Kill School: Slice (21 page)

“My mother would kill me,” I say. “She wants me to stay
away from you.”

Burke slowly shakes his head. “Your mother isn’t trying to
protect you from me. She’s trying to protect you from the resistance. It’s
dangerous. She should know.”

Burke pauses and looks at me for a long time.

“Why should she know?” I’ve heard of the resistance from my
brother. They want the token system destroyed. When he doesn’t answer, I poke
him in the stomach. “Burke?”

“She’s going to kill me,” Burke says. He glances around and
spots a few high-flying microdrones along with another larger one, all of them
will be unable to record sound at their height.

“She’s going to kill you?” I ask, horrified.

“No,” Burke says. “Well, maybe. She’s going to kill me if
she finds out I told you she’s in the resistance.”

My teeth start to chatter.

“My mother is in the resistance? Like,
the
resistance?”

My mother is a baby doctor. She may be related to Regulator
Thorn. She would never be against the government. I have so many questions for
her.

“I have to call her,” I say. I tug Burke to get him to come
the other way down the path. I have to get to the administration building.

“You can’t call her now,” Burke says. “I shouldn’t have
told you yet. I should have waited until after you finished your training.”

“Why tell me at all?” I ask. “My mother obviously didn’t
want me to know.”

“You believe me?” he asks.

I go through my reasoning aloud.

“Why would you lie? You obviously know her. She doesn’t
like you. How would she have formed an opinion if she didn’t know you? She
hates the government. My brother and mother are always railing against it.” I
pause when I mention my brother.

“Is Sebastian in on this too?” My stomach hurts.

“Sebastian’s gone a little more radical,” Burke says. His
tone is tinged with hate.

“More radical than a group of people trying to over through
the government and stop the algorithm?” I say this all a little too loudly. Several
microdrones fly in closer to us, activated by the panic in my voice.

Burke steps forward and covers my mouth. We stand like this
until the drones hit the sky again. When it is safe enough to talk, Burke
presses his cheek to mine and speaks softly.

“Aria, we need you. With your stealth skills and your token
we can end this all.”

My teeth chatter goes to my whole body. I’m trembling all
over.

“I’m taking you inside,” Burke says.

He weaves his fingers in mine and leads me to the cabin. My
hair snaps at my face and flies all around us as we walk through the snow in
silence. I feel like one of those animals at the circus. A lion being led into
the ring to be whipped until I open my mouth and roar. How do I ever come back
from this?

Burke and I avoid all the festivities, dinner, the victory
celebration, fireworks. Instead, he tells me all about the resistance and my
mother’s involvement in it.

The resistance was started a long time ago, longer than
Burke can remember. My mother actually brought Burke into the group. They met
at a birth, similar to the one I witnessed. Burke was helping another token
killer with another victim not an infant but a toddler who had been hit by a
PRT. Then, she was so impressed with his skills and his humanity, that she
asked him to join.

The resistance is a loose network of people who have three
prime directives, to stop the algorithm, to find new places to live, and to take
out the Regulators. Burke feels that even if the algorithm can be changed, the
Regulators will find some other way to kill us. They are very strong, have a
powerful militia, and support from many citizens, especially the elderly.

“You can help us with the third directive,” Burke says.

The third directive.
Because of my amethyst token, I am officially in the resistance. Wait until my
mother finds out.

Saturday
morning comes with a jolt. I don’t want to get out of bed. I don’t want to open
my curtains. I don’t want to wake up. I have no choice. Everyone’s chatter
about the games last night makes it impossible to sleep.

I slide out of bed and join the others at the table. The
game has changed the entire mood of the cabin. Priyanka and Aisha are fighting
about whether or not they want to play. Priyanka thinks the games are
disgusting and Aisha can’t wait. She wants one of the fireball shooting
cannons. Demi is lecturing half of the girls on their hair, how they need to
braid it or slick it back to avoid burns.

Mateo is giving Shah some pointers, how to aim the puck and
hold his stick. By Mateo’s tone, I guess that he’s not happy about failing
grace and being left out of the games. Perhaps I’ll ask Vladimir if Mateo can
have another chance at grace.

I sit next to Vanessa and watch Erwin and his goons, Tane
and Mal, whisper conspiratorially at the end of the table. I glance at Burke’s
bunk. The curtains are open and he is gone.

“He’s gone every morning,” Vanessa says. “I hear him walk
by.”

“He goes to feed the birds,” I say. My eyes linger on his
bunk as if I expect him to appear.

“You know what he taught me in stealth,” Vanessa says. She
taps my arm to get my attention. “How to make a poison dart out of a pine
needle and the skin of a frog.”

She pulls a pine needle from her sleeve. My eyes go wide.
Poison on the breakfast table.

“This one isn’t poisoned,” Vanessa says. She lowers her
head conspiratorially. “Although I have enough left over to make this whole
table sick.”

I grin. “Maybe we can poison the other team.”

Vanessa’s eyes brighten.

“I was kidding,” I say.

