March City: Rebellion of the Gifted [Book 2 | Complete | Fantasy/Sci-fi]

Chapter 13: Deal with Candra

Ari roused from her deep slumber at a knock at the door. She hadn't realised she was so tired. With a full belly, soft bed, clean clothes, dimmed lights, and the reassuring warmth from Fris pressing into her back, sleep enveloped her and whisked her away. She padded across the room, taking care not to wake any of the other sleeping girls, and swiped her palm on the barely-lit reader beside the door. The dimmed glass opened a crack. Lira's grey eyes peeped through. Ari eased herself through the opening.

"Are the others all right?"

"They managed the transfer." Lira had accompanied the robots to assure the waiting students back the shopping facility of their bargain with the people in Candra. Jenny had returned shortly before they went to sleep and informed them the Candra leaders approved of the March City students' involvement. Ari had planned to wait for Lira's return. "Almost all of them were quarantined. Jenny said they were all infected, but only some of them showed symptoms. The remaining uninfected are next door."

"I see."

"Jenny tells me there was a lab working on a cure, and if we take on their conditions, they'll tell us more."

"Do you..." Ari wondered how she should phrase it. "Do you think Jenny's telling the truth?"

"You think she's too forthcoming with information? I think so, too. It's unnatural." Lira appeared thoughtful, a hand at her chin.

"You didn't read her?"

"It's not that easy reading people, you know. I'm not actually a mind reader. I just have acute senses and know how the human mind works — or, at least, how the average mind works in March City. Users. Students. People between the ages of ten and eighteen. Not adults, and certainly not those smart enough to engineer March City and keep all of us ignorant of the outside world until now. Yes, I tried to read her. I couldn't. I'm not sure if I can read any of the people here, at least not without long enough exposure. Perhaps in time. Her actions and body language seem guarded, but her words seem honest. She speaks with thought-through words, not impulsion. That makes it harder to read, but things don't look too suspicious — we are newcomers, after all. They also want our help, so they would aim to be honest and tell us enough to gain our trust. We can only tell with time."

"We're at their mercy, then. Until we find something better."

"I don't think it will work in our favour if we betray that trust, with what's out there, and with the technology we created and they harnessed."

"Technology that we can use." Ari gestured at the door. Sliding panels. Touch pads. The sort they were used to in March City.

"There are too many of them, Ari. And we need to seek the most ergonomic fashion to solve this. There is safety in numbers. These people are well-leaned in the way of this world. We are not. We need them to survive, and they need us, too. An alliance would be of great benefit to all of us. Don't get too lost in the high from breaking out and defeating Cryo. We've lost enough students. We can't lose any more."

Lira had a point. Ari nodded, feeling a knot in her stomach.

"And the isolated students... Mina is among them?"

"She is. She led the infected ones in and kept them calm throughout. She's quite the persevering one, your sister."

Ari sighed in relief. If only they could find the cure sooner.

"We should get some rest. In a few hours' time, the leaders will see us — those who are not infected, at least — and tell us the terms of the bargain. We need all minds to be rested. I want to trust them, Ari, but I, too, share your sentiments. Humans inherently lie and are selfish. We just have to manoeuvre carefully."