Dead Ringer *Watty 2016*

Reuniting

Larkin paced while she waited for Arch to return, not entirely sure what the plan would be but certain that she wanted the opportunity to see her friends one more time before they entered the sustainment process.

When time began to pass and Arch did not show up Larkin prepared herself for bad news, "there was no way the stranger would allow me to return back where I can see them.  My happiness isn't valuable to her my disguise is."

As midnight neared she tried to distract herself by calling Everett but he didn't bother picking up the phone and she was reminded once more how much she missed the comradery of other plebs.  Finally around 1am Larkin was bundled on the couch waiting and her eyelids grew heavy so she slipