Eason didn’t say anything, but instead hopped off the board. He ran his hands through his hair and muttered at the ground. Spinning to face her, with a wild glint in his eyes, he asked, “Even with Mason hating your guts? You’ll stay here with us?”
Nyla nodded slowly. “Do you ever think Mason will leave her room?” The girl had refused to leave her suite except for dinner. She was like a ghost.
“Yeah, she will. She just has to cool off, and in this case, who knows how long that will take. She still thinks she was in the right, that’s the rough part. I hate that she hates you, Nyla. I wish I could make it easier on you.”
Nyla toyed with the words rolling around her mouth as she stared at Eason. She knew it made Eason uncomfortable for some reason when she spoke about the Major – sometimes it even seemed to make him mad. Did she dare tell him what she’d found out about the Major’s body? But if s
Nyla considered the proposition. Almost instantly, she discarded the notion; school was too stressful for her and in general, a waste of time. Anything she read, she immediately memorized. “After I’m done at Alet, I think I'm going to be done with school in general. But I know you’d be a good teacher, Eason. A really good one. You’re so patient with me.” “I just help you identify what you already feel. That’s not really teaching. You’re still human, I’m not really teaching you anything new.” Nyla rolled over onto her side so she could see his profile. “But I’m a Menhit, Eason.” She watched his scowl. “That doesn’t mean you aren’t human, Nyla.”&n
Time started to fly by for Nyla. February slipped quickly into March, bringing only slightly warmer weather. Fighting to keep her eyes open as Mr. Richards droned on and on about the War of Attribution, Nyla regretted for the first time her ability to memorize whatever she read. The ring didn’t diminish that ability, and it made class dreadfully dull. She jerked to attention by Sarah jabbing her hard in the side. Casting her a questioning glance, Sarah motioned towards the front of the room.“We’ve finished the War of Attribution early. I thought it’d be interesting to open the floor to any questions you may have. They can be over the topics we’ve covered or something else, it’s really up to you.” Mr. Richards stood waiting for someone to raise their hand.The room erupted into whispers, but only one student, a loud-mouthed boy who often berated Nyla, was brave enough to stick his hand up. “Where do Menhits come from?&rdq
No one spoke, waiting for her to go on. “That’s it,” she said lamely.“Doesn’t it bother you? Not remembering?” Dylan asked.Nyla shook her head. “I’ve never considered it before.”“How have you not wondered what your parents are like? Why they let you leave? Or be taken?” Eason exclaimed, riled up by the conversation and Nyla’s apparent lack of interest.“How do you know her caregivers were parents?” Sarah interjected.“Well, everyone is born, aren’t they?”Or are they? Her eye’s met Sarah’s father’s, and a silent understanding passed between them.“Have you ever thought about having parents? What kind you would like?” Dylan asked.Turning the question over in her mind, she finally answered, “Parents like yours, Dylan.”Their father looked touched. Nyla avoided his gaze
Nyla didn’t notice the changing of the seasons until one day she woke up and the trees had new leaves. This was the first time Nyla could ever remember having this time of the year free; in the military, the first hint of spring heralded an arduous march back to District 4 to fight. She’d never had the opportunity to enjoy the refreshing breeze or the tiny animals that started to pop up out of nowhere.Much like the small critters, Mason emerged from her room more as the weather changed. Apparently, all she’d needed was the cold to disappear for her anger to dissipate. Personally, Nyla was beginning to believe that Mason was colder than the weather ever had been. No matter how much her parents threatened her, she still refused to call Nyla by her name instead using ‘it’ and ‘that.’ To Nyla's surprise, being addressed like an object slowly started wearing on her until she couldn’t help but snap at Mason’s snide comment one
Nyla thought she understood. She placed a comforting hand on Eason’s shoulder. “Then why are these still here, if you ended up hating it enough to quit?”“Dad won’t let me take them down. He wants me to look at everything I threw away or something. So they stay.” Eason shrugged. Before, Nyla wouldn’t have noticed any nuance to Eason’s words, but now she knew him well enough to see the hard glint in his eyes.He hates them being here. Edmond picked an excellent punishment.Bringing his attention back to Nyla, he asked, “What do you need?”Her mind preoccupied, it took Nyla several seconds to process what he said. “I don’t know what to pack,” she blurted out.Eason blinked at her, and then his empty bag. “Okay,” he said slowly, “do you want my help? Or my mom’s?”Nyla didn’t hesitate. “Your help. Your mom is nice, bu
Relief washed over her. If money had exchanged hands, she and Sarah would be roommates. Getting to the head of the queue, Sarah and Nyla were each handed a paper that held three names. “Who…?” Sarah questioned, staring at the third name underneath her own.“It’s Breanne.”The duo glanced around them, trying to find the quiet girl who hid in the background so often. They found her standing next to their literature teacher. Even divided by the twenty feet that separated them, Nyla could see the girl's hands shaking. A pang of something struck Nyla in the heart.I should be mad at her, but I’m not. I can’t be. I understand why she stays away, she has no protection, not like Eason and Sarah.“Let’s go see our room,” Nyla said, drawing Sarah’s attention away from Breanne.They had already chosen beds and started unpacking when Breanne shuffled into the room, her head down.
“Each team of three has received a holopad, correct?” the camp counselor asked. The students nodded. “It has been preloaded with a map of the grounds and your first clue. You all have received a different lead to begin with, so there’s no reason to try and follow another group – you’ll end up in the wrong spot. When you find an item, please do not bring it with you; instead, take a picture of it—no need to disturb anything out here. The first group that cycles back here is the winner, given that they’ve completed the rest of the scavenger hunt correctly. We’ll send a message to the pads when it’s time to come back. On the count of three, you’re off. One…two…three!”Sarah, who was holding the holopad, swiped up and the first clue projected into the air for all of them to read.I bloom only three days a yearSurprise! Today is number twoMy fuchsia pe
“Do you think we won?” Sarah huffed as they rushed back to the chateau.“We have a good chance, thanks to Nyla,” Eason managed to cough out between breaths.Nyla slowed down when she saw how much they were struggling. “No, no, keep going,” Sarah directed, clutching a stitch in her side. “I want that extra credit! It’s enough to fix my C in history!”Nyla sped back up, making it back several minutes before the other two. She waited on the edges of the clearing for Mrs. Smith to notice her.“Are you done already?” Mrs. Smith asked, blinking confusedly at Nyla. She nodded, smiling.“Where’s the rest of your group?” her teacher snapped, looking over Nyla’s shoulder.“We’re here! We’re here!” Eason cried out, running up to them before collapsing in a wheezing heap on the ground. Sarah laid down next to him, exhausted.&ld