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Bartie doesn’t answer reen book His eyes don’the’s waiting forparanoid anye, and soon," Bartie says, his eyes on the book "It’s been building for months, ever since you turned them"

"I didn’t--" I say autoh there was no real accusation in his voice "I justI ed them back To what they’re supposed to be What they are"

Bartie looks doubtful "Either way, they’re different now And it’s getting worse"

The first cause of discord, I think, is difference

Bartie turns the page of the slender green book "So"

The second cause of discord: lack of a strong central leader

What does he think I’ve been doing? Shite, all I do these days is run from one problem to the next! If it’s not a strike in one district, it’s complaints from another--and every problem is just a little worse than the one before it

Bartie glares at er in his eyes, although his voice re up? Why aren’t you keeping the order? Eldest ht’ve been a chutz, but at least you didn’t have to worry about getting through the day when he was in charge"

"I’h!" The words bounce around the roo about it, I pound my fist onto the table The noise startles Bartie; the shock of itup rowl

"What?"

"What are you frexing reading?"

When I glance up, Bartie’s eyes er melts We’re friends--even without Harley, we’re still friends And even if the ship hasn’t exactly been a friendly place lately, we can still hold onto our past

Bartie lifts the smaller book for me to see the title: The Republic, by Plato

"I read that last year," I say "It was confusing as frex That bit about the cave s "I’m at the part about aristocracy" He pronounces it "a-risto-crazy" Eldest toldtoo, and besides, what’s the difference?

I know the part he’s talking about well--it was the center of the lesson Eldest had prepared for me It was also, essentially, the base of the entire Eldest system "An aristocrat is someone born to rule," I say "Souide everyone else"

Bartie can’t be thinking what I’: that the only reason I was born to rule was because I was plucked as an eenetically enhanced clones whose DNA had been modified to make the ideal ruler

"But even Plato says that the ideal state of an aristocracy can decay," Bartie says

The word decay re is constantly spinning out of control, including the ship Including me

"An Eldest is like an aristocrat," Bartie adds He’s searching otten, as if he wantsI pull ine and Marae’s lies and back to the conversation at hand

"But the Eldest syste"

"You’re not Eldest," Bartie points out "You’re still Elder"

I shakeon the title"

"Titles confuseit and staring at the cover "This book talks about aristocracy and tyranny like they’re two different things, but I don’t see a difference" He slides it across the table "There are other for?" I ask warily

Bartie stands and so do I "You don’t have to be alone in this," he says "Look at the reality of the situation Even if you are the one aristocrat on this ship, the one leader--you’re sixteen years old Maybe you will be a great leader"

"Will be?" I growl

He shrugs "People don’t respect you now Maybe in another five or ten years"

"People respect me because of what I am!"

Bartie drops the book on the table; its thud echoes on thepast iven us all the chance to think, to choose for ourselves ant" His voice is quiet, alot to realize that oing to choose you as our leader"

Bartie picks up two books from the table--the history of the French Revolution and a book from the science room, Technical Instruction on Communication Systems He abandons Plato’s Republic on the table and carries the other books across the rooh, it feels as if there are a lot of words drifting through the silence he leaves behind