Almost the worst thing of all was Madeline’s betrayal. I’m extremely saddened but agree that the proposed solution is the only way. The words still kicked me in the gut. I’d admired Madeline – wanted to be like her.
What had happened? How had she taken this path?
All I knew was that she couldn’t have been caught up in it when Dad was alive, or else he’d never have been involved with her. I hugged my knees, staring out at the rocking darkness, and wondered bitterly how long it had gone on between them. Had Ma known?
Finally, with relief, I saw the glow of Sacrament coming up. I scrambled, stiff-legged, to my feet. As the train slowed around a bend I gripped the side of the car, watching the dark, rushing grass. I steeled myself and jumped, rolling into the fall.
The impact slammed through me; the world spun in a blur. I staggered up, breathing hard as the train disappeared in the distance.
Forget all of this. As I started to jog I knew I could think only of Hal now – nothing else.
Chapter Thirty-seven
The Shadowcar sat waiting at the kerb.
I pressed against the side of a building and peered out. I was barely inside the Sacrament city limits. The news that Gunnison could now extradite whoever he wanted had clearly already broken – the streets felt quiet, even for this time of morning. I stared at the smoke-grey van. It was like seeing one of the Central States resistance pamphlets come to life.
“No! Please!” Sudden shouts pierced the air. Two of Gunnison’s men appeared, dragging a struggling woman between them. “There’s no one to watch my children!” she cried.
“Better that than being watched by a Discordant,” said a Gun.
“Please take care of my children!” yelled the woman to the silent neighbourhood. She twisted in the men’s grasp. “Is anybody listening? Take—”
I flinched as a Gun struck her; she cried out and clutched her face. Blood twined over her fingers. They shoved her inside the Shadowcar and slammed the back door.
The van drove away, leaving quiet houses behind.
My blood beat at my skull. How could this be happening in the Western Seaboard? With my cap pulled low, I walked as fast as I dared through the streets.
Milt, hurry the hell up with that story, I thought. At least I didn’t have the documents on me. I’d left them in a train station locker and hidden the key.
In the two hours it took me to reach Ma’s neighbourhood, I saw dozens of Shadowcars cruising like bloated grey sharks. They seemed to be doing a systematic sweep, following the same route as me. By the time I neared the apartment I was ahead of them and hadn’t seen one for half an hour.
But they were coming.
“…for extradition to the Central States,” said President Lopez’s voice, floating out to the street from a telio somewhere. “This Peacefighting result deeply saddens me, but I urge all citizens to abide by the law…”
I could have happily smashed the telio to pieces. I stepped into a doorway to think, my mind racing. The city had woken up. Autos and streetcars pulsed past, and the sidewalks were busy with people on their way to work as if it was just an ordinary day.
I bumped my fist against my mouth. I had to get to Hal but couldn’t go to Ma’s house. Cain’s thugs might be watching it, looking for me. I shouldn’t even be here in Sacrament.
A group of schoolkids passed, giggling and shoving each other.
“You’re a Discordant!”
“No, I’m a Libra, Libras are great!”
I wanted to shout after them that this wasn’t a game. They’d given me an idea, though. I left the doorway and headed for a nearby vacant lot: a rubble-filled shortcut to the high school. Hal probably took it every morning the same as I had. I could only pray that he’d go to school today like always.
A deserted building sat on the lot. We kids had been forbidden to go inside it, and had of course gone anyway. Its walls were coated with graffiti, its floor littered with cigarette butts and beer bottles. It was the kind of place I’d loved back in the days of Rob.
I stepped inside. The door hung half off its hinges. I pressed against it and gazed tensely out at the lot. A path snaked through the rubble from years of teenagers crossing through.
What had seemed a good idea just minutes ago seemed pointless now. Ma must have seen the papers. She was silly sometimes but not stupid; she’d know what Hal’s chart being taken away must mean. I had a sudden, vivid image of her frozen with fear, keeping him at home today – playing right into the Guns’ hands.
