but brushing her hair for the first time in what seemed like months yanked her back down to earth by the roots.
‘There,’ M said as she walked out from behind the partition. She presented herself as a model on the runway, hoping to get a smile out of Vivian. ‘Now I feel at least a little more human and a little less like a cyborg.’
Vivian looked up from her book, unfazed, and nodded. ‘Indeed. And please stay out of my personal things. I’ll give you a warning this time.’
‘How in the world did you know?’ asked M, looking behind her for a well-placed mirror that might have broadcasted her every move.
‘I didn’t know. I was just guessing. You’ve got to work on your poker face, Freeman.’
‘So,’ M continued casually, even though she was totally aggravated at herself for stumbling yet again, ‘are yougoing to tell me why you haven’t been in the Maze?’
If she surprised Vivian with her question, her roommate hid it well. ‘Who says I haven’t?’
‘You say it,’ said M. ‘It’s written all over you. Avoiding the conversation, not answering questions, and that suit in your closet looks brand-new, while mine is already beaten down from a single run in the Maze. Now, are you going to tell me or are you going to make me guess?’
Vivian closed her book and sat up straight. She appeared to be keeping her composure, but M knew that there was a quiet pride behind Vivian’s steely eyes. And pride can be a dangerous thing when bruised, as her father used to tell her.
‘The Maze,’ responded Vivian, ‘is the Keyshawn Noles show, a carnival ride that’s virtually untested. He found it in a pile of other scrapped projects built by some Fulbright old-timer. Since he fixed it up, only a few recruits have been asked to run the course, and I wasn’t chosen for the program.’
‘But you put in for it, didn’t you?’ asked M with a smile.
‘Of course I did.’ Vivian yawned as if the conversation were boring her to sleep. ‘Even though Keyshawn is a divisive person at the academy, I like to try every test available to push me.’
‘Push you to what?’
‘To be the best.’
‘Wait, you’re telling me that Keyshawn, little old dorky Keyshawn, is divisive here?’ asked M. ‘He’s just a science nerd.’
‘There’s a saying around here,’ said Vivian. ‘Keyshawn Noles everything or Keyshawn Noles nothing. And only time will tell.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ asked M.
‘It means that your lab partner has some crazy ideas about how science works and he’s been given a short leash to prove his theories,’ said Vivian. ‘When his concepts work, they’re brilliant.’
‘And when they don’t?’
‘When they don’t,’ admitted Vivian, ‘bad things happen.’
‘And that’s why he’s on a short leash,’ concluded M. ‘And that’s one of the reasons we’re working with him now. Beta testing.’
‘It’s not for me to involve myself in your issues,’ Vivian told M coldly. ‘Now, if you don’t mind, it’s been a long day.’ Then, like flipping a switch, Vivian laid her head down and fell instantly asleep.
She’s like a robot powering down , thought M as she watched her roommate slumber. Lying back in her own bed, M ran through her Fulbright experience so far, processing this new information. The thoughts scrambled in her head as she tried putting everything together, but the big picture was elusive.
She remembered her father’s video. It had been so strange to see him again, to hear him say her name one last time. She smiled at how nice it made her feel even though he was warning her. But what specifically was he trying to warn her about? Was he honestly telling her that the Fulbrights needed her help, or was that a ploy to get them to show her the video? Maybe he’d planted another message in the film somehow. She shut her eyes and replayed her father’s words and images over and over again.
Two things stood out immediately. The first was
‘There,’ M said as she walked out from behind the partition. She presented herself as a model on the runway, hoping to get a smile out of Vivian. ‘Now I feel at least a little more human and a little less like a cyborg.’
Vivian looked up from her book, unfazed, and nodded. ‘Indeed. And please stay out of my personal things. I’ll give you a warning this time.’
‘How in the world did you know?’ asked M, looking behind her for a well-placed mirror that might have broadcasted her every move.
‘I didn’t know. I was just guessing. You’ve got to work on your poker face, Freeman.’
‘So,’ M continued casually, even though she was totally aggravated at herself for stumbling yet again, ‘are yougoing to tell me why you haven’t been in the Maze?’
If she surprised Vivian with her question, her roommate hid it well. ‘Who says I haven’t?’
‘You say it,’ said M. ‘It’s written all over you. Avoiding the conversation, not answering questions, and that suit in your closet looks brand-new, while mine is already beaten down from a single run in the Maze. Now, are you going to tell me or are you going to make me guess?’
Vivian closed her book and sat up straight. She appeared to be keeping her composure, but M knew that there was a quiet pride behind Vivian’s steely eyes. And pride can be a dangerous thing when bruised, as her father used to tell her.
‘The Maze,’ responded Vivian, ‘is the Keyshawn Noles show, a carnival ride that’s virtually untested. He found it in a pile of other scrapped projects built by some Fulbright old-timer. Since he fixed it up, only a few recruits have been asked to run the course, and I wasn’t chosen for the program.’
‘But you put in for it, didn’t you?’ asked M with a smile.
‘Of course I did.’ Vivian yawned as if the conversation were boring her to sleep. ‘Even though Keyshawn is a divisive person at the academy, I like to try every test available to push me.’
‘Push you to what?’
‘To be the best.’
‘Wait, you’re telling me that Keyshawn, little old dorky Keyshawn, is divisive here?’ asked M. ‘He’s just a science nerd.’
‘There’s a saying around here,’ said Vivian. ‘Keyshawn Noles everything or Keyshawn Noles nothing. And only time will tell.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ asked M.
‘It means that your lab partner has some crazy ideas about how science works and he’s been given a short leash to prove his theories,’ said Vivian. ‘When his concepts work, they’re brilliant.’
‘And when they don’t?’
‘When they don’t,’ admitted Vivian, ‘bad things happen.’
‘And that’s why he’s on a short leash,’ concluded M. ‘And that’s one of the reasons we’re working with him now. Beta testing.’
‘It’s not for me to involve myself in your issues,’ Vivian told M coldly. ‘Now, if you don’t mind, it’s been a long day.’ Then, like flipping a switch, Vivian laid her head down and fell instantly asleep.
She’s like a robot powering down , thought M as she watched her roommate slumber. Lying back in her own bed, M ran through her Fulbright experience so far, processing this new information. The thoughts scrambled in her head as she tried putting everything together, but the big picture was elusive.
She remembered her father’s video. It had been so strange to see him again, to hear him say her name one last time. She smiled at how nice it made her feel even though he was warning her. But what specifically was he trying to warn her about? Was he honestly telling her that the Fulbrights needed her help, or was that a ploy to get them to show her the video? Maybe he’d planted another message in the film somehow. She shut her eyes and replayed her father’s words and images over and over again.
Two things stood out immediately. The first was
Similar Books
