“Didn’t care because you were in gray?” Violet asked.
I nodded.
“The Elite don’t see people like us. Not even Defects who live in High Town and serve them,” Violet said coldly.
“You live in High Town?” I asked.
“Everyone in gray who works in the clouds lives in High Town beneath the cloud level. It’s easier for them to beckon us at any given hour when we are close but out of sight,” Violet explained. My brows pulled in. “What is it, Fledgling?”
“I—no one has ever answered any of my questions.”
“For good reason. Questions mean trouble,” Rose said.
“True, but we all wear gray, right?” Violet added, watching me closely.
I nodded. “You said something happened?”
“Well—”
“Violet, we ought not discuss this with her,” Rose interjected. “There is a reason questions go unanswered. Answering them can result in elimination.”
“She’s a Defect,” Violet snapped. “Fledgling, are you close with your Mate?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” I said. “I’ve met him once.”
“Yes, but were you a person to him or an obligation?”
My heart sank. Had we discussed anything of substance, really?
Violet smiled, knowing the answer. “See?”
“It is on you if this gets back to us,” Rose warned, pulling out a small vial. “It’s too dangerous, Violet.”
“Now who is lecturing? You have chosen to trust an Elite. I choose my own kind.” Violet shook her head. “There’s been trouble in the clouds. There are some who are tired of being told what to do by the Illum, and they are letting them know.”
Rose swore under her breath. “Tilt your head back so I can get rid of the redness,” she instructed and opened my eye, applying several drops of a liquid solution. A sigh escaped as instantaneous relief flooded me.
“Letting them know how? What are they doing?” I asked breathlessly.
“We don’t know everything. The Illum isn’t giving any details, which means the Press isn’t either,” Violet said from the vanity while Rose worked. “Rumors are flying, though. It’s the perk of serving them. We hear everything from the women. The Illum seem to have crossed a line. Some are finally done with the Illum’s illuminating rules. They found others who are as well. Things have escalated. Those are the rumors, anyway.”
“They’ve gone too far with the offspring. The Academy should be left alone,” Rose whispered. “Nestor just allows it.”
The dual Academy buildings were identical looking, two halves of a whole, placed several hundred yards away from each other, as if something had cleaved them apart. If pushed together, the halves would form a pyramid. The Elite side was a flawless, gleaming white. The Minor side was a black that swallowed all light. A giant lawn sat between them, where the Elite offspring were permitted to lounge in between lessons while the Minors watched, cloistered inside, never to cross paths.
“Rose, Nestor is an Illum. Of course he allows it.”
“I know, but he seemed different,” Rose claimed as Violet rolled her eyes.
Nestor was the headmaster, an impossibly tall man. He didn’t interfere with the Minors’ education often. Occasionally he graced Minor students with his presence, usually only to read out names on visiting day and to welcome incoming offspring.
“What did the Illum do to the offspring?” I asked.
“Minor offspring are being downgraded.”
“Eve said an Elite offspring was downgraded to Minor last week,” Rose said, sweeping a brush across my cheeks.
“I still do not believe that,” Violet said.