I went still at the sound of voices, then realized it was only two girls carrying leather book satchels.
“Well, I think it’s scary,” said the first one as they approached. She and her friend wore neat skirts and blouses, their hair carefully curled. “Why should someone be Discordant just because of their zodiac sign?”
The other girl wore a silver brooch shaped like a ram’s curling horns. “There’s more to it than that, Francie,” she said earnestly. “You can tell a lot about a person from their natal chart. If they’re no good then why should the rest of us put up with them?”
“Before they’ve even done anything, though?”
“How do you know? If they’re the reason why things have been so hard for everyone recently, then…”
The girls passed by; their voices faded. I stared after them. Was it really that easy for Gunnison to take over people’s hearts and minds?
Collie had lived through this. He’d known. In a relentless rush, that moment under the palm trees came back, with the rain dripping gently around us and Collie’s fingers warm on my cheek. I love you, Amity. I always have. Don’t throw it all away. I’m begging you.
My heart clenched. I closed my eyes tightly. If anything had happened to him, it would be my fault. He’d only stayed because of me.
Another set of footsteps was approaching. I shuddered and swiped a hand over my face, somehow burying my fear for Collie.
A lanky, dark-haired boy wearing grey trousers and a short-sleeved shirt came down the path. He had his schoolbooks tucked under one arm and was trying hard to be casual, though his stiff shoulders gave him away.
Relief flooded me…and then I heard shouts nearby. “No! You can’t take him! Please!”
Hal stopped in his tracks, eyes wide.
“Hal!” I hissed.
He jumped and took a step backwards. “Who’s there?” he called shakily.
A tall, rounded Shadowcar glided into view at the far end of the lot. I didn’t stop to think. I lurched from the deserted house and grabbed Hal, putting my hand over his mouth as I pulled him back inside with me. He struggled; his books crashed to the floor.
“Stop it!” I ordered. “Stay still…” The Shadowcar passed and I let out a ragged breath. “It’s me,” I said in an undertone. “Hal, it’s just me.” I let go.
“Amity?” he gasped. He threw himself into my arms and we hugged tightly. From his trembling, I guessed he was struggling not to cry.
“You really came,” he choked out.
“Of course I did,” I whispered into his hair. I pulled away and clutched his narrow shoulders. “Tell me what’s happening at home. Hurry, we haven’t got much time.”
I could see my little brother attempting to control himself – to be contained and mature. “The…um… the Guns haven’t come back yet,” he said. “I think Ma has some kind of plan, but she won’t tell me.”
“Ma has a plan?” I repeated, incredulous.
“I think so. She said that I had to be seen going to school like always, but to duck away at the last minute. She said to keep moving no matter what, and she’d meet me at the park at ten o’clock.”
None of this sounded like my mother. Or did it? I licked my lips, remembering how she’d swooped in to help Collie that time he’d been sick – marching into Goldie’s house with soup and comics, ready to call a doctor no matter what Goldie thought.
“So she knows,” I murmured.
Hal was pale. “I’m a
Discordant, aren’t I?”
“Only to someone who’s a lunatic,” I said shortly. I gathered Hal’s books off the floor; a beer bottle rolled away as my hand brushed against it.
“But it’s the law now,” Hal said. “They can take me to the Central States and put me in a correction camp. Amity, people die in those places! I’ve seen a pamphlet that said—”
“I’ve seen them too,” I broke in. I straightened and shoved his books at him. “No one is taking you away. I won’t let them. Neither will Ma.”
Hal’s throat moved. He didn’t answer. He was old enough to know that there are some promises you can’t keep.
A cluster of teenagers passed and we fell silent. I stared at the cowed group from the shadows, hardly seeing them.
What was my mother’s plan? My own plan had been to grab Hal and leave town. I could still do it, but how safe would he be with me? I’d die to protect him; that wouldn’t keep him from getting captured if it came to that.
I could feel Hal watching me as I tapped my fist against the grimy wall, thinking about how Ma crumpled before authority…and also remembering her determined mouth when she’d said, And if I could, I’d take Collie away from that mother of his and raise him right here.
