Part 14 (2/2)

”Shut him up,” Paul growled to Dr. Maria. He turned to the Security Forces. ”Cartier, is this under control?” he called.

One of the officers, a short, burly man who wasn't wearing a helmet, turned around. He had rough features and short hair. There was a silver bar pinned on his s.h.i.+rt. ”Yes sir.”

”Good.” Paul spun and started back toward his office, like this was just one of many crises he was dealing with.

Dr. Maria had produced a syringe from her coat pocket. Her face was set seriously, but she also looked almost fearful as she approached the Nomad.

”This is all a lie!” the Nomad shouted. ”You'll all be left behind! You've got to bring down Project Elysium!”

I saw Paul pause at the door and turn back toward him.

”Hold him,” said Dr. Maria. I saw the syringe shaking in her hand.

Cartier put the Nomad in a headlock, pulling him sideways by the hair and exposing his neck. The prisoner saw Dr. Maria's needle and stopped struggling, instead just glaring at her coldly. She pressed the needle into his neck and he slumped into the guards' arms. They dragged him toward the infirmary. Paul disappeared inside.

”We should get back,” whispered Evan, checking his watch. ”We're supposed to be at the dock in ten minutes for morning lessons.”

For once, Lilly just agreed. ”Right.”

We crept back through the trees to the road. ”What did he mean?” I asked.

”Project Elysium?” said Marco. ”No idea.”

”Not no no idea,” said Lilly. ”I've heard about it on the Free Signal.” She looked around suspiciously. ”We shouldn't talk here.” She glanced at me. ”Tonight?” idea,” said Lilly. ”I've heard about it on the Free Signal.” She looked around suspiciously. ”We shouldn't talk here.” She glanced at me. ”Tonight?”

”Yeah,” I said.

Lilly nodded, and the CITs headed up the road.

Back inside, I got a new tray of food and returned to my table. Everybody was finished eating.

”There he is,” said Todd. ”Owen, Pedro tells me you were talking to a lady friend in there.”

I glanced over at Beaker and tried to say thanks with my eyes. ”Yeah,” I said to Todd.

”All right then,” he said with a smile. ”Eat up.”

I sat and started shoveling food. When I finished, I found Leech staring at me. That weird look again, from the boat, from the other day, too. Like he was studying me. Like nothing about me convinced him. Or... like he knows something is up like he knows something is up. It seemed more certain than ever.

”h.e.l.lo, everyone,” Paul's voice echoed over the speaker system in the dining hall. I looked around, but he wasn't anywhere in the room. ”I just wanted to give you an update on this morning's accident. It turns out one of our supply trucks had a faulty battery cell, which caused the explosion. The driver has some minor injuries, but otherwise everyone is all right. I know many of you have been worried that this event had something to do with the Nomad Alliance and so I just wanted to end those rumors. Everything is fine, and no one is in any danger. So, have a pleasant day.”

I heard Leech murmuring and glanced over. ”Yeah, guess that's all it was,” he was saying seriously, like he was Paul's special agent to the Spotted Hyenas.

History is always written to serve the powerful, Lilly had said, and here was proof: Paul rewriting what was only moments old. Had he done the same for Colleen? What about the DI? All of it was in question now, and I had to wonder, what about EdenWest was was what it seemed? what it seemed?

Chapter 12

WE SPENT THE MORNING PLAYING DODGEBALL and tetherball on the paved courts. Having gills did me no good at surviving the screaming red rubber b.a.l.l.s. If anything, trying to move my legs on land felt more inefficient and useless than ever. Every time I tried to twist or duck and the ball went and tetherball on the paved courts. Having gills did me no good at surviving the screaming red rubber b.a.l.l.s. If anything, trying to move my legs on land felt more inefficient and useless than ever. Every time I tried to twist or duck and the ball went puunk! puunk! on my head or back, I would look up and wish I could take that grinning face off Jalen or Mike, Noah or Leech, and show them the depths of the lake, drag them deep until their lungs felt like balloons trapped against a ceiling. I would imagine their eyes bugging out and their pupils saying, on my head or back, I would look up and wish I could take that grinning face off Jalen or Mike, Noah or Leech, and show them the depths of the lake, drag them deep until their lungs felt like balloons trapped against a ceiling. I would imagine their eyes bugging out and their pupils saying, Don't do this! Don't do this! Their arms flailing. I would see the bubble pressing out against their squeezed lips and- Their arms flailing. I would see the bubble pressing out against their squeezed lips and- Puunk!

