Jamar had figured Project High out. He was so proud of himself as he closed his ancestor’s journal and placed it back on the desk. It had only taken a reread of the journal and a scanning of the week’s video logs until it became clear. Lemuel was inciting the Cars to riot. It was brilliant.
According to the journal, a controlled riot could be started with the following three elements: the rise of a leader who wanted to fight something he could not control, a situation that would raise fear and anger and a pervading sense of hopelessness. The last one had made the least sense to Jamar, but his ancestor had said that those who felt as though nearly all hope was lost would be desperate enough to accept any scrap of hope given to them. It almost didn’t matter who the leader was, anything the leader said would inspire the masses to follow and give them an emotion that would be worth collecting.
The meeting with the teen was the clue that helped everything to fall into place. Lemuel was giving the Car the push he needed to fight back. Jamar had seen the feeds from the yard the next few days. At first the Car didn’t do anything, but his emotions were flying all over his face and when he started talking it was like a wildfire was sparked in a field of dry hay. The other teens and kids ate it up. They needed a reason to hope. And their emotions were all running high, especially after their food portions were reduced and the two Cars who were well liked were taken.
Once he knew what to look for, Jamar wanted to laugh. It was so simple and so obvious he was surprised that he didn’t notice it sooner. Even the guards knew, although they might have been around for the last riot and they played their oblivious parts well. He couldn’t wait to tell his father.
There was a knock on the door.
“What is it?” Jamar asked from his desk.
“Your father wants you to come down to his office right away,” Foxworth said.
“Excellent.” Jamar smiled. He ran down the stairs and walked through his father’s office door without knocking. There was another Car in the room and Jamar wasn’t sure what to think when he realized Silas was the Car. He’d walked right past Silas to approach his father’s desk and didn’t even notice who it was, but his father had an extremely watchful gaze in his eyes that drew Jamar’s attention to the Carillian. His first thought was that his father was going to do something similar to what he’d done with the last Car, but this felt different.
“I figured it out, Father,” Jamar said. He wasn’t going to tell what it was, especially not with a Carillian in the room, even if it was Silas. But he couldn’t keep the news inside. He had to let Lemuel know. Yet instead of a smile or acknowledgement, Lemuel didn’t even seem to hear him.
“Tell me,” Lemuel said, his eyes never straying from Silas although Jamar knew his father was talking to him. “What really happened with the bear?”
Jamar frowned. Silas was as still as a statue and Jamar couldn’t tell if this was because he was uncomfortable being in the owner’s office or because he felt guilt.
“Nothing,” Jamar said. “We crossed paths with the bear and I scared it off. That’s all.”
He expected Silas to interject and decided that when Silas did, his best bet was to accuse the Carillian of being a lying scum and wouldn’t know the truth if it chewed his arm off. Lemuel turned his attention to Jamar and Jamar stared back. Silence lengthened.
Lemuel cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow. “That’s not what he said.”
“It’s the truth.” Jamar’s pre-planned speech tasted bitter in his mouth. He should have known better than to trust a Car to cover for him. He’d thought Silas would be different, better somehow. Yet he was just like every other Car out there and it hurt more than Jamar thought.
“And I didn’t say it wasn’t,” Silas said. His voice held a challenge that Jamar would have never used with his father and Lemuel’s expression darkened.
“I could see the answer written on your face,” Lemuel said his voice dangerously deep. He kept his eyes on Jamar. “And I can see it in yours too.”
“I didn’t--” Jamar began.
“What? You didn’t tell me the truth? Lie? Think?” Lemuel shook his head. “Your very expression implies guilt.”
Jamar looked down at the carpet trying to relax his forehead.
“There are a few, certain relationships that require a foundation of trust and the father-son relationship is one. You can lie to your teacher, lie to your friends, you can even lie to your mother, but you should never, ever lie to me. Not even about something as juvenile as scaring a bear. You have broken my trust completely, possibly forever.”
The words felt like a bucket of ice water dashed in his face. Jamar could not remember a time when his father had been this mad at him and when he used his deep voice it meant he was very serious. For a few days it had seemed like Jamar was finally becoming a part of his father’s life, more than just the little kid he had to have following him around, but now that whole dream was ashes. Not just ashes, his father was banishing the dream, possibly forever. He couldn’t live like that.
