Chapter 12 | Athena Hailway

  “These terrorists don’t want what’s best for us, so why do we accept them into our cultures?”

  The auditorium erupts in applause and cheers. The speaker, a young man introduced as Mr. Evus, commands the stage with a presence that demands attention. He wears a sharp vest and bowtie that emits a polished, professional look which contrasts with the casual attire of the academy students filling the seats.

  I sit among them, listening, watching. No one else here was at the banquet hall when the bombs went off. No one else smelled the smoke, felt the heat of the flames licking at their skin. No one else saw people crushed beneath rubble, heard them screaming for help. No one else but me.

  And yet, as Mr. Evus speaks, I feel a chill run down my spine.

  “Those beasts, those murderers, those terrorists are inside these walls with us,” he continues, his voice smooth but edged with fire. “And what keeps them at bay? A punch? Some pepper spray? That’s all the protection your leaders have given you. These people- these monsters- will wait. Hours. Days. Months. Years. Decades if they must. Just for the chance to kill you.”

  Another surge of applause. I find myself clapping, too, but something about his words unsettles me.

  “The safety of our colonies rests in the hands of our leaders, and what do they do?” Evus throws his hands into the air. “They let you sit around, waiting for the next attack. What are you waiting for? For one of those bombs to go off near you? For your family to be next?” His voice grows sharper, more commanding. “You must be out of your mind if you think there aren’t people out there right now, brooding, plotting, waiting for their chance to strike. I won’t stand for it!”

  The room explodes with energy. Students leap to their feet, fists pumping. The air crackles with intensity.

  But my attention drifts.

  Mr. Evus is fidgeting with something on his hand; a ring. Every so often, I catch a glint of light blue reflecting off its surface, but when I focus on it, the glow is gone.

  His words linger in my mind, but I don’t think he’s right. He’s pushing for the people to turn against the colony leaders, blaming them for allowing terrorists to remain. The focus should be on taking out the terrorists themselves! I jot down my thoughts, my pen scratching against the paper in short bursts.

  They aren’t just notes. They’re the questions I need to ask him.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  As soon as the speech ends, Mr. Evus waves to the crowd and begins to step offstage. I waste no time.

  I push through the crowd, ignoring the looks I get as I hop onto the stage. Behind me, one of my professors shouts for me to stop, but I don’t slow down. I slip behind the curtain just in time to see Evus gathering his things, carefully placing papers into a dark leather briefcase.

  “Excuse me,” I call out, breathless. “Mr. Evus?”

  He stops, shoulders tensing slightly before he turns to face me. In the dim backstage lighting, his face is unreadable, but for just a moment, he seems startled.

  “Sorry to disturb you,” I say, stepping closer. “But I had a few questions, if you have time.”

  He steps forward, and as the stage lights spill onto his face, his expression shifts into something calm, collected.

  “I see,” he says smoothly. “And you are?”

  “Athena Hailway,” I answer, straightening my posture. “I’m a student here at the academy.”

  His eyes narrow, just for a fraction of a second.

  “Ah,” he murmurs, almost to himself. “So I see. Well,” he adjusts his cufflinks, “I suppose I have time for a student’s questions.”

  I exhale, steadying my nerves. “Thank you, Mr. Evus-”

  “Please,” he interrupts, raising a hand. “Call me Elijah. Formalities are for strangers.”

  I nod, flipping through my notes. “Alright then, Elijah. First question: why do you believe the colony leaders should take the blame for terrorism and crime?”

  He nods, as if he expected this. “A common question,” he says. “I believe they should be held accountable because they allow the terrorists to remain here instead of disposing of them. If they cared about you, or about your safety, they would have thrown these monsters into the ocean years ago.”

  I frown. “But what if they were born here? We’ve been in the colonies for almost a thousand years. Who’s to say they aren’t just like us?”

  Elijah exhales through his nose, shaking his head. “The leaders have the resources to know everything about everyone. If they truly wanted to root out these threats, they would. You should know that more than anyone, Athena.”

  My stomach tightens.

  “What do you mean?”

  He gestures to the emblem on my uniform. “You train to gather intelligence, don’t you? To learn everything about a person? Your work alone could expose every terrorist hiding among us.”

  He’s not wrong. But something about the way he says it makes me uneasy.

  “And if the leaders are leaving them here for a reason?” I challenge.

  Elijah smiles slightly. “Then that’s exactly my point.”

  I watch him carefully. Throughout our conversation, his fingers never stop fidgeting with his ring, and every so often, that strange blue glint catches my eye again. But when I try to focus on it, it’s gone.

  I don’t like it.

  After a few more minutes, Elijah checks his watch and sighs. “Oh, I’m sorry,” he says, brushing off his vest. “I’m running a bit late.” He pulls a business card from his pocket and hands it to me. “In case you have any more questions.”

  I take it hesitantly. “Thank you, Elijah.”

  He shakes his head. “No, it’s my pleasure.”

  He shakes my hand, then turns and strides deeper backstage. I turn to leave as well.

  Then something bright flashes in my peripheral vision.

  Light. A blinding white light.

  I whip around, heart pounding.

  There are no doors back there. And yet, Elijah Evus is gone. A chill spreads through me. I’ve seen this before. I know I have.

  But I can’t quite remember where.