“I—” I stared at him. “If you just trusted me and told me things—”
“But I don’t,” he said. “Not yet. Maybe not ever at this rate. I’m keeping my promise to you. You and Benjy will be shipped off with Hannah, and the three of you will remain in a safe, undisclosed location for the rest of the war. No one will find you there, I promise, and once it’s over, you’ll live the rest of your lives in peace. Isn’t that exactly what you wanted?”
It was. Peace, a life with Benjy, a chance to know my biological mother—he was giving me a future, one I would never have otherwise. But my mind drifted to the conversation I’d had with Benjy in the dead of night as we listened to the sounds of war and death, and before I could stop myself, I blurted, “No.”
“No?” He raised an eyebrow. “I’m only going to make this offer once. If you refuse—”
“I’m not going anywhere. Whether you like it or not, these people need me. And I’m never going to earn my freedom by letting others die for me instead. I’ve done enough of that already.”
His mouth formed a grim line. “Kitty—”
“Why are you doing this?” I blurted. “You’re the son of a Minister. You’re a VI. You were going to live in a mansion. You were going to marry Lila Hart. You were going to be one of the most powerful people in the entire country. Why bother supporting the Blackcoats at all, let alone leading them and throwing away your future?” I paused. “Are you really in love with Lila? Is that it?”
Several long seconds passed, and finally Knox sighed. “People like you hold their loved ones above ideals. They’ll do anything to protect them, no matter what it costs. But me—I hold ideals above people. No single life is as important as this revolution, not even mine.”
“Why?” I said again. “People don’t just wake up one day and decide to lead a rebellion.”
“Sometimes they do,” he said quietly, “but that’s a story for another time. I need you gone, Kitty.”
“And I already told you, I’m staying.” I twisted around, sweeping aside my hair to show him the X scarred into my skin. “You see this?”
“Yes,” he said, and I turned back to face him.
“I’m one of them now. There is no hiding, and there is no going back. I’m not giving up just because you’re too proud and arrogant to trust me. I know these people better than you ever will, and like it or not—”
A tone on the television cut me off, and both Knox and I focused on the monitor. The camera switched to a live feed inside Somerset, where an empty podium stood.
Knox swore. “I was wondering when Daxton was going to address the public,” he muttered, and he pushed a button on the monitor to record the speech.
But instead of Daxton stepping up, a girl with wheat-blond hair and eyes the color of the ocean stepped into view.
The real Lila Hart.
“What—” I started, but Knox shushed me, and I fell silent.
“Good afternoon,” she said in a voice I could mimic in my sleep. “As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, the restricted territory known as Elsewhere has fallen into the hands of a violent terrorist organization known as the Blackcoats, led by my mother, Celia Hart, and my former fiancé, Lennox Creed.”
I glanced at Knox. His expression hardened.
“These extremists have taken our lands, they’ve captured and tortured our people, and they’ve killed countless innocent men, women, and children, all in the name of their own ideals that destroyed the very foundation of our society less than a century ago,” she continued, looking straight into the camera. “My uncle, Prime Minister Daxton Hart, is working tirelessly to secure the country from the dire threat they pose, and he will stop at nothing until he has ensured the safety of every last American life.
“I’m not here today to appeal to the Blackcoats,” she added. “We cannot reason with the irrational, and there are no words that could possibly express our sorrow and grief over the losses our people have suffered at their hands. Rather, I stand before you today to ask for the support of everyone watching right now. If you or someone you know has information leading to the identification of those who supply or support these terrorists, we ask that you step forward. We need your help to stop this senseless violence and bring people like Celia Hart and Lennox Creed to justice. Not only will we reward everyone who comes forward with information that leads to the eradication of these criminals, but you will also gain our eternal thanks and the thanks of your fellow Americans.
“The time has come for us to fight for our freedom, our safety, and all we as a nation stand for,” she said, holding her head high as if she were speaking to a stadium full of people instead of a single camera. “Stand with us, and together, we can overcome this dark time in our history. Together, we can defeat these radicals who want nothing more than to destroy the peace and prosperity we’ve worked so tirelessly to create. Together, we can prevail.”
Somerset faded away, replaced by the newscaster once more. Knox turned the television off, and for several seconds, neither of us said a word. Silence smothered me as the weight of what had just happened settled on my shoulders, and I replayed her words over and over again in my mind.
There was no hidden message. There was no secret meaning.
Somehow, someway, Daxton had convinced the voice of the Blackcoat rebellion to speak for him instead.
“A Lila on each side. This should be interesting,” I said coolly. “Guess it’s a good thing I’m not going anywhere, isn’t it? You’re going to need me.”
And without waiting for Knox’s reply, I turned around and walked out the office door, heading back upstairs where Benjy was waiting for me.