I pick up the pine needle. It reminds me of a slender
knitting needle. The trees in the north are so much bigger than our trees. Even
without the poison, it could do some damage.

“Can I keep this?” I ask.

Vanessa nods. “Sure. But, I sort-of lied about the poison.
Be careful of the tip.”

I drop the needle. “Vanessa! I almost touched it.”

Vanessa points to the tip.

“See, it’s got a bit of wax on the end,” she says. “Most
likely it wouldn’t have hurt you. If you need to use it, just scrape that off.
I gave one to Mateo too.”

“Great,” I say somewhat sarcastically.

I climb back on my bunk and stash the pine needle in my
drawer. Along with my switchblade and pocketknife, I am getting a collection of
sharp objects.

Just as I am sliding down from my bunk, Burke comes in
carrying a box of rifles in his arms. He shoots me a sideways glance.

“Just getting up, Aria?” he asks.

“Funny,” I say as my feet land on the floor. I’m
self-conscious about my nightshirt and consider grabbing a sheet. I’m still
getting used to sleeping with so many strangers. But, we are all her in our
nightshirts feeling weird and uncomfortable with one another.

Erwin ends his conversation with Tane and Mal, and walks
over to Burke.

“What are the guns for?” Erwin asks as he peers inside the
box.

“Laser tag.” Burke puts the box on the table and takes out
a gun. “I thought we could use a break today. Anyone want to play?”

Erwin grabs a gun. “You mean, these aren’t real?”

Erwin fake-shoots all the girls on the other side of the
table. He’s annoying the crap out of me. I could take him down in a minute.

“Girls against boys,” Erwin says.

Burke twists the gun out of his hands. “Sit down, Erwin.
We’re going to pick teams fairly.”

“Why isn’t that fair?” I ask. “We’ll play against the boys.”
I purse my lips at Erwin, and then turn back to Burke. “We could easily take
the guys on.”

Burke tilts his head as if he’s trying to come up with a
good response.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Aria,” he says rather
lamely. “There are more boys than girls.”

Vanessa stands.

“We’ll take Mateo,” she says.

“Sounds fair to me,” Mateo says.

I smile at Burke as pleasantly as possible. I like seeing
him squirm. He’s always in protecting mode. Protecting his students. Protecting
his birds. Protecting the Quad Squad. Today, I don’t feel like being
protected. 

“You can go on the boys’ side,” I say. I wave my palm at
him to shoo him away.

 “Up for a little friendly competition?” Burke grins as if
I made the wrong decision and then he winks at me.

“Who said anything about friendly?” I ask.

I try to wink, but it comes out more like a blink.

Burke tells us to hurry up and shower. I grab my stuff and
rush outside, around the cabin, to the showers. I’m the first one in and the
first one out. My wet hair is frozen by the time I get back to the common room.

Burke’s there smiling at me. He hands me a gun.

“You know how to shoot this thing?” he asks.

“Sure, I do,” I say. I take the gun and examine it. It has
a sight and a barrel. Simple enough.

“I saw your scores in fire.” Burke says.

“Rub it in,” I say. “You’re going to be the first one to
go.” I fumble with the gun trying to find the safety. I can’t figure out how to
turn it on.

“Better wait for the rest,” Burke says. “So I don’t have to
explain the game twice.”

I sit on the couch and wait. And wait. And wait. And wait.
Finally, everyone has finished getting ready except Priyanka who is apparently
sick.

Burke hands out the guns.

“These guns are expensive,” he says. “Antiques, hundreds of
years old. We get a kick out of using them and can’t afford an upgrade. When
you are out running around, don’t drop it in a puddle. It’s going to make a
noise when you start it. Hold the gun for a couple of seconds until you see the
ready signal. Like this.”

Burke starts the gun by flipping two switches.

“You got that, Aria?” he asks.

I don’t answer. I just hide behind Vanessa and Demi. I
don’t need him to point out my flaws to the opposite team. I can do that well
enough on my own.

Burke points to a green screen on the gun. “Pull the
trigger once for a single shot. Hold it down for multiple shots. Don’t waste
your bullets. You only have forty rounds. When you’re out, you’re out.”

He pulls out earmuffs with red antennas sticking out of
each muff and puts them on Erwin’s head. He demonstrates by shooting Erwin a
couple of times. Each time he pulls the trigger, the gun makes a whizzing
noise. Erwin’s muffs blink yellow and then red.

“Won’t the noise give us away?” Vanessa asks.

“That’s part of the game,” Burke says. “Plan your shots
wisely. You don’t want to give out your location. Shoot to kill.”

Burke has brought in white coats with fur-rimmed hoods,
gloves, hats, scarves and heavy snow boots. The clothes are used, and patched
many times, but warm. When we are all suited up, I feel like a polar bear. I’ve
only seen them in pictures, all wooly and muscular. I bet they are fierce.

When we
are ready, Burke takes us back to the woods behind the cabin. The air is colder
than it has been and a new layer of snow is on the ground. Thank goodness for
our new coats and boots. They are far warmer than our cloaks.

