heel and strode back, pacing through the small room. “Things have been different since you left. I’d imagine you would have guessed, but you don’t know the extent of it. Skyship has been all over us, infiltrating every sector of our organization. The President caught wind of it too late, as is usual for him.” Her delicate fingers balled into fists at her side. “Things are even more combustible than before.” She paused, smiling. “Combustion. You’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?”
“I don’t—”
“That’s right,” she interrupted, as if reading his mind. “You don’t care about affairs of the Unified Party anymore. You’re a little maverick, now. Good for you.” She moved back to his side, grabbing his right sleeve and pulling up to reveal his wrist. “I see I’m not the only one with a scar. I’m impressed, Cassius. You had the force of will to remove your microchip and manage to get across the border undetected.” She pressed hard on the scar with her thumb, sending a jolt of searing pain up his arm. “Pretty clever.” She released his throbbing arm. “Don’t think about summoning any fireworks today. I’ve got you on strong medication. You’re not going anywhere until I want you to.”
He winced in pain as she slid to his shoulder, whispering in his ear. “Why did you have to do it, Cassius? You showed such promise. I was prepared to give you everything, but you threw it away.”
She spun forward and grabbed his chin, pushing the side of his face into the cold metal. Her polished nails pricked his skin. “You don’t leave your mother like that, buried under rocks in the middle of a wasteland. It’s inhuman. I taught you better than that. You were weak, Cassius. It was a coward’s move.”
He sputtered, stealing a breath as she let go of him. His head hung low. He glared up at her through exhaustion. “I didn’t—”
“Don’t talk back to me.” She straightened her blouse. “You’re in no position to talk back to me.”
He analyzed her cold, distant eyes. They were emptier, somehow, like she’d lost more than her flawless face these past few months. For a moment he felt sorry for her, but it was a fleeting emotion replaced quickly with anger.
“You sent Avery Wicksen after me,” he muttered. It came out part declaration, part question.
“So I did,” she replied. “People have their uses long after you’d suspect. Even you, Cassius, still hold some value to me.”
He scoffed. “Is that why you’ve got me chained up in here?”
Her brows raised. “After all you’ve done, you’d expect me to let you roam free?”
“I want out,” he said. “That’s all. I don’t want anything to do with you.”
Her eyes slit. “I’m afraid that’s a choice that you don’t get to make. We have a history, Cassius. It’s not so easily erased.”
He swallowed and found his voice. “I … I saw you there, buried under the rocks. There’s no way—”
“I know you did.” She paused. “Did that make you upset? How long did it take before you forgot about me?”
He rattled his restraints. “Let me go!”
She laughed, which only made him angrier. “You’re so aggressive, now. You’d have never spoken to me like that before. Maybe Canada was good for you.” She removed her spectacles and pulled a cloth from her pocket to polish the lenses. “But you’re not equipped to be on your own, Cassius. You belong here, with me.”
He met her eyes and knew instantly that it was a mistake. This was what she wanted. A connection. And once she found it, she knew exactly how to exploit it.
“You’re getting older,” she started. “I’ve noticed it these past years, but things have grown out of hand. There’s normal teenage rebellion and then there’s you.” Her eyes latched onto his. He felt helpless, unable to break free from the bonds and do something. “Harnessing, I call it. This entire wing’s devoted to the study of it. A personal interest of
“I don’t—”
“That’s right,” she interrupted, as if reading his mind. “You don’t care about affairs of the Unified Party anymore. You’re a little maverick, now. Good for you.” She moved back to his side, grabbing his right sleeve and pulling up to reveal his wrist. “I see I’m not the only one with a scar. I’m impressed, Cassius. You had the force of will to remove your microchip and manage to get across the border undetected.” She pressed hard on the scar with her thumb, sending a jolt of searing pain up his arm. “Pretty clever.” She released his throbbing arm. “Don’t think about summoning any fireworks today. I’ve got you on strong medication. You’re not going anywhere until I want you to.”
He winced in pain as she slid to his shoulder, whispering in his ear. “Why did you have to do it, Cassius? You showed such promise. I was prepared to give you everything, but you threw it away.”
She spun forward and grabbed his chin, pushing the side of his face into the cold metal. Her polished nails pricked his skin. “You don’t leave your mother like that, buried under rocks in the middle of a wasteland. It’s inhuman. I taught you better than that. You were weak, Cassius. It was a coward’s move.”
He sputtered, stealing a breath as she let go of him. His head hung low. He glared up at her through exhaustion. “I didn’t—”
“Don’t talk back to me.” She straightened her blouse. “You’re in no position to talk back to me.”
He analyzed her cold, distant eyes. They were emptier, somehow, like she’d lost more than her flawless face these past few months. For a moment he felt sorry for her, but it was a fleeting emotion replaced quickly with anger.
“You sent Avery Wicksen after me,” he muttered. It came out part declaration, part question.
“So I did,” she replied. “People have their uses long after you’d suspect. Even you, Cassius, still hold some value to me.”
He scoffed. “Is that why you’ve got me chained up in here?”
Her brows raised. “After all you’ve done, you’d expect me to let you roam free?”
“I want out,” he said. “That’s all. I don’t want anything to do with you.”
Her eyes slit. “I’m afraid that’s a choice that you don’t get to make. We have a history, Cassius. It’s not so easily erased.”
He swallowed and found his voice. “I … I saw you there, buried under the rocks. There’s no way—”
“I know you did.” She paused. “Did that make you upset? How long did it take before you forgot about me?”
He rattled his restraints. “Let me go!”
She laughed, which only made him angrier. “You’re so aggressive, now. You’d have never spoken to me like that before. Maybe Canada was good for you.” She removed her spectacles and pulled a cloth from her pocket to polish the lenses. “But you’re not equipped to be on your own, Cassius. You belong here, with me.”
He met her eyes and knew instantly that it was a mistake. This was what she wanted. A connection. And once she found it, she knew exactly how to exploit it.
“You’re getting older,” she started. “I’ve noticed it these past years, but things have grown out of hand. There’s normal teenage rebellion and then there’s you.” Her eyes latched onto his. He felt helpless, unable to break free from the bonds and do something. “Harnessing, I call it. This entire wing’s devoted to the study of it. A personal interest of
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