Page 33 (1/2)

She’ll know that I was here And that I loved her

She’ll always know that, unless she chooses to forget

CHAPTER 27

XANDER

The village isn’t still at all People are everywhere Kids run the paths and play on an enore Unlike the sculptures in the Society’s greenspaces, this stone isn’t carved sed where it broke away froo You can tell the people built the village around it The children turn to look at us as we come past, and their eyes are curious, not afraid, which is nice to see

The infire stone Once we’re inside, we carefully transfer Ky from his stretcher to a cot

"We need to take both of you back to the research lab and interview you," Leyna says to Cassia and ers’ versions of medics and nurses take care of the still I do a quick count and see that Ky is the fifty-second patient "We need Xander’s inforue and its mutation, and we need Cassia to take a look at the data we’ve gathered You’ll be more useful there" Leyna s "I’m sorry I know he’s your friend, but really the best way to help him--"

"Is to work for the cure," Cassia says "I understand But surely we have breaks now and then I could come visit hi to an older wo the cure as a whole, but she supervises the infir as you scrub in and wear ato see None of the others here have anyone to visit them Maybe he’ll recover more quickly"

"Thank you," Cassia says, her face bright with hope I don’t want to tell her, Actually, talking to the with the to the patients ht person could make a difference Who knows? I hope so to Lei Would it have been better for me to stay there?

The door slams open Cassia and I both turn, startled, and a h the entrance He’s tall and rail-thin, staring at us with shrewd dark eyes that peer out froy white eyebrows His head is brown and smooth and bald "Where is he?" he demands "Colin told me there’s someone here ent doithin the hour"

"Here," Leyna says, pointing to Ky

"It’s about ti over to us "What have I been telling the Pilot all along? Bring theht have a chance of getting them back"

Cassia doesn’tprotective

"I’m Oker," the man says to us, but he doesn’t offer to shake hands He carries a plastic bag full of liquid and his knotted hands grip it so tightly that it bulges and see, and he holds it out to Sylvie "Take it froers"

Sylvie pries the bag out of his grip

"Hook it up now," he says, nodding toward Ky "I just hs

"Wait," Cassia says "What is it?"

"Better stuff than what the Rising gives them," Oker says "Go on," he tells Sylvie "Hurry up"

"But what’s in it?" Cassia asks

Oker huffs and glares at Sylvie "Take care of this I don’t have tiredients" He pushes the door open with his shoulder and leaves the infirmary I hear his shoes on the path outside as the door squeaks shut Hewrong with his legs

"He’s right," Sylvie says "At first, we used the nutrient bags the Pilot brought in from the Provinces, but then we ran out before the Pilot could deliver more Oker made his own mixture to keep the patients alive and it see it ever since"

"But won’t that compromise the cure?" I ask "This isn’t what the patients back in the Provinces are getting"

"That ave the Pilot the foroing to try to change what they use in the Provinces"

"What do you think?" Cassia asks me quietly

"They do look better," I say "Their color is good Hold on" I listen to one of the patients breathe His lungs sound clear of fluid I feel near his ribs--the spleen see the truth," I say I e’d had this formula earlier Maybe it would have made a difference for our patients

Cassia kneels down next to Ky He looks ashier than the others, though he’s the ht," she says

Sylvie nods and hooks up the bag that Oker brought in Cassia and I watch Ky’s face to see if there is any change, which is stupid Not s work that fast

But Oker’s stuff does After only a few minutes, Ky does look a little bit better It reue