Thrall (21 page)

“There’s more,” I said. “Ais killed one of the Three.”

Lucas took a long moment to let this sink in. “What...” he swallowed and tried again. “What’s the plan?”

“There’s only about a hundred Guardsmen out there,” I said, changing the subject. “Did you know that?”

Lucas nodded slowly.

“Why aren’t we recruiting more soldiers?”

“Our recruits are usually related to Lilitu victims,” Lucas said. “Like Gretchen and me.”

“But there must be thousands of relatives out there.”

“They have to believe in Lilitu before they’ll be ready to fight. Only, most of them accept the Lilitu cover stories. I almost believed it,” Lucas said, frowning at the memory. “Gretchen... she saw what killed Eric with her own eyes. She helped me see the truth. If it weren’t for her, I’d still think Eric was killed by a burglar.”

I nodded slowly, taking this in. “How do we make them believe?”

“We can’t,” Lucas said. “We don’t have the resources to reach out to the relatives of every victim. But there is a small percentage of people who sense something’s off. They can tell that there’s been a cover up. It makes them paranoid. Some of them start researching, and if they’re determined and persistent enough, their research leads them to the Guard.”

“Doesn’t sound like a very efficient way of building the ranks,” I said.

“No.” Lucas’ eyes seemed to lose focus. “We’d better find Ais before she tears down the Wall. Because by the time enough people believe in Lilitu for us to recruit a real army, the war will already be over.”

The assembly let out an hour later. Lucas and I saw groups of students move across the quad. Some sank onto the grass, crying and holding each other. Most seemed numb. Grief counselors walked among them, stopping here and there to talk. Lucas and I watched it all from the top of the bleachers. We didn’t move until the lunch bell rang.

We found Royal and Cassie sitting at our table, subdued. They looked up as Lucas and I pulled out our chairs and sat. The dining hall was unusually quiet. The clink of silverware on china punctuated low, murmured conversations. As I looked around, more than one student snuck a morbidly curious glance in my direction. I turned back to our table, spooning some food onto my plate self-consciously.

“So,” I said, trying to sound casual and failing. “How was assembly?”

“Um,” Cassie said. She and Royal traded a look.

“Derek,” Royal said haltingly. His eyes slid to Lucas’ bruised face. “You guys...?”

“We were there? Yeah,” I said. Lucas reached for my hand.

“You don’t have to... I mean,” Royal glanced at Cassie. “We’re here for you. But... you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“Thanks,” I said, swallowing hard against the lump rising in my throat. Royal nodded. An awkward silence settled over our table. I looked at my plate, but I’d lost my appetite. I pushed it away with a sigh. A strange sound caught my attention. Cassie and Royal were wrestling over something under the table.

“Show them,” Cassie whispered.

“I don’t think they’re in the mood,” Royal whispered back.

“Come on. It’s funny.”

“What’s funny?” I asked.

They looked up, caught. Distracted, Royal wasn’t prepared when Cassie yanked something out of his hands. She slid a stack of doctor’s notes in front of me.

“You look like you could use a distraction,” she said.

I glanced at Lucas, who shrugged at me. “Come on. Let’s hear ‘em,” he said.

I picked up the first note and read it aloud. “Please excuse patient from activity. He has tender tootsies.”

Cassie snickered. Royal crossed his arms, put out. “He might as well have drenched this in gasoline and lit it on fire. Useless.”

“These are from your brother?” Lucas asked. Lucas and I traded a smile.

I picked up another note. “Patient was bitten by a rabid jungle sloth, please limit physical activity to hanging upside down from tree branch.” I started grinning and picked up a third note. “Please excuse student from PE. He is experiencing acute PMS.”

Lucas snorted in surprised laughter. Cassie looked extremely satisfied.

“Is this seat taken?” Parker said. He touched the empty seat beside Cassie. Cassie flushed bright pink and looked at him with wide eyes.

“No,” Cassie said before I could tell him to take a hike. “No one’s sitting there.”

Parker took the seat. “I heard you guys laughing.”

“Sorry,” Cassie said, wincing. “We weren’t trying to be disrespectful.”

“Don’t apologize.” Parker met her eyes levelly. “You think Derek would have wanted people sitting around moaning about him?” Parker’s eyes cut back to his usual table. Several girls were rubbing Amber’s back as her shoulders shook. “He wouldn’t.”

After a moment, Lucas picked up a plate and handed it to Parker. “Here.”

“Thanks, man,” Parker said, taking the plate and serving himself a generous helping of food.

Cassie snuck a look at Parker as if she couldn’t believe he was actually sitting next to her. This would probably make her entire week.

“So, Parker,” Royal said stiffly. “What brings you to this neck of the dining hall?”

Cassie smiled shyly at Parker. “Don’t mind him. You’re welcome to sit with us.”

“Actually, I was hoping to get a word with you.” Parker turned to Cassie, completely disarming her. “I’m a little lost in pre-calc. I thought, if you had some time, maybe we could...”

“Yes!” Cassie’s eyes gleamed. “I mean, I tutor. Math. If that’s what you were... what did you have in mind?”

“Well, we’ve got that test next week, if Mr. Sattler doesn’t cancel it.”

