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And now I don’t knohat to say

"He’s not the Pilot," Indie tells me "I know that now" She breathes out shakily "Reht you were the Pilot?"

"Yes," I say

"Do you knoho the Pilot really is?" Indie asks

"Of course," I say "You do, too"

She catches her breath and for aWhen she speaks I hear the tears in her voice, but I can also tell she’s sain "It is me," she says

"Yes," I say "Of course it is"

For a little while there is silence

"I think you kissed me back," she says

"I did," I say

I’m not sorry anymore

When Indie kissedand want It cut me up to kno she felt and to kno much I loved her, too, but not in a way that could work The way I feel about Indie is an understanding so painful and elee thing is that what she felt for ether

I could do for her what Cassia does for me I knew that and it’s why I kissed Indie back

It feels as though I’ a boat in Sonoma as the Officials sink it before her Her triu that didn’t save her Our kiss A flight, a landing, a run, step after step after step, running when anyone else would go still--

Then nothing but black

Or maybe it was red

CHAPTER 37

XANDER

Oker," Leyna says, "the sorters have made a new list for you"

"Another one?" Oker asks "Put it over there" He gestures to one end of the long table

In theory, Oker needs the lists from the sorters because their input is valuable The sorters try to discover which factors are ure out what thatsome kind of plant seems to be a factor, what component of the plant is it that’s important? How do you put that into a cure? In what concentration? The collaboration is supposed to save everyone time and increase the chances that we’ll find an effective cure quickly

But Oker never seeh the list right away I kno hard Cassia has been working on sifting through the infor but Leyna speaks first

"You need to look at it," Leyna tells hiain with the latest information from the infirmary and from your own observations They’ve redients could effectively treat the disease"

"Right," Oker says "You’ve said all this before" He starts for his office, holding his datapod

"Oker," Leyna says "As the cure administrator, I need to insist that you look at this list Or I will remove you from your duties"

"Ha," Oker says "There’s not another fully trained pharmic in this place"

"Your assistants are perfectly co and co lists," he says "What’s so urgent about this one?"

"We have another sorter now," Leyna reminds him "And you can be sure that those back in the Provinces are using sorters to help decide on the next cure"

"Of course that’s what they’re doing," Oker says "They used to be Society They’re not capable of any originality of thought They can’t act without nuain "The new sorter, Cassia--"

Oker waves his hand "I don’t need to know about the sorters I’ll go look at it now" He walks back to his office, taking the datapod and the list, and shuts the door hard behind him