Eye of Stone

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

“Unfortunately, I’m going to need to go back in and do some more work on the muscles in your calf. The shrapnel penetrated deep enough to do some real damage, but you should be a lot further along in your healing by now.” The second doctor I’d seen in the last hour tapped away on her computer screen. “Are you sure you didn’t do anything to it?”

“I was locked in my room.” I propped myself up on my elbows, which for some reason made being stuck on my stomach on a hospital bed seem less like I was begging for someone to come and attack me.

“Were you trying to exercise in your room?” The doctor looked at me, pursing her lips like she could taste my coming lie.

“I might have paced a little bit.” I gave what I hoped looked like an apologetic smile. “I was going stir-crazy.”

“Isolation will do that.” She went to one of the three metal cabinets along the wall and started pulling out supplies. “We’ll numb you up and do what we can to speed the muscles’ regrowth. You’re going to have to actually keep off of it this time.”

“For how long? I want to go back into the guard training program as soon as I can.”

The doctor froze, a syringe in one hand and a vial in the other. It looked like she made herself take a breath before turning to face me. “The guard training program is outside my purview. But I’d say at least four days keeping off of it entirely and another week before you can run.”

“That’s not too bad.” I resisted the urge to jump off the bed and sprint from the room. “Hopefully, they’ll let me out of isolation by then.”

The doctor went back to pursing her lips as she filled the syringe.

“This might sound stupid”―I shifted my leg away from her―“but do you think you could ask my guardian to come sit with me while you work on my leg? The bomb in the atrium has me a little jumpy.”

“The bombing’s made everyone jumpy.” The doctor set the vial down on the tray and went back to the cabinet. “You’re not supposed to have contact with anyone.”

I looked down at my hands. It had taken days for them to perfectly heal my skin after burns had covered most of my body. A ripped up muscle would be easier to fix than that. I’d be back in my room in an hour.

“I’d just really like to know if Gideon’s alive, and I’d like my guardian to be here in case he isn’t.” I blinked, forcing the heat that pressed against my eyes to form tears. “He jumped on top of me to protect me from the bomb. When they locked me in my room, he was still in surgery. I don’t even know if he’s alive.” Tears rolled down my cheeks.

The doctor set a tub of blue goo on the tray.

“He’s my boyfriend.” I waited until she was looking to swipe my tears away. “And if he’s dead, it’s my fault. Can you please just call my guardian?”

The doctor chewed her lips. “I’ll ask Captain Tate to grant permission for your guardian to be present during your medical treatment. You are still a student. Traditionally, a parent would be allowed to be present.”

“Thanks. Does…” I gripped the sheet below me as genuine fear prickled in my chest. “Does that mean Gideon didn’t make it?”

The doctor clasped her hands together, staring at her thumbs. “As a doctor of the Arcadia Domes, I am not at liberty to discuss any current patient’s medical condition without that patient’s express permission. Even if that patient has also expressed an interest in your wellbeing.”

A new stream of tears flooded down my cheeks. “Thank you.”

“Hopefully, this will keep you from doing any more pacing.” The doctor went out into the hall, letting the door swing shut behind her.

“He’s alive.” I lay down flat on the bed, letting my cheek press against the softness of the sheets. “You didn’t get him killed.”

One worry crossed off my list.

If I could see Miranda, I could make sure Mari was all right. If I could find a way to see Alec, I could find out if there had been any more news about the attack on the city, make sure the monsters weren’t about to blast their way through the glass.

And then…I didn’t know what the and then was.

I let out a long breath as my hands started to shake.

Bang. The sound echoed through my mind. I knew it wasn’t real, but my heart still started to race.

I could smell it. The rancid, burning stench that had come from the bomb in the atrium. But blood had taken over the scent. Gideon’s blood.

I hadn’t smelled the actual blast at the depot. That bomb had been too well planted. It had blown up the underground fuel tanks. Everything was just fire.

Bang. I had been right next to the bomb before Gideon pulled me away. It was my fault the woman had dropped it.

A sob hitched in my throat.

It’s my fault. All of it is my fault.

I made myself sit up.

I shook out my hands, trying to stop the panic from coming.

Fire. Blood. Fear.

I swiped the tears from my cheeks.

The woman had built the bomb, not me. She’d come to the atrium wanting to murder us all. It was her fault, not mine.

Victim. Casualty. Collateral damage.

“Shit.” I pushed myself off the table. Pain shot up my leg as soon as I put pressure on it. “Shit.” I paced along the side of the room, taking deep breaths, trying to stop the panic from growing.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

I turned toward the door.

The doctor had a look of mixed shock and anger on her face as she hurried toward me. “Why are you off the bed?”

“Sorry.” I pulled away from her, gasping as a fresh kind of pain came from stepping backward. “I just couldn’t lie there. I’m sorry.”

“Sit. Now.” The doctor gripped my arm as she steered me toward the bed.

“Is my guardian coming?” I sat on the edge of the bed, pointing my foot to make the pain keep coming.

“No.” The doctor helped me onto my stomach. “Captain Tate didn’t agree.”

