Anne Winchell - The Last War

“My mother was killed in the Graveyard Massacre fighting for the same things I fight for.”

She had hoped to gain sympathy, but as soon as she spoke she remembered that Bryce had been the one to lead the attack and he was in many ways responsible for her mother’s death. She wanted sympathy, but if he was in fact Bryce, then this might almost sound like a threat. He didn’t look at her and she winced.

“I’m sorry. I just mean it can be noble to die for a cause. I’m not scared of death,” she added, more for her own benefit than his.

“Who was your mother?”

“Taurena. My father is Klaus.”

He examined her carefully from head to toe. She shifted uncomfortably until he met her gaze again.

“You look nothing like her.”

“She rescued me at birth and adopted me.”

“From the Western World?”

“Yes,” she said, puzzled. She had moved to the East when she was less than a year old and never left. Her mother had been extremely careful to destroy all evidence that they were from the West and no one had ever questioned her nationality before.

“I saw a report,” he said, as if in explanation. “From one of the cities near Seattle. A woman gave birth to a díamont but the child died immediately. There was a twin; everyone assumed it died as well. One of the nurses stole the twin’s body and vanished. I didn’t know Taurena was from the West.”

Nalia let her head sink. Her father knew so much about díamonts. Once she had asked him how he knew and he said her mother instructed him. So that both of them could teach Nalia how to survive, she now realized. They knew she would become a díamont, but neither of them had warned her or given any indication that they knew before it happened. After the first time, Klaus had invented some story about genetic drift and how becoming a díamont was possible. Even at the time Nalia suspected that the story was false, and as she learned more about how many decades were spent creating the existing díamonts, she knew that there was no way she just happened to be a díamont. But she would never have guessed that her parents knew and didn’t tell her. They deliberately lied. She felt betrayed, angry. She wanted to run home and demand an explanation from Klaus. But she couldn’t. She was trapped, and there was a good chance she would never see her father again.

“Medane won’t kill you,” Raven said suddenly. “And neither will I. He doesn’t know that you’re Galley, and I see no reason to tell him. I can’t let you leave,” and he sounded honestly apologetic, “but I won’t let you be killed while you’re with me.”

Nalia sniffed. She tried to feel joy that her plan to win his support had worked, but she couldn’t. Maybe she wouldn’t be killed now, but how would she ever be able to go home and face her father? If even Klaus lied, then there seemed to be no chance of the people of the world coming together to fight for truth and liberty, as she had always dreamed.

Kaela tried to hide her resentment as Raven left the girl’s room. There was no reason to be angry with the girl, but Kaela couldn’t help but feel that Nalia’s presence changed the relationship she hoped to develop with Raven. Kaela had never had many close friends, none since she left Earth, but after talking to Raven last night she had begun to think that perhaps a relationship wasn’t such a bad idea. She hated feeling vulnerable, but he had been so sweet. She had spent the entire day trying to observe everything possible so that she and Raven would have lots to talk about. She had even risked attracting Atheus’ notice by climbing to a better vantage point during the fight. And when she returned, brimming with news to share, she had found Raven and Nalia lying together in a bed.

Not really lying together, Kaela admitted. Raven’s explanation made sense, and Kaela had even checked the girl’s pulse to make sure he was telling the truth. But seeing Raven touch that girl with the same tenderness he had used with Kaela—it was a type of anger Kaela had never known before. She felt weak and foolish for thinking that Raven’s kindness was aimed toward her specifically. He hadn’t cared about her situation or her emotions, he just treated everyone with compassion. It was a ridiculous thing to hate about someone but Kaela would have preferred it if Raven mistrusted everyone except her, the same way that she mistrusted everyone except him.

“She’s fine,” Raven said. “Are you?”

Kaela glared. He was too damn nice. “Fine.”

He didn’t look as though he believed her but she didn’t care. They went into their base room and Raven called up several profiles on one of the computer screens.

“I think,” he began, then stopped typing.

Raven took her hand and pulled her down until they were sitting next to each other, knees and thighs touching. Kaela was very aware of her heart pounding, and of the fact that she hadn’t showered since entering the slums. The peasants rarely showered, but Kaela was used to feeling much cleaner than she currently did. She wondered if Raven noticed. He didn’t say anything and she tried to think of some topic other than the girl in the next room.

“Did you know that the East has already put some Kaonite laws into place?” she asked, hoping to draw him into conversation. She felt guilty about her curt response and wondered if that was why he seemed unwilling to talk about whatever was on his mind.

“Nothing’s been official,” Raven said. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if a few got slipped in during the last legislature. Which laws?”

“Child licenses are stricter and you can only get them if your family earns twice the poverty level.”

Raven whistled. “No wonder they’re protesting. I doubt anyone in the slums makes that much. And most couples here are still used to the idea of two parents raising a child. There were a lot of protests when second mothers and fathers were legally allowed.”

“Well, I’d rather have four people raise a healthy, happy child than two people struggle to get by and let their child suffer. That’s one of the few laws I like,” she said, glancing at him to see if he agreed. She couldn’t tell, so she continued. “It just seems wrong to create a new life if you aren’t prepared to care for it properly.”

“Having enough money doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll care,” Raven said rather sharply. “But I agree,” he added. “I’ve been to places where everyone is starving because there isn’t enough food to go around. If there had just been birth controls in place, the population wouldn’t be too large for the food supply. You have no idea what it’s like to see children dying of starvation all around you when just a little bit of forethought from their parents or the government would have prevented it.”

Kaela didn’t say anything; she didn’t know what it was like. She tucked her arm around Raven’s waist and rested her head against his. This was her chance to comfort him the same way that he had helped her. She wanted nothing more than to take care of him and protect him as they sat together. He leaned back and gazed into her eyes.

“I’m not sure I can complete this mission,” he said.

His breath was warm against her cheek and they were so close she could see specks of gold in his brown eyes.

“Why not,” she murmured, more because she was supposed to ask than because she needed to know the answer.

She already knew. Once the mission was completed, Raven would continue working for Medane in the East and she would have to return to the West, possibly even the moon base. They would be separated and the beautiful thing emerging between them would shrivel. She couldn’t bear to think of leaving Raven and returning to ordinary life. Everything was better with him here. She was safe for the first time, and she had someone who cared about her as much as she cared about him. She felt like a child again, knowing that there was someone to catch her and support her no matter what, and she wanted to hold on to that feeling forever.