Aura aura jax 1, p.32
Aura (Aura Jax #1), page 32
“I think we'll all feel a lot safer when that happens,” Eleanor nods. “Aurora, let me come back to you – why don't you tell me something that we might not know about the President,” she asks, attempting to lighten the mood.
This wasn't in the script. I scramble for an answer.
“He's very kind,” I say. It's the first thing that comes to mind that Robert might want to hear. “He's made me feel very welcome in his home.”
“What can I say? I'm just a nice guy underneath all this responsibility,” Robert winks, and Eleanor laughs.
God, I hate him.
“Mr. President, what is it like having a teenage girl around the house?”
“We're still just getting to know each other. It has only been a day since she was found. And Aurora has been through a lot. But Rosalie is very happy she's home with us, and that makes me happy too,” he says, as charming as ever.
I force myself to keep smiling along, but inside, I'm screaming: Don't believe him! He's a madman! Can't you see?
I need to get off this stage.
“Are there plans for the three of you to make a public appearance at any point? Perhaps at the Vocation Party tomorrow?” Eleanor raises an eyebrow, dropping a not-so-subtle hint.
“You'll have to wait and see,” Robert says.
“Stay tuned, folks,” Eleanor beams and turns to the applauding crowd.
“Thank you both so much for joining me,” she says, leaning toward us.
“Justice!” comes a shout from the crowd. “Justice for Graham Jax!”
Chapter 75
I freeze, my breath catching in my throat.
Robert's eyes dart to the corners of the room where plainclothes officers are already leaping into action.
At the same time, Eleanor turns to address the camera. “We'll be back after the break with more Society news.”
The cameras cut for commercials, and everything happens in a hurry. The audience parts so that officers can grab the shouting man. Robert's bodyguards race onto the stage to get us out of the studio.
Bannister is waiting for us in the corridor. “I need this buried,” Robert hisses as four Cogs lead us out. “I want to know how he got in here. Where is my head of security?”
The night air hits my hot face as we get outside. There's a car with blacked-out windows waiting for us, the engine already running.
The Cogs open the passenger doors and wait as we climb in onto the cool leather seats. The doors slam shut and we pull away.
My heart is thumping.
Who was that man? How does he know Dad? I wonder if there are more people like him?
“Graham Jax.” Robert's voice is voice low over the quiet rumble of the air conditioning cooling our flushed faces. “I'm getting tired of hearing that name now…”
I don't trust myself to respond.
“You haven't mentioned your father since you arrived,” he says, looking at me. “You haven't railed against his execution, or pleaded for his freedom. Why?”
I swallow hard, remembering Aldrich's warning.
Toe the line, Aurora.
“My father is a criminal.”
“Yes, he is,” Robert says, “though in a way, I suppose I should thank him.” He examines his nails. “If Calvin hadn't recognized Rosalie on your father's memory disk a few months ago, it might have been years before I found her.”
I stay quiet.
“You know, I didn't dare believe it was her at first. I thought ‘Alice Jax’ was just another pretty blonde, a Rosalie lookalike.” He lets out a soft laugh.
“And now that I've found her, the man who tried to take her from me has become the perfect ‘terrorist’ for me to build an even greater Society.”
Don't react, Aura.
“The timing is impeccable, really. Imagine if he'd been executed years ago. What a waste that would have been… Now I get to see Rosalie's face when he dies. And he'll see her with me, once his memory disk is returned to him for his execution.”
He's sick.
“His memory disk?” I struggle to keep my expression blank while everything inside me recoils. I want out of this car.
He flashes a smile. “We give them back their memories for their execution. So they know exactly what they've lost by defying The Society. So The Society knows how afraid they are.”
I think of Tia's mum, standing defiant in front of the jeering crowd at her execution. She wasn't afraid. They didn't break her.
“People like your mother and father need to understand that not everybody is equal,” Robert says. “Someone has to rule. Someone has to make the tough decisions for the good of everybody else. The alternative is chaos.”
I look out of the darkened window and try to tune him out. He continues anyway.
“The masses used to behave because they believed that God was watching. But God didn't stop the Great Unrest. This government stopped the Great Unrest. The people needed a real god to keep their peace. The work we do in The Telepathe fulfills that vital function.”
I want to fight him, to shout my disagreement, but instead, I bite my lip. I can't risk him flying off the handle, taking it out on Mum when we get back.
“Idealism is dangerous to everyone, Aurora. For all of The Society's faults, no one can come up with a better system to keep the peace than the one we have created here.”
I need to agree with him. It's better if he thinks that I'm different from Mum and Dad. It's better if he doesn't see me as an enemy.
“Yesterday you asked me what I liked to do,” I say, “and I couldn't answer, because I didn't know.”
I can't tell if he's listening.
I can hear Dad's name running around in his head like a mantra.
“I would wake up at 5:00 a.m. to get ready to go to the food bank,” I say, remembering. “If you don't get down there early, there's usually just out-of-date bread left.”
“Please, spare me the sob story,” Robert sneers.
