At Quiet End, Darius hides behind a shining white, granite, unbreakable wall.
Priya is done her shift. She pulls a light jacket over her pink uniform and whips her long hair into a messy bun. She’s wiped. Once she clears the main reception area, she closes the Employees Only door behind her and tucks her security card back into her bra.
As she heads for the drivers’ parking lot, Darius pounces from behind the wall. Priya jumps straight off the ground and barely contains a screech.
“Stop scaring me,” she manages.
Darius takes Priya’s hand and tows her into his hiding spot then pulls Mahlah’s file from under his coat.
Priya looks down at the papers that protrude from the folder and points to a red one. “Closing Annual file?”
“You know that?” Darius shakes his head.
“So many of these come through here at work. I stamp the Release dates.”
“Priya, you have to stop working here.”
“Why does it bother you so much, Darius?” She peers into his eyes, tugging at his soul.
Hunched between vacant cars parked way at the back of the lot, Priya buries her head in her hands. Remnants of fallen tears stain her cheeks, crystallized as streaks of salt. She looks up at a rare gray bird, nestled high in one of the fake trees. Not even it can distract her from the matter at hand: the knowledge of the Underground.
“But it doesn’t make sense, Darius,” she manages. “None of what you just said makes any sense.”
“Apparently Mahlah is … expendable,” Darius says.
“What does that mean, though?”
“To them—whoever they are—Mahlah would cost Zalmon more than she’s worth.”
“It’s absurd,” Priya blurts. “If they could help her, if there were any way they could make her life longer, they would. She’s a little girl! She’s an incredible little girl!” Priya cries.
In that instant, Darius is sure he’s never liked Priya more.
“I think everything I told you is true, Priya. Very few people know it. Fewer believe it. I don’t blame your atheism.”
“I think I’m going to be sick.” Priya places her hand on Darius’s forearm for stability. When the nausea passes, rather than retract her hand, she looks around to make sure no one sees it.
Darius slowly puts his other hand on top of Priya’s. He rubs his thumb over the hills and valleys of her knuckles then dips it into her palm. It tickles Priya. For a brief moment, the two of them are lost in forbidden thoughts.
Priya snaps to. “Darius, why did you tell me all of this?”
He pauses. For a split second he considers spilling the beans about his deep respect and trust for her. He yearns to tell her how he feels disobediently drawn to her, despite the revelations of his Cards.
“Because of your Vocation Position,” he says instead. “You’re pre-doc, and I need your help.”
“Get Zuriel’s help.”
Darius ignores the suggestion and reaches into his pocket. He opens up a crumpled paper bag.
“I need you to show Mahlah how to use this.” Darius holds a syringe and a small glass vial marked Insulin.
Priya is taken aback. “I’m only mid-theory. I —”
“Without this, she’ll die, Priya,” Darius pleads.
“Who says? Some freak from the Underground?”
“He’s a doctor,” Darius assures her.
“He’s a liar. I don’t know what’s going on. Maybe he’s got some sick sense of humor. Maybe he’s trying to impress you so you don’t take him for the loser he is.” Priya stands up. “I know all of the doctors in Zalmon, Darius. They’re at the office, or they’re at Quiet End doing Final Checks and Post-Assessments. That’s it. They don’t hide out in clay tunnels and watch people practice procreation all day!”
“I’m telling you, she will die!” Darius shouts.
“Well, maybe. So what, Darius? We all will. Maybe it’s a lovely thing.”
“Now you’re sounding like my Life Match,” Darius jabs.
Priya starts to walk away.
Darius follows her. “Listen, I can understand how you’d be duped into thinking a Welcome Release is beautiful for oldies, but Mahlah? She’s a kid! An incredible kid. You literally just said —”
Priya whips around. “Duped? Do you think I’m stupid, Darius?”
She’s the smartest person he knows, but that isn’t the point.
“You?” Priya points at him. “A guy who trusts no one, yet you trust this random guy with your sister’s life?”
“He’s the only one, Priya! No one’s knocking down my door to do a damn thing about me losing the most important person in my world.”
She shakes her head. “I can’t do it Darius. But maybe I can talk to some of the real doctors for you. And you should talk to Zuriel!”
