“Promise me.”
I nodded, even though I didn’t want to.
Hal pressed the two buttons, and the other cuff released. “Take this one. If you think they are coming for you, put this on and come to this house.”
I opened my mouth, ready to retort, but his lips met mine. The kiss was quick, over before I could truly register it. “Go, and head straight back to your living quarters. I’ll come to you as soon as I can.”
“Is Kane going to be mad at you?” I asked as he yanked the door open.
“Kane’s always mad. He forgets his place here. Go—your chip will start tracking in less than a minute, and you need to be on the other side of the river. Hurry!” Hal pushed me through the door, looking me over one last time. “I’ll see you soon. Do whatever they ask, and don’t draw attention to yourself.”
The door shut.
I was alone. I didn’t give myself time to think about what I felt in my chest before I made my way through the small, dingy sitting room and out the main door. It opened onto a street on the opposite side of the river. I shoved the cuff into my pocket and put my dagger in my waistband. Different types of trinkets from beneath, not above.
I began to jog toward the bridge, the city looming from the other side. I had always been in awe of the spindly structures, at the life in the clouds, but as I approached it from this angle, I didn’t see the impressive feats or the view they provided. We had all been beneath the surface together. When we had resurfaced, something sinister had broken free.
I crossed to the other side of the bridge, walking toward the spot I had swung down from, when a shock rippled up my arm from my left wrist. My MIND must be activated again.
I walked back to my living quarters, my mind ricocheting from one thought to the other. A few beeps later, I found myself in my room. My Comm Device dinged, and I grabbed it out of my pocket. I was shocked to see it was still only eight-thirty in the morning. It felt like I had been gone for ages, but it had only been a few hours.
Perhaps it was the loud music and dancing—the life below and how no one had acted like a day was just starting. Everything had been in full swing. Clearly, the rumors about the Major Defect community being nocturnal were accurate. The accuracy ended there.
I had expected some dark, decrepit place—the type of place that awaited those too defective to live above the ground.
The Underworld wasn’t that at all. There was more life in that one room than in any room above the surface. I thought of the Garden, the Sphere, and the Pond—all beautiful places—but I thought of how the Elite acted. Gossiping and staring as others walked by. The uptight rigidness, following protocols and procedures without question. The spaces were all so alluring: the gowns, the food, sparkling jewels, and lights. Everything bedecked in finery—chattels to their comforts. I had never seen a single person happy.
A façade.
A beautiful façade to hide the hideous truths, beguiling the viewer into thinking all was well.
It wasn’t. The people weren’t. None of them were actually living. They were just pawns for the Greater Good. Performing, pretending that everything was well so others wouldn’t know.
We all bought it from the ground level. Sought to obtain it. Idolizing the Elite and their life in the clouds, fighting for a way up. Twisting and contorting ourselves until approved. Made to hide our inadequacies and deficiencies in the pursuit of a contract.
I had believed my visual defect was too damning to be accepted and lived in shame until they covered it.
I had not been naïve; I knew the constant monitoring and stats stripped us of some essential part of ourselves. I knew it was wrong, and I still fell victim to it—too afraid of the unknown.
Below where they danced. Where they wore a variety of colors. Not miserable, not defective.
They didn’t hide the Majors to protect us from their defects. They hid them so we wouldn’t discover the truth. That we were the ones in pain, and they—they were free.
Collin allowed this. Enforced it.
I looked at my Comm Device to find a message from Lo. Lo, who wanted more than anything to belong in the clouds.
Hey, checking in. I never heard from you. Are you okay?
She had messaged me about Gregory, and I hadn’t responded because I thought finding Gregory talking to another woman had been too much. It seemed trivial now compared to everything else.
Hey, I’m okay. I have so much to tell you. Come here after work.
How could I tell her anything I had discovered—about Gregory, the Elite, Hal? I sent it before sinking to the floor. The sound of metal filled the air as the cuff slipped from my pocket. I glanced down at the cuff Hal had given me as the dagger handle dug into my hip. I pulled the blade out before retrieving the cuff from the floor, placing them between my legs.
I stared at them, running my fingers down the covered blade. I pulled the knife from its sheath. The blade was simple. I had no idea what to do with it. Gray eyes flashed, turning red. I sheathed it as my hands trembled. I wasn’t sure I would ever use it.
The inside of the cuff had grooves running through it to a rectangle. I wondered if the chip embedded in the cuff matched the one hidden under my skin. The outside was a matte gray. I looked at the gowns in my wardrobe before clutching the cuff to my chest. It felt like the most precious thing I had. I took the knife and the cuff to my wardrobe, placing both in the white clutch that had gone with the cloud dress, and closed the doors.
