between Stephen and Emile play out. Emile was a good showman—almost as good as Daphne Gilchrist had been, but not quite as good as Charles Deighton. She wondered what job he’d done in his life. Emile revelled in the praise of District Three’s charges for a while, eventually excusing himself and saying he needed to use the Nexus. That announcement went against Stephen’s rules and brought loud cheers to the Core. She followed him, hoping to gain some insight into this elder who used to be human once.
Emile moved fast for an elder, but Laura had no trouble keeping up with him. She slid the neurosensor out of her pocket and pressed it to the side of her head, in a spot hidden by her hair.
‘Excuse me, Emile?’ she said, fixing her hair into place.
The elder startled, then stopped. Turning sharply, his cool eyes assessed her. Gone was the smile for the group of Indigenes in the Core. ‘What is it, child?’
She’d hardly call herself a child, despite there being nearly sixty years between them.
‘I was wondering how long the new arrangement will be in place?’
She clasped her hands to the front, to soften her stance and to appear curious. Emile didn’t know anything about her, or about her skill.
She felt him rummage around in her mind. That move only strengthened her blockade. This elder would not get to read her thoughts.
With a small huff, he said, ‘Perhaps you should ask yourself that question.’
Laura startled at his honesty. It ripped open a wound not yet healed. She hadn’t thought about how long she’d stay in the district, and her recent chat with Bill had brought up some old resentments. She wasn’t ready to answer that.
‘I don’t know.’ It was the truth.
Emile nodded, his lips drawn thin and white. ‘That is my answer too. Now, if you’ll excuse me...’
Emile turned and walked on.
‘Wait!’ Laura steadied her thrumming heart as she prepared to put her skill into use.
Emile coughed into his fist once. ‘What now? I must use the Nexus.’
The elder looked pale, but Laura couldn’t tell if it was just his normal Indigene skin. ‘Are you feeling okay?’
‘Never better, why?’
A dark shadow shifted violently from Emile before it snapped back into place. The neurosensor tickled her skin, both inside and out.
It surprised her enough that the elder narrowed his eyes at her. ‘Why are you looking at me like that?’
Laura shook away her surprise. ‘I’m sorry. I’m still not used to being in the presence of an elder.’
Emile didn’t look convinced. She continued her questions in the hope she could attract the ghost again.
‘Won’t your charges from District One miss you and Marie?’
His answer came too fast. ‘I have appointed others to take care of matters in my absence.’
There was no reaction from his ghost.
‘Were you and Pierre friends?’
Emile glared at her. ‘What an odd question. Why do you want to know?’
‘I, uh, this place must remind you of him.’
Emile’s hard expression softened a little. ‘Yes, we were friends.’
His ghost jerked away from him.
‘Do the other elders miss him?’
‘Why so sentimental...’ Emile huffed. ‘Yes, yes, they do. Now may I leave?’
His ghost separated fully from his form, an action that surprised her.
‘Just one more question, if you don’t mind. I rarely get an opportunity to speak with elders.’
Emile waved his hand. But she sensed he enjoyed the attention. To her glee, his black-shadow ghost remained separate from him.
‘What did you do before you were changed?’
Emile’s expression switched from irritated to angry. ‘What business is that of yours?’
‘I, uh...’
Laura didn’t know what else to ask. His ghost whispered something to her that she couldn’t hear just as Emile looked ready to leave.
She blurted out, ‘My old job, Earth Security Centre. I was almost destined for this life.’
Serena with her blonde hair and blue eyes came to mind, a combination that had been genetically targeted for alteration. Her own blonde-hair-green-eyed mix had saved her from that same fate.
To her surprise and relief, Emile’s expression relaxed. ‘I was a project manager for a technology company in downtown New York.’
Emile’s ghost whispered to her again. She struggled to hear what it said. The neurosensor continued to tickle her skin.
‘What?’ she asked the ghost.
Emile grew angry. ‘I said I was a project manager. Now, if we’re done talking...’
The ghost snapped back to Emile’s physical form, but not before delivering a chilling message.
Emile walked away from her. A breath rushed out of her.
Three words: Don’t trust him.
Laura’s legs wobbled enough that she had to use the tunnel wall to steady herself. The neurosensor attracted new shadows to the space; they decorated the tunnel she was in. She peeled off the neurosensor and placed it back in her pocket, forgetting about the box it came in. The shadows lessened, but didn’t vanish.
Needing out of this space, she hurried back to her quarters and closed the door. Her stomach danced at her awkward conversation with Emile. She’d sensed there was something up with him. In the darkness, she replayed the message from Emile’s ghost.
Shit, shit.
Telling Stephen would be a mistake. He’d go on the warpath and kick Emile and the others out. To do so while his charges trusted Emile would only make things worse here. Stephen would be ousted as leader, democracy would collapse, and the Indigenes would turn rogue. She and Bill had seen evidence of that over the last year, but the rogue numbers had been too small for them to worry about.
No, she had to keep this from him and Serena—she would only tell her mate. Anton and Arianna were too loyal to Stephen, and Clement, well, this wasn’t his district.
Bill came to mind. She’d called him four days ago to tell him about Margaux’s condition. He’d called her back, but she’d been less than supportive about his plans to involve Harvey. Things had changed between them and their civility towards each other never lasted long.
Maybe calling Bill would be a mistake. The last thing she needed was a hothead storming into the district to stir up trouble. Emile was already uncomfortable around her, but the elder’s issue appeared to have more to do with Stephen’s alliance with the humans than with her. How would the elder react to Bill’s presence?
Laura huffed. She didn’t care what Emile thought. Stephen would always have her and Bill’s support.
She picked up the DPad and pulled up Bill’s private number. A few seconds later, she tossed the device away. She couldn’t run to Bill every time she had an issue. Plus, he’d kicked her out. Laura had left their old life with a sense of relief that she would finally get to confront her Indigene side. She’d accept that her moving out meant her marriage was over.
Tears fell, staining her beige tunic. Laura dried her eyes with the back of her hand. She would figure out what to do about Emile alone.