The Vanished: A Young Adult Dystopian Series (Sacrisvita Book 5) Read online

  Despite her discomfort, there wasn’t really any harm in him waiting outside the door, so she didn’t press the issue any further. She stepped inside the bathroom, leaving Kai in the hallway. As soon as the door closed, she exhaled deeply. Her ears pulsed with the beat of her heart.

  Since she didn’t actually need to use the bathroom, she counted off the time for a few minutes as she tried to calm her rapid breathing and racing heart. Steadying herself in front of the mirror, she gripped the sink and looked herself in the eye. She’d accomplished her mission. There was no reason for Kai to be suspicious of her, she reminded herself. Judging by the look on his face, he hadn’t even known she was here today before she’d run into him.

  She ran her fingers under the stream of cold water, flicking a spray of droplets on her face before washing her hands. Taking another deep breath, she glanced back at the mirror once more before shoving her way out the door.

  Just as he’d promised, Kai was waiting for her, leaning against the wall. He uncrossed his arms and set his hand back on her shoulder as he guided her to the Transfer.

  “I’ll wait outside with you.”

  Sage cringed inwardly, but she didn’t protest. It was more of a statement than an offer. He didn’t trust her.

  A deafening silence spread between the two of them. Despite all the things she wanted to say to him, she kept her mouth shut. She couldn’t afford to slip up. She couldn’t afford for him to know she was now Lawless. He was far too close to Mr. Gaztok—a man who offered no apologies for his hatred of her kind.

  Fortunately, they weren’t waiting for long. Brisia and the others soon appeared in the corridor, heading their way.

  “Mr. Abeldra.” Brisia looked back and forth between Kai and Sage. Her voice held a twinge of curiosity that was mostly masked by fear.

  Sage raised her eyebrow. She hadn’t expected anyone to consider Kai scary. But then, she still thought of him as the boy who trained her in Bokja. He clearly wasn’t that boy anymore. He must have had even more authority than she realized. Probably thanks to Mr. Gaztok.

  “I believe one of your students got a bit turned around,” Kai said evenly. “I offered my assistance.” He nodded at Brisia and dropped his hand from Sage’s shoulder, then addressed the rest of the students. “Enjoy the tour.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Abeldra.” Brisia’s voice cracked as she called after him. He was already halfway down the hallway.

  Clearly shaken, Brisia didn’t even bother scolding Sage for taking up Kai’s valuable time. Instead, she just ushered everyone back into the Transfer and swept her hand along the wall quickly, impatiently urging the room to move.

  Sage didn’t even flinch when Darren’s hand grabbed ahold of hers again.

  “Can’t even go to the bathroom without getting in trouble, huh?” His teasing tone was shrouded with worry. “Are you going to make me regret sitting behind you on the first day?”

  She rolled her eyes at him. “Only if you insist on holding my hand during every trip,” she shot back.

  Shoving her free hand in her pocket, she felt the reassuring brush of cool metal against her skin. She sighed softly. Somehow, she’d done it. The hardest part was over. Now, she just had to get through the rest of the tour and deliver the new disc to Mr. Walsh.

  8. THE TECH

  “Does that make sense?”

  “Mmhmm, I think I’m starting to get it.” Sage bobbed her head in response to Nic’s question.

  Relief flashed over his face. She set her databook down on the table and leaned back into the sofa.

  “Maybe try to finish up the rest of the set on your own tonight? Then we can compare answers tomorrow,” he suggested.

  “Sounds good.” She smiled. The time on the clock caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Her heart skipped a beat. She was late.

  “I just remembered—I left something in my last class.” She stood up abruptly. “Sorry. I should go get it.”

  Nic shrugged. “That’s fine. We’re done for now anyways. Just don’t forget how to do this problem set before you get back,” he joked.

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” She jabbed him in the shoulder.

  He grinned. “Just sayin’.” He stood up too, angling toward a group of rowdy boys on the other end of the room. “Let me know when you finish the set.”

  “Ok.”