The lot was empty again. I slowly exhaled, then steeled myself. I put my arm around Hal’s shoulders.
“Come on, we’d better keep moving,” I told him. “We’ve got over an hour before we can meet Ma.”
The park bench was over to one side of the path beneath some trees; it was as secluded as we’d get here. It still felt much too exposed. I glanced at my watch again. Five past ten. Five more minutes, that was all I could give Ma. Then I was leaving and taking Hal with me.
Hal sat with his dark head down, hands clasped between his knees. We’d thrown his schoolbooks away in a garbage can. I’d seen Hal start to protest – and then go silent as he realized that he wouldn’t be returning to school anytime soon.
“We’re supposed to elect student council leaders today,” he said softly now. It was the first thing he’d said in a while. “Everyone will think it’s weird that I’m not there. Do you think they all know?”
I resisted the urge to look at my watch again. “They’ll probably guess, with all these Shadowcars everywhere.”
Hal winced and kept his gaze on his hands. I glanced at him, wondering what was going on in his head – whether he was actually attaching some shame to this. I bit back a sharp comment. He was only fourteen.
Collie was so much better at these things than I was. “Hal, it might be okay,” I said finally. “I can’t say too much, but there’s information that, if it gets out…well, it could make all of this go away.”
He looked up quickly. “What information?”
“I can’t tell you. But I hope it’s going to come out soon.” Eight minutes past ten. Ma, come on, come on.
Hal’s gaze stayed on me. He frowned, as if really seeing me for the first time since I’d arrived.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Oh, I’m just dandy. I’m sitting on a park bench evading Guns with my brother – what could be more fun?”
An unwilling smile tugged at his mouth. “You know what I mean. How are things with you and Collie?”
I looked down, tapping my fingers together, and shoved away the image of Collie in the sickbay bed, begging me not to fight. “Fine,” I said curtly. I didn’t add that I hoped he was still alive.
“I guess you’re pretty upset about Wildcat,” ventured Hal.
“What?”
“You know – in the papers. You must have known her, right? Did she really take bribes?”
“Don’t believe everything you read,” I snapped. “I thought you were smarter than that.”
Hal’s expression went stiff. “Well, excuse me for breathing,” he muttered to the trees.
He’s fourteen, I reminded myself. Eleven minutes past ten. I pushed my shirtsleeve down over my watch and cleared my throat. “Okay, look…I think we’d better—”
“Hal!” My mother appeared down the path in a perfumed flurry. Relief swamped me. Hal and I leaped up as she reached us; she hugged him tightly.
“I thought you weren’t here at first. Amity!” She hugged me, too. “Oh, darling, you shouldn’t have come,” she said in a fierce whisper. “It’s all much too dangerous right now.”
She had no idea. “I know,” I said. I glanced at Hal. “Ma, what are you planning?”
“No time – those terrible vans are everywhere.” She glanced over her shoulder and then tucked her arm through Hal’s. “Come on, I’ve got everything we need.”
She led us to the park restrooms and had me go into the Ladies’ first to make sure it was empty. Then she took Hal in. “Here, get changed,” she said in a rush, handing him a paper bag. “No arguments,” she added.
I stood by the door keeping watch, but the park was empty. A pall had fallen over the city. In the distance I could hear a siren.
Hal opened the bag and stared down at its contents. “Ma…this is a dress.”
“Yes, I’ve got a wig and shoes for you, too. Hurry!”
Hal’s eyes flew to mine. He looked panicked. Not by the dress so much; it was as if the gravity of this had hit him all at once. I wanted to hug him. There was no time.
“Do it, Hal,” I said.
Ma led us through the streets. She wore a hat with a veil, partly obscuring her face; Hal walked with his head down, unrecognizable in the blue dress and long, dark wig.
I touched his arm, as tense as he was but trying to hide it. “Hey, you’re a really pretty girl,” I said. “A lot prettier than me.”
My brother didn’t smile. “Wouldn’t take much,” he said finally.
