Page 4 of Failed State

The loud bellow from Professor Ashley makes me wince. He doesn’t have magic or supe powers, so the dumbass uses this outdated bullhorn to teach the huge section of people. The squeal always hurts my sensitive bear ears, and I can’t do a damn thing to protect myself from it.

“Today, we will continue discussingFrankenstein. Shelley captured the need for eliminating the monsters within her world perfectly, I must say. We would all do well to respect the lesson this book teaches about what happens to those who rampage against their betters.”

Sydney tenses next to me and her hand is gripping her pen like she’s going to crack it. Obviously, she doesn’t agree with the interpretation being presented. I’ve never been much of a reader, but what I read doesn’t jive with the text, so she’s probably right. But then, the professors here don’t want us to learn; they want to control us. Of course they’d twist a narrative to suit their agendas.

Leaning down, I whisper in her ear. “You gotta calm down, Syd.”

“That’snotthe lesson of this book,Thad.”

Huck shakes his head, slouching in his chair so no one notices him leaning into her other side. “Doesn’t matter, sweet pea. It’s what we’re forced to vomit up for their tests, so you need to have a come to Jesus moment and get good with it.”

Her eyes narrow as she looks at the demon. “You know that’s a fairy tale, Huckleberry Monroe.”

Ouch, the full name; she’s pissed.

“I do indeed, but I’m not fixin’ to get sent to the hole today. And I’d appreciate it if you could avoid it as well so I don’t have to lose my temper.”

We have to distract her and I hate to do it this way but… “Didn’t you just say it’s useless to fight? What good did fighting and trusting them do for your dad, Syd?”

It’s like a wave of ice hits our section of the room and I wince as she goes silent, staring ahead silently. She won’t make trouble while that dill hole up there continues, but our friend is also going to be a zombie for the rest of the day. I hate having to do that to her, but since Sydney is a mixed breed with a question mark where her mom should be…

I have to help her until she figures out what she has beyond magic.

“You’re a dick, Thad.”

“I’ll take that over silence any day,” I whisper as she scribbles notes in her notebook.

She’s very good at functioning in the low tech world sectors brought us back to, while I miss the hell out of phones and computers. We have an agreement that she’ll take the notes and we all study together so Huck and I can help her memorize. Since they put in her Marker, Sydney has trouble with memory gaps, blackouts, and sometimes, gaps in time. It’s like they short-circuited something important in her and it caused a magical dementia.

“I’m only talking to you because I need you. Otherwise, I’d freeze you for the day,” she says, her voice full of irritation. “Unfortunately, the damage done by my Marker will put me in the shit. Even Huck knows that by now.”

Our demon friend pushes his knee against hers, surreptitiously trying to siphon the fear off of her. It’s a win-win for him because he feeds, but it also helps our friend stayon an even keel. “Sweet pea, I don’t know why you act as though I’m a gnat buzzing around your pretty head. You know I’m your second favorite person in the entire world.”

“I only associate with two people, Huck. That’s not as special as you make it sound.”

No, we’re the lucky ones and she doesn’t have a clue.

MAY THE ODDS

SYDNEY

The restof the morning was filled with the jabbering of the guys and ducking the mean girls that—no matter how bad life is for everyone—form groups to poke at those they consider beneath them. There’s a hierarchy at F.E.A.R. despite our dire circumstances, I keep under their radar as much as I can. All I want is to stay in our asshole overlords’ good graces andnothave to be in conflict with other supes or the humans. If I keep a low enough profile, I might qualify for a menial job outside of the sectors at some rich vampire or human house.

Getting out of this place is the ultimate goal and nothing will stop me from achieving it.

It’s lunchtime now, and I’m in line for my daily serving of slop with Thad and Huck trailing behind me. Today’s garbage smells awful and will likely taste worse, but the sectors don’t get anything fresh. Leftovers, factory seconds, low grade meats—supes are sent all the shit their FDA deems unfit for human consumption. Places like F.E.A.R. slap it all together in random goulash and tell us to eat or starve—you learn to hold your nose and eat it pretty quickly.

“It doesn’t look like it’s movin’ today. That’s a plus,” Huck says as he takes my tray from me. I give him a dirty look, reaching for it, but he shakes his head. “Just let me be polite, sweet pea. I don’t get to flex my chivalry muscles often here.”

Sighing in annoyance, I nod, following him and Thad to our table in the corner of the room. We stay away from the cliques, gangs, and psychos, but strength in numbers helps. When we’re settled, I reach into my bag and pull out my copy ofFrankensteinintending to ignore them so I can do my reading in a place with reliable electricity. Plus, Thad’s on my shit list even if he wasn’t wrong.

“Syd, come on,” Thad whines as I hold my book up and eat while I read. “I don’t deserve the freeze out. I was being honest, not mean.”

I know that, but I’ll never heal from seeing my dad executed in front of me.

“She’s smarting, partner,” Huck says as he elbows our friend. “Give her time to lick her wounds. Our girl’s a strong one.”

“Not your girl,” I mutter around a bite of the semi-solid crap from my tray. “Not a girl at all. I’m a woman and I belong to no one.”

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