The lights on the base are controlled by a timer, so only a faint white strip along the floor guides my path. I still haven’t been out to the Ledge—I forgot all about it until now—and although it’s late, I decide to scope it out. I follow the hallway that Gray pointed out during his tour. It takes me to a set of steel doors.
Since I don’t have full clearance, I never know which doors will part for me and which ones will remain shut. I’m in luck. This set opens. I find myself in another air lock, the doors closing behind me with a hiss as the air pressure equalizes.
Fresh air fills my nostrils. It’s winter, but according to the history books, the Continent hasn’t had a real winter in over a century. I’ve never experienced the kind of frigid chill you read about, never even seen snow other than in photographs.
I read a book once about a famous mountain in the Lost Continents, one of the tallest peaks in the old world, but when I tried searching for it again years later, the book was gone. The Communication Board pulls that shit all the time, banning books out of nowhere for no rhyme or reason. Titles disappear from the Company’s digital catalog all the time, especially subject matter that involves the Old Era; Cross’s father despised the Old Era.
But I swearthatbook existed, the one about the majestic snowy mountain and the grueling journey so many people embarked on to summit the famous peak. I would have liked to see it.
Tonight the air carries a cool bite, causing me to wrap my cardigan tighter around me. There’s no railing on the Ledge, and I’m remindedof what Gray said about Hawkins’s girlfriend tumbling to her death. Is this where she fell?
I walk along the ledge, which narrows and curves before opening onto a large natural patio. I approach the edge and peer over it to see a thirty-foot drop onto what appears to be a footpath.
I’d like to explore this mountain, these trails. Now that Xavier is free, maybe he’ll be allowed to come with me. It could give us something to do until the Uprising deems us more useful.
I slide to the ground and dangle my feet over the Ledge, gazing out at the treetops and dark sky. The sprinkling of stars reminds me of the force fields around the Command base.
As I’m admiring the view, I feel Kallister trying to link with me.
“I don’t want to startle you, but I’m coming outside.”
I hear the air lock open, then close with a suction-like whoosh. Footsteps echo around the corner before Kallister appears with a rueful smile.
“People get jumpy on the Ledge,” he says out loud. “Figured I should give you a warning. Do you mind if I join you?”
“Sure.”
Rather than sit, he stands a few feet away, hands slung in the pockets of his black trousers.
“How did you know I was out here?” I ask him.
“Security booth alert. We don’t get a lot of people opening the air lock this late.”
“Would they alert you if anyone was here, or just me?”
“Anyone.” He chuckles. “Unfortunately, you are not special, Wren. We had an incident out here once, so the booth keeps a close watch.”
His response only supports my suspicions. This must have been where Hawkins’s girlfriend died.
“Can’t sleep?” he says.
“No.”
“I know it’s been hard for you to acclimate. We live in a world that breeds distrust, but the people here…they’re mostly good. You’re always going to encounter people like Evlynne, or Fiona, who will fear your abilities. But all anyone wants—even those two—is forthemselves, their families, their friends, to be able to live in peace. Once they realize you’re not a threat to that, the trust will build.”
I twist my gaze back to the dark landscape. “I miss Jim. He was the only family I had.”
I love you as if you were my own daughter.
My heart aches at the memory of his letter. Those unexpected words he’d penned to me.
I don’t remember my father. He died when I was barely four years old. Jim Darlington is the only father I’ve ever known. I think of him as Uncle Jim, but I realize now how unfair that moniker is. He wasn’t anuncle.He was my father in every way that counted.
Kallister’s voice becomes gruff. “Julian and I were orphaned at a young age, and we didn’t have any relatives other than our parents, so after they died, we were all alone. He was my only family, too.”
“Do you have a wife? Girlfriend?” I ask curiously.
“No. Not for a long time.”