We neared our neighbourhood. I licked my lips. I knew I should get away from my family before Cain’s men appeared, but I had to make sure Hal would be all right. I thought of the pistol still hidden under my waistband. I wondered if I could use it if I had to.
“I can’t go much closer to our house,” I said in an undertone to Ma. “I…I left without leave; I shouldn’t be here.”
Ma wasn’t paying attention. She glanced up and down the block. “This way is safest, I think,” she murmured, and to my relief she turned off several streets before our own, her high heels tapping against the sidewalk.
Hal’s gaze stayed on me, troubled. The wig made his black eyelashes seem longer. “You left without leave?” he repeated. “Why? For me?”
“Forget it, Hal.”
“But—” He bit off whatever he’d been going to say. “Do you think they’ll court-martial you?” he asked at last.
“I said forget it, all right?” At his expression I softened and tried awkwardly to joke: “Listen, that place was getting boring anyway. I’ll just have a little vacation and then go back. It’ll be fine.”
Hal fell silent. After a moment he frowned and glanced at me. I could almost see the gears of his brain working.
Ma entered Hyde’s department store; we cut through ladies’ wear and the perfume department. We came out on the next road over, adjacent to our own. She hastened us down a side street.
“This is it,” she said, stopping in front of a run-down brownstone.
In the window an astrologer’s red-and-black sign flashed. Madame Josephine’s.
“Here?” I took Ma’s arm and pulled her to one side. “Ma, no,” I whispered urgently. “She’s the one who must have told the Guns that you had charts done!”
“I know. We can trust her,” said Ma.
“But—”
“Listen to me!” hissed Ma. “We can trust her. Come on.”
As we went inside, I was ready to grab Hal and run if need be. Madame Josephine looked like any other woman on the street: middle-aged, with frosted blonde hair. The room had dark, heavy furniture, but seemed ordinary enough…apart from a large astrology chart on the wall. I stiffened at the sight of it.
“You’re late,” Madame Josephine said hurriedly to
Ma. “Hello, you must be Hal.”
Hal bit his lip and nodded. He tugged off the wig; his short dark hair appeared. No one laughed at the contrast this made with the dress.
“There’s a bathroom there. Go and get changed, sweetie,” said Ma, handing him the bag with his clothes. As he turned away, Ma stopped him and kissed his cheek. Her eyes were bright.
Once the bathroom door had shut, I said tightly, “Ma, what are we doing here?”
“Your mother comes here often.” Madame Josephine seemed to be preparing for a client: placing a red velvet cloth on the table, arranging candles. She glanced up. “No one will think anything of it if she keeps coming now that your brother’s run away from home.”
I stood motionless. “You mean Hal will be here?”
“Show her,” Madame Josephine said tersely to Ma.
Ma took me to a small bedroom with faded, flowery wallpaper. She opened the closet, then dragged out a battered trunk resting on the floor. She folded back a square of fitted carpet.
There was a trapdoor with a circular metal handle set into the floor. When Ma tugged on it, the door swung open like a mouth; a wooden ladder led down. Peering in, I saw a small, neat room, just large enough for its single bed and table.
“No one will know,” said Ma softly. “No one will even suspect. Until all of this passes over, Hal will have just disappeared.”
My fingernails bit into my palms. “You’re sure we can trust her?”
Ma nodded. “Yes. I have no doubt. The Central States think she’s sympathetic to them, but she’s on our side – she tipped me off about Hal weeks ago. Besides, she’s my friend.”
I stared down into the tiny room. All I could think of was how much Hal loved playing stickball with his friends. He’ll go crazy all alone down there, I thought. But the alternative was unthinkable.
“Ma?” said Hal.
I turned. My brother stood behind us wearing his own clothes again; Madame Josephine hovered in the bedroom doorway. Hal stared at the open trapdoor. I saw his throat move.
Ma grasped his shoulders. “Don’t worry, darling,” she said, her voice falsely cheery. “I’m sure it’s just for a little while.”