“Don’t you think it’s weird that it’s getting colder?”
Vanessa asks as we walk. “It’s spring.”

“We’re north, Vanessa,” Mateo says. “North doesn’t have
spring.”

“The north has the most beautiful spring,” Burke says.
“Wait a few weeks.”

When we reach the woods, Burke stops at the edge. Birds are
chirping, luring us in with their song.

Burke tells us to form a strategy. When he blows his
whistle, we are supposed to run into the woods. The boys and girls teams
separate onto opposite sides of the field in front of the woods.

We elect Demi captain. She instructs Mateo to hide since he
is the best shot and assigns Aisha and a couple of the other girls to guard
Mateo. She assigns Vanessa and me to herd all of the boys in Mateo’s direction
so that he can take them out.

“I’ll come with you,” Demi says to me. “The three of us
will herd those boys.” She grins. “Shah’s mine if I can find him.”

Demi, Vanessa, and I break up to cover more ground. I am
stealth. My feet make no noise as I step through the woods. I am aware of every
leaf crunched, every twig broken. I am a fox hunting my prey.

I walk far into the woods away from everyone, so that I can
come up behind the boys. Then I turn back and walk as quietly as I can, faster
than before. I know the boys won’t be able to detect me like the animals were
able to do. Sure enough, in a few short minutes, I spot Mal hovering near a
tree.

Mal has no idea how to hide. I watch him for a few moments
wondering what to do. He’s an easy target, but shooting him will give my
location away. It must be a setup. No one would be that stupid just to hang out
in the middle of a laser tag game. Then, this is Mal.

Suddenly, he crouches. I soon see why. Vanessa walks toward
him. She has no idea he is there. I have to shoot him now. I step from the
tree, take aim, and fire. A miss. Mal turns around looking for the noise. I
duck before he spots me.

I hear a crack and Vanessa screams. I jump to my feet and
run toward her, forgetting about the game. Blood drips from her mouth. Mal
stands over her with his gun. He aims it at me and I duck and roll. I reach
Vanessa just as he is about to hit her again.

He swings at me and I grab the barrel of the gun and step
in between Vanessa and him at the same time.

Suddenly, someone else grabs my shoulder and spins me
around. It’s Erwin. He slugs me in the gut with his rifle so hard that I bend
over in pain. I can’t breathe. I wheeze as Mal comes over and kicks me in the
leg, sending me into a pile of leaves. The stupid earmuffs tangle in a branch
on the ground as I try to get up. Mal and Erwin are going over to Vanessa
again.

Vanessa wails out in pain. I have to help her.

Burke jumps over me and slugs Erwin in the jaw with the
butt of his rifle. Blood spirts from Erwin’s mouth as Burke drops his gun and
slugs him on the other side of the jaw. Faster than Mal can run, Burke is on
top of him next. He punches him several times in the gut and kicks him in the
nose when he goes down.

Foolishly, Erwin jumps on Burke’s back. Burke flips him
over and punches him in the ribs more times than I can count.

Erwin doubles over.

“Stop,” he cries.

Burke has lost it. He grabs a big branch and is about to
hit him over the head. Burke doesn’t have his token any more. He can’t kill
Erwin and get away with it. I don’t want to be responsible for Erwin’s death no
matter how snotty he is.

I put my palms on the ground and try to heave myself up.
The pain in my side burns through my core. I feel it rising up through my
chest. I spit out a bunch of blood and yell for Burke to stop.

“Stop it,” I yell. “It’s not worth it.”

Burke pounds Erwin in the arm with the stick. I hear
Vanessa’s whimpers.

“Burke, please,” I say.

Shah and Tane emerge from the woods and help pull Burke
from Erwin. I still can’t get up from the ground. The pain in my side is
immense. Demi runs to my side followed by Aisha. I want them to stay with me,
but tell them to help Vanessa.

Burke is arguing with Shah and Tane.

“Get them out of here then,” Burke shouts.

The rest of our cabin mates arrive. Some kids help Shah and
Tane take Erwin and Mal away. Demi and Aisha have Vanessa. She’s standing,
crying, bending over, and standing again. Burke instructs Demi and Aisha to
take Vanessa to the infirmary.

“Everyone else. Go back to the cabin,” Burke says. “The
game is over.”

With everyone else gone, Burke comes over to me. His
knuckles are raw and his jaw is set in a clench. He can barely look at me.

“I’m so sorry,” he says. “I would have killed him if…” He
stops talking, but we both know what he was going to say. He
would
have
killed Erwin. He knows what it feels like, to take a life. Soon, I will, too.
It’s a sick rite of passage into adulthood. One that I feel with every bruise
and cut on my body.

“Can you walk?” Burke asks. He puts an arm around my waist.

I taste blood in my mouth and my ribs feel like they could
be broken.

“I’m not sure.”

I take a step forward and then everything goes black.

I wake
to a rocking motion leaning against Burke’s chest. By the motion, and the soft
noise of footsteps, we are going up some stairs.

Burke talks to himself or whispers to me. I’m not sure
which.