Page 79 of The Infinite Glade
Cian beamed with pride, again acting like he’d actually had something to do with all this. “It’s something special, isn’t it?”
But it was more than special.It felt unreal.
Ximena couldn’t help but think as she watched Frypan process the buildings and plants below them that everything he saw was a life hecouldhave lived. If only his parents, WICKED—or whoever—hadn’t decided to trade his childhood and future to the Trials, to the effects of the Flare.
“No wonder they don’t want to leave,” Jackie mumbled. “It’s so beautiful.”
“I just got here and I don’t even want to leave,” Miyoko said.
Cian led the group farther on to a terrace balcony overlooking the city. “The Senator allowed us on this floor only, to observe. We’re not supposed to interact with anyone but the Senate, and the Senators will have questions in the Hall of Congress. Just remember?—”
“We know, we know, nothing negative,” Jackie said. “How many times do you have to remind us?”
“It’s not just about scaring them,” Cian said as he turned to Jackie. “Each Senator has their own agenda that they’ll try to push, and they’ll turn anything negative to their benefit. Try to focus on sharing thegoodtruth.”
The truth will remain buried.
Don’t let the truth stay buried.
After seeing the beauty of this place, she no longer saw Cian and Erros as complete whackos. A part of her even wanted to follow Cian’s rules. But she couldn’t stop the overwhelming resistance she felt within her to speak up.
“You say you don’t want us to tell them anything negative—but the truth is . . . a lot of bad things have happened and are still happening.” She looked at the others before looking back at Cian. “How can you say you want the truth to come out but keep trying tohidethe real truth from the Sequencers? Those are polar opposites!”
“Yeah,” Jackie agreed. “Make it make sense.”
“She’s got you there, brother.” Erros shrugged.
Cian’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t want you to lie . . . I just think if they saw the truth themselves, then they’d see it’s not as scary as it might sound.” He stepped back from the terrace. “Just like this place . . . if I would have told you anything more you would have either not believed me or been scared in some way, right?”
“Maybe.” Jackie looked around. “But maybe not. Let them decide.”
Ximena nodded in agreement with her.
“These two are right,” Old Man Frypan said, finally snapping out of his self-reflection of a hard life, long-lived. “We ought to tell the truth and let them decide. Otherwise, they’ll feel like they were lied to.”
Cian rubbed his forehead. “I’ll think about it.”
“Hey, what was that all about back there?” Isaac motioned to Erros, “When he saidwelcome home? You didn’t tell us you were a part of this whole group.”
“Because this hasn’t been our home for years.” Erros glanced below, at teenagers tossing some kind of ball around. “Once we left, we couldn’t find our way back.” He had a longing look in his eyes. “It’s been almost twenty years. So much has changed.”
“And some things have stayed the same.” Cian pointed to some younger children playing hopscotch with numbers 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55. “I bet I can still beat you in Sequence Scotch,” he teased his brother before walking farther down the long terrace. The others followed. “When news first came of the above, only a handful of us were brave enough?—”
“Or stupid enough,” Erros interjected.
“—to leave,” Cian finished. “And the Senate forbade anyone who left from coming back. They thought we’d bring the diseases back that they’d worked so hard to keep out for the last hundred years.”
“But you brought them a Cure . . .” Ximena could see the sadness in Cian’s face.
“So you need the Cure, too?” Miyoko asked.
Cian shook his head and leaned against the molding. “I don’t think anyone reallyneedsthe Cure, but it will help some people’s confidence on reentry into the above. They need to know that there’s people in the other-world that care about them, people who deserve the truth about everything that happened in history.” He straightened and continued walking to a large golden door at the end of the terrace. “Erros and I spent our first few years in the above sick as hell. It wasn’t great, but we eventually adjusted. The Cure will help for a smoother transition, hopefully.” He looked at Erros. “Well, his lungs are still shit when he gets stressed.”
He led them all to the large, ornate, golden door. Jackie reached out her fingers and touched it; Ximena couldn’t help but smack the islander’s hand away.
“What? I wanted to feel it,” Jackie said.
“They’re worried we have germs and you’re touching things,” Ximena whispered.
