Page 50 (1/2)

"I’nu?"

Again, a flash of irritation, and Liv felt stupid But he spoke with kindness "You kno you feel when you draft superviolet?"

"Of course Alien, separated from es"

"That isn’t you," Zyree," Liv said But you don’t know me, so hoould you know?

"I don’t mean that isn’t the ‘real you’ I mean, that isn’t you"

"Pardon?"

"Those aren’t your feelings Those aren’t your perceptions Indeed, those aren’t your abilities Ferrilux is invisible He is behind reatest achievements, but he doesn’t think much of most men He is distant and disdainful, and he has chosen to share his poith you"

The idea see ’s mine"

Zymun’s voice was cold, affect flat "So you chose your colors? Superviolet, for an outsider, for the Tyrean girl who could never be part of the Chroirls ould never let her join their petty circles Yellow, for a clear thinker who couldn’t decide whether or not to engage with all she saw around her Hmm, sounds very, what’s the word? Serendipitous"

"You’re talking like a tenpenny soothsayer If I’d been a sub-red, you’d say, oh, sub-red, for the girl so furious at being irls who did belong Garbage" Liv folded her hands, took a breath, and squeezed her fingers against each other "I mean… your pardon, ht lies, but that doesn’t u"

Zymun didn’t seem to take it personally "You’re cute when you’re mad And when you do that with your arms, it shows off your bosom nicely"

Liv looked down and dropped her clenched hands like she’d been burned "Excuseher She almost slapped his silly face "That is theanyone has ever said to ht this instant!"

"Inappropriate? Why? Who says? You’re beautiful I told you so Who gets to decide that I can’t tell you what I think? I’d tell you, but you’re sh to already know You’ve joined the Free, Aliviana We decide for ourselves, and there’s power in that The Chromeria wants you to be ht your dress is or who coer problems to tackle, you’d think, wouldn’t you?"

"Well…" But Liv didn’t have anything to follow that monosyllable

"The Chros about yourself thatYou’re beautiful Use that Use it however you wish Don’t you see? You choose Now, you could choose to become a prostitute--no, don’t take offense, dammit, it’s a hypothetical! You could do very well, no doubt, and it wouldn’t be wrong because Orhola at all It’s just stupid It’s a poor use of all your gifts, and it lies So it’s a bad choice, but not a wrong one That’s hoe draft, too So to share their body permanently before they can survive the union with their minds intact They use their choice in a way that takes away their choice, like choosing suicide It’s a stupid action and it deents What we have here--the Free--e offer, is a free-for-all But it’s not chaos Free choices, freely made, but still with consequences You choose to join the army, you have to obey orders until your time of service is ended This is a harder world than what you left, Liv Freedom is hard If you don’t want me to compliment you because someone told you that you shouldn’t be proud of your beautiful curves, your full lips, your radiant skin, the graceful lines of your neck, your bright eyes, that’s ridiculous To hell with them If you don’t want to bed ether different" He was terribly smart, wasn’t he? And supree of adeous flattery She’d never been called beautiful at the Chromeria Tyreans couldn’t be beautiful, couldn’t be fashionable, not after the False Pris your way, aren’t you?" she asked