Chapter 9
9
I try to swallow, but my throat is too tight. Why is this happening? The hard case of my phone presses uncomfortably against my groin. I attempt to squish my facial expression into quizzical innocence as I comply with the guards and, with trembling hands, empty my hoodie pockets.
All I have are my notes from my meeting with Michael, my pouch of sense, and a quarter and a stick of gum that have been living in the recesses of my pocket since whenever the last time this sweatshirt was washed.
The blond guard scrutinizes the provincial items extra carefully.
The gray-haired one pats me down. Arms, back, stomach. His eyes are as gray as his hair. And cruel.
My heart thunders as he impersonally pats down my legs, my thighs. For the first time ever, I’m thankful for those five extra pounds that now mold a cushy hideaway around my phone, keeping it in place.
A passing journeyman stops in her tracks and calls over, “Does the Council know you’re searching a recruit?”
“Move along, lass,” Gray-Hair says. But she doesn’t move along, and a cluster of other observers has started to form.
“This isn’t the way we do things here,” someone else insists.
Gray-Hair ceases his frisking, and Blondie tosses my things back to me, confiscating the quarter and the gum.
“We’re done,” he growls. “For now.”
After they stomp away, a few people linger to make sure that I’m okay, which is kind, but I just want to get out of here. I brush them off and rush toward the Winter wing, cursing myself for thinking I could ever do this job in the first place.
When I reach my room, I throw myself onto the couch and pull my phone from my pants. My hands shake uncontrollably as I stare down at the screen. No service, of course. No portal to the instant distractions where I could hide from the humiliation and fear of that entire interaction. Only a bunch of photos that are awfully incriminating.
I feel entirely out of my depth. It’s literally my first day here, and I’ve already attracted the suspicion of the guards. I don’t even know what I did to warrant their distrust.
Now I definitely can’t risk snooping again. Will they decide to search my room?
I lean back against the couch and close my eyes against the sting of imminent tears.
How am I supposed to do this?
Alfie was right. No one should have trusted me with this job.
I need some guidance on how I should handle all of this. Maybe I should go back to Michael’s office and call Kor.
Ha. No way. I’m never leaving this room again.
“You doin’ okay?” Georgie asks me when she comes in a few minutes later and finds me unsuccessfully attempting to cuddle her cat.
“Yeah,” I say, tamping down my panicked feelings and reaching for a safe excuse for why I’ve been crying. “I just really miss my family. It’s hitting me how isolated we are.”
She gives me a sly smile. “It just so happens that I can help you with that.”
“You can?”
She motions for me to follow her into her room, and I do, but I stop in my tracks once we enter. Despite the incredible technology of this place, I haven’t seen any computers. No screens in general.
But Georgie’s room has enough screens for the entire island.
The room is lit with the blue glow of many monitors and blinking lights. It reminds me of Izzy’s room, which adds one more pang to my generally miserable mood.
Georgie settles into a cushioned swivel chair and sweeps blond and purple tendrils out of her face as she begins clicking around on one of the screens. “It took some convincing, but Headmaster Bloche caved and let me have my setup here. My plan is to eventually get the Cipher guild on board with computer science.”
“Ciphers? They’re mathematicians and engineers, right?” She nods. “But aren’t you an Artisan?” Georgie wears an amethyst guildstone.
“Yes, but only because the Ciphers wouldn’t accept me. The Artisans are a good fit, but I was pretty bummed when the Ciphers turned me down.”
“I don’t get it; it seems like you’re perfect Cipher material.” I motion to all the computer stuff that surrounds us.
“It’s different here. They don’t understand computers. They didn’t let me submit any of my code for my gallerie, and I didn’t have any experience with their styles of engineering. The Makers’ technology evolved completely differently than the provincials’, and a lot of it is dependent on Sire abilities and Ha’i manipulation.”
Georgie pronounces “Ha’i” like “hai” instead of from the back of her throat, which I know from experience can be tough to get used to if you didn’t grow up with it.
She continues. “They use artificial nervous systems for high-level computing and genetic sequencing. But virtual reality, machine learning, the internet—they don’t have anything like that here. And they have this weird misconception that anything the provincials do must be inefficient or immoral in some way. But I intend to show them how computer science could advance this world even further.” Her eyes are bright with intensity. “In the meantime, I also really love clothing design.”
Ah. That explains the bolts of fabric in the corner and the mannequin in a scandalous state of half dress.
“So… do you have an internet connection?” I ask, cautiously optimistic.
“Yup. It’s satellite, and pinged through a bunch of other locations, so it can be slow, but it’s the good ol’ internet.”
Hallelujah! I cannot believe my luck. “Can I use it sometime?”
“Why do you think I brought you in here? You said you wanted to talk to your family. There’s no network for me to connect your phone, but I can set up a video call for you on my computer.” She clicks open the necessary window. “Just don’t tell anyone. The Makers don’t want me spreading ‘provincial trash’ around. And they’re scared the internet could lead people here. They’re not wrong, but I’m good enough to hide the signals to prevent that from happening.”