  Sage rushed out the door and wasted no time rushing through the halls. Mr. Walsh’s instructions had detailed when and where to meet. She scolded herself for letting the evening slip away. Though she had no idea what information was on the disc she was carrying, she had no doubt that it was more important than her math homework.

  As she stopped outside the door to the tech classroom, she placed her hand over her pocket. Assured that the disc was still there, she pushed open the door and hurried into the room. But she wasn’t prepared for the sight that greeted her.

  A lanky boy stood a few feet inside the doorway, watching her closely as she came to an abrupt halt in front of him. Sage’s brows furrowed in confusion. She’d seen this boy a few times before, in this tech classroom no less, but she had no idea why he was standing in her way now.

  “I—uh, I…” she trailed off, still wondering why he was staring at her. She cast her eyes around the room, hoping she’d just missed seeing Mr. Walsh because she’d been caught off guard. But he wasn’t there.

  “You’re late.” The boy spoke.

  Her mouth dropped open. “What?”

  “You thought you were going to meet Mr. Walsh, right? Not anymore,” the boy continued, bored. His mess of dark curly hair bounced as he shook his head.

  Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “I don’t see how you would know anything about what I’m doing.”

  He snickered. “I know a lot.”

  The look of amusement on his face grated on her nerves.

  “Well,” she said irritably, “do you know where Mr. Walsh is?”

  “You don’t need to know that.”

  Sage gaped at him. Clearly, this boy wasn’t going to be helpful. And Mr. Walsh was obviously not here.

  “That wasn’t what I asked, but fine.”

  She turned on her heel and headed straight for the door. She wasn’t sure why the instructor hadn’t been there waiting for her, but she’d just have to find him without this boy’s help.

  “Don’t go yet!”

  The boy reached his hand out to stop her. She looked down at where he was holding her arm and then back up at him, glaring.

  “Why in Eprah’s name shouldn’t I go? You’re no help.” She jerked her arm away. “And quite frankly, I’d rather not spend any more time with you,” she huffed.

  His eyes widened in shock for just a moment before he managed to compose himself. “You came in here, remember? You owe me something.”

  “I doubt it.” She rolled her eyes and turned back to the door.

  He leapt forward suddenly, blocking the exit with his small frame. “No, you really do.” Sticking out his hand, he looked at her expectantly.

  Inhaling sharply, Sage shoved her fists in her pockets. The tips of her fingers slid against the small, smooth surface of the metal disc. The disc she still needed to deliver to Mr. Walsh.

  “Get out of my way.” She spoke much more calmly than she expected to. By now, her heart was beating wildly, and the boy hadn’t backed down.

  He closed his hand and crossed his arms over his chest. “Look, Sage—”

  “How do you know my name?” Sage’s eyes were wide.

  An amused smirk spread across his face. “I told you. I know a lot.”

  His non-answers were becoming infuriating. She opened her mouth, planning to give him one last chance to leave before trying to force her way out of the room.

  To her surprise, he held up a hand, stopping her before she uttered a word.

  “It’s only fair you know who I am too.” He paused. “I’m Bruggs.”

  Bruggs. Where had she heard that before? Lita. She sa
id she needed Bruggs after she’d been caught with the relic in the dormitory. Sage’s eyes grew wide with recognition.

  “Y-you?” she sputtered, looking him up and down incredulously. “You’re a person,” she said dumbly.

  “Yeah.” He raised an eyebrow. “What else would I be?”

  “No,” she shook her head, “you’re—Lita told me—Mr. Walsh needed you, and…” Her thoughts tumbled out incoherently before she could stop herself.

  “Yeah.” His face darkened at the memory. “I helped you.”

  “But… how…”

  Bruggs dropped his eyes to the floor. “I’m really good with tech,” he mumbled.

  “I don’t understand.” Sage searched his face. “Are you—” she hesitated. What if this was a setup? What if he was just waiting for her to confess her involvement with the Lawless? Her heart sank. Where was Mr. Walsh? Had he been taken again?

  She could feel her heart beating faster, drumming in her ears. A wave of nausea passed over her. She’d probably said too much already.

