The Girl Who Dared to Think 2: The Girl Who Dared to Stand (The Girl Who Dared #2)(11)

Because if they didn’t, this mammoth of a lie was going to get us all killed.





4





Leo and I walked quickly across the Grounds at the bottom level of the Tower. Above us, the Core, the Medica, and the Citadel dangled, forming a triangle. It was hard not to lift my eyes upward and stare at them in awe. No one was allowed on this level unless they had business with the council, so I had never been able to see what they looked like from this angle before.

They were breathtaking, to say the least. The black and blue geometric steps of the cone-shaped Core glistened and gleamed as we moved under it, making it look like a bullseye against the roof of the Tower for an instant—until we stepped out from under its zenith several paces later.

I had to lower my eyes to follow the attendant who had come to fetch us not ten minutes ago. Both Leo and I were wearing shock shackles, which would shock us if we fell too far behind him, so we had to keep up—unless we wanted a particularly nasty jolt that would render us unconscious within seconds.

The attendant was already over a wooden bridge that crossed a small stream some ten feet ahead, and I paused as I stepped onto the wood, marveling at the shiny planks. We had trees, but harvesting them was strictly prohibited, as they played an integral part in the Tower’s oxygen production. Most of them were also food-bearing trees, so cutting them down meant threatening the food supply—another big no-no in the Tower.

The Grounds, however, were covered with non-fruit-producing trees, running thick and wild across the floor. Paths similar to the one we were on cut through the vegetation, but everything else was devoted to plant life, aiding in oxygen production and providing lush scenery that replicated a world that no longer existed. I passed by a bench that overlooked a stream as it poured into a lake. Orange, white, and red fish, some as long as my arm, swam through the waters, occasionally breaking the surface in the pursuit of food.

I continued across the bridge, trying not to stare, but it was hard. I should have been mentally reviewing the talking points that Lacey had given us, but all that green, and the smell of wet earth and water, called to me, begging for my attention. After a few weeks of being cut off from a greenery (one that wasn’t dedicated to animals, mind you), I had forgotten how much I loved it.

Let alone the feel of walking across something made of actual wood. It seemed so fantastical, a luxury that had to have been brought into the Tower long ago and preserved throughout the ages. And only the councilors could enjoy it, marvel at its age and wonder at its history. It seemed wrong, somehow, that such a quiet and serene place could be kept from the citizens. Didn’t we all have the right to enjoy such a place?

The attendant waved a hand, then, and Leo and I quickened our pace in order to keep up, the threat of being shocked before we delivered our fabricated testimony lending speed to our wearied limbs.

“Are you sure you’re going to remember everything?” Leo asked quietly. “I can take point if you think you aren’t up to it.”

I considered his question. It would be easier to let him do it; he had a photographic memory, apparently, so only one look and he’d had it memorized.

But I did, too. The words were too important for me to forget. The trick was making it believable, and for all of Leo’s insistence that he could lie, and do it well, I couldn’t risk all of our lives on his untested abilities. I, on the other hand, was a pretty good liar.

“I’ve got it.” My eyes slid over to him. “H-How’s Grey?”

The question had been burning inside me since we had gotten to the cell in which Lacey and Strum had held us captive. But I hadn’t given it rein. I couldn’t, because I bore the burden of responsibility, which meant making sure everyone else was safe, first.

Now that we were away from the others, I needed to know what was going on.

Ahead of us, the attendant turned a corner, disappearing behind a few trees, but I kept my pace the same, trusting that he wouldn’t get too far ahead of us without stopping and waiting. As much as I didn’t want to get shocked, I also knew, after thinking about it logically, that Lacey or Strum would have told the attendant not to let that happen. Or at least, I hoped they had.

Beside me, Leo sighed, and I looked over at him.

“Liana, it’s not a fast process,” he said, looking at me with Grey’s warm brown eyes. My heart clenched, and I looked away, uncomfortable at knowing that the person behind them was not the person I wanted it to be.

“I know that,” I murmured. We turned the corner, and sure enough, the attendant was waiting for us to appear, standing next to another path that disappeared between two thick clusters of trees, which held deep, dark shadows. The path seemed to glow white between them. “But… it’s Grey. I’m… I…”

I blinked back tears and sucked in a deep, cleansing breath, trying to soothe the stabbing pain that was threatening to pry my heart in half. “I shouldn’t have brought it up,” I said, once the pain had faded some. A glance at Leo told me he was confused, and I let it lie there, unwilling to dredge it up again.

He, however, was not so ready to let it go. “Liana…”

“It’s okay,” I said. “You told me it would take time, and you’re right. I shouldn’t pester you.”

“No. I know that you care for Grey very much. So I promise, I will always give you an update whenever you ask.” I looked up at him, and he smiled kindly. The dagger in my heart twisted deeper.