“I’ve already got my notes prepared,” Cassie said. “I’d be happy to go over them with you. Or...” her smile faltered. “I could copy them for you, if that’s...”

“We should study together. Let’s call it a date,” Parker said, smiling. His eyes flicked over to me briefly, but mercifully he didn’t try to talk to me. When Parker reached for the bread, Cassie beamed at Royal and me. I smiled back, and kicked Royal under the table. He flashed a brief smile for Cassie’s benefit, but dropped it as soon as she turned toward Parker.

“This feels wrong,” Royal whispered into my ear.

“It’s just pre-calculus,” I murmured, although inside I agreed with him. “Let her have this one moment before you go all psycho on her crush.”

“I don’t trust him,” Royal said. “He might be dressed in sheep’s clothing, but underneath all that fluffy white wool he’s still an arrogant, entitled ass.”

Ms. Davies cancelled dodge ball that day in gym. She had us lie down on the floor instead, and guided us through relaxation exercises. It was obviously meant to help us cope with Derek’s death. Lying there, thinking about Derek, I felt the muscles of my back growing tenser by the minute. I was plagued by guilt. Derek would still be alive if it weren’t for me. Karayan picked him because she thought he meant something to me. I wasn’t able to save him from her.

Finally the bell rang and we got up off the floor.

“Braedyn,” Ms. Davies said, pulling me aside. “I’m here if you ever need anyone to talk to.”

“Thanks, Ms. Davies.” I eyed the door to the girls’ locker room. I just wanted to escape this gym, change into my regular clothes, and survive the rest of the school day.

“I lost someone close to me when I was about your age,” she continued. She told me some story about a friend of a friend she’d grown up with. I nodded at all the right places, but I didn’t really hear her. When I finally made it to the locker room, Amber was waiting for me.

“There’s something weird about you.”

“If this is about Lucas,” I said. “He’s allowed to pick his own friends.”

“And Greg? And Derek? You did something to them. What was it?” She studied my face intently. “Blackmail?”

“Yes,” I said, sarcastically. “I blackmailed the captains of the soccer team and the swimming team.” Her eyes narrowed. I shook my head. “Can you even hear how nuts you sound? Derek and I barely knew each other.”

“Do you think I didn’t notice you two sneaking off for all those private chats last month?” Amber asked quietly. I felt a rush of alarm and I scanned my memory for the few times Derek and I had spoken privately. How closely had Amber been watching me? And what else had she seen?

“Why do you care?” I asked. “You’ve basically ignored him since Homecoming.”

“We dated for almost two years.” Amber said. “So we had a fight. We’ve fought before. We always end up getting back together. We’re
supposed
to be together. Only now he’s dead.” Dark rage swam in her eyes. “Why was he at your house?”

“That’s none of your business,” I said. I turned my back on her, ready to go to English in my gym clothes if that’s what it would take to get away from her.

“Don’t you walk away from me,” Amber said. She caught my shoulder and pulled, trying to force me to face her. Without thinking, I grabbed her wrist and turned, like Lucas had taught me, sending her face-first into the locker bay with a sharp crack. I was so startled that I released her and stumbled backwards. Amber screamed in rage. The impact with the locker left a pink mark on her cheek. She turned and glared at me, taking a step forward.

Ms. Davies ran into the room, alarmed. “What is it? What’s wrong?” She saw us facing one another and stopped. “Who screamed?” Amber and I glared at each other.

“It’s nothing, Ms. Davies,” Amber said. “Just horsing around. Right, Braedyn?”

“Right,” I said hollowly.

Amber left. Ms. Davies looked like she wanted to say something, but she just followed Amber out. I opened my locker with a leaden feeling in my stomach, and changed for class.

Somehow I made it through the rest of the school day. After the final bell had rung, I gathered my things from my locker and headed toward the parking lot. Lucas caught me at the edge of the quad and pulled me close behind a tree.

I gasped, surprised. “What are you doing?”

“These are the last few minutes I’ll have with you today,” he said. “I don’t want to waste one second.” I leaned against him, understanding. He enfolded me in his arms. All the noise and chaos of the day swirled around us, but his embrace felt safe and calm. The eye of the hurricane. Gretchen pulled into the parking lot and Lucas’ arms tightened around me for a moment. “Until tomorrow,” he said. His lips brushed mine again, and then he was gone, taking the comfort of his presence with him.

I didn’t see Lucas in the house when I showed up for practice with Hale that afternoon. I felt my spirits sag a little in disappointment. It was almost a relief to walk down to the basement. I needed something to distract me from the day.

“Your dad told me you didn’t have much luck last night,” Hale said, looking up as I entered.

“No.”

“Thane’s going to work with you tonight.” Hale smiled in encouragement, but I dropped my eyes. “Don’t worry,” he said. “You’ll get it.”

“You sound so confident.”

“I have faith in you,” he said simply. “All right. We’re starting you with a sparring partner today.”

“Sparring partner?” I felt a surge of hope, looking around for Lucas.

“Yeah.” Gretchen sat against the back wall, taping up her hands. She was wearing slim black yoga pants and a sports bra. Even dressed to work out she looked threatening. I turned to Hale, unsettled, but he just clapped his hands briskly.