  “I don’t know you,” she said quietly, her voice shaking. “And I don’t trust you.” Her head began feeling lighter, and dark clouds formed around the edges of her vision.

  He sighed. “I kinda figured. Mr. Walsh said you’d want proof.” He walked over to the table and swept his hand through the empty space above it. Lighted images sprang to life beneath his fingers.

  Sage gasped. She saw… herself. And Lita. A familiar nightmare played out in front of her eyes. The headmaster, Mr. Gaztok, Mr. Strick—all three men surrounded Lita as she stood in there, secretly defending Sage from their ire.

  Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she watched Lita stand stone-faced as the necklace was ripped from her neck. She choked back a sob as she saw herself crawl out from under one of the beds and run out of the room after talking to Lita.

  The scene ended. The terror etched on Lita’s face remained frozen in the air beside them. Sage looked at Bruggs, her cheeks moist. She’d lost control of her emotions. If Bruggs wanted to, he could ruin her, and they both knew it.

  He looked away uncomfortably. “No one else has ever seen that besides Mr. Walsh,” he said quietly. “And they never will. He asked me to delete it after I showed you.” His hand hovered in the air above the table again, his fingers twitching rhythmically. The image of Lita flickered and disappeared.

  “You’re Lawless.” It was no longer a question.

  He nodded. “Now you know.” Hesitating, he repeated his earlier statement. “I’m really good with tech. But the more I delete or manipulate footage, the more likely we are to get caught.” He gritted his teeth. “I already do it too much. I’m going to have to fix this meeting too.”

  “Fix?”

  Bruggs met her questioning gaze. “If I don’t, we’ll both get caught. Maybe not right away. But eventually, someone would start unraveling the threads that tie us all together.”

  Sage shivered as his words sank in.

  “I still need that disc you have.” He held out his hand.

  This time, she didn’t question him. She stuck her hand in her pocket and pulled out the disc, pressing it into his palm.

  “What’s on it?” she asked.

  “More than you should know.”

  She frowned.

  “What?” His tone was laced with impatience.

  “I want to know.” She crossed her arms.

  “Tough.” He shook his head. “That’s not how this works. No one person can know too much. Even Mr. Walsh doesn’t know everything the Lawless are up to.”

  Her eyes shrank into slits. “But I’m the one who got it. You have no idea how hard that was. I should be able—”

  His dry laugh caught her off guard. “Of course I know how hard it was. Remember? I’m really good with tech. And Eprah’s always watching. Or me, in this case.”

  She stared at him in surprise. “You mean… you saw?

  “Of course I did. How else was I supposed to know if you’d gotten the disc?”

  “Oh.” Her reaction seemed woefully inadequate, but she couldn’t think of anything better to say.

  “You should go now. I have work to do, and we should be back before either of our levels’ bedtimes.”

  “Oh,” she repeated dully. “Ok.”

  Sage left the tech room and made her way back to the Common Lounge. She had an assignment to finish. But her mind was unable to focus on classwork and math. Her thoughts kept returning to the conversation she’d just had with Bruggs. Eprah or Lawless, someone was always watching.

  9. WITNESSES

  Penelope dug into a smattering of gravel with her the tip of her shoe. “We can still do that thing tonight.”

  Sage returned a small smile. “We probably shouldn’t,” she said, shaking her head.

  Their normal space in the play yard had been overrun with Level Sixes, so rather than scouting out a new, semi-hidden area, the two girls stayed near the edge of the building. It was just as well. They were getting too tall to fit comfortably under the beams anymore. Next year, they wouldn’t even get time for free play in the yard. The Institution considered Level Twelves too mature for that kind of frivolous activity.

  “But we have to do something special,” Penelope pouted.

  “Not getting shunned is pretty special.” Sage shivered and zipped her jacket up a little higher around her neck. “You remember last time. We almost got caught. Going on my birthday is a bad idea.”

  “Ok, fine. Maybe next week then.”