“Okay.” I lay face down on the bed. I didn’t even know I’d been jiggling my leg until the doctor gripped my ankle.

“You have to relax,” the doctor said. “If you can’t do that for me, I’ll have to give you a sedative.”

“You can’t.” I pushed myself back up. “I have to be ready in case…”

“In case?” The doctor shifted my arms out from under me, laying me flat on my stomach.

“I don’t know.” My brain couldn’t come up with a lie fast enough. “So much has happened. I don’t know what I’m supposed to be ready for next.”

“Just take deep breaths. The only thing you have to worry about right now is letting your body heal.” The doctor rolled my pant leg back up.

“Do you know how long they’re going to keep us separated?” I asked as she swabbed my calf with something cold.

“That is not in my purview. Little pinch.”

The jab of the needle barely registered over the throbbing in my leg.

“Are they deciding how to punish us?” I asked.

“Again, that is not in my purview.”

“Right. Sorry.”

I settled my head on top of my hands.

“Have you been sleeping well?” the doctor asked.

“What do you mean?” I winced at the unnatural feeling of the inside of my leg shifting.

“Have you been able to sleep since the bombing?”

“They took my little sister away.” Tears burned in my eyes again. I hated myself for being so weak. “She’s with our guardian, and I haven’t been able to see her.”

“Is that all?”

Something like pulling came from inside my leg.

“Does it matter?” I asked. “As soon as you’re done with me, I’ll go straight back to being locked in my room. I don’t need sleep to stare at the wall.”

“I’m not just trained to take care of my patients’ bodies. I’m also here to look after your mental wellbeing.” The doctor picked up a tiny tube of pink stuff. “Stress can do horrible things to a person.”

“Being locked up away from my sister is making my stress worse. I can promise you that.”

“The isolation―”

“Is outside your purview.”

“Unfortunately, yes.” She set the little tube down and picked up a tool that looked like pincers. “So, is missing your sister the only reason you can’t sleep?”

“When I close my eyes, I see the woman’s face, that guard. When the bomb fell out of her hand, her eyes got so wide. I think she was afraid. And then she was gone.” The tugging inside my leg got worse. “I keep hearing the sound of the blast. Feeling Gideon’s weight when he jumped on top of me. I survived the explosion at the depot, and the attack after. A lot more people died there, and it was awful. But for some reason, I can’t shake this. Everything just cycles through my head over and over. And I can’t stop hearing the bang. It’s just a stupid sound, but I can’t make it stop.”

“There’s nothing I can do about you being sent back to isolation.” The doctor switched out the pincers for a fresh tube of pink. “However, as your doctor, I can recommend rigorous trauma counseling. Daily sessions would be in your best interest. I’ll have you brought down here for our sessions if you agree to stick to my orders and stay off your leg.”

“Okay, I’ll do it.” I agreed before I’d really thought it through.

Dumb move, Lanni. Talking to a kep doctor about being traumatized is a horrible and dangerous idea.

It’ll be better than being locked up all alone.

“In that case, you’re going to be issued a fancy pair of crutches to use for the next week.” The doctor smeared blue goo on my calf. “Healing from a violent trauma, both physically and mentally, takes time. But you will make it to the other side of this.”

“Thank you.” I gnawed on the inside of my cheek.

“I’ll go see about those crutches.” The doctor set the goo back on her tray.

Someone knocked on the door. “Visitor to see Miss Roberts.”

I pushed myself back up onto my elbows as the need to flee and the hope of seeing Mari smashed together in my chest.

“You can come in.” The doctor pulled off her gloves.

I twisted around, trying to see if it was a horde of guards coming to haul me away, or Miranda with Mari in tow.

A woman with honey-blond hair came into the room instead.

“Director Holbeck.” The doctor gave a nod almost like a bow.

“I hope I’m not interrupting.” Director Holbeck breezed into the room like she wouldn’t have cared if she’d been interrupting a major surgery. “I heard Lanni Roberts had been brought to medical and didn’t want to miss this opportunity.”

“We were actually just finishing up.” The doctor gave another nod and a tight smile. “I was on my way to get my patient some crutches so she can protect her leg.”

“You poor thing.” Holbeck frowned at me before shooing the doctor toward the door. “I’ll keep her company while you go find crutches.”

“Of course.” The doctor left the room, abandoning me with Holbeck without a backwards glance.

“I’ve only been on crutches once.” Holbeck went to the corner to grab a rolling chair. She pulled it over and sat right beside me. The scent of flowers wafted off her, like she was wearing the kind of fancy oil the people in the lux district back home could afford. “They were horrible. I’d broken my ankle in training. I swear, my hands hurt worse than the bone break.”

“I’m only on them for a week, and I’m not really going anywhere these days.” I twisted around to sit, keeping my leg propped up.

“You aren’t. And believe me, it wasn’t an easy decision for me to make.”

“You put us in lockdown?” My heart hitched, skipping a beat as panic shot through me. I didn’t know who Director Holbeck was. She didn’t have a shiny nametag on, or even a uniform. But the clothes she wore were subtly nicer than a normal kep’s. The fabric looked softer somehow, and the cut less generic. But why would a woman in fancy clothes decide to trap a bunch of teens in isolation? “I thought the order came from Captain Tate, ma’am.”