I go on, ignoring him. “I checked my phone all of the time to see if I'd been given a shift at a workhouse. If I had a shift, I would spend 14 hours sewing uniforms, cleaning waste, or preparing food that I'd never get to eat.
“I'd get a ten-minute break for dinner and collect a food parcel as my payment at the end of the day. Then I'd go home and have dinner with Mum before going to bed and getting up to do it all over again the next day.” The words are tumbling out of me now. It doesn't matter that I understand why things were this way now. My years of misunderstanding give real pain to my story – and I use it all.
“I'd see Central Square on the digital windows in the shuttle on the way to the workhouse and watch all of the Elite kids getting off and think, ‘that should be me. I should have a nice house, a good job, nice clothes. I should never be hungry; I should have a life with purpose.’”
He shifts in his seat so that he's facing me.
I clench my fists, and my nails dig into my palms. “My Dad took all of that away from me by hiding us away. He stole my future,” I say, eyeballing him. “When you said that I might attend the Vocation Party tomorrow, I felt like finally, my luck was changing. Finally, I’m in the place I was always supposed to be.”
He doesn't answer, and at first I think that I've gone too far.
I can use her.
His thought hits me like a slap in the face. I fight the urge to flinch.
“You're not at all what I expected, Aurora Jax.” He puts his hand on my bare leg. “You're a smart girl.”
He traces a circle around my bare knee with his index finger. “I'm so glad we had this little chat. If you're as smart as I think you are, maybe I can give you back your future.”
Not if I take it back first.
Chapter 76
All day I've been tense, like a coiled spring.
Last night, the house was quiet, with no shouting and banging, no midnight visit from Robert.
I tossed and turned for hours, trying to come up with a plan to get into the server room, Mum and Dad on my mind.
When I did get to sleep, I dreamed of a funeral. Two black coffins covered in white lilies.
I woke up at 5:00 a.m. in a cold sweat.
I dressed, splashed my face with water, ran a comb through my scraggy hair, and turned the TV on to watch the news.
Unsurprisingly, our interview was the main story – though the footage of the protester shouting Dad's name had been buried.
I had brunch with Mum. We picked out our dresses for the Vocation Party and exchanged pleasantries under the watchful eye of Lex.
Since then, I've been in my room, waiting, pacing the floor, trying to calm my nerves.
An hour ago, Lex brought me my gown and helped me to dress and do my makeup. Soon the car will be here to take us to the Vocation Party.
Everything that matters rests on what happens tonight.
My plan is still sketchy.
I'm going to have to slip away during the party and get to a computer to access the personnel file for the server room – it's likely that the list has changed since the William Watts incident and I can't afford to make a mistake.
Once I know who can help me, I'll need to find them, get them alone, and make them take me into the server room. The fact that I'm famous now will be an advantage. Very few people in The Society are immune to celebrity, and I'm banking on the fact that at least some of the people on the list will be at the party.
It's far from perfect, but it's all I've got.
I hear a car pull up and I dart to the window. A black limousine is waiting outside. It's time.
My heart pounds.
The car door opens, and Dr. Aldrich steps out, wearing a tuxedo. He stays by the car, talking on his phone.
There's a knock at the door, and I go to open it, my long evening gown swishing around my legs. I'm surprised to see Robert on the other side.
He looks serious. “May I come in for a moment?” In one hand, he's holding a gold box tied up with a big, sparkly red ribbon.
“Of course,” I say, backing up, fearing the worst.
He comes toward me. “I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news.”
“What is it?”
Dad's dead. Mum's dead. Please, God, no.
“I've been in meetings with my team all day, and I've been advised that you and your mother should stay here tonight,” he says. “PR don't like it, but on balance, the ratings just aren't worth the risk.”
I blink. “What?” I choke out, as his words sink in.
“It's for your safety. We're still questioning last night's protester, trying to ascertain if there are any more.”
My face contorts with real disappointment. What do I do now?
“I know how much you were looking forward to it, and I promise that next month you'll be the guest of honor at the Vocation Party.”
Next month will be too late.
“Isn't this just giving the protesters what they want?” My voice is weak.
His phone rings. “Aldrich?” he says. "Yes, yes… I'm coming down.”
He hangs up and hands me the box. “A little something for you to make up for the disappointment.”
I take it from him. Something is moving inside.
“What is it?”
“Open it and see.”
I put the box down on my dressing table, undo the ribbon, and gently lift off the lid, half-ready for something to leap out and scare the life out of me.
“Aurora, meet Blue.”
Inside, curled up in a bed of pink tissue paper, is a pale blue rabbit, the size of a kitten, with long ears and wings like a sparrow. It blinks, and its little nose twitches at me.
It's strangely beautiful, almost like a children's toy.
“What is it?”
“One of my creations,” he says. “Her wings aren't quite powerful enough for her body – a slight design flaw on my part – but I don't want to keep her hidden away. She's a little like you.”
“You… designed her?” I ask, unsure how I should respond. I reach into the box to pick her up and she hisses at me.