  Sage grinned. “Maybe.” It wasn’t worth arguing with Penelope when she decided to be stubborn. Besides, she wanted to make a trip up to the rooftop anyway. And waiting a week to do it would be a lot safer.

  A group of girls started meandering in their general direction. Carnabel was part of the crowd. Sage’s stomach turned. On this of all days, she did not want to deal with her drama.

  “Uh, can we…” Sage jerked her head toward the group.

  Penelope’s eyes widened, and she grabbed Sage’s hand. “Yeah,” she said, hurriedly dragging her along the side of the building around the corner.

  Sage put a hand on the bricks, peering around their edges. The group had stopped advancing toward them and had seemed to settle in on a patch of pavement not far from where the two of them had just been standing. “I don’t think they noticed us,” she said as she leaned back, panting.

  The two girls slid to the ground in relief. The bricks made a nice backrest, though they were a bit cold.

  “Good,” Penelope said. “I really didn’t want to deal with her.” She looked at Sage curiously. “What’s her problem with you, anyways? I mean, she’s not exactly nice to anyone, but I feel like she really hates you.”

  “I have no idea,” Sage shook her head. “She’s been like that since I met her. And she’s always thought I was Lawless. Maybe that’s it?”

  Penelope shrugged. “Dunno. Not that it really matters.”

  Sage didn’t say anything. Instead, she wove her fingers through the blades of grass at her side and yanked them from the ground one by one. She wasn’t sure what to say. She hadn’t done anything to make Carnabel hate her, but she also hadn’t shied away from the fights that she’d picked. After all, that was how she’d landed in the headmaster’s not-so-good graces and the Bokja Tournament as a Level Eight. It wasn’t all bad, though. The Historical Interest Society assignment wound up leading her to answers about Eprah and her parents, not to mention her membership in Eprah’s most-hated club. The Lawless.

  She shuddered. She still hadn’t told Penelope that she’d accepted Mr. Walsh’s offer. That she’d already completed a couple missions. And that Eprah was somehow behind the disappearances that everyone kept talking about. Not that she could tell her—at least, not until they had a chance to go to the rooftop and talk privately. Next week. She’d tell her then.

  Just then, a sharp cry rattled her from her thoughts. Sage leapt to her feet, looking around furtively.

 
“Did you hear that?”

  “Yeah.” Penelope was already on her feet too. She pointed past the fence at the street. “I think it came from over there.”

  Sage took off running along the side of the building. “I didn’t hear anything else,” she hissed over her shoulder.

  “Me neither,” Penelope shot back as her heels pounded against the dirt right behind Sage.

  Whatever—whoever—had made that noise had been silenced rather quickly.

  The two girls drew themselves up against the fence, scanning the streets.

  “I don’t see an—”

  Penelope elbowed Sage urgently, cutting her off. She stretched her arm out between the bars of the fence, pointing down an alley.

  Sage sucked in her breath as she followed the line of Penelope’s finger across the street. A horrific scene was unfolding before their eyes.

  A young woman, probably no older than twenty-five, was sprinting in their direction, holding the side of her neck. Her hand and half of her shirt were soaked with something a deep shade of red—something that looked a lot like blood. Trailing not far behind her were three large men, probably about the same age as the woman. They were rapidly gaining on her.

  The woman tripped, letting out a yelp that sounded a lot like the one the girls had heard a few moments earlier. As she crashed to the ground, she tried to scramble away from the men and regain her footing. She wasn’t fast enough.

  Two of the men overpowered her. One caught her arms, pinning them to her sides, while the other gagged her and hooked his biceps around her ankles. She flailed and jerked in the air between the two men, letting out muffled cries of desperation. Blood splattered on the pavement beneath her.

  The third man moved closer. He carried something in his hand. It was too far away for Sage to quite make out what it was. He leaned over the woman’s head for a moment, obscuring her view. Backing away, he paused and watched as the woman’s struggle began to die down, fizzling out with a few final twitches of protest.

  This man seemed to be in charge. He gestured to the other two, and they began moving back down the alley the way they’d come, carrying the woman’s limp form between them.