”Ha, Turtle!” shouted Jalen.

I spent most of the game on the sideline, waiting for dark, for my time.

Lying in our bunks that night, Todd reading to us, I got a turn on the computer pad. I was surprised to find my camp mailbox empty. I thought I'd hear from Dad. It was strange, though, how little I'd thought about him the last couple days. I'd been so caught up in Lilly and everything else. I almost felt guilty now.

I started a new letter:

Hey Dad, It's Sat.u.r.day now. Things are okay here. I think you'd be proud of me. I've made some friends. Older kids that I actually have some things in common with. They're better than the kids in my cabin.Also, you maybe heard about that explosion here today. I don't know if that would make the news or not. Well, I'm not sure what you heard, but

I stopped there and wondered: What should I tell him? What I'd seen, or what Paul and Eden would have said? Then I thought about how much I already hadn't hadn't told him in the letter. My gills, the siren, all of that. How exactly was I going to explain that stuff to him, anyway? He might freak out if I told him, and pull me out of camp early. Did I want to leave early? Things didn't seem safe here, but if I left I'd lose Lilly, and I'd never know what was really going on with me, with this place. And that didn't even factor in that I'd be the only kid at Hub with gills. told him in the letter. My gills, the siren, all of that. How exactly was I going to explain that stuff to him, anyway? He might freak out if I told him, and pull me out of camp early. Did I want to leave early? Things didn't seem safe here, but if I left I'd lose Lilly, and I'd never know what was really going on with me, with this place. And that didn't even factor in that I'd be the only kid at Hub with gills.

I deleted the message.

Soon, Todd left us, and after the usual joke-filled conversations about the attractiveness levels of various Arctic Foxes, the cabin descended into snores and breathing. I closed my eyes and fell asleep too....

Until my gills woke me up, like clockwork. I got out of my bunk quietly, double-checking to be sure that Beaker was asleep. I had already put on my bathing suit before bed, so I slipped on my sneakers, grabbed my towel, and headed out.

I heard the light murmur of voices as I crossed the beach. Saw the silhouettes of heads and shoulders sitting out on the raft. I walked out to the edge of the dock, my gills sensing their home and flicking open. I blocked my throat and dove in, all the sensations of water a relief. I did a few circles before heading out to the raft. As I got close, I decided to try the shooting hands-free jump that the others always did. I swam straight down, launched up into the air, landed, and managed not to fall over. ”Hey!” I said, but I immediately tensed.

Lilly wasn't there.

”She took off,” said Evan, noticing me looking around. ”She was p.i.s.sed.”

”Oh,” I said. I felt exposed standing there, and almost like, without Lilly around, I wasn't actually welcome. ”What's she mad about?”

”Him,” Aliah said, sitting with Marco's arm over her shoulders, and I saw that she was glaring at Evan.

”Oh, come on,” Evan said. ”It's not my fault she was being ridiculous.”

”It wasn't ridiculous!” Aliah shot back. ”I think she might be right.”

”About what?” I asked.

”She wants to bust out of here,” said Marco.

”Which is a stupid idea,” said Evan, ”be-”

”It's not a stupid idea!” said Aliah.

Marco looked at me. ”Lilly thinks that we might be part of what the Nomad said, that Project Elysium thing. Like maybe that's what's been giving us our gills and stuff.”

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