jogged across the gym and disappeared out the door. The trainers all stared at me as they filed past. Hugo and Lissy stopped in front of me, wearing matching confused expressions.
“What’s wrong with you?” Lissy asked. She had her hands on her hips, her eyebrows lowered.
“Is he special or something?” Hugo asked.
Lissy rolled her eyes. “Yeah. He’s real special, Hugo.”
I shrugged. “Maybe I can make him better.”
“Don’t count on it,” Lissy muttered. She stalked away. Hugo gave me another befuddled look, then followed her out.
I turned to go, my eyes catching Ever’s. She was smiling, her head cocked to the side, then she nodded as if to say, Good for you .
FIVE
A SOUND WOKE ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
I blinked my eyes until the dream I’d been lost in faded, loosening the death grip I had on the sheets. I’d been in the corner of a tiny apartment, watching my parents yell at the people in the living room. In the dream, they were yelling about me. In reality, I’m not sure they had cared about me enough for that sort of attention.
I rolled over to see Ever crouching on her bed, her teeth bared as she let out a low growl. The noise grew louder as she rocked back and forth on the mattress.
“Ever,” I said, sitting up. Violation of the rules, but surely they would want someone to wake her up and stop the racket.
She turned to me. Her bright eyes showed no sign that she recognized me. In fact, she snarled.
“Ever,” I said again, tossing off my covers and placing my feet on the cold floor. I reached for her shoulder and her head whipped to me. She opened her mouth and her teeth scraped across the skin of my hand.
I snatched it away. What the hell was that?
I held my hand to my chest, my heart beating oddly. I was nervous, I think. I was rarely nervous.
My eyes darted to the hallway. Through the glass wall at the front of our cell I could see a guard approaching, his flashlight aimed in our direction. He stopped in front of our room and peered inside, reaching for his com. He turned away as he spoke into it and I looked back down at Ever, rocking on her bed and growling from deep within her throat. I wanted to press my hand to her mouth to stop the noise, to make the guard go away before Ever got into trouble.
I heard the pounding of footsteps and turned to see a scientist in a white lab coat running down the hall. I took in a sharp breath as I watched the scientist talk frantically to the guard, his bushy eyebrows lowered in worry as he watched Ever.
Humans didn’t worry about Reboots. They didn’t run to help them.
The scientist pulled a syringe from his pocket and my stomach turned over as I pieced together what was happening.
They’d done something to her, and now they’d realized they’d messed up. Messed her up.
Ever pounced out of bed with a height and speed I had never seen before, smashing her body against the wall. I gasped, stumbling back until my legs hit the bed.
She head butted the glass, a line of blood trickling down her face when she straightened. She bared her teeth at the humans and they both jumped away, the scientist almost dropping his syringe.
“One-seventy-eight.”
I turned my eyes to the guard yelling from the other side of the wall.
“Subdue her.”
Ever began pounding her hand against the wall, a slow, rhythmic hammering.
Pound .
Pound .
Pound .
Her face determined, she looked at the humans like she would rip their faces off if given half a second.
“I said subdue her, One-seventy-eight. Get her down on the ground.” The guard glared at me.
I slowly rose from my bed, clenching my hands into fists when I realized I was shaking.
I’m not scared .
I repeated it in my head. There was no reason to be scared of a Fifty-six. She couldn’t hurt me.
Or could she? I’d never seen a Reboot act this way. There wasn’t a hint of the Ever I knew in her.
I’m not scared .
I reached for her arm but she was too fast, darting across the
“What’s wrong with you?” Lissy asked. She had her hands on her hips, her eyebrows lowered.
“Is he special or something?” Hugo asked.
Lissy rolled her eyes. “Yeah. He’s real special, Hugo.”
I shrugged. “Maybe I can make him better.”
“Don’t count on it,” Lissy muttered. She stalked away. Hugo gave me another befuddled look, then followed her out.
I turned to go, my eyes catching Ever’s. She was smiling, her head cocked to the side, then she nodded as if to say, Good for you .
FIVE
A SOUND WOKE ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
I blinked my eyes until the dream I’d been lost in faded, loosening the death grip I had on the sheets. I’d been in the corner of a tiny apartment, watching my parents yell at the people in the living room. In the dream, they were yelling about me. In reality, I’m not sure they had cared about me enough for that sort of attention.
I rolled over to see Ever crouching on her bed, her teeth bared as she let out a low growl. The noise grew louder as she rocked back and forth on the mattress.
“Ever,” I said, sitting up. Violation of the rules, but surely they would want someone to wake her up and stop the racket.
She turned to me. Her bright eyes showed no sign that she recognized me. In fact, she snarled.
“Ever,” I said again, tossing off my covers and placing my feet on the cold floor. I reached for her shoulder and her head whipped to me. She opened her mouth and her teeth scraped across the skin of my hand.
I snatched it away. What the hell was that?
I held my hand to my chest, my heart beating oddly. I was nervous, I think. I was rarely nervous.
My eyes darted to the hallway. Through the glass wall at the front of our cell I could see a guard approaching, his flashlight aimed in our direction. He stopped in front of our room and peered inside, reaching for his com. He turned away as he spoke into it and I looked back down at Ever, rocking on her bed and growling from deep within her throat. I wanted to press my hand to her mouth to stop the noise, to make the guard go away before Ever got into trouble.
I heard the pounding of footsteps and turned to see a scientist in a white lab coat running down the hall. I took in a sharp breath as I watched the scientist talk frantically to the guard, his bushy eyebrows lowered in worry as he watched Ever.
Humans didn’t worry about Reboots. They didn’t run to help them.
The scientist pulled a syringe from his pocket and my stomach turned over as I pieced together what was happening.
They’d done something to her, and now they’d realized they’d messed up. Messed her up.
Ever pounced out of bed with a height and speed I had never seen before, smashing her body against the wall. I gasped, stumbling back until my legs hit the bed.
She head butted the glass, a line of blood trickling down her face when she straightened. She bared her teeth at the humans and they both jumped away, the scientist almost dropping his syringe.
“One-seventy-eight.”
I turned my eyes to the guard yelling from the other side of the wall.
“Subdue her.”
Ever began pounding her hand against the wall, a slow, rhythmic hammering.
Pound .
Pound .
Pound .
Her face determined, she looked at the humans like she would rip their faces off if given half a second.
“I said subdue her, One-seventy-eight. Get her down on the ground.” The guard glared at me.
I slowly rose from my bed, clenching my hands into fists when I realized I was shaking.
I’m not scared .
I repeated it in my head. There was no reason to be scared of a Fifty-six. She couldn’t hurt me.
Or could she? I’d never seen a Reboot act this way. There wasn’t a hint of the Ever I knew in her.
I’m not scared .
I reached for her arm but she was too fast, darting across the
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