The Elites (Natasha Ngan) by Natasha Ngan

Author:Natasha Ngan
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9781471401527
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Published: 2013-08-31T23:00:00+00:00

23

The Birthchip Charm

Cobe lay on the chaise lounge in his bedroom in the Stacks, staring out through the glass wall at the city. He’d just got back from an assignment. He hadn’t undressed yet from his Elite uniform, and as the late morning sun shone through the window, the amber light glittered on the waxy material of his jumpsuit, warming the skin underneath. Yet still he felt cold, unable to shake the feeling of slow dread that had crept under his skin over the last two days.

From the moment he’d said goodbye to Butterfly at the door of their bedroom the morning of Tanaka’s funeral, time had stretched out. Every minute since he’d felt Butterfly’s absence like a pulse. Especially here, in the bedroom they’d shared for ten years. Butterfly had moved in with his Elite senior earlier than was usual after his family’s death in the explosion, and it felt wrong to Cobe to be lying on the chaise lounge without Butterfly sprawled in the chair next to it, or to walk past the empty bedpod beside his own.

Even outside their bedroom, he couldn’t rid himself of the feeling that some part of him had been carved out, lost forever. Cobe had carried a charm that tracked Butterfly’s birthchip for so many years he barely noticed it, but now it weighed him down, the light nestled inside it constantly reminding him that Butterfly was gone.

He could see the birthchip on the table in front of him now, its steady red light an unbeating heart. Hurry up, Akhezo, he thought, scowling at it. Hurry up, you little Limpets rat.

As Butterfly’s senior, Cobe had been held accountable for his and Silver’s disappearance. Somehow, Ember had got off lightly, but Cobe had spent hours with Senior Surrey answering question after question; what had happened in the days leading up to their disappearance, what possible reasons they could have had for being in the Limpets that time when the scouting party had found them. Then, when Senior Surrey had grown frustrated with his unhelpful suggestions, he’d given Cobe so many assignments Cobe barely had time to sleep.

Unfortunately, this had included the assignment on the shisha boat. Cobe had no choice but to tell Senior Surrey that Silver and Butterfly had left the city. He couldn’t risk lying about it any more, not now others in the city knew about their whereabouts. If word got back somehow to the Council that Cobe had known and hadn’t told them … He shuddered to think what would happen. Still, he hadn’t minded being busy. It had taken his mind off the vacant bedpod in his room, the feeling of emptiness his life now had without his Elite junior in it.

But two days ago, everything changed.

When Cobe had been called to the Head of the Elites’ office, he’d been expecting another interrogation surrounding Butterfly and Silver’s disappearance. So when Senior Surrey began the meeting by discussing his opinions on birthchip laws, Cobe sat up straighter in his chair, surprised.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.