to Sophos. What the hell was that about?

  He looks at Serenity and sighs. “You said you broke up with your boyfriend, correct?”

  Her throat bobs before she responds. “Yes.”

  “Adwin Lebeau, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes?”

  It sounds like both of us are wondering what this could have to do with anything.

  “Did you know he is related to Lieutenant Governor Agnar?”

  What? Just like that, I’m back to day one, feeling like we let an enemy into our midst. This girl is going to be our downfall. I know it. Years of hiding in plain sight, swallowing my losses for the promise of change; it’ll all crash down because of a calamity in the shape of a ninety-five-pound girl.

  She gasps, and her eyes widen. ”What? No, that can’t be.”

  “Agnar’s daughter estranged herself from him the moment she was old enough,” Sophos says. “I doubt she allowed him to spend time with his grandson.”

  Excellent. Sophos picked a famous girl who was dating Agnar’s grandson. Absolutely brilliant.

  “Was there anything at all he might have noticed about you before you separated?” he asks.

  She lays her hand on her throat as she heaves a few quick breaths. “I don’t think so.”

  “All right.” He rises from his chair. “I’ll be back shortly.”

  “Who was that?” I ask.

  “No matter.” He leaves Serenity and me alone without any explanation.

  She presses her fingers over her eyes and lets out a slow breath. I watch her, wondering how long she’s known.

  “You look surprised,” I say.

  “I am.”

  “That’s the weird thing about it. You don’t usually let things like that show on your face.”

  She turns her head toward me by degrees but says nothing. Search all you want, I think as she scans my face. My mask is just as good as yours. Too impatient to wait for her to fess up, I continue. “You looked like people should look when they’re surprised. But I’ve seen you surprised. Your face doesn’t change.”

  “I don’t have to keep that act up here anymore.”

  “Is it still an act? I think hiding emotions has become your natural response.”

  Proving me right, her face is a sea of calm. Her hands, however, are tapping a storm in her lap.

  “How long have you known?”

  Like ripping off a costume, her entire demeanor changes. She twists to the side of the chair, clasps her hands together, and her posture even softens… a little. It’s still too perfect. “Bram, I only just found out when I broke up with him. I told him about the islands and everything, but he already knew! He got angry at me, but I gave him amnesia, so it’s fine. Please don’t tell Sophos!”

  “You told him everything? You told Agnar’s grandson about the uprising?” That is officially the most ridiculous sentence I have ever said. Now I’m on my feet. This is so much worse than anything I ever thought she could do.

  “Not as far as he knows. And come on, no one knew they were related.”

  “Regardless, you can’t just go telling people!”

  “He wasn’t a random person off the street. You can’t tell Sophos. If he changes his mind about my involvement, he’ll wipe out my memories.”

  “I’m about to do that!”

  If she’s scared, she hides it well. She gets up and paces slowly through the office, hands in her pockets. “Is anyone else kept as isolated as I am? Jase and Krisalyn have each other, and isn’t Vogue going to meet the people Sophos has in Technology?”

  “Yeah, I guess. Dixon and Frey work together, so I assume Sophos will introduce Vogue to them. But compartmentalizing keeps us safe.”

  “Nothing will look odd about any of us being friends now. Vogue has always been my best friend, she’ll have reason to know… Frey and Dixon, you said?” I nod. “Right, so she’ll know them from here, and everyone thinks I’ve known Jase for years.”

  “You haven’t, though. Have you?”

  “No, I have not.” Apparently, she’s proud of this deception in a stubborn kind of way.

  “How did you meet him?”

  “I followed Sophos to his office.”

  “Well, aren’t you sneaky?”

  Her smile is all too mischievous. “Aren’t I supposed to be?”

  As much as it pains me to admit it (to myself only, of course), she’s right. Sophos wanted her to be a spy, and she’s accomplishing that. Not exactly for us, but not against us either. It does prove her ability. I agree not to tell Sophos about Serenity’s growing list of lies, though she doesn’t make any promises about being upfront with him moving forward.

