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

“I’m really a nice guy once you get to know me,” Grey said, a smile forming on his face as he looked down at the young woman on the other side of the counter. “This is all just a huge misunderstanding. You’ll see.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, instantly annoyed that he was trying to flirt, and super anxious that he was going to blow our cover with this charming criminal spiel.

And then the clerk smiled in return, and I instantly hated both of them. Him for the flirting, and her for buying into it.

Scipio save me, but I was letting my self-revelation detract from the matter at hand.

“Excuse me, Medic?” She looked up at me, and I forced a polite smile onto my face. “It’s really close to the end of my shift, so I was wondering if we could speed this process up?”

She nodded once and turned back to her screen, her fingers flying. “All right, Knight Commander Castell, please follow the green lights to the treatment room, and the doctor will be with you shortly.”

“My thanks,” I said, already tugging Grey away and following the lights. We passed through the wide white doors into the treatment center. Unlike on the third level, the halls here were busy, even in the morning, and I watched as Medics moved in and out of the doorways.

I nervously followed the green lights, wondering how I could get us out of here and to the elevator to take us up. With my mother’s designation, I could override the elevator and its scanners, but I couldn’t override the request to see a doctor. And the Medics would know if we didn’t go to the room, as our passage was monitored by a computer system of cameras and pressure sensors.

Therefore, I went to the room. Without any better options, my hands were a little bit tied, and I wasn’t certain I was ready to risk getting caught or giving away my intentions just yet.

The room the lights led us to was small, with a soft brown chair in the middle and an empty desk to one side. A portion of the wall was displaying instructions for Grey, and all at once, it came to me.

I dropped Grey’s arm and moved over to the display. “Jasper?” I said, my voice rising a note. “Are you there?”

“Liana, what are you doing?”

Grey was looking at me like I’d sprouted two heads, but I ignored him. “Hey, Jasper? It’s me, Liana. I’m really sorry to bother you, but I need your help. Again.”

Grey looked around, his eyes squinting in confusion, and then turned back to me. “Liana, who is Jasper?”

“I’m Jasper,” the voice said gruffly, and the walls began to glow warmly. “Hello again, Liana. I’m so glad to see you well. I was quite worried about you. Now, can you tell me why you revealed me to the boy I helped you get out of here, or should I just start singing childish love songs at you?”

“You’re in a sassy mood,” I observed. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask Grey to leave, but you know that the instant he goes outside, and gets on surveillance, a nearby Medic will be alerted to drag him back in here, so cut me a break. Besides, Grey’s a good guy—give him a chance. He’s actually kind of... fun.”

“Oh, fun... how I do long for it,” Jasper sighed, and I smiled, because it felt like the whole room was sighing as he exhaled. “I miss being young.”

I blinked, surprised by the whimsical nature of his voice. “You were young?”

“In a manner of speaking. Now, tell me, what do you want?” Jasper’s gruff statement might have seemed abrupt, but I still couldn’t keep from smiling at how he could go from reminiscent old man to grumpy old man in a matter of seconds.

“We need your help,” I said. “One of my friends, Zoe Elphesian, is being held up on the third floor.”

“And?” There was no hostility in the computer’s voice, only curiosity.

“And, I want to get her out of here without attracting any attention.” This was insane, I knew it. I had no idea whether I could really trust Jasper with this. What he had done for Grey and me had been small, possibly small enough for his programming to let go. But this? This could get us caught, right here, right now. And I was going for it full throttle.

“I see.” There was a pause, followed by: “You are aware that literally everything you said is a criminal offense, right?”

I hesitated. “I am.”

There was another pause. “And you still asked me?”

“Look, Jasper, I’ll level with you. Zoe is my best friend, and I am trying to spare her from getting murdered just because she doesn’t fit into Scipio’s perfect model, but that’s because the system is rigged against her. It’s rigged against me, and Grey, and I just want to keep her from getting killed because she’s different.”

“Basically, we’re desperate,” Grey added, and I looked over at him to see him eyeing the walls nervously. He might have been helping, but he was definitely uncertain about what was going on. I was just glad he wasn’t interrupting me with questions.

Jasper was quiet for a long time. So long that I began to grow nervous and started looking at the door, wondering if it was time to make a run for it—or if it was already too late.

“Your heartbeat is increasing again, and your adrenaline levels are starting to rise,” Jasper cut in a second later. “I’m also noting that there is no evidence that you have taken the medication Dr. Bordeaux gave you.”

“You notice that?”

“My sensors are very sophisticated,” he replied without missing a beat. “But that’s not the point. Your ranking is a nine, but you haven’t been taking your medicine. Can you explain that?”

“Not in the time we have,” I said, suddenly recalling that a Medic was on his or her way here soon.

“Try.”

“Why should I?” I asked, and to my surprise, he laughed.

“You’re contacting me, Liana. I think that means you’re the one who needs help, not me. Either tell me or don’t, but don’t be surprised, if you choose the latter, that I opt not to help you.”

I hesitated, and then gave in. Jasper had helped us before, and I was betting he would help us again. The computer had more programmed empathy than most people in the Tower—I was counting on it.

“A friend of ours made a medication that helps our rankings,” Grey said, straightening some and crossing his arms. “But it doesn’t change anything about who you are inside.”

“Which means you found a way to cheat the system. Interesting. Do you have any with you?”

“What? Why?”

“I wish to analyze it. Maybe it will reveal something that can help refine the pills they are using now on the lower-ranked citizens. All data, no matter how small or inconsequential, is important for discovery.”

“I’m sure it is, but... if we give you the pill, you could use it to expose us and what we’re doing to circumvent the Tower. I’d... I’d need to know that you wouldn’t share it with anyone.”