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The mother looks up at us, her face ashen She still holds the baby The older child lying on the bed doesn’t move at all

He rests on his side, his back to us He’s breathing, but it’s slow, and his plainclothes hang a little loose around his neck His skin color looks all right There’s a small red mark in between his shoulder blades and I feel a rush of pity and exultation

This is it

The Rising said it would look like this

I have to keepat the others in the roo? Have they seen the information I’ve seen about how the rebellion will proceed?

Though the incubation period may vary, once the disease is manifest, the patient deteriorates quickly Slurred speech is followed by a descent into an alue virus is one or ue has eneral populace, and can no longer be concealed by the Society, the Rising will begin

"What is it?" the ain, the three of us move at the same time Official Lei reaches for the boy’s wrist to take his pulse Official Brewer turns to the wo still on the bed Until I know the Rising is on the ," Official Brewer says

"His pulse is fine," Official Lei says

"The medics will be here soon," I tell thefor him?" she asks "Medicine, treatment"

"I’et to themore"

"But he’s stable," I tell her Don’t worry, I want to add The Rising has a cure I hope she can hear the sound of hope in oing to work out

This is it The beginning of the Rising

Once the Rising coht happen then? When I kissed Cassia back in the Borough she caught her breath in what I think was surprise Not at the kiss: she knew that was co I think she was surprised by how it felt

As soon as I can, I want to tell her again, in person: Cassia, I’m in love with you and I want you So, ill it take for you to feel the saoing to have

The es a tiny bit closer to her child "It’s just," she says, and her voice catches, "that he’s so still"

CHAPTER 2

CASSIA

Ky said he’d ht, by the lake

When I see him next, I’ll kiss him first

He’ll pull me so close that the poems I keep underneath my shirt, near my heart, will rustle, a sound so soft that only the two of us will hear And the , the cadence and ti

He will tell me where he has been

I will tell hio

I stretch outshows underneath the cuffs ofslips neatly under the unflattering lines of my plainclothes It’s one of the Hundred Dresses, possibly stolen, that came up in a trade It orth the price I paid--a poeht and pull over ht

I sort for the Society here in their capital of Central, but I have a job to do for the Rising, and I trade with the Archivists On the outside, I’ plainclothes But underneath, I have silk and paper against my skin

I have found that this is the easiest way to carry the poeainst es with me I’ve found a place to hide most of them But there are a few pieces I don’t ever like to be without

I open reen, red And so else besides A tiny scrap of paper, on which I’ve written the word remember If the Society ever makes me take the red tablet, I’ll slip this up into et

I can’t be the first to have done so they shouldn’t--not what they have lost, but that they have lost?

And there’s a chance I won’t forget anything--that I’m immune like Indie, and Xander, and Ky

The Society thinks the red tablet does work onto the Society, I’ve never been in the Outer Provinces at all I’ve never crossed through canyons or run down a river in the night with stars sprinkled overhead and a silver spray of water all around As far as they know, I never left