“Of course you don’t. You are all so shortsighted. Drink your tea, and I shall illuminate things for you.”
I raised my shaking hand, taking a sip.
“And another.”
As I did, she took the plate of chocolates that were arranged in a high pyramid.
“Power, people think the strongest get it. They would be wrong. You see, power is a balancing act. For those who cannot maintain the balance, the power is gone before they even have a chance to use it. Please take a chocolate from the bottom of the pyramid.”
I did as she said.
“You need many on the bottom to hold up the top. When you take a single piece from the bottom, just one, the power isn’t affected. But we need a reason to keep those at the bottom. They have to believe in their roles.”
She gestured to my tea. I took another sip.
“So we chose you, our little sacrificial lamb. You had an obvious defect, so the ones below would see you as flawed but still chosen because you listened, helped, and adhered to our way of life. Or that’s what they saw.” She smiled, indicating my tea. I took another sip.
“Everyone always thinks fear keeps the balance. They are also wrong. You cannot have fear alone. You must also have hope. Duality. The Defects saw you in color, saw you succeed. Believing they too could become more than they are, they became more compliant and more eager to uphold our peace. Because maybe they too could be saved.” She laughed, and goosebumps coated my skin.
“It worked so well, how quickly they sought us out. F17443485 came running to us the moment you got your contract. Desperate not to be left behind.”
Left behind. The floor fell out from under me, my heart thudding pathetically.
“We knew she might when we synced your work schedules, but—you’ve figured it out. I see it in your eyes.” Tabitha grinned like I had given her a treat. “You call her Lo, correct?”
I hadn’t seen it. Her need for details. Her desperate desire to be included.
“Lola is her given name, but she didn’t tell you that. Among other things. The secrets she was willing to share for her contract, and what she handed over for her cohabitation rights . . . That is power.”
Lo had betrayed me.Tell me everything, Emeline. Tell me what’s wrong. Tell me what happened. Tell me.
Delight lit Tabitha’s eyes. “Where was I? . . . Yes. Also, in choosing you, your presence struck fear into the Elite. Fear that they were replaceable. Unimportant. Especially after so many saw you without that lens in. Saw how defective you were when he didn’t cover you up. It didn’t matter what we had taught them for years—seeing you and it was all forgotten. Knowledge thrown away for a different kind. They became desperate and compliant as well. To maintain their position, their naïve idea of power. You wouldn’t believe how many slithered back to us, desperate to give us information. Creating the perfect balance.”
“And the Majors?” I choked out, reeling.
“I admit, the balance has been off. We let too many from the bottom think for themselves. Act on their own. You have to, you see. They have to have some freedom. Something to stay down there for. We don’t force supplements and meals. There is no need for constant scanning. They are all rotten anyway.” Tabitha picked away the chocolates from the bottom one by one, the pile becoming unstable. Teetering before my eyes.
“How to control them then? How to keep them down there?” She tossed another chocolate to the floor. The grin upon her face would be scarred into my mind forever. “Offspring. You see, offspring are such a glorious way to cause fear. Almost all mothers will do anything you ask when you hold their offspring. But why bother with the Defects’ offspring? The Majors all happily stayed beneath with their defective offspring. I allowed it while they behaved, but now that changes. They have lost them.”
Shock rippled through me.
“Did you not know there are offspring down there? They do not tell many. Especially those who go down from above.” Tabitha looked at me.
How much did she know about my time below?
“They keep them hidden, sacred. As we speak, the Elite Force is finishing the raid on the ground, taking all the offspring, regardless of age.”
Tabitha removed one final chocolate, and the pyramid collapsed. Chocolates went scattering across the table, spilling onto the floor.
“And I have you to thank for the perfect entrance. The one you used when they shut down the grid. No one would think twice about a large group of Elite Force being stationed at the Capitol building, especially after their attack. The Elite Force wouldn’t ask questions either. So when the time came to carry out the raid, any in the Force with loose lips wouldn’t have time to tell anyone.”
An involuntary shudder worked through me at how far ahead of us they were.
“Brilliant, right? All the Minors were in their living quarters for curfew. The Majors at their shifts. The Elite all in one place for a ball. Leaving only the rebels to deal with. That’s where you came in. While you werespyingthe other day, you were seen. That information got back to Lola, and she came running.”
Breathing became difficult. My heart gave no distinction between one painful, frantic beat and the next—just one endless rolling procession.
“So, how would I flush those rebels out?” Tabitha began, leaning onto the table. “You.”
