The Key to Fear - Kristin Cast Page 0,36

suburbs.

“Possible, but I bet he wanted to talk to you because of how gorgeous and fabulous you are.” Astrid held up her long finger. “Not that I am in any way rooting for or condoning an emotionally romantic liaison.”

With how much Astrid obsessed over the rules, the thought that she would hope for something as torrid as an emotional liaison never crossed Elodie’s mind. Plus, Elodie wasn’t quite sure what an emotionally romantic liaison would even entail.

Astrid threw her ponytail over her shoulder. “Actually, if you ever encounter him again, tell him you’re engaged to a Key Corp Major and then turn and run in the opposite direction before he has a chance to attack you with one of those End-of-Life Unit body carving bots.”

Elodie zipped and unzipped the small front pouch of her backpack. “I don’t think I need to worry about being attacked.”

Astrid pursed her lips. “You say that now, but when you’re lying face up on an exam table with bots waving their blades overhead and you hear creepy mohawk dude’s maniacal laughter echoing around the room, you’ll remember this conversation and wish that you had listened to me.”

Comments like that made Elodie question whether or not Astrid had ever read one of the banned books she went on and on about having destroyed.

They passed by the faded orange Home Depot building stretched next to the freeway like spilled juice. Elodie held her breath. She’d seen a video of some kids who had broken into the abandoned warehouse-sized store not too long ago. It had been fifty years since the Cerberus virus first tore through civilization, yet blood still stained the concrete floors within.

Elodie drummed her fingertips against her knees. “Another incident happened today too,” she said, changing the subject. She didn’t want to think about Cerberus or let Astrid continue to destroy the only pleasant thing that had happened all day.

Astrid cocked her head and fingered the top button on her denim jacket. “Another scary real-life convo with a different creepy weirdo?”

The Pearl maneuvered off the highway and onto the nearly empty four-lane street that led to Elodie’s neighborhood.

“No,” said Elodie. “Do you think that your dad could use his connections at the MediCenter to get me an update on a patient?”

Astrid stilled in the way she did whenever she felt Elodie about do something she wouldn’t agree with. “Why don’t you ask for an update yourself?” Astrid said, her voice stony and low.

“I tried, but Holly still showed this patient as being in my unit.” Elodie adjusted the hair tie around her wrist. “She’d just been transferred, so it might not have updated yet.”

“Problem solved.” Astrid clapped. “I’m sure Holly will have all the info when you go in tomorrow.”

Elodie pressed her chin against her backpack. “Yeah, but there was something weird about the whole thing.”

“Weirder than the guy you met in the basement?” Astrid waggled her sharp brows.

“Astrid, I’m serious. The transfer team came a lot faster than usual, and they didn’t wait for me to sign off. And when I called their unit director, she said they’d never received the transfer order.”

Astrid crossed and uncrossed her slender legs. “Then who came and got her?”

Elodie threw up her hands and glanced out the window, distracted by the holographic blue and orange MAX logo floating in front of the transit center like a human-sized button.

Astrid’s brows pinched and she shook her head as if brushing away a thought. “I’m sure someone on the transfer team made a mistake and will come find you in the morning and have you sign off. No biggie.”

The MAX red line pulled into the station and the platform was flooded in hazy purple orbs as the train doors opened and citizens poured into the suburbs of Westfall’s Zone Two.

Elodie pressed her back into the seat. “It’s against protocol to transfer a patient without a signoff.”

“Then that person will totally pay for their mistake.” Astrid resumed twirling the ends of her signature pony. “It doesn’t seem like as big of a deal as you’re making it. You’re not the one who’s going to get reprimanded.”

Elodie let out a breath as she studied the lines of white stitching on the upholstered ceiling. Astrid didn’t get it. People in the MediCenter didn’t make those kinds of mistakes. There were protocols in place to make sure nothing fell through the cracks, certainly not entire patients. They were dealing with people’s lives, not just making sure vehicles found their passengers without requiring them to walk