The Gender Plan (The Gender Game #6)

Jay led the way, pushing through the lower bare branches and making sure there was a clear path for Cody. I eventually caught up to them, and we continued to hike in relative silence through the forest. It was beautiful. The red, gold, and yellow leaves were strewn on the forest floor like a thick carpet that rustled together as we walked through it.

Samuel raced through the leaves, his legs kicking them up as he ran back and forth across the trail. Sometimes he’d spook a rabbit and take off after it, barking loudly. The rabbits always seemed to slip away, but I didn’t think he honestly wanted to hurt them, given how wildly his tail waved back and forth as he ran. He just found joy in the chase. I only wished I could be as carefree.

We eventually reached a clearing, and Tim slipped off his backpack and pulled out some water bottles and two cans of peaches. I felt a little guilty as I popped them open—peaches were Violet’s favorite—but they also doubled as a treat for Cody, so I doubted she would mind.

We all sat down on a nearby log and took turns eating the syrupy fruit. I had one, but passed on the rest, leaving it for the boys to enjoy. Cody took one as well, but he nibbled at it halfheartedly while his eyes surveyed the forest. I could see the gears turning in his mind, and knew he was trying to calculate some sort of escape into the forest.

I leaned over. “Think you could make it?” I whispered teasingly, and his head snapped around, his eyes wide in alarm. “Hey, it’s okay,” I tried to reassure him, and he softened a little. He lowered his gaze back down to the ground, and fidgeted slightly.

Tim and Jay shifted beside me, and then stood up. I looked up at them, and Jay nodded toward the wider part of the clearing. “We’re going to go play catch with Samuel. Cody? Want to come play with us?”

Cody looked up at them for a long moment, studying them. It was like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop—maybe he wanted it to. If one of us lost patience or got angry, it would only confirm what he believed to be the truth about us: that we were the bad guys.

I gave them a nod, indicating they should go ahead alone. Their shoulders slumped in disappointment, but they went, shifting through the thick blanket of leaves toward the other side of the clearing. I watched Jay bend over and pick up a stick, and before he could even whistle, Samuel bounded over, his tail wagging in excitement.

They threw the stick for him a few times, and I smiled when Tim said something to Jay that made him start laughing. A quick glance at Cody told me he was watching as well, but he didn’t seem to be enjoying the picturesque scene as much as I was. Instead, he seemed to resent it, judging by the sour downturn of his mouth.

I sighed and leaned back. Each one of these outings seemed to have the opposite effect of what I had hoped for. Dr. Arlan said it was too early to judge whether any such methods were completely effective or not. We just had to remain patient.

“Can I please see Desmond?”

It was the first time he had asked me that question. Unfortunately, our camp was too small to keep her capture and imprisonment a secret, and Cody had learned about it the first night. Although we hadn’t heard about it until the next day, when Dr. Arlan had marched in to give us an earful about it.

“We talked about this, Cody. I’m sorry, but no—you can’t see her.”

Cody gave an irritated sound and turned his back to me.

“I hate you.” The words were barely a whisper, but in the still of the forest, with him right beside me, I could hear them.

“That’s okay,” I replied softly. Gently. “You’re entitled to your feelings.”

He turned, cocking his head up at me and squinting. “What’s ‘entitled’ mean?”

Hesitating a second to ponder the best way to explain, I looked up at the light gray sky. “Entitled means… that it’s something you were born into. When I use it to talk about your feelings, what I mean to say is that you are allowed to feel however you want.”

“Oh.” He frowned. “Doesn’t it make you angry that I hate you?”

I shook my head at him, and then met his gaze. “It just makes me feel sad.”

He frowned then and looked away, considering this. I continued to watch Tim and Jay play, but my attention was focused on Cody. I kept hoping he would say something back, but he didn’t. He just sat there, staring off blankly, deep in thought. After a while, I stood up and waved Tim and Jay over.

“Cody?” I said softly, and he looked up, as if surprised to see me still standing there. “It’s time to go.”





12





Violet





Tiffany’s round face filled the screen set up against the wall separating the kitchen from the den area where we were keeping Desmond. I frowned when I took in her face, noting the dirt smudges over her button nose and the wild tangle of her light brown, corkscrew curls, which looked like they hadn’t been brushed in days. The bags under her autumn-brown eyes were tinted with blue, clearly indicating that she hadn’t been getting any sleep, but her eyes were wide and jumpy, only looking at the screen periodically while constantly surveilling her environment.

“Tiffany, are you safe?” Ms. Dale asked from where she was seated, a pen and paper in her hands.

“Not really,” she said, her voice brimming with the distress of raw nerves. “Nobody on the streets right now is safe.”

Even as she said it, the sound of automatic gunfire wafted in through the speakers, and I watched as she ducked her head down even farther.

“What’s going on out there?” Amber asked.

“It’s bad, and I’m sorry for not being able to keep proper contact. I’ve been having to move around a lot.”

“Why? Are the Matrians after you?” Thomas leaned forward in his seat, his eyes regarding the screen intently.

“What? No. No, it’s weird, actually. The Matrians have pulled back their forces. They haven’t been in the city for days. Well, except for one area.” She looked away from the camera, and then there was a shuffling sound as the camera jerked around. A few seconds later, her face was back. “Sorry, I dropped it. I thought I heard something, but it was a cat.”

“What do you mean ‘one area’?” Ms. Dale cut in sharply.

“Wait,” I said, taking a step forward. “Let’s just slow this down a bit. Tiffany, what is going on in the city? Start at the beginning.”