I enjoy the rest of the football game more than anything I can remember, even though I don’t pay much attention to the action on the field. I’m even more relieved than I was last night, knowing I’ve come clean with Sean and he still wants to be with me. I spend the rest of the evening in a blissful haze.
Between discreet kisses, Sean asks more questions and I give him every detail I can remember about my conversations with Allister and Lennox. He seems worried they’ll send someone to silence me permanently, instead of just sending Enid to remove my chip. But I’m too happy to share his concern.
“Lennox was upset at first but your Uncle Allister talked him down. I think they just want to get rid of any incriminating evidence, so even if I do tell anyone about them, no one will believe me.”
“Maybe.” He doesn’t seem convinced. “I still think I should come with you when you meet that Enid person, just in case.”
“But then they’d know I told you. I should be safe as long as they think they’re safe—and I won’t feel like I’m really free of them until this chip is gone. I want it out.”
He doesn’t argue any more but I can tell he still doesn’t like it. I’d be irritated by his overprotectiveness if I didn’t know it’s because he cares about me. That’s enough to make up for anything else.
The next day he texts me four different times asking if I’ve heard from Enid yet. I text back each time that I haven’t, that I might not for several more days. After the one he sends on my way to Taekwondo, I ask if he’s said anything to M yet, since that might make seeing her in class a little awkward.
Not yet, he replies. Figure I’ll wait till she gets to our house this afternoon before the Council meeting and do it in person.
Which means if Sean’s wrong about her and she outs me to the Council, I could be arrested before bedtime tonight.
That thought makes it hard to focus in Taekwondo, at least at first. To make up for not letting us spar at all on Wednesday, Master Parker has us spend most of today’s class doing just that. Outfitted in a brand-new set of pads of my very own, I’m again paired with M.
“Ready?” she whispers with a grin just before he signals us to begin.
I nod, reminding myself she’s only talking about Taekwondo, not…the other thing.
Interestingly, now that I’m no longer angry at the Sovereign, I do a better job sparring against her. Maybe my negative emotions interfered with my reactions and strategy? More clear-headed today, I’m able to anticipate most of her moves in time to counter them. By the end of our third round, she regards me with new respect.
“Wow, you have really improved, Kira. Have you been practicing on the side?”
“No, but I’m in a way better mood than last time. I think it helps.”
She smiles. “I noticed—and I’m glad. Sean deserves to be happy. So do you.”
Before I can ask what she means by that last bit, Master Parker has us switch sparring partners for another three-round match.
Though my brief exchange with M reassured me she’s unlikely to intentionally do anything to hurt me—or Sean—I’m still nervous when the Echtran Council meeting at the O’Garas’ begins that evening. Sean texted to say he talked to M and she asked the Council to let him sit in.
That way I can help argue your case if necessary—though I doubt it will be. The second it’s over, I’ll let you know. You’re NOT going to get in trouble.
I really, really hope he’s right.
Sean warned me that these meeting usually last several hours, so I settle in to wait, trying to distract myself with homework. I know he won’t be able to text me again until the meeting’s over, so I’m startled when my phone vibrates less than an hour later.
The message isn’t from Sean. It’s from Enid.
Arrived in Jewel. Construction site appears deserted. Meet me in apartment 104-A.
I read the message through twice, looking for any hint Sean’s suspicions could be justified. The text is terse, but so is Enid—at least with me. Setting my homework aside, I put on my shoes and text her back that I’m on my way.
Telling my parents I’m going for another walk, ignoring Adina’s knowing grin, I leave the apartment. Because I promised, I send Sean a quick text telling him what I’m doing, even though he won’t see it until after the Council meeting. With any luck, by the time Sean gets my text I’ll have already sent another one letting him know his worries were groundless.
My phone back in my pocket, I walk quickly toward the meeting place, eager to have this entire business behind me once and for all. Once I enter the empty complex I have to slow down to pick my way past ladders and other construction equipment. Enid is nowhere to be seen.
“Hello? Enid?” When no one answers, I turn slowly in place, scanning the courtyard. It’s not as dark as last time, since the sun only set half an hour or so ago, and I see there are numbers painted on the buildings, something I didn’t notice before.
I pull my phone back out and read Enid’s text again. Apartment 104-A, she said. I locate building 104 and head for its stairwell, similar to ours. Units A and B are on the ground floor. The door to B is closed and locked—I check—but unit A’s door is ajar, probably why she chose it for the chip extraction.
“Enid?”
I push the door wider and step inside, peering around the unfinished apartment. The only light comes from a nearby streetlight shining through an uncurtained window at the rear of the room. “Is anyone here?”
Sean’s frequently-voiced suspicions echo urgently in my head. I’m turning to leave as quickly as I came when my phone signals an incoming call on the secret app. Frowning, I unlock it and answer.
“Hello?”
An instant later Allister and Lennox are right in the room with me, standing just a few feet away.
“How—?” I begin, confused. I didn’t even touch the holo button.
“This time we are generating the holograms from our end.” Allister says with that fake smile that makes me instinctively mistrust him. “We said we would speak with you one last time, did we not?”
Slowly, I nod. “I just didn’t expect… Where’s Enid? This is the apartment she told me to come to, but she’s not here.”
Lennox’s smile is less fake but more unpleasant than Allister’s. “I’m afraid Enid is far too useful to risk. We simply had her find a suitable enclosed space before taking herself to a safe distance.”
My mouth goes dry. “Safe distance from what?”
“The explosion that will shortly occur,” he explains. “You should be pleased to hear we found a way for you to serve a valuable purpose after all, one that will no doubt cause most of your fellow Populists to rejoice. They may well hail you as a hero.”
“What…what do you mean? What purpose?”
His nasty smile broadens. “The instrument of the Sovereign’s demise, of course. In just a few minutes she will receive a text that will appear to come from your phone. With any luck, she will bring young Stuart with her and we will be able to kill two birds with one stone. So to speak.”