Before (The Sensitives) - By Dawn Rae Miller Page 0,20

Beck’s arms, I muttered words of thanks. Security did their job so efficiently.

We marched across the snow, a guard on each side, and entered the silent school. Every student, except us, had taken shelter in a secure room until the all-clear signal sounded.

Now everyone’s back in class, and Beck and I are still waiting to be excused. I check my wristlet. If they don’t hurry up, we’re going to miss our assessment.

“We’re fine. Why can’t we go?” I ask.

“I don’t know.” Beck squeezes my hand, the one he hasn’t let go of since we stood on the hill together.

Silence surrounds us. We’ve used up all our words giving statements to the security detail. Next to me, Beck’s body goes rigid and he crushes my fingers.

“Ow!”

He swivels in his chair so that he’s facing the door. His eyes narrow and his hand no longer grasps mine. He tilts his head to the side as if listening to something. Curious, I follow his gaze.

The door swings open and a woman sweeps in, followed by a tall man with a hat pulled low, concealing his face.

She’s beautiful. Her raven hair falls in soft waves and contrasts with her long, cream coat. Her naturally red lips draw into a warm, welcoming smile, and it’s then that I recognize her. Annalise, my sister-in-law.

“Callum,” Beck whispers with a hint of disdain when my brother removes his hat. He and Callum have never gotten along. When we were little, Callum searched us out during our few home visits and harassed Beck.

My brother wears his blond hair longer than I remember, more in style for a Statesman than a schoolboy.

I stand to greet my family, but Beck bristles and hesitates. A million anxious pressure points build in my chest, pushing outward until they crawl over my skin like little spiders. Something’s wrong.

“Lark. Sister. How are you, my dear?” Tension rolls through my body as Callum clutches me to his chest, hard. His embrace is more like a strangling.

Annalise touches Callum’s arm. “That’s enough, darling. Poor Lark can barely breathe. You surely don’t want to hurt a future Stateswoman, do you?”

He releases me with a gentle peck on the cheek and steps back. The pressure in my chest subsides and my heart slows.

“Lark, darling, you look well considering what you went through.” Annalise’s

voice is soft and musical. She kisses me once on each cheek, in the manner of the State. When she extends the customary greeting to Beck—who now stands at my side—he recoils, refusing to let her touch him.

I glare at Beck, my hands on my hips. I know he and Callum haven’t always gotten along, but his behavior is ridiculous. I slide next to him and nudge him forward, but he plants his feet and refuses to move.

“Are you okay?” I ask. Maybe the shock of the attack has confused him. “Should I call the healer?”

He continues to stand tense with his head tilted as if trying to hear a far off sound. “I’m fine.”

Then what is he doing? This isn’t the time or place for old childhood rivalries. I’m going to have to make a good impression for the both of us. My words take on the formal State tone. “Did Mother send you?”

A slight forward shift from Callum causes Beck to grip my arm. He subtly repositions his body so he’s between Callum and me. Callum responds to Beck’s oddly protective posture by softening his stance.

Annalise flashes a pretty smile at me, as if she doesn’t notice Beck and Callum’s odd body language. “She sent Callum, of course, to make sure you were unharmed. But my State job is safety. Specifically ensuring the safety of top officials—like Malin—and our Society’s schools.” She unbuttons her coat and sets it on a nearby coat rack. “I’ve been tasked with discovering how this breach happened and ensuring it doesn’t reoccur.”

“Really?” I ask. With her perfectly manicured nails and silky black hair, Annalise looks more like a painting than a security guard.

“Really.”

“You didn’t do a very good job, did you?” Beck clicks his tongue against his teeth. “Lark could have been killed.”

Not ‘we,’ but ‘Lark’.

Annalise removes a small tablet from her satchel and taps on it. “Let’s see. According to my report, you exposed your position to the Sensitives. Is that correct?”

Beck glares at her and wraps his arm around my waist protectively. Tension ripples off his body. Even through my layers of clothing, I’m positive I feel waves of heat radiating from him.

“The security system failed. I was