Chapter 9 - Secrets

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Leah slept the night with one eye open in the bed furthest from the window.

When her door handle turned, she was awake in a flash.

Kieran gave her a bizarre look as she jumped up, back against the wall, one hand on her Hilt she'd kept under her pillow. "Ten minutes until we're leaving. Make sure you're ready."

Leah breathed a sigh of relief. She pointedly ignored her shaking hands as she unclamped her fingers from her Hilt and went about her morning routine, even managing some breakfast this time before Kieran called them to the gliders.

Leah walked over as he pulled theirs upright. "Hey, um, Kieran?"

He glanced at her. "What's up?"

She couldn't find the courage to tell him about the intruder last night. The chance of her reference journal being gone for good was too much to bear. She'd put too much effort into that damned thing to have some jerk take it. "What exactly happens if someone loses their Displacer back to the League?"

He didn't look happy, but he answered. "They'd better hope they find it, because otherwise they'll be staying here for several weeks until the League's next batch comes in. Even that wouldn't be certain, because the Displacer system is highly regulated and doesn't exactly have room for careless mistakes. Why?"

"I was just wondering," said Leah. "I think someone mentioned someone who was left behind at dinner."

"Just don't let that be you."

Leah's hands were almost too unsteady to operate the glider smoothly, but somehow, they got there in one piece, even if it was commentated by Kieran the whole way.

At the site, Kieran changed the groups, ensuring there was an even number of people able to harden Light in each group.

"We're going to try it this way," he said as he re-assigned them. To Leah's dismay, Sef was still a captain, and she was still in Kieran's group. "Make a Light sheet of each mural, shrink it, trace it. Simple. Include all details, and if you have time, borders are also of interest."

"Why are we doing this again?" asked Dale, eyeing Leah like she was a sand sandwich.

Kieran intercepted Dale's glare. "To say the least, the quality of work I saw yesterday wasn't up to standards. I understand you aren't all as artistic as Leah, but I expect to at least be able to tell what in the Spire's names is going on in the scene. Clear?"

"Clear," echoed the group.

"Good. Anyone need a tutorial on how to make Light sheets and imprint?"

After one last quick demo from Leah, the groups headed down the ladder and into the ruins. Leah spent the first ten minutes creating Light sheets of a corridor for one of her team unable to do so before returning to her own station. The other girls in her group were capable of their own sheets, and Kieran had taken it upon himself to ensure the other two groups were following through.

Leah could barely concentrate. She kept looking up, ensuring she could always see May, her group member she was to stay in vision of. She kept checking the shadows, expecting to see a grey-garbed figure waving her reference journal from the corners.

What did he want with her, anyway?

He'd mentioned something about the code in the symbols. About proving herself--though what she had to prove, she had no idea. That she was capable? If she met his standards, would he continue holding her hostage? And what if she didn't? He didn't want her telling anyone about him so would he simple make her... disappear?

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