Mimic

Chapter 19

Emily

Liz and I wake up early to get to English class. It's weird having to act normal with everything that's been going on. We get ready for the day, and I put on the outfit I picked to leave UIT in. Once we're ready for class, I lace up my boots and we walk out the door.

We take the stairs with much complaining from Liz. The elevators are always too much of a hassle, and the stairs give me some semblance of exercise, which I haven't had any time for since I've been here. Liz doesn't share my enthusiasm, though, and would rather fight the crowds.

We get to the floor that our class is on and start walking toward the classroom, my brain still fuzzy from sleep. I rub my eyes. Someone runs into me.

"Sorry," he says, putting an envelope in my hand discreetly before hurrying away.

"Watch where you're going," Liz scolds.

I put the note in my pocket until I sit down at my desk. Once I make sure that everyone else is distracted or talking, I turn to Liz and pull the envelope back out of my pocket.

"When that guy ran into me, he gave me this," I whisper.

"What is it?"

My name is written on the front of the envelope in fancy gold lettering.

"I don't know."

I open the envelope and find two pieces of paper. One has a few lines of gibberish, and the other has the words: She can help you with this.

I hand this paper to Liz, who looks over it and shrugs and shakes her head before handing it back.

"The other one, maybe?" she asks in code.

"Yeah, she's the only other one I can think of that we'll see again soon," I nod. "Okay. I'll talk to her after classes."

"Are we all having lunch together today?"

"Beau and Sean work through lunch, remember?"

"Right. But everybody else?"

"I think so."

She nods. "I—"

"Alright," the teacher says as she stands up, holding up the book we're finishing before our test Friday. Ironic how I've been studying for this test, and now I'm not even going to take it.

I still can't believe that we're leaving UIT. We're getting out of the school, and then Initium is going to help us find a way to keep Dr. Young from hurting anyone else. They'll make sure that everything gets put right.

"...Emily?" she asks.

"Ma'am?"

"I said, based on what we've discussed about the book, which do you think would be better to have: a secretive, eternal life where you can never truly move forward, or a limited, uncertain one where you can make a difference in the world?"

"I think making a difference in the world is the real key," I answer. "I don't think the length of your life is necessarily linked to how much you can truly live, do you?"

"Fair point."

After my morning classes, Liz and I meet up with Myles, Mike, Kat, Samia, and Kara for lunch. Once we all exchange pleasantries, Liz starts into a conversation with the group so that I can talk to Kara.

"Hey, I got slipped this note today," I say, pulling the envelope out of my backpack.

She takes one look at the lettering and tells me, "This is from them."