The Girl Who Dared to Think (The Girl Who Dared #1)

“A nine!” she exclaimed, her eyebrows rising, and Eric whistled, a low, impressed sound. Zoe’s eyes met mine, quizzical, and I could hear her unspoken question: Did Grey help you?

I hesitated and gave an imperceptible shrug. I felt bad for lying, playing dumb, but with the nebulous nature of my relationship with Grey, and the origin of the pills, it wasn’t worth the risk of telling her. She was a six, and I knew she’d never betray me, but she had been exposed to way too much already. It could be dangerous for her to learn more.

“A nine and the side effects wearing off? That’s seriously impressive.”

“Thanks,” I said with a smile, but I felt the urge to fidget under their scrutiny.

“How’d it happen?” Eric asked, and I sucked in a deep breath, the lie I’d told my parents slipping out more easily this time.

“I’m not really sure,” I replied. “It happened after I met with Zoe. I dropped down to a three, and then it was a nine.”

“No miraculous realizations?” Zoe asked. “No heroic deeds?”

“Nope. Maybe Scipio’s finally getting my sense of humor?”

Zoe frowned, but seemed willing to drop the subject for the time being, probably just as unwilling as I was to bring it up in front of Eric. I knew there’d be hell to pay later for withholding information, and I would have to tread very lightly, but for the time being I was safe from any other interrogations.

“Does that mean I won’t get any lectures about why I shouldn’t fraternize with dangerous lower numbers like Zoe again?”

“Scipio’s grace, no,” I said. “Please, fraternize with the low numbers until I’m forced to arrest you.”

Eric grinned. “It’s good to have you back properly. Those drugs did a number on you.”

“They really did,” Zoe agreed, as if she hadn’t known already, and I realized she hadn’t told Eric about our escapade yesterday. She held my gaze, her eyes sharp. “So who’s up for Phineas, week two?”

I frowned, racking my brain for a memory of who Phineas was. It took me a few seconds to remember the class right before the Medica, and our lesson in Callivax, the hand language of the Divers.

“Is he still teaching us?” I asked, confused. “I thought he was only supposed to be here for a few days.”

“He extended,” Eric patiently replied.

“Great,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair. “Now I’m behind in a class I’ve been attending for the past week.”

“Don’t worry—the class has really become a spectator sport. Now we all just watch the showdown between Zoe and Phineas. She has a nasty habit of correcting him.”

The look Zoe gave us was one of pure smugness. “I’ll stop when he stops giving out the wrong information.”

I shared a conspiratorial smile with Eric. “Of course you will,” I drawled sarcastically, and Eric chuckled as we began to move toward the classroom.



Phineas was already inside, a series of shiny tools and equipment strewn all over the long table at the front of the hall. He glanced at the three of us as we entered, and then looked back down at one of the pieces he was fiddling with.

“Ah, Eric, I see you are still associating with Zoe and Liana. I assume Liana’s number is still holding steady at a six?”

“Actually, no,” Eric replied, grinning at me approvingly. “Liana is now a nine.”

Phineas looked up at me, brow and scalp wrinkling in surprise. His eyes darted down to my wrist, and then back up to my face. “Extraordinary!” he exclaimed. “To rise so far, so fast? Tell me, did you take some time to learn of the Water Ways?”

I hesitated, and then shook my head. “Not that I can recall, sir. I went to the Medica and they gave me some medication. I’m afraid it’s affected my memory some; I can’t seem to remember the past few classes we’ve had together.”

Phineas looked disappointed, but then grinned broadly. “No matter. It is good to see your treatment is so effective. Your story could inspire other lost souls like you. You really should come to a service.”

“I’ll think about it,” I said, very uncomfortable. He nodded, and I used that opportunity to excuse myself, hurrying over to some open seats toward the back of the room and dropping into one. Zoe arranged herself in the seat to my right, while Eric dropped down on the left.

“Well that was awkward,” I said, pushing my hair behind my ear. “Zo?”

“Don’t look at me—my mom’s the religious one in the family. I always found the Water Ways too… mystical for my tastes.”

I chuckled, and we fell into a companionable silence as a few more students straggled in. Soon, Phineas started the class. First we reviewed a few of the more important signals for Callivax—mostly directions and warning signals—and then went over a few of the symbols for identifying a water treatment pod’s function within the Tower.

“Hot and cold running water is marked by color,” Eric recited, as if from rote memory. “Blue for cold and red for hot.”

“Very good,” Phineas replied. “And who knows what the hot water is for?”

“Creating steam for condensation in the greeneries,” one of the Medica students said tentatively.

“And helping heat the forges in fabrication down in Cogstown,” Zoe added lazily.

“Correct. It’s imperative you pay attention to these functions. Hot water will always be in glass pipes, as our glass-fabrication process can withstand the heat coming off the water. Now, can anyone tell me why they are hot?”

“It’s part of the purification process for cleaning it,” a Cog boy with wild orange hair said. “There’s a lot of radiation still in the water, and heating it is just one of the many steps for cleaning it.”

“Very good. Now, who can tell me—”

“Excuse me, Master Diver.”

Gerome’s deep voice was familiar, but when you weren’t expecting it, it really sent a shiver down your spine. I felt myself go straight as a post, and turned to see Gerome standing there. How on earth had he just appeared like that?

“Knight Commander,” Phineas said, offering a little bow. “I was just going over safety protocols. Is there a problem?”

“Liana has no need of more than basic Water Treatment training,” Gerome announced firmly, and I frowned. “She intends to become a Knight. Don’t you, Liana?”

“Uh, yes,” I stammered. “But I’m not certain I should miss—”

“You’re required in the Citadel, Liana,” Gerome said, fixing me with a pointed look. “Immediately.”

A chill ran down my spine as the room got quiet. I sat there for a moment, but then stood up. Zoe gave me an alarmed expression, and I knew what she was thinking. It was the same thing I was thinking: I’d gotten caught.

“You can get notes from one of your friends, Liana,” Phineas said congenially. “And I will see you next class.”

Somehow my legs propelled me forward toward Gerome, who was now opening the door to allow me access to the hall. I stepped past him and came to a halt on the large platform, looking up at the Citadel hanging over four hundred feet away. My heart began to pound.