“Are you crazy?!” Darius yells. “You cannot tell a soul, Priya.” Darius bleeds desperation in a vulnerable look. “Please,” he begs.
“Okay, fine — I won’t. But you can and should tell Zuriel. She’s your Life Match. You have an ‘immortal bond that outshines, overpowers, and outlasts all’ —”
“Spare me the words of the Book, Priya. I thought you were different.”
They both take a moment to compose themselves.
“I’m sorry,” Priya says. “I’m just … I’m scared Darius. When I’m scared, I don’t know what to do.”
“I call bullshit,” Darius declares. “I think you do know what to do.”
Priya shakes her head again. “Listen, Darius —”
He puts the syringe and the vial back into the paper bag then shoves them all into his pocket. “I have to go,” he says. “I have to work.”
Darius begins to walk away, then he looks back and says, “I know I will see you later, at my house.”
Priya shakes her head harder. She calls after him. “Darius!”
He runs off.
There is a knock on the side of Abram’s cubicle as he sits at his desk, pretending to be the manager of this electrical usage monitoring and data processing company. He shuffles a prop stack of papers and removes his feet from the edge of his desk before he looks over his shoulder.
Darius walks into the small space. Abram holds up his index finger to request another second. He pretends to finish typing a message and reads aloud, “I feel you should cut them some slack. Proceed to sign off on their custodial labor disputes immediately.” He hits a final key. “Ah, Darius.”
“You wanted to see me?”
“What happened to your hand?”
Darius eyes his bandaged hand. “This hand?” he asks. “How’d you know about it?”
“I saw you favoring it out there.”
“I punched a door.”
Abram looks at him knowingly. Darius misses it.
“You know, Darius, you’re a snarky kid. But I’m a rock. Unlike some people in your life, I would never Leave on account of your behavior.”
Darius shrugs off the dig at him and his father. He knows Abram is trying to get a reaction. “What’s that got to do with anything?”
“It means that nothing you could say to me would make me go away. As you know, I’m not only your boss” — Abram smiles — “I’m practically part of your family.”
Darius glances into Abram’s eyes, then looks away. He thinks for a second about what Aysa said. Why is Abram his mother’s Second Match? How did that happen?
Abram interrupts Darius’s thoughts. “A real man knows when another … almost-man is in turmoil. You seem conflicted these days, and your mother is concerned.”
“Ha!”
“It’s true, Darius. She talks to me about it all the time.”
“That’s really great that she talks to you all the time. She’s healed!”
“I’m going to let that slide. I see right past your guise of disrespect, my friend.” Abram smiles.
Darius wonders if Abram has nothing better to do than piss him off. But maybe Priya was right. Maybe someone can help him with Mahlah’s situation. Maybe that someone is Abram. Darius shuffles his feet.
“It’s Mahlah,” he opens up. “She’s … sick. Like, not an emotional sick, but sick sick.”
Abram was not expecting to hear that. He thought possibly Darius would divulge his knowledge about Mahlah’s Death Date interruption, but never in a million years did he anticipate Darius would know about Mahlah’s illness.
“What do you mean?” Abram plays dumb and holds it together while his blood boils and his eyes want to pop out of their sockets.
But Darius senses the intensity in Abram’s voice. His question is void of concern and lacks disbelief. Darius wants to go into detail about Mahlah’s illness and yearns to trust his mother’s Match, but Abram’s reaction makes Darius uncomfortable. He proceeds with caution.
“Like, she’s really shaky. She’s pissing a lot, and she can’t sleep.” Darius sticks to Mahlah’s outward signs — signs he thinks his mother would have mentioned to her Second Match anyway. He’s very careful not to share anything from Mahlah’s files and steers dead away from his conversations with Aysa. “I just can’t think of any other word for it other than sick.”
“That’s it?” Abram leans in.
“What do you mean?” Darius asks.
“That’s all you know?” Abram clarifies.
Darius looks deep into Abram’s eyes. Abram stares back.
“I, uh, better get back to work.” Darius backs up. “I started late and all.”
He turns and walks away from Abram’s cubicle.