Genesis Girl (Blank Slate #1) - Jennifer Bardsley Page 0,56
helped rescue Fatima. He seems calmer and happier than ever. Every time he looks at Ms. Lydia, he smiles harder and harder.
And she eats it up.
I get up to go. Right before I close the door behind me, I hear Cal say, “Lydia, my love, do we need to go to this banquet tonight? Let’s send Blanca on her own and enjoy some time to ourselves.”
I never hear Ms. Lydia’s answer. But an hour later when Alan drives me away to my second Vestal banquet, I am the sole passenger.
Chapter Fourteen
“You’re the only one I want to do this with,” Ethan says to me. “I’ve been waiting forever.” Ethan’s showing me something private.
We are hidden behind a ficus tree in the corner of the room at the Vestal banquet. The music and dancers swirl around us a few feet away. But tucked where we are, nobody can see us. We are completely hidden.
The first time I went to a Vestal banquet, Ms. Lydia made us leave early. Now I know why. After dinner, the lights dim and the music cranks up. The whole room becomes dark and shadowy. It’s exactly like Fatima said it would be: the perfect place to hook up. Probably Ms. Lydia didn’t want Cal to see all of that.
Before dinner, I spent the whole banquet dancing with Trevor. But then we got separated somehow, and Ethan grabbed my hand. The music was so loud that he put his mouth right next to my ear. “I have to show you something,” he hissed. “It’s important.” Then he pulled me away into a secluded corner.
Ethan’s left his glasses at home, but he has his white suspenders on. It’s his signature look. He slouches against the wall so that he doesn’t tower over me like a scarecrow. “Can you see anything?” Ethan holds up his wrists.
I look at his palm, his fingertips, and the top of his hand. “No, nothing.”
“Exactly. They’re brilliant.”
“What are you talking about?” I shouldn’t be here in the corner with Ethan. Trevor will come back soon. “What’s brilliant?”
“The new invis-chips,” Ethan says. “They’re so small you can’t see them with the naked eye.”
“You’ve got finger-chips?” I say, a little too loudly.
“Shhh!” Ethan puts his finger on my lips. “It’s a secret.”
“But your vows! What if Headmaster Russell finds out?”
“He’s not going to find out.” Ethan flexes his hand. “They’re nearly invisible, remember?”
I pick up his hand and look at it more closely. I don’t see anything until tiny blue pinpoints catch my eye.
Ethan’s connected.
“Have you been online?”
“Yes, and it’s the best thing ever.”
“What?” My neck is so tight it feels like it could snap.
“We were lied to. The Internet isn’t evil. It provides instantaneous knowledge. It helps us connect with people all over the planet. There’s a whole world that we’re missing.”
“But we’re supposed to miss it,” I say. “That’s how we stay safe.”
Ethan shakes his head. “It’s how they control us.”
That’s when I realize how dangerous Ethan’s become. How I shouldn’t even be talking to him. I turn to go, and he stops me.
“There’s this website called The Lighthouse.”
I don’t say anything. There’s no reason for Ethan to know that I have any idea what he’s talking about.
“Your Ms. Lydia?” Ethan says. “She’s —”
He’s stopped by a rustle of leaves. I push Ethan into a darker, safer part of the corner just in time. Our space has been invaded by a lip-locked couple.
It’s Trevor and Sarah.
Trevor’s hands are under Sarah’s skirt, lifting it up. “Lil,” he says, moaning.
She undoes his pants with nimble fingers.
Ethan mouths Vestal-cest to me in the semidarkness. As if I hadn’t already figured that out for myself. Then he starts holding up his hand. He’s connected, and he’s corrupted.
“No.” I push Ethan’s hand away. “Don’t film that.”
“But he’s tricking you,” Ethan whispers. “They’re using you as their cover.”
And it really hurts to know the truth. But posting it online for the world to see isn’t the answer.
Ethan used to know that. Technology has alienated him already.
Beau catches us slipping from behind the ficus tree. He gives Ethan the thumbs-up, jumping to the wrong conclusion.
“You’re a popular lady tonight, Blanca,” Beau says. He spits his words out fast and grins ear to ear. “How about a dance?” At my nod, Beau takes me in his arms and spins me away.
Once we’re out there on the darkened dance floor, Beau’s smile freezes like it’s plastered on his face. Then he whispers between his teeth. “Have you seen Fatima?”