“It’s all a little overwhelming.”
“You hunt feral beasts in untrackable scrub.” Abraham leaned against the wall, mostly in shadow. That didn’t stop people from noticing him or from noticing me with him.
“Well, this isn’t the scrub,” I said. “Also, I’m not supposed to be seen, right?” More than a few people snapped pictures of us. “I was staying unseen.”
He narrowed his eyes. I wasn’t lying, but I wasn’t telling him the whole truth either.
“We might want to move,” I said. “Before everyone gets a picture of us. Do you have another event to attend?”
A man pushed past me, brushing against my shoulder as he did so. He whispered, “Done,” and moved on.
“Here?” Abraham asked, while I snuck a look at the guy who just bumped into me. It was the man from House Brown who had taken my message out to Neds. Good. Very good.
“No,” he said. “It’s time for us to go.” He nodded toward the nearest elevator and started off that way.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Training.”
Right. Of course. For the big all-House public gathering I couldn’t screw up.
We stepped into the elevator. Even though there were other people waiting, they didn’t follow, giving us space and privacy. Abraham pressed a button. The doors closed, shutting away the people, the crowd, and my chance of tracking down anything more to help Quinten.
24
A new human-rights bill, ushered in by a new House Gray, ensured just treatment and fair process to all the people of the world. Except for the galvanized. The twelve bargained for human freedom for House Brown and became slaves once again.—2160
—from the journal of L.U.C.
The house was set on top of a rise, whalebone-gray siding, wraparound decks, and framing that supported more windows than I could count. It had three stories at least, the main-floor windows wrapped around a huge open living space that angled up for two floors of view.
Even though it was night and we’d been driving the streets for over an hour, it felt like we were worlds away from the bright, busy jumble.
“We’re training here?” I asked.
“This is where we’ll stay for the night.”
“Whose place is it?
“Dotty’s.”
House Green. “And you’re sure she’s all right with us staying?”
He pulled up to a half-circle enclosure where he parked the car in one of the available stalls. “I’m sure. Did you find anything more about your brother’s message?”
“What makes you think I looked?”
He just raised his eyebrow. “Matilda.”
“Yes?”
“What did you find?”
I searched his face, and for a moment all the old House Brown secrecy kicked up in me. I didn’t want to tell him what the message said if it would hurt Quinten. But it was just as likely that Quinten was already in some kind of trouble, already hurt and in need of rescuing.
I told him what it said.
“How did you find it?”
