Variant

There were footsteps above me as more of the V’s came down. Leaving the front doors, I headed for the maintenance room. I assumed Curtis wanted to meet there because only the V’s could access it. It would be safe, but it wouldn’t give us any way out.

I was the first there. The door buzzed and unlocked, and I went in and flipped the light switch. The room was mostly empty, with a few folding chairs on the wide cement floor. On one wall hung dozens of tools—wrenches, hammers, and saws of all shapes—and the other wall was taken up by three large cabinets filled with paint, cleaners, and glues. A big red metal tool chest sat near the door. I set my bag and backpack behind it.

The guys were the first to arrive, dressed but bleary-eyed. Joel was wearing sandals—I wondered whether he would regret that later.

Hector sat down against the wall. “Do you know what’s going on?”

I looked over at Mason. His face was flat and emotionless as he stared back at me.

“I’ll tell you,” I finally said. “But let’s wait till the girls get here.”

“I’m not running,” Joel said. “Not now. Not without a plan.”

“That’s not what this is about,” I said, only telling half the truth. If everything went well we might run, but that was a long way away. First I had to persuade my gang not to feed me to the wolves, and then hope we could survive until six.

“Are we at war again?” Hector asked.

I didn’t answer, but stepped to the doorway and looked out. I heard Mason say yes. Hector swore and reached above him, taking a hammer off the wall. He held it in his hands tightly, staring at the floor.

A few minutes later the girls appeared at the end of the hall. They were carrying backpacks, so Curtis must have given them more direction than Mason gave the boys. I stepped back from the door as they entered, but the glares on their faces as they passed me were evidence enough that they’d been told about the contracts. A few refused to even look at me. When they were all in the room, Curtis took a final check of the hall, paused to listen, and then closed the door.

Curtis looked at Mason. “Everybody know?” Mason shook his head.

“Well.” Curtis took a deep breath, watching the nervous, tired faces around him. Almost everyone was standing, waiting for an explanation. “I guess we’ll start with what we know and then we’ll figure out what we can do about it.” He glanced at me, and then back at the V’s. “Last night Benson made one-point bids on grounds and security.”

Immediately, the guys who hadn’t heard the news began talking. Curtis cut them off.

“I’m going to give him a chance to speak in his defense,” Curtis said, “but first we should know what’s coming. He’s pissed off both gangs. They probably won’t be working together, but they’ll both be after us.”

“After him,” Hector said, pointing at me. “Why should they be after the rest of us?”

Curtis nodded, his mouth shut tight. “Well, that’s what we need to figure out. The V’s take care of their own.” He looked at me. “We’ll give you a chance to explain.” He turned back to the group. “But first, how many of you were here before the truce?”

All but five raised their hands. Anna was one of the five, and she looked terrified. I’m sure she now wished she’d never switched sides.

“For the benefit of those who weren’t,” Curtis said, glancing again at me. “It was bad. We had the truce to end the fighting, and all of us knew what would happen if the truce was broken.”

Anna timidly raised her hand. “How bad is bad?”

Mason spoke. “You’ve all seen the graveyard. People died.”

Curtis’s face was ice cold. “Four died. Three in fights and one stabbed while she slept. Twelve others were sent to detention. Two haven’t ever been accounted for. Just disappeared.”

Anna lowered her head and started to cry.

Curtis turned to me. “Talk.”

I looked around at the faces of my fellow V’s. Some were scared, others angry. Carrie stared at the floor.

“I bid on the contracts last night,” I began, my heart pounding. I’d expected to feel like I was standing in front of a firing squad, but it actually felt the other way around, like I held their lives in my hands.

“I bid on those contracts because they’re the ones that have access to the outside doors.” I paused, watching their faces. I’m sure that some of them expected that I meant I was going to make a run for it and wanted the Society guys locked inside. It might come to that.

But as I watched them my eyes caught Rosa’s, and I was suddenly gripped by fear. Any of the people in front of me could be androids. What would they do? Stop me? Kill me? Send me to detention?

“Anyway,” I said, taking a breath and trying to get my thoughts back. “I know that ever since I’ve gotten here I’ve been a real pain in the butt. I know that a lot of people blame me for a lot of things—and I blame myself for a lot of things, too.”

My eyes darted from face to face, hoping for some kind of understanding, but I didn’t see any. I looked at Mason. His expression was somber and cold.

“I don’t expect you people to trust me, because I don’t think that I’ve earned your trust. I’ve acted stupid and stubborn.” I looked over at Hector, and then to Curtis. “And I know that you guys think I’m still doing it.”

Carrie finally interrupted. “Will you just tell us why already?”

I turned to her. Her hair was uncombed and there were dark circles under her eyes. I expected anger but saw only fear.

“No,” I said, and the group immediately began grumbling. “But,” I shouted over the noise, “all I want is an hour. Just help me until the outside doors unlock. I promise that I’m not going to run. If, after I’m done, you don’t agree with me, then I will leave the V’s. The other gangs can have their war with me, not you.”

“They’ll kill you,” Gabby said. “Everyone needs a gang.”

I shook my head. “If I fail at this, then I’ll be going to detention anyway.” I looked at Curtis. “But I promise—I promise—that two hours from now the V’s will not be the target of anybody.”

He stared at me, his face still tight and serious. He was almost like the father of the group, and he had to be feeling a tangle of emotions: fear for the others, anger at me, maybe even a yearning to be free himself.

“We’ll put it to a vote,” he said. “I’m not going to decide this for anybody.” He looked at the group and then checked his watch. “Do we give him two hours, or do we turn him over now? All in favor of giving him time?”

I held my breath. I felt nauseated and dizzy. And, for a moment, no one moved. Finally, Carrie raised her hand. She still didn’t look at me, but she spoke. “What’s wrong with you people? You know what’ll happen to him.”

Hector raised his voice. “But what about us?”

It was Curtis who answered next, his words slow. “We can stall for two hours, I think. We can talk that long.”

The room was quiet, and breathing felt a little easier, though my muscles were still tense.

Carrie spoke. “You said that in two hours we’ll either turn you over or agree with you. What happens if we agree with you?”