Chapter Eighteen

Delaney

Every ounce of adrenaline in my body rushed out of me as I sank into the passenger seat of Trai's car. Just like he had on the way here, Trai leaned back against the headrest, his eyes shut. I let mine droop as well, trying to relax but doubting that I'd be able to fall sleep. I was just going to rest my eyes for a second...

"Delaney, wake up," someone was whispering in my ear. "We're back." I sat up groggily and rubbed my eyes.

"Hm?" Through bleary, sleep-tainted vision, I managed to focus on Trai's face.

"Come on," he encouraged, pulling me to my feet, "let's go." I allowed him to help me out of the car. The icy air woke me up instantly, and I realized that we were right in front of my house.

"I'll walk you back to the door," Trai volunteered, smiling.

"No, no, you don't have to," I said, and I meant it. The last thing I needed was my parents up my butt about a boy driving me home.

"Really, I do," Trai insisted. "And besides, you still have my jacket, and I wouldn't want you to get cold on the way to the door."

I sighed and rolled my eyes, too tired to argue. "Well, let's go, then."

At the front step, I turned around and pulled off Trai's jacket. "Um, thanks, I guess," I said choppily. "Here's your sweater."

He shook his head, grinning that incessant grin. "I think you want to keep it," he said, eyes twinkling with mischief. I envied the way the events of the past hours seemed not to have affected him in the least.

"Yeah, right—who knows where that thing has been?"

"Whatever, Delaney," he said lightly. "I'll see you later. Get some rest, okay?."

I nodded as he went back to his car and started the engine. I expected him to drive away, but he idled at the sidewalk until I opened the door and went inside.

All I wanted to do was collapse into my bed and sleep for the rest of my life. I was exhausted and angry and confused, and nothing sounded better at that moment than releasing myself to my dreams.

My parents, however, had other ideas.

"Delaney Escott!" my mother bellowed. "Where have you been?"

Mom and Dad were standing just inside the door, both sporting furious glares. I knew my lie about being at Lizzy's wasn't going to work; obviously, they had figured it out.

"I—um," I stuttered.

"We called Daria"—that was Lizzy's mom—"who said not only that you weren't there, but that Elizabeth was off at a party."

A party on a weekday? I took the out without hesitation. "That's where I was," I explained, the lie slipping from my lips with ease. "I was at the party."

Silence. I stared at them as they stared at each other, and hoped they would believe me. Then my mom smiled.

"And who was that boy who dropped you off just now?" she asked knowingly.

"He's...well...see," I stammered uselessly. Her smile grew.

"He's your boyfriend, isn't he?"

"Boyfriend?" Dad bellowed.

I shifted uncomfortably, painfully aware of the fact that my cheeks were turning bright red. "No, Mom, jeez," I muttered. "He's just a friend."

"Right. A friend."

"I'm not kidding, I—"

"Go on up to bed, honey," Mom interrupted, shooing me out of the room. It was confusing, to say the least, the way they changed so suddenly. Honestly, though, I was too tired to care, as long as I got out of a lecture and grounding.

Moving at a snail's pace, I plodded to the shower and let the hot water run over my skin until it started putting me to sleep. When I exited the bathroom with a towel wrapped around me, the hall lights were off, a sure sign that my parents had gone to bed.

Back in my room, I threw on sweatpants and a t-shirt several sizes too big, then snuggled into my comforter. Now that I finally had the chance, though, I found I couldn't fall asleep. The silence of my room served as the perfect atmosphere to mull over the trip to Arlington, and that's what my brain—without my consent—decided to do.

The thing that I really couldn't get over was Ms. Shea's appearance at the meeting. She was a teacher; they were the ones who taught us about how perfect the Superiors are; her secret beliefs threw the whole system out of balance. Though, remembering what she'd said to me after school in her classroom, it made sense.

Popularity is unnecessary, to say the least. And the importance that's placed on it is just...disgusting.

She could hardly tell me the true history of the Superiors, but she'd wanted to. That was hesitation I had noticed in her eyes. Absently, I told myself that I'd have to ask her about it on Monday. Then, realizing what had just run through my mind, I was hit with an overwhelming feeling of guilt. If only I had listened to Ms. Shea, and left when she'd said to, she would be okay.

No, another part of my mind argued , if you had left early, you wouldn't have discovered all the things that you did. Ms. Shea will understand.

