Page 33 (2/2)

"It seeood to be true," Cassia breathes She looks worried "What if it is?"

"We don’t have a lot to lose," I say "What the Rising is doing in the Provinces isn’t working"

"You’ve never seen anyone come back?" Cassia asks

"No," I say "Not from the er, watching the liquid drip into Ky’s line We avoid each other’s eyes

Cassia draws in a deep breath and I wonder if she’s going to cry But then she smiles "Xander," she says

I don’t even try to stop myself I reach out and pull her close and she letsHer ar

"Are you all right?" she asks

"I’m fine," I say

"Xander," Cassia asks "Where have you been? While I was in the canyons and in Central, what happened to you?"

I’h any canyons, but I gave tablets to babies on their Welco Days And, I took tissue samples from old people at their Final Banquets I didstill No one I took care of caathering together people to question you I don’t want to keep the at Cassia "Right noe have to find a cure"

She nods I don’t et even with her for all the ti But it’s strange to realize that she knows as little about ht now as I did about her for all these months She’s the one who has to wonder

I don’t want us to have to wonder about the other any on because we’ve been together I’ of that

"Can you," one of the villagers asksthe way you were treating the still?"

The rooht away froht here by the Pilot to help with the cure, or who e But after a few minutes, I think I can tell who has lived in the Society at one point or another

Oker sits on a chair near the , his are’s sorters are here to take down the information Oker’s the only person in attendance without a datapod, except forthe datapods "The Pilot brought theerous as e" I nod Datapods can record information but they don’t transmit location the way a miniport can

"I have treatue and for theinside the ht the Pilot caue"

"And when did you leave?" so," I say

They all lean forward at once "Really," one says "You’ve been working on the mutation that recently?"

I nod

"Perfect," says another, and Leyna s I can rees, the rate of infection, how long it took until they went still, which people’s illnesses progressed more rapidly than others

I’m careful to tell them when I’m not certain

But for the most part, I remember So, I talk and they listen, but I wish it were Lei here working with ht questions to ask

I talk for hours They all take notes, except for Oker, and I realize that he can’t e the datapod with his hands the way they are I expect him to interrupt like he did when he came into the infirmary, but he reainst the wall and appears to fall asleep My voice starts to wear out right when I’ about the mutation and the small red mark

"Now this," Leyna says, "we already know The Pilot told us" She stands up "Let’s give Xander a rest for a few minutes"

The room clears out Some of the people look back over their shoulders like they’re worried I’ anywhere Will one of you bring back so for hiht in for o

Oker is still asleep at the back of the room "It’s hard for him to rest," Leyna says "He catches a catnap when he can So we’ll leave him alone"

"Are you a medic?" I ask Leyna

"Oh no," Leyna says "I can’t take care of sick people But I’e of finding the cure" She pushes her chair back a little and then leans closer to a ready to , "that this is all rather hu forward so that there’s not much space between us