Vision in Silver(72)

            She started walking, needing a distraction from the prickling around her shoulder blades. Simon fell into step beside her, saying nothing for several minutes.

            Plenty of Courtyard residents out and about. Many saw them and hesitated, but no one approached.

            “I remember her,” Meg finally said. “I remember cs821. She was younger than me. I can’t tell you her age, but she got her first scar last year or the year before, so the doctor’s guess sounds right.”

            “She said she wants to live. Jackson isn’t sure she will. What can he do? What would help you if you were in her place?”

            “They took away the silver razor?”

            “Probably.”

            “Return it to her. Return the razors to the girls who had them.”

            “They’ll cut themselves.”

            “They’ll cut anyway.” She kept walking, kept moving. “So many things will cut skin, but those razors were designed for it.”

            “She doesn’t want to die.”

            “Neither do I.” Meg stopped and looked at Simon. He couldn’t quite pass for human anymore. “Neither do I, but I want to be the one who makes the choice.”

            He started walking, a fast pace, as if he wanted to run away from the words.

            She ran to catch up to him, then had to run every few steps to keep up with him.

            “Simon . . . ,” she panted.

            He slowed but didn’t stop.

            The terra indigene had agreed that it was her choice, but they didn’t like the cutting. To them, fresh blood meant a wound, and in the wild country, a wound could be fatal. Add in the fact that cassandra sangue blood acted like a drug, and she understood why the Others weren’t easy about her cutting. Being thrust in the position of taking care of a girl they didn’t know—and who didn’t know them—would make everything harder for all of them.

            “Tell Jackson to give her a room that contains as little as possible. Give her time to rest.” Meg thought about the girl called cs821. “Maybe leave one thing that has colors. She liked colors. She would describe training images first by their color and then by their shape.”

            “I’ll tell him.”

            They returned to the Green Complex in silence. Simon hurried into his own apartment and came out again a minute later. He shook out his fur and ran off, needing something she couldn’t give.

            Sighing, Meg looked up at her apartment. She felt exhausted and restless, hungry and too listless to bother with food.

            “Have you eaten?” asked a voice in the shadows beneath her stairs. Vlad stepped into the fading light, his form still shifting from smoke to human. “We picked up a couple of pizzas from Hot Crust. Tess made a salad. We’re gathering in the social room to watch movies.”

            “Which movies?” Meg asked.

            “Does it matter?”

            She preferred being able to hide behind Simon during a movie’s scary bits—and most terra indigene movies had scary bits. “I guess not.”

            “Then join us.” Vlad smiled. “I’ll tell Simon where to find you when he finishes his run.” He studied her. “Or I can bring you some food if you’d prefer to be alone.”

            Did she want to be alone? Did she need to be alone?

            “I’ll join you for the first movie,” Meg said.