I was about to argue with myself, but somehow knew that I was right. Ms. Shea would get it; she wouldn't blame me, and it wasn't doing me any good to worry about her. At that moment, what I really needed was rest. And, what with my mind at least partially at ease, I could finally get that.

Flicking off my lamp, I burrowed deeper into my pillow. I reached out for my phone without thinking, seeking the solace of music to see me off to dreamland. But when I plugged in my headphones and turned it on, something else began to play. It was the voice recording of Jeremy Fairleigh that I had taken just a few hours ago, at the meeting. It was weird, I guess, but I didn't change it. Instead, I closed my eyes and let the Superiors' secrets lull me to sleep.

○●○●○●○

There was a substitute in Ms. Shea's class the next day. I don't know what deluded me into thinking that when I walked into art on Monday, my usual teacher would be there, but I found myself bitterly disappointed when she wasn't. Instead, a severe-looking woman—the board said her name was Mrs. Ahlgren—stood rigidly in front of Ms. Shea's desk, observing the class through narrowed eyes.

She glared at me as I eased into my chair. I averted my gaze, suddenly becoming very interested in the tiled floors.

"Today," Mrs. Ahlgren began once the late bell had rung, "we will be studying the history of pointillism." She didn't explain why Ms. Shea wasn't there, just carried on the class as if she had always been our teacher.

None of my peers seemed fazed by the sub in the least. I, on the other hand, was thoroughly bothered, and found it difficult to focus on the lesson.

I doodled little flowers on my notebook, letting Mrs. Ahlgren's expressionless voice wash over me without hearing any of the words she was saying. I couldn't stop wondering what had happened to Ms. Shea, where she was, and whether or not she was still okay.

Caleb

When I slammed my locker shut after lunch the next afternoon, Delaney's head was waiting right behind it. I jumped and staggered backwards.

"I hope that basketball game was fun," she said, her tone accusatory. "'Cause you missed a lot."

I shrugged, pulling my backpack onto one shoulder. "Well, we won."

Delaney just rolled her eyes. "Sounds fun," she said sarcastically. "Go Ridgebourne. But seriously, Caleb, you won't even believe what we learned last night."

I raised an eyebrow, inviting her to go on, but she shook her head. "Trai's driving me to your house after school," she announced. "We'll tell you then."

With that, she turned around and walked away just as the bell rang, leaving me wondering exactly what I'd missed the night before.

○●○●○●○

True to her word, Delaney showed up at my front door after school with Trai in tow. I led them through the house and upstairs to my room, where they dropped down on the black futon under the window. I sat backwards on my rolling desk chair and slid it across the hardwood floor until I was in front of them.

"Well?" I said, looking at them expectantly.

Together, the two of them recounted the events of the night before, from the second they got out of Trai's car in Tukwila to their arrival back in Seattle. I listened without comment, raising my eyebrows when they mentioned seeing Ms. Shea and gaping in disbelief when they described how the Superiors had come down on the building.

"Wait, wait, wait," I said. "They were actually there? As in, you're certain that it was the Superiors?"

Delaney gave me an exasperated look. "Isn't that what I just said? Now shut up and let me finish."

I obliged, and she went on to explain Ms. Shea's capture. It all made sense suddenly, since we'd had a sub in her class that day. Although I really wanted to comment there, I restrained myself, waiting until Delaney and Trai were completely finished with their story.

It took me a moment to find words. "That's intense," I remarked, earning me a glare from both of them.

"That's the understatement of the century." Delaney sighed, sliding down from her perch on my futon and onto the floor. She ran a hand through her hair and tugged at the hem of her tank top.

While I was in equal parts appalled and fascinated by what they had just told me, I was itching for one of them to share what they'd found out about the Superiors.

As if reading my mind, Trai said, "But it wasn't for nothing." He looked at Delaney. "Show him?"

She nodded and pulled her phone out of her jean's pocket. I frowned in confusion as she fiddled with the screen, then handed it to me. A second later, a voice began to play out of the speakers, slightly muffled but clear enough to understand.

"I'd like to begin by giving you all a quick background on the Superiors," it said. I felt my breath catch in my throat. With every muscle in my body tensed, I listened to the man confirm my suspicions as carelessly as if he were discussing the weather.

When he got to the part about memory wiping, I froze, pressing pause and nearly dropping the phone in the process. "Oh my God," I murmured.

"There's more, you know," Delaney said, but I hardly heard her.

"He's kidding right?" I asked to no one in particular. "He has to be kidding." A thick feeling of dread sank over me.

"Caleb?" Delaney sounded nervous. "What's wrong?"