A twist of rebellion sparked in him. His father was asking too much. He’d only lied because Lemuel seemed so proud of him. It was a moment when Jamar didn’t feel like a disappointment or failure and now his father was taking that away and taking away the hope of ever feeling it again. It wasn’t fair. His father wanted him to be perfect and he never would be. So what was the point of even trying? Despair and rage flowed into him. He’d make his father regret pushing him away.
“Now get out.”
Jamar stared at his father for a moment. He’d get out all right. Spinning on his heels, Jamar turned and stomped out of the room.
“You too,” Lemuel said to Silas before Jamar had a chance to close the door.
Jamar waited a moment and let Silas close the door behind them. He noticed that his hands were shaking and he jammed them in his pockets. He couldn’t let Silas know how angry and embarrassed he was. They both stood in the hall not saying a word and Jamar was grateful he didn’t have to say anything. In that moment Silas was the only person in the world he liked, he was the only person who had never pushed him away or treated him unfairly. They had come far in just a few days. They’d faced a bear together, they’d played together, they’d learned together and they’d survived a meeting with Lemuel together. It was as if they were brothers, bound by common experiences and struggles.
Silas let out a frustrated sigh and Jamar knew he felt their connection too. It made him feel warm inside and lessened his father’s sting. He had to show Silas how much it meant to have a friend. Jamar took a few steps away from his father’s door and waited for Silas to join him.
“I have to warn you,” Jamar said. This would be one way to get back at Lemuel.
“About what?” Silas asked. He walked closer and had lowered his voice.
“My father has arranged for you Carillians to riot and then he’s going to harvest everyone.”
Silas grew a shade lighter and his voice squeaked. “What?”
“Do you know about it?” His father would have been proud of the way he picked up on Silas’ expression.
“How did he arrange it?”
It did not answer Jamar’s question, but he didn’t really care. It made sense that Silas would feel a small attachment to his class and not want to betray them so Jamar picked his next words carefully. “It doesn’t matter. If they are planning to riot, my father is ready for it. He has this journal with all sorts of ways to make you Carillians feel stronger and make better e-mems. His plan is to get the teens to riot. He might even let them think they’re winning, but that’s only because the bigger the hope is, the more devastated everyone will be when they fail. And they will fail.”
Silas’ mouth was frozen in disbelief and horror.
“How do you know?” Silas asked.
“He had me sit in on his meeting with a Car teen, Marco or something.”
“Marcus?”
“Yeah, and then he pretty much told me
what he was doing.”
“Is Marcus in on it?” Silas asked. He faced Jamar as if ready for the truth.
Jamar shook his head. “No, he’s a weak-minded fool who doesn’t know when he’s being played.”
Silas nodded.
“So you can stop this?” Jamar asked. There was no point in telling someone if it would not have the desired result of hurting Lemuel.
Silas only shrugged. “I can try.”
“If you don’t, you know what will happen.” Jamar walked over to the nearest communications box. A guard would need to take Silas back to the ward. He placed his finger on the button.
“Wait.” Silas’ brow wrinkled and his eyes looked torn.
“What?”
“I have a sister.”
Jamar waited.
Silas took a deep breath and plunged on. “Her name is Malina and she’s sixteen. The riot could happen tomorrow. I may not have time to get them to change their minds, everyone is so... angry. If I can’t stop it, can you keep her safe? Send her to the farms?”
It struck Jamar that Silas was begging for his sister’s life. A Car wanted a Tirean to do something for him, give him special treatment. Jamar didn’t like where his mind was going and shook his thoughts free. No, it wasn’t a Carillian begging for a life. It was a friend asking his friend for a favor and not just any old favor, but one that really mattered. Silas wanted Jamar to protect what he cared about most. He trusted Jamar to help him and Jamar was not going to let him down.
He looked Silas in the eye. “I promise you that your sister will be safe. I will keep her from harm and make sure she survives.”
Silas eyes closed in relief. “Thank you.”
That one sentence kept Jamar wrapped in sunshine all day.