The Girl Who Dared to Think by Bella Forrest (best novels of all time TXT) 📗

But at the same time... Zoe would’ve done anything for me. She already had done anything for me, been there when I’d most needed her, risked her ranking because of it. And if our roles were reversed, she probably would have found a way to reach me by now. The thought that I’d failed her for days, and might continue to fail her for more days to come, hollowed out my stomach.

I couldn’t ignore the fact that I didn’t know what her number was now, so I couldn’t gauge exactly how imperative it was for me to get to her. On the one hand, I could see their point about needing to be cautious and waiting until the heat had died down a little bit. But on the other... I knew all too well what the Medica treatment was like. And I also knew what happened to the ones.

“Good. Cali, next time we have visitors, just announce them, won’t you?”

“Sorry,” Cali offered, not at all contrite. “But this is her family, Mercury—it was important for her to be here. You understand.”

Mercury was silent for several seconds. “I do. I’ll contact you in a week, same time.”

“Over and out.” Cali punctuated her goodbye by hitting a button and causing the screen to go dark. I heard her rustling around for something, then felt her hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry it didn’t go well, dear,” she said, squeezing gently before removing her hand. “But he’s going to look into getting her out of there. We will get her out, don’t you worry.”

I was worried, and I was sick of hearing that I was not supposed to worry. But I didn’t see any other choice in front of me at the moment, so I could only ready my lashes in preparation of going home. I wasn’t sure how I was going to last, not knowing what was happening back within the shell—whether my friend was all right, if her ranking was still a four or if she’d dropped to a three—it was agony. I was doing everything I could to keep it together, to be patient.

Donning my goggles, I looked down at the hole, connected my line to the side, and swung out into the air.

And then the net began to buzz violently with activity, causing me to wince slightly and falter in my next lash placement as a masculine voice was digitally synthesized into my ear.

Liana?

31

I was breathless, my eyes already darting around and searching for figures starting to race in. If he was netting me, then that meant Scipio was picking me up somehow. It meant we were in danger.

Calm down, he said soothingly, but I detected the nervous tremor in his voice. Are you okay?

I looked over at where Cali’s legs were now beginning to poke through the underbelly of the greenery, indecisive for a heartbeat. Cali didn’t know about Alex. If she found out he was contacting me, she would want me to end it immediately, as it could draw attention to Sanctum. And if I were in her shoes, I would do the same thing. But my emotions weren’t allowing me to carry through, and I gave over to hypocrisy, deciding to keep talking to Alex, while hiding it from Cali. I threw my lash, moving away at a sedate pace—heading back to Sanctum, for now.

Liana?

“I’m fine,” I muttered, keeping my voice pitched as low as possible so he could still hear me. I was only a little worried Cali would notice, but it was so loud outside in the cavernous space that I would need to scream for her to hear. I just hoped she interpreted my not waiting for her as a desire to be alone, and didn’t decide to bridge the gap. “Why are you netting me?”

Are you joking? Liana, we just had your funeral two days ago. The net managed to convey his utter consternation and disdain for me at that moment, but none of that mattered.

They’d had my funeral two days ago. My parents and friends (and, up till today, my brother) all thought I was dead.

“What do they think happened?” I asked, unable to stop myself.

Your mentor was found murdered. Everyone knows you got the call from Scipio that he was down, and the net’s telemetry put you first in the area, and then moving away from it at a fast speed, presumably in pursuit of the person who killed him. But when you didn’t come back… and no one could find you… the Knights assumed that whoever killed Gerome had killed you too and dumped your body down a plunge or elevator shaft. What happened to you? Why didn’t you come home? Are you a prisoner?

“No,” I said, alarm coursing through me as his questions grew more and more invasive, and I found myself unable to process half of what he said. I glanced over my shoulder to see Cali a respectful distance behind, and tossed another lash, pressing forward.

“What do you mean, Gerome is dead?” I demanded.

They found him on the floor of dwelling C19. He had suffered a blow to the head, but it was later revealed that he died of poisoning. My heart leapt into my throat as I thought of the pill I had shoved between his lips, and I would’ve vomited, had Alex not added: The toxin was injected into his body. The autopsy notes a mark on his neck and speculates that was the injection point. It’s presumed Grey Farmless was the murderer, as Gerome caught him last week when he fell to the rank of one. I’m still not sure why or how he was released, but…

He trailed off, but I barely noticed, my stomach still torn to shreds. I had left Gerome unconscious and alone on the floor of that room, and someone had killed him. I knew it hadn’t been any of us—I was certain he had been alive when we left. Which meant someone else