  “What reason do either of us really have to trust him?” she asks.

  “He did save my life.”

  “Well, he threw mine in an incinerator.” A little dramatic, aren’t we? “You asked what was in this for me. Have you ever asked him?”

  My silence gives me away.

  “I’m not saying I think he’s bad, or even wrong,” she says. “I just don’t trust him fully. Kaycie was too good to be true. My boyfriend was too good to be true. Now I’m suspicious of everything. I’m not going to go rogue and throw him to the wolves; I’m just going to be careful. He is clearly keeping things from me.”

  Could she be more spoiled? “Sophos has told you much more than anyone else in this city ever has.”

  “He’s not going to tell me who called him about Adwin. Seems to me it would have to be someone who knows I might be a security risk. Why shouldn’t I know who is aware of my involvement?”

  I don’t have a response for that either.

  When Sophos returns, the paradigm has shifted between the three of us. Though I usually feel like Serenity is an outsider I can’t trust, now I’m wondering if it’s Sophos I should be questioning. Is this girl a master manipulator to have gotten in my head like this? I just found out that she lied about who she knows and who she’s talked to about this. That proves I can’t trust her. Then again… admitting these things increases her credibility. Shit. For the first time, I don’t know what to think of her.

  Even after she leaves, Sophos won’t tell me who called. I’ve spent years worrying about what the enemy is thinking. Should I be questioning my allies’ motives too?

  Chapter Twenty

  SERENITY

  Before the sun peeks over the horizon (in reality or digitally), a clap of thunder rattles the building, and I jolt awake. Waking with a racing heart and nervous flutters in my stomach is always enjoyable. Snowflake whimpers and hides under my blanket. As I lie in bed, steadying my breath, I notice the lack of dim lights throughout my bedroom. The glowing indicator lights and power buttons aren’t noticeable until they’re out, then darkness swallows the room.

  A flash of lightning illuminates it momentarily, drawing me out of bed to watch the storm. The colorful lights of downtown highrises have been replaced by a light show in the sky. Our towering buildings are dwarfed by enormous clouds. Anything we can do, Earth can do better.

  One building glows in defiance, though. It rises from the dark, lights ablaze. It’s so old I’m surprised it ever has power, much less being the only one with it. That building
wasn’t part of my view from my old apartment, though this one is close to where I lived before my father’s promotion. My apartment with Vogue is identical to the one I grew up in except for this shifted view.

  My parents may not have cared that Adwin was out of the picture, but the topic of me moving out was the flint to spark family turmoil. Plenty of people move out the instant they turn sixteen, and I’ll be seventeen in a couple of months, but my parents still struggled with the idea. Negotiations and bribes were tossed around, but ultimately, it was my decision. I had never been eager to get my own apartment, but the time is right with the wedge of secrets between my parents and me. Additionally, I hated living with a marshal. I kept wondering which island he came from, what his name was, who he used to be.

  Unsurprisingly, it was my father who got emotional about me leaving. “I know you’ve grown up,” he said. “But you’ll always be my little girl. I’m already so proud of you, and you’re just beginning what will no doubt be an extraordinary life.”

  My eyes stung at the thought of how forcefully I was ripped away from being a little girl. I hope he’ll still be proud of me when he learns the truth of what I’ve been doing. I think he will.

  At work, I find that building in the system. It’s an office building labeled ‘P&L Industries,’ but I can’t find any information on what that is. Though their lights never went out, there is no record of using any electricity. Ever. That’s not possible.

  I shake my head as I silently chide myself for still thinking anything is impossible. When my cuff buzzes with a message from Krisalyn asking me to join her and Jase for lunch, I happily accept. Not long ago, the friendships I have with them seemed like an impossibility. In this, I’m thrilled to be proven wrong.

  ***

  Snowflake curls up on Jase’s lap. I’d swear she prefers him to me, the fluffy little traitor. Jase and Krisalyn have become a regular sight in our living room, but tonight we unite our entire still nameless group. Vogue is trying, though.