“And I know we’re going to be best friends, just like in the books I love to read. Come on, we’re already late for lunch!”
Xona looked down at Ginni and let out a heavy sigh. “Wish we could all have our own rooms,” she said under her breath.
As we neared the Caf, I heard the noise of voices filtering out into the hall. A loud bark of laughter made me blink in surprise. A place where people could laugh and talk without having to hide emotion. It was so foreign. And loud.
We turned in the next doorway and I looked down at my tight-fitting suit self-consciously. I’d gone through the wash-down chamber and changed into a fresh suit last night before bed, so at least I was clean.
Xona strode confidently into the room, scanning the crowd methodically. A quick headcount showed about thirty people already inside. I recognized Rand, City, and Juan sitting at the center table and the four ex-Regs sitting together in the back. Several of the other tables were crowded with adults wearing the gray Rez fighter uniform. The room was bigger than the Med Center, but all the tables and chairs were crammed tightly together to accommodate so many people at once. A long counter with kitchen implements ran along the far wall and, beside it, a cabinet with heat lamps and several steaming trays of food.
I looked back at the main table and felt my eyes widen when I realized who the girl sitting between City and Juan was. Molla. Her red hair was shorter and her face pudgier, but it was her.
“Oh look,” City said. “The plebe and the savior have finally made it to lunch.” Molla’s eyes narrowed when she looked up and saw me.
Xona walked over to City, her fists clenched. “Wanna call me that again to my face, Filicity?”
“The name’s City,” she said, eyes flashing annoyance for a brief moment before she smiled sweetly. “And your name is plebe. From the word plebeian. As in, not special. As in, should be scrubbing the floors for her betters, not eating breakfast with us.”
Xona didn’t say anything back, she just reared back her fist so quick I barely realized what was happening. But before she could connect with City’s jaw, Rand jumped up from where he was sitting by City and grabbed Xona’s arms.
“Ladies, ladies, not here. Save it for the training room floor.”
Juan had stood up as well, looking upset.
“No one calls me that and gets away with it.” Xona struggled angrily to get loose from Rand’s hold, but he was twice her size. “Let go of me.”
City leaned in closer. “As if you could do anything to me. I’d drop you at ten feet with the electricity from my little finger.”
“Only because you glitchers are cheaters. In a fair fight I’d—”
“I told you she had a prejudice against us,” City cut in, then looked at me, her eyes slits. “You should watch out, savior, sleeping in the same room as this one. She’ll try to slit your throat in your sleep.”
Xona glared, but remained silent.
“Ice it already, City.” Rand said, his arms still tight around Xona. Xona let out a growl and jabbed him hard in the ribs. In his moment of surprise, she dropped down and slipped out of his grasp, ready to spring into action.
“Come on, Molla,” City said, standing with a fake yawn. “Let’s get out of here before the boredom kills me.”
Molla stood up, and I barely managed to stop myself from gasping out loud. Her round stomach had been hidden under the table before. I hadn’t seen her in months, but now her stomach protruded and she struggled a little getting to her feet. She pushed past me, and I couldn’t help staring after her as she left. Max’s baby, growing inside her.
Out from under the V-chip control, I thought I’d learned all about emotion. But what had just happened was totally foreign to me, like I’d been dropped in on a game where I didn’t know any of the rules. I could barely make out one emotion on someone’s face before another had replaced it.
Xona grabbed her food quickly, then sat down at an empty table. Adrien came in behind me. I wanted to ask him more about what had gotten him so upset when we’d read together yesterday, but he was smiling and he leaned down and whispered in my ear, “I know you want the air-filtration system to be ready as soon as possible, but I gotta say, I’ll miss the suit.”
I blushed and smacked him in the shoulder.
“Just telling the truth.” His grin was infectious and I tried to forget about his dark mood yesterday. He seemed fine now. He directed me to the steaming trays of food and pointed out a small circular pot behind the others. The familiar creamy grayish concoction bubbled inside.
“Jilia says to keep eating the protein supplement until we can steal some rations from the Community circuit that we know will be allergen safe.”
“Yum.” I slopped a large spoonful of the goo into a hard plastic cup, looking over longingly as Adrien filled his plate with meat and steamed broccoli. I looked back down at the shapeless gruel filling my cup and sighed.
We joined Xona’s table, where Ginni was now chattering nonstop. Xona didn’t look like she was listening. She was too busy eyeing the ex-Regs in the back of the room.
Ginni brightened when she saw Adrien and me coming to sit. “Has Adrien told you about all your classes?”
“Not much.” I sat down and hooked up the straw to my face mask. I took several quick swallows, grimacing only slightly at the taste. “Just that the day will be split between training and school.”
“Well, really, there’s a lot more training than actual school,” Ginni said. “The General keeps saying she needs as many glitchers as soldiers as soon as possible. Everything’s been so bad lately, she can’t seem to replenish the ranks of normal Rez soldiers fast enough.”
I swallowed hard, the reality of the situation settling in. I’d always known it was a war, but it was becoming more and more real to me how many young glitchers and Rez fighters were losing their lives fighting against the Chancellor and the Community.
“How long have you all been here?” I asked. “Out of the Community, I mean.”
“I was living in one of the few aboveground cities when the Rez rescued me a year ago,” Ginni said. “City and Rand are from the south part of the Sector and caused such a commotion when their powers kicked in that I’m amazed we managed to rescue them before the Community or the Chancellor got to them first. We all stayed in Rez camps till enough of the Foundation was finished a couple months ago, and then we moved in here to study and train.”
“So what classes do we have?” I asked.
“Well,” Ginni lit up again. I had a feeling nothing made her happier than being asked questions. “First is physical training with Xona’s brother. He’s so handsome.”
Xona finally turned her eyes away from the ex-Regs. “Ugh, you did not just say that. Besides, Tyryn’s twenty-two.”
“Well in four short months I’ll be seventeen.” Ginni leaned in. “And it’s not like there’s a lot of other options around here, you know?”
Xona rolled her eyes, then went back to watching the ex-Regs. At least she wasn’t being outright hostile toward us anymore. I had a feeling Ginni was partially responsible for that. You couldn’t be around the bubbly girl for too long and keep thinking that all glitchers were dangerous or inhuman.
“Anyway,” Ginni went on, “in his class we work out and have weapons and combat training. The next class in the morning is Humanities with Professor Henry.”
“That’s the class we’ve been reading stories for, right?” I looked at Adrien.
He nodded. “We read literature and study art and history.”