“Captain Tate has been enforcing the house arrest, but I’m the one who gave the order.” Holbeck leaned toward me and spoke in a whisper. “She was none-too-pleased with my interference, but we all must do what’s best for the Incorporation.”

“Always.” Sour rolled into my throat as I tried to sound earnest.

“Usually, we prefer to let the Domes Council of each location decide what’s best for their people. The community the citizens have built in every site is unique in some small way. The Domes Councils know their homes better than we do.”

Than we do. s**t.

Sweat beaded on my palms.

“But sometimes, when things go awry, we decide it’s time to step in. Like I did with you and your peers. I had to send that order straight from the top.” Holbeck pointed up, toward the literal Incorporation Headquarters built into the mountain above the Arc Domes. She gave a little laugh at her own joke.

I tried to laugh back, but I couldn’t make the sound come out.

“Do you know why I had to order the house arrest, Lanni?” Holbeck asked.

“No, ma’am.”

“I don’t want a stock response from you. I want to know why you think you’ve been isolated.”

“It was all of us who were in the atrium when the bomb went off. We had―”

Bang.

I shook my head as the sound of the explosion resonated through my mind again. “We were there to talk about Dr. Kain’s work. I think we were sent into isolation as punishment, or to give you time to decide how to punish us.”

“Punish you for what?” Holbeck furrowed her brow.

“For―” I pressed my palms to the bed, trying to hide their sweating and stop them from shaking.

I didn’t know what answer I was supposed to give. I needed Alec to tell me what to say. Or Walsh to come up with a plan. Or Harper…

I made my breath hitch in my throat and let my chin wobble. “For gathering to talk about Dr. Kain’s work without going to the Council first. It’s just…after the fire, I wanted to know who she’d been, and I read her work and I got so scared. And then Gideon…” I dissolved into hysterical tears, hoping crying about my boyfriend who’d risked his life to save me would be enough to make the questions stop.

“Oh, Lanni. You’ve been through too much. You poor thing.” Holbeck reached into her pocket, pulling out a handkerchief and passing it to me.

I wiped my face. “Thanks.”

“But you’ve got it all wrong.” Holbeck patted my knee. “I don’t want to punish any of you. Every one of the survivors of that horrible guard’s attack needs to be protected and helped. What you don’t see is the threat that could do far more damage to the domes, to the Incorporation and all of you, than that bomb managed.”

“What?” I looked to the door before I could stop myself, tensing as I prepared for a pack of werewolves to come charging in, longing to spill my blood.

“Misinformation.” Holbeck leaned sideways, placing herself in my line of sight. “I’ve already spoken to Gideon―”

“He’s awake?” I looked back toward Holbeck.

“And terribly concerned for your wellbeing.” Holbeck winked at me. “What Gideon wanted to do, making sure his peers were educated on the work of the late Dr. Kain, was a very admirable goal. But, as so often happens with the young, bright, and passionate, he didn’t take the time to really understand the consequences of his actions.”

“We didn’t know there would be a bomb.”

“Of course not. None of you can be blamed for the violence of that deranged woman.”

I should be. I knew what we were risking. It’s my fault. All of it’s my fault.

“But not considering the consequences of speaking about Dr. Kain’s propagation program without any context?” She patted my knee again. “That was a very foolish and damaging thing to do.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault Gideon decided to rally his peers. But after the lies that woman spouted before she murdered innocent children―”

“Who died?” I twisted the handkerchief.

“Elliot and Casey didn’t make it.” Holbeck shook her head. “It’s an unforgiveable tragedy.”

Elliot, I knew. Casey, I didn’t. At least not by name.

“That woman told you terrible lies about the events at the River Domes, and then she killed two of your peers,” Holbeck said. “I had to make sure the spread of misinformation didn’t infect the rest of the Arcadia Domes. Can you understand that?”

“I suppose. But how long do we have to stay isolated? We all heard what she said. We can’t unhear it.”

“Of course not.” Holbeck stood and shifted to sit beside me on the bed. “Soon, you should all be able to go back to class just like before.”

“Good.” I let out a shaky breath. “That’s good.”

“I wish it could be sooner, but I’m starting a new program, and I want all the details in place before we give the announcement to everyone in the Arcadia Domes at the same time. That way, we can make sure there are no more nasty rumors confusing people.”

She paused like she wanted me to say something.

“I look forward to hearing the announcement.”

“It’s better than that, Lanni.” Holbeck put her arm around my shoulders, surrounding me with her fake scent. “I didn’t come down here today just to check on you. I’m here because you’re going to play a very exciting role in the new program.”

“What sort of role?” I pressed a smile onto my face even as my hands started to go numb and the walls seemed to shift like they were closing in.

“You’re going to be one of our two peer spokespeople, helping your age group step into their new roles with hope in their hearts and the good of the Incorporation at the very front of their minds. Dr. Kain’s work will lead us into a prosperous and healthy future, Lanni. And the children this program helps to conceive will have you to thank for showing their parents the way.”