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When I first caht use us like decoys the way the Society did, but the rebellion has invested tooI don’t think they’ve trained us to die But I’m not sure what kind of life they’ve trained us for either If the Rising works, what happens next? That’s the part they don’t often talk about They say that everyone will have more freedom and that there won’t be Aberrations or Anomalies anymore But that’s about all they’ll say

The Society is right about Aberrations We’re dangerous I’ up behind theht--a black shadoith hollow eyes But, of course, the Society thinks that I already died in the Outer Provinces, another Aberration cleared away

Dead

"Give h the speaker on the panel "I want a left turn to a south heading and a right turn back to the north heading--one hundred and eighty degrees on each"

"Yes, sir," I say

They’re testing my coordination and rees of bank exerts twice the force of gravity on the air ship and on es or the ship ht stall or break apart

As I perform the turns, I can feelinto the seat beneath ht When I finish, ht at the lifting of the extra pressure

"Excellent," my commander says

They say that the Chief Pilot watches us Some of the trainees think they’ve ridden with the Chief Pilot--that he’s disguised himself as a trainer I don’t believe that But it’s true he could be watching

I pretend that she is too

I turn the air ship in the sky When I first ca but now all of that is below ht now But I’ve always hoped that through soht look up and see soainst the sky and know it’s s have happened

And soon I’ll be finished with nnments last week, I couldn’t believe ht, she really could see ht tiin to cli run Usually, the Rising has us work in groups of three: a pilot, a copilot, and a runner who rides in the hold and takes care of the errands--the forays into the Society that the Rising conducts as stealthily as possible I like it best when they let the pilots and copilots help the runners and we sneak through the streets of a City on a ned to stay with the ship, but I’ll find a way around it I’ on board the whole time we’re in Central I’ll find some excuse to leave and run to the lake Maybe I won’t co better than I have anywhere else

I’ve had the ideal upbringing to ith the rebellion I spent years perfecting the art of being unnoticed in the Society, and I had a father who didn’t accept the way things were I understand him better up here, where he has never been, than I ever did on the ground Sometimes a line from the Thomas poem comes to ht,

Curse, bless me noith your fierce tears, I pray

If I could do what I really wanted, I’d gather up everyone I care about and fly them away I’d swoop down first in Central, for Cassia, and then I’d get everyone else, wherever they ht be I’d find my aunt and uncle, Patrick and Aida I’d find Cassia’s parents and her brother, Brah where we grew up I’d find Eli Then I’d soar back up again

You could never fly with that many in this ship It’s too small

But if I could, I’d take us somewhere safe I don’t knohere yet but I’d knohen I saw it It ht be an island somewhere out in the water, where Indie once believed you could find the Rising

I don’t think the Carving itself is safe anymore--but I think out in the old Enemy territory there o to a ed the Outer Provinces-- fails to overturn the Society, by the next generation the Outer Provinces ht not show on the maps at all Itabout and how else the Society ht have altered maps over the years There must be a world past the Enemy territory How much has been erased and taken away?

I wouldn’t care how s as I had Cassia at the center of ether But they sent her back to Central and now I keep flying because that’s the best way I can think of to get to her, as long as the Society doesn’t shoot me down

There’s always that risk But I’m careful I don’t take unncecessary chances like some of the others ant to iood to Cassia And I want to find Patrick and Aida I don’t want theh

They think of me as their own, but they always saw me as who I was Ky Not Matthew, their son who died before I came to live with them

I don’t know much about Matthew We never met But I know that his parents loved hiht Mattheould be a sorter so Patrick at hen an Anomaly attacked them

Patrick survived Matthew did not He was just a kid Not old enough to be Matched Not old enough to have his final work assignh to die

I don’t knohat happens after we die It doesn’t seem to me like there can be much past this But I suppose I can conceive that e make and do can last beyond us Maybe in a different place, on another plane

So Maybe I’d like to take us soher, above the world entirely It’s colder the farther up you clis , frozen

Dead