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"We need you to sort so for us," the ain "I only sort at work" They are not Officials, nor are they my superiors or supervisors This isn’t protocol, and I don’t bend rules for strangers

"It’s to help your grandfather," the girl says

I stop

"Cassia?" Xander asks "Are you all right?"

"Yes," I say I’ht around the rest of the arden day I’h I can’t say why

Xander looks like he’s about to say soain in their gae stone They are loud and laughing, as children should be A little girl s out to touch her wing as she passes, but she turns at the wrong

CHAPTER 34

XANDER

Oker’s so driven, it’s almost inhuman I feel the sa else It doesn’t take many days before I’m accustomed to the routine in the research lab, which is: hen Oker says to work and we rest when Oker says to take a break So roo for to Oker’s instructions

Oker eats his ht here in the lab He doesn’t even sit down So that’s what the rest of us do, too: we stand around and watch each other chew our food It’s probably the stress of the situation and the late hours, but soh The oing with the cure trials Oker’s different fro well he won’t talk When things are going badly, he’ll say more

"What is it about the Otherlands," I ask hio there so ," he says "I’ht here And I’m not the only one"

"Then ork on the cure if you’re not sharing the reward?" I ask

"Because of my inherent altruish at that and he glares at me "I want to beat the Society," Oker says "I want to find the cure first"

"It’s not the Society anymore," I re back his canteen to drink He wipes off his lares atand the Society have infiltrated each other so thoroughly that they don’t even knoho’s who any its own damn tail This--out here--is the only true rebellion"

"The Pilot believes in the Rising," I say "He’s not a fraud"

Oker looks at me "Maybe not," he says "But that doesn’t aze turns sharp "Orbecause we both know I’ the two of them I think the Pilot’s the way to revolution, and that Oker’s the way to the cure

The patients here still look much better than the ones back in the Provinces Oker’s cured all the secondary syue, like the platelet accu about proteins and the brain, and I know he hasn’t figured out how to prevent or reverse the et there

Oker swears He’s spilled some of the water froht about one thing," Oker says "Dahty Of course, my mind still functions better than et there, but she’s waited up for ht, but I can hear her when she talks to me Someone down the hall shouts out at us to be quiet but everyone else seems to have fallen asleep

"Rebecca says all the research medics like you," Cassia says "She also says that you’re the only one who talks back to Oker"

"Maybe I should stop," I say I don’t want to alienate any of the workers I’ve got to stay inside the research lab working on that cure

"Rebecca says it’s good," Cassia says "She thinks Oker likes you because you remind him of himself"

Is that true? I don’t think I’m as proud as Oker is, or as smart Of course, I have alondered if I could be the Pilot sos better for the closer," Cassia says "We have to be" Her voice sounds a little bit farther away She ht at the front of the cell "Good night, Xander," Cassia says

"Good night," I tell her

CHAPTER 35

CASSIA

Sometimes, when I am tired, it seems that I have never lived anywhere else I have never done anything but this Ky has always been still, and Xander and I have always been working on a cure My parents and Bram are lost to me, and I have to find thee for any one person or any group of people

"What are you doing?" one of the other sorters asks She gestures to the datapod, and to the tiny scraps of paper and the charcoaled stick I’ve been using for notes I’ve found that sos down by hand to understand the data I see on the datapod’s screen Writing clearsto draw by hand from the descriptions recorded in the datapod, because I can’t picture the things they’ve described as being possible cohter as she looks ata flower, and I pull the paper closer to me