The Gender Fall (The Gender Game #5)

“Not Violet. Tim. I heard… I heard some people say he was missing after the stuff at the palace. I put some pieces together and realized he had stayed behind. And since Violet is down for the count right now, I had to do something. So, a little before sunset, I took one of the cars and went back to the palace to look for him.” His reticence was gone, his expression raw, both defiant and guilty.

I absorbed this knowledge and turned to look at Ms. Dale, whose irritation had disappeared under the carefully crafted neutral expression she’d always worn when I’d first met her.

A part of me wanted to yell at Cad. He had put us all in jeopardy with that stunt. If he had been caught, he could’ve given away our location. On the other hand, he had done what I hadn’t been able to yet, and I found myself respecting that. He had gone back to the palace to look for his cousin, in spite of the danger. I rocked back on my heels, idly wondering if suicidal bravery ran in the family, and then realized that it also ran in me, so…

I exhaled and nodded at Ms. Dale. “Let him out of the cuffs,” I said softly. She nodded, and Cad offered up his hands as she moved toward him, searching in her pockets, presumably for the keys.

“Did you find him?” I asked Cad.

He shook his head, his face full of regret. “No. There was no one there at all.”

“You must have seen something,” I insisted. Maybe we could use this impromptu trip for intelligence. “Was there anything odd or out of place?”

Cad frowned, his gaze becoming unfocused. “When I said there was no one there at all, there was actually no one. I mean, there’s got to be important documents or files there, right? Equipment? People cleaning up the… the mess? But there weren’t any crews sifting through the rubble. There were no bodies, either, but… It’s only been like… what… thirty-six hours since the palace was running just like normal? Maybe forty? Where is everyone?”

I considered his observations. Definitely odd. I wasn’t sure yet whether it was worrisome, but it was something we could process after I got some sleep. The thing pressing down heavier on me was that he hadn’t found Tim. As much as I wished Cad hadn’t gone on an illicit raid, I wished more he had something to show for it, something that could make the wild light in Violet’s eyes when she asked about her brother disappear forever.

“Listen,” I told Cad. “I get that you want to help. I do. But next time, you need to clear it with Ms. Dale or myself. It was a big risk going out there, and if you had gotten caught, it would’ve put everyone at the camp in a lot of danger. Right now, this place and these people are all we have.”

He flinched, but nodded. “All right,” he conceded, but his eyes were still hard. “As long as you promise you aren’t going to stop looking for him.”

“I won’t,” I vowed solemnly. I had already made that promise to myself; this was just speaking it out loud.

Cad nodded. “Good. I also would like to see Violet. With all the moving and setting up camp, I haven’t gotten a chance to see her. I tried before I left, but Dr. Arlan told me she was sleeping.” His voice turned sharp, almost pleading. “I just want to make sure she’s okay.”

I grimaced and nodded. “She’s not… but hopefully with the equipment and the doctor we just brought back, she will be.”

“I still want to see her.”

I ran a hand through my hair and nodded again. “All right. Let’s go.”





12





Violet





Something bright burned into my eyes, and I groaned at the discomfort. I tried closing my eyes against it, but something was holding them open, forcing me to look into the blinding light. Searing pain exploded in my brain, throbbing along the inside of my skull until I felt the heat rushing into my face. I was on fire. I was going to burn to death.

I jerked violently away, and the movement was agony. I cried out in pain and my breath stalled. “Fire,” I coughed, trying to catch air in my lungs. It must be the smoke, I thought. Red dots flashed across my vision, obscuring bits and pieces of the room I lay in. My peripheral vision showed things clearly, but anything I stared directly at was blurred and unrecognizable.

Fire? Who had started it? I gasped and tried desperately to figure out what was happening. A bomb—it was a bomb. Had I been thrown somewhere from the force of the blast? Where was Lee? I had to get the egg—after that I could see my brother.

Shakily, I pushed against the surface I lay on, trying to get up, my panic-stricken mind recognizing one thing: someone was trying to hurt me. But even that motion made me shake violently. I stopped in a sitting position, sweat breaking out on my forehead. I tilted my head up and became aware of heavy footsteps on the wood near me. I tried to swing my head toward the sound, but as soon as I did, the room blurred around me, my head throbbed, and my stomach swooped, almost enough to force me onto my back again. I breathed heavily, coughing, and the footsteps came closer. I couldn’t go back to the bad people. I had to figure out a plan.

My heart thudded hard against my ribcage, too loud in my ears, and I shuddered when hands came down gently on my back, and a soft voice spoke behind me, fading in and out like a bad handheld connection. The tone of the words was soft and coaxing, but that was even more alarming. They must be trying to trick me. I tried again to turn my head to look at them, but it already felt like my head was turning… I stared at the image of my hands before me, swimming in fabric that covered my legs, as the hands continued trying to shush me. Sheets. I was in bed. Then the hands gripped my shoulders, pushing, and the mattress rushed back to meet my back as my muscles failed to move me, failed to do anything at all.

God. I was helpless.

I was on my back again, all my most vital parts completely vulnerable to attack, as an unrecognizable figure leaned down over me and made words. I blinked again and again, trying to clear my vision, straining to focus my eyes in the stabbing light.