Robert laughs and hands me a leash for her. “She's not used to people yet. Give her time.”
I watch as the little creature flaps her wings helplessly and manages to hop out of the box onto the dressing table.
“I'll have Lex bring you a cage from the menagerie.”
Chapter 77
Blue gnaws at the bars of her new cage with her long teeth as I watch the limousine pull out of the drive, taking Robert and Aldrich to The Telepathe.
My hope is slipping away.
After tonight, it will be too late. There won't be another chance to expose Robert, to save anyone or anything. Dad will be executed, and the rest of us will be trapped.
I have six, maybe seven hours until they get back. I need to get out of this house.
Think, Aura.
First, I need to get past Lex and two Cogs, but I'm still not strong enough to use my Gift. I can barely latch onto a thought pattern without blood pouring from my nose. The original plan was only supposed to be a one-time thing.
There must be another way.
I can't use my Gift, but… What do I know about Lex?
She's a Hybrid AI, which means she's only half-machine, so I can't just pull her into the bath and fry her electrics like our old laptop. She's the latest AI model, so if she's anything like Edward's Vessels, she can shower and swim without causing any damage to her circuits.
Outside, the silver light of the moon glints on the black surface of the lake.
Suddenly, I have an awful idea.
If Lex is half-machine, then she's half-human too.
Which means she is vulnerable.
I open the cage, lift Blue out onto the dresser, and attach her leash. She snaps and grumbles at me. “Be nice,” I whisper.
I press my face against the door.
“Lex, are you out there?” I ask, knowing full well she's right on the other side.
The door opens, and she peers in. “What's the matter, Aurora?”
“It's too early to go to sleep, and the TV is full of the party,” I tell her. “I thought we could take Blue for a walk?”
It's cold outside, and the lake will be even colder. My high heeled shoes sink into the damp lawn as we walk.
We pass the white walls of the rose garden and keep going, putting more and more distance between ourselves and the two Cogs keeping watch at the front door.
“It's a shame about the party,” Lex says.
“I know, but there'll be others,” I sigh.
Can I really go through with this plan? Will Lex recover from drowning like Mum did? Is she a real person or just an arrangement of code?
Blue bounces ahead of us, straining at the leash, sniffing every flower, every blade of grass.
“She's having fun,” Lex says.
A few meters away from the lake, I let the leash slip from my hand. Blue bounces toward the water.
“Blue!” I charge after her, careful not to catch her.
“Aurora – the lake!”
I hope it's deep enough.
I let myself slip at the edge and throw myself into the water. The impact knocks the air out of my lungs. The cold is shocking. My dress sucks up the water, weighing me down. My feet brush against the bottom.
“Lex!” I shout, and my head disappears under the surface. I bob up to the surface again and see her holding out a hand.
“Aurora, grab my hand!”
I reach for her hand, but before she can pull me to safety, I let my body flop back into the water and pull her in after me. Down, down, we go. She's weightless under the water; I've finally gained control.
She struggles against me, legs kicking, arms flailing, and after a long minute, her skin starts to glow with a red warning light beneath her clothes.
I cringe at the sound of the muffled alarm emanating from somewhere inside of her as she struggles against me.
I didn't count on her having a distress alarm.
I take an elbow to the ribs and lose my grip on her. My long dress billows up around me, and for a second, I can't see. Fighting down panic now, I manage to right myself and come back up, gasping for air.
“Aurora! Why are you doing this?” Lex splutters, her alarm piercing through the quiet. She starts wading toward the edge of the lake.
I'm so sorry, Lex.
I can't let her get away.
Desperate, I swim toward her, the blood pounding in my ears with the sound of her alarm.
She puts her hands on the bank and tries to haul herself out of the water, but she's not quick enough. I grab at her ankles, and she loses her footing. I pull her back down, and as her body hits the water, her head slams onto the slime-covered rocks at the edge of the lake. On impact, the alarm peters out.
My breath catches in my throat.
I watch as a thick silver liquid seeps out of her head, glittering on the surface of the water.
What have I done?
When I turn her over, her violet eyes are white.
I drag myself out of the lake and gulp in mouthfuls of air. I wanted to put her out of action for a while, that's all. Not… this.
Who have I become?
Blue is at the edge of the water, watching me, her head cocked to one side.
There's no time for remorse.
It’s done now. I need to move.
I kick off my shoes, grab Blue in my arms, and charge toward the house, my wet dress slapping against my legs.
The Cogs are already on their way.
“Help! It's Lex!” I shout.
Their flashlight beams find me. “What's going on?” one of them shouts back.
“It's Lex. Blue slipped her lead and ran into the lake – I went in after her, and Lex tried to help me but, but…” I don't have to try to tremble. I'm so cold. My whole body is shaking.
I reach for one of the Cogs, falling into him.
“Get her back to the house; make sure she's locked in,” the other Cog says. “Then come back and give me a hand.”
He jogs off into the distance, and I let the other Cog help me along, trying to appear as weak and helpless as possible.
