The apartment was still empty when I got home. Ignoring my empty bedroom, which I’d cleaned before going to Cassie’s apartment, I headed straight to the shower.
I ran the water cold, to wake me up a little. Despite having not slept all night, I didn’t feel too bad.
As the water pounded my head, I ran through everything I’d learned in the last few hours, trying to put it into order. The biggest surprise, in some ways, was how quickly Cassie’s abilities were developing: from hearing random thoughts, to being able to focus and find one person in particular, was a big leap forwards. Without her input, from this unusual ability, I doubted I would have realised what was going on…
The process – if not the purpose for it – was at least becoming clear to me now. The various systems, including the transmitter inside me, tracked the changes The Council (or perhaps The Collective) was interested in. Everything I had found suggested that they were most concerned with our hormone levels and emotional state, leading to the point that these elements came together and caused a change in our marks. Black to red…it seemed like a warning.
I had wondered whether the change singled a maturing of something dangerous in us: that would explain why the removal of people was hidden as elopements. But if that was the case, surely with all the technology they used to track us, they could find a solution to whatever the problem was?
And I had seen Patrick, just a few hours before Cassie had seen him being dragged from his bed and removed from the Family Quarter. He hadn’t seemed dangerous at all…or like he was planning to run away that night.
I sighed. I knew what was happening, I just didn’t know why.
Shutting off the water, I stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. Not bothering to dry off properly before leaving the bathroom, I dripped my way across the hallway to my bedroom. As I walked through the door, the sensor beeped twice. I looked down at my wrist, knowing what I would see before I actually did. My mark was bright red now.
I waved it back across the sensor and it beeped twice again. That was the signal, I realised, remembering what had happened in Cassie’s room. I had wondered at the time, but now I knew. Cassie’s mark must have changed during the night: her natural hormone levels, maybe even an emotional change, triggering the mutation.
Whatever the reason for the change, what was most important was what happened next: I remembered Cassie’s nightmare and knew that they would come for us. Both our marks had changed, and both had now registered in the system. Time had run out.
I dressed without noticing what I was doing and then went rummaging through Father’s office. It didn’t take long for me to put together a collection of essential tools, and I placed the bag into a dark corner once I had finished. I guessed we had today and they would come for us tonight, so we had to behave as normal a possible.
Walking out of the apartment, I forced my racing heart to slow, not wanting to give The Council any reason to come for me more quickly. I was going to ask Cassie to leave with me today, but I wasn’t planning on eloping…