“So anything I say will stay private?”
Georgie laughs at this. “Even if there were someone on this island who understood how the internet works, they wouldn’t be able to get past my encryption. There are government agencies that can’t do that.” She grabs a sketchbook and bright pink headphones. “And you don’t have to worry about me.” She slides the headphones on. “I have a new album drop to listen to and a dress to design. Take your time!” She waltzes out of her room and closes the door.
When Kor answers my call and his smiling, surprised face fills Georgie’s screen, the anxiety whooshes out of me like an unpinched balloon.
“This is a secure connection,” I say.
“Are you sure?”
“Yep.” I feel the muscles of my face soften as the need for any artifice melts away.
“Wow, that was quick. I guess you’re pretty good at this.” He winks.
It’s nice to let him believe that for a moment.
“It’s not actually going that well,” I say.
“Why? What happened?” His brows scrunch with worry, but whether his concern is for me or for a possible wrinkle in his plan is anyone’s guess.
“The whole island is on high alert because of the Sire abductions. There are extra guards, and since I’m an outsider, people already distrust me.”
“Have you gotten into any trouble?”
“Well, not exactly, but—”
“Good. Why don’t you start by telling me what you’ve learned.”
We’re on borrowed time, so I try not to be too annoyed that he’s getting straight to business. I tell him about the Atlas and as much as I can about Arcadia. When I bring up the other school in Avant, he informs me that the Families know about Avant because it’s where Prometheus is from.
“We targeted Genesis for infiltration instead since Avant has a stronger military presence.”
“And do you know anything about the Misty Isles?” I ask. I’ve already heard these mysterious islands referenced more than once.
Kor’s never heard of them, and he tells me that finding out the extent of the Maker world should be a top priority.
I describe my apprentice classes. He’s very interested in my Ha’i class and has me show him how to make shiin. He reminds me how important it is that I master my Sire abilities and encourages me to do whatever it takes to improve more quickly.
I go on to tell him how I need to prepare to get admitted to a guild, and I use my notes from my meeting with Michael to give Kor a rundown of all the guilds.
“Apparently I’m going to have to write and perform a song,” I say. “I might need your help with that.”
Kor brushes this off. “Just don’t get distracted fiddling around. Which of the guilds do you think is most likely to know about the use of Sire abilities by non-Sires?” I have no idea where to start in looking for this supposed innovation that allows non-Sires to generate Ha’i.
“Maybe Bioscience?” I suggest. “Since they focus the most on healing compared to the others? I met a Bioscience master that I can try to ask about it.” I think of the kind redhead, Kaylie, who vaccinated me. She’d explained that they’ve eradicated a lot of illnesses here, including the common cold, the flu, and STDs. It had brought my attention to Bioscience as a guild that might be able to help Grandfather.
“Okay, then focus on impressing the Bioscience guild.” Kor’s eyes gleam as he types notes.
Yeah, it makes sense for me to aim for Bioscience. I’d been momentarily excited about the art and botany that Michael had discussed with me, but Kor’s right. That’s not why I’m here.
“I took some photos and video today that I’ll share when I can,” I say. I’ll have to figure out if it’s safe to upload to Georgie’s computer without her noticing anything fishy about my files. “And I’m pretty sure I learned where the written documentation of all of the Maker innovations are kept, though I don’t have access to it yet.”
This had been an exciting revelation in my Testaments class. I explain to Kor how we’d learned about the Guild Testaments—the most venerated of all the Testaments. They transcribe each guild’s innovations and discoveries, but each Guild Testament can only be viewed by members of that guild, and they’re kept in a highly guarded part of the library.
“So you’ll be able to access these documents once you’re in a guild?”
“I’ll technically only be able to see my own guild’s Testaments, but once I have access to that part of the library, I can see what else I can find.”
“Very good. So getting into a guild should definitely be your main focus. Try to make it the Bio one. It sounds like these Testaments may be a shortcut to a lot of what we need all at once. I’ll pass all of this on, and I’ll find out if the Inner Chamber or the Oculus have further instructions for you.” He gives me one of his soulful looks. “Ada, this is an amazing start. You’re doing so well.”
I end the call with renewed vigor. We’d never circled back to my concerns. I’d never even told Kor about what happened with the guards. But I’ve always craved Kor’s praise like a flower to the sun, and his clear approval of what I’ve accomplished so far has me positively photosynthesizing.
Kor will tell the Families I’m succeeding at my mission, and I know what I need to focus on. Finding out more about the locations and extent of the Maker world, learning how to utilize my Sire abilities, and getting into a guild so that I can access the Guild Testaments are all things that can be done without any high-risk activities. Even if I have to bury my phone back in tamponland and never snoop through another office, I can still be of use.
I can do this.