Her concern jolted me out of my reverie, bringing me back to the harsh reality of the situation.

"Are you sure he was telling the truth?" I asked as calmly as I could.

She frowned. "No. But it makes sense, don't you think?"

"That's awful," I muttered.

"I know."

A heavy silence hung over the room as we stared at each other with solemn faces. After a while, I pressed play and listened to the rest of the tape. It went on for nearly an hour. When it finished, I couldn't speak.

"So, what now?" Trai asked.

"I don't know," I admitted.

"What do you mean, 'you don't know'?" Delaney demanded, snatching her phone out of my hand.

I blinked. "I mean, I don't know."

She sighed. "Isn't it obvious what we need to do?"

"No."

"When you know something as earth-shaking as this, it isn't fair to keep it to yourself. People need to know the truth; we can't let them go on living in the dark."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Trai began.

"Why not?" Delaney retorted. "Don't you think what the Superiors are doing is wrong?"

"Of course, but—"

"But what?"

He didn't respond for a moment, and closed his eyes as if searching for the proper response. "It's just that people are fragile. And they've believed in the Superiors for so long that it's going to be difficult for them to face the truth."

Trai had a point. Most people my age were caught up in the Superiors, and some, like Carlie, for instance, saw them as like...gods, or something. They wouldn't take very kindly to their beliefs being challenged.

Delaney, however, was adamant.

"We faced it, didn't we? Besides, the worst they can do is not listen to us."

"We don't know for sure that this is all true, though," I said.

She glared at me, evidently exasperated. "If it isn't, then why did the Superiors go to such lengths to stop the meeting? They killed a man, for God's sake!

"And Caleb, if we don't do something about this, you're going to be Chosen, and this will all have been for nothing."

I didn't have an answer to that.

"Can you guys please just admit that I'm right so we can move on?"

Trai and I glanced at each other, frowning. On some level, we both knew that Delaney was right. We—well, they—had gone through all of that trouble to acquire the information about the Superiors. It would be pointless to let it all go to waste. The only way to do something about it, however, would be to tell everyone—or at least, as many people as possible. But we had to act soon; before the Superiors came to Choose.

"Fine," I relented, "how do you propose we do this?"

She smiled mischievously. "I thought you'd never ask."

Delaney

"Are you sure you know what your doing?"

I looked up from Caleb's computer to give Trai a dry stare. "Don't you doubt me," I warned, plugging my phone into the side.

He rolled his eyes. "Alright, just don't break anything."

"Sure thing, mom."

There was silence for a moment as I tapped the computer's screen, frowning. Trai leaned over my shoulder.

"So, I guess you're into computers?"

I nodded, but didn't look at him. "Computers, cameras, whatever; I'm pretty versatile."

Smirking, he teased, "So basically, you're just a giant nerd?"

I punched him in the arm.

"Jeez," he said, examining the spot where my fist connected with his flesh. "For such a little person, you've sure got a lot of power."

I punched him again. And again.

"Okay, okay stop!" Trai laughed and grabbed my hands before I could hit him a fourth time. "I surrender." I shook my head and pulled my hands away, snickering.

"Leave me alone," I ordered him, but without venom. "I need to finish. You're distracting."

"Your wish is my command," he said, bowing. I smacked the top of his head with the back of my hand.

"So what are we doing, again?" Caleb asked, walking into his room with a can of soda in hand.

I looked up from the computer. "Well, I just loaded the voice recording I took onto your laptop. I'm going to cut out the most important parts of the track and lay it over some images with music and clips of us speaking. Sound good?"

Trai nodded. "And how are we going to, like, get it out there?"

"The Internet is a very magical place," I told them, smiling in what I hoped was a mysterious way. "In other words, I'm gonna post this chiz all over the Net."

Just then, the recording, which had just finished uploading, began to play quietly. I turned back to the laptop and brought the track over to the movie-maker installment with a few swipes.

"By tomorrow, there won't be a person alive who hasn't heard about this," I said confidently.

The boys stared at me for a moment. Then Caleb's face broke into a smile, and he announced, "Delaney, you are a freaking genius." I'll admit, it felt nice to be appreciated.

"Who's a genius?"

All three of us whirled around. Standing in Caleb's doorway, looking completely natural, was Abigail Kaiser, the rebellious girl from my science class. Her red-streaked hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she wore a baggy black shirt with white shorts and combat boots. It was a strange combination, but she somehow pulled it off.

"Abby?" Trai said incredulously. "What the hell are you doing here?"

The girl narrowed her heavily made-up eyes. "Someone forgot to pick me up from cheer practice. I came in through the back."

Trai cursed under his breath. "Shoot, sorry about that. How did you get here?"

Abigail scoffed. "I got a ride—no thanks to you."

Two thoughts grappled for attention in my mind. One was, holy crap, this girl's a cheerleader? The other, which was probably more important, flew out of my mouth a moment later.

"You guys know each other?" I asked dumbly. Trai looked at me strangely.

"Yeah, this is my sister." And it all suddenly made sense. Trai Kaiser. Abigail Kaiser. I felt like an idiot for not putting the two together sooner.

Abigail glanced over, as if noticing me for the first time. Her nose wrinkled in disgust. "Oh, it's you," she muttered. "What's this chick doing here?"

I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry and useless, but Caleb answered for me. "Delaney is helping me and Trai with a project," he explained smoothly. Her eyes became slits.

"What subject?"

"Tech. She's kind of a prodigy where that stuff is concerned."

Abby regarded us all suspiciously for a moment, then slid her black bag off her shoulder and tossed it to the ground. "Cool—can I see?" Maybe it was just me, but I thought I detected a hint of distrust in her tone.

Instinctively, the three of us edged closer, so that we were covering the computer screen. But in the ensuing silence, the softly playing recording was suddenly deafening.

"...government officials were too busy panicking to realize that, one by one, in a very obscure manner, all of their best politicians were being picked off. Murdered, to be exact."

"The hell is that?" Abby demanded, stepping forward. I tried to mute the laptop, but the girl was quicker. She dashed forward and shoved me out of the way before I could touch the screen. I toppled off my chair and onto the ground.

"Abby, don't—"

"Shut up, Trai," she snarled, turning up the volume. We all watched her as she stood there, leaning against the desk and listening. I think one of the boys could have stopped her, if they wanted to, but by then she'd heard so much that it would have been hard to lie.

As the words "the real humans" cracked out of Caleb's computer, Abby, pressed mute. I stared at her, waiting for a reaction. And of all things, the girl laughed.

"I knew it," she shouted, still laughing. "I knew there was something sketchy about those lying lab rats."

That didn't surprise me.

"Where did this come from?" Abby asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. Trai and I glanced at each other.

"Well, you see..." And for the second time that day, we explained.

○●○●○●○

An hour later, I had cut up and rearranged the track, ending up with audio playing behind a simple black screen covered with undulating, colorful ribbons. Now, all that was left was to add narration. I expected Caleb to do the talking; after all, he was a great speaker, not to mention he had the type of voice that people like to believe. But when I passed him the computer, with its built in microphone, he handed it back to me.

"No, you should do it," he insisted. I stared at the laptop with hesitant incredulity. From across the room, Abby groaned.

"Oh, please," she muttered. "It's not that hard. If you won't do it, I will."

I bristled. At first, I'd been willing to tolerate Abby, partly because she was on our side, and partly because the guys liked her. But over the course of the evening, she hadn't said a single nice thing to me. In fact, it seemed that every word that left my mouth provoked a scathing comment from her.

"I've got it," I replied wryly. "But thanks for the offer."

"You know what you're going to say?" Trai asked, looking up at me. He was sprawled out on Caleb's carpet, methodically popping cheese puffs into his mouth.

"She'd better," Caleb cut in, glancing at his desk clock. "My parents will be home soon, and I think they'd be less than happy to see her here."

I caught Abby smirking smugly before she smoothed her face into a mask of indifference.

"I'll figure it out," I muttered, pulling myself closer to Caleb's desk on the rolling chair. I glanced about the room, at the plain white walls peppered with band posters, the twin-sized bed shoved into the corner, dark wooden dresser and black canvas futon. It didn't seem like a Popular's room.

"Hurry it up, already," Abby snapped, yawning. I made a face, but turned back to the computer, my finger hovering over the "record" button. Before Abigail could snarl another rude remark, I pressed down on it. It took a moment for the program to initialize, and when it did, words spilled over my lips without being coaxed.

"We think we know our government," I begin. "We think we know the Superiors, that we can trust the Superiors, and that they have only our best interests in mind. For a very long time, they have been the foundation of our society. But everyone has secrets, perfect or not. Many of you listening right now have utmost faith in the Superior government. Well, forget all that. I'm going to challenge your deepest beliefs. Prepare yourselves, because everything you thought you knew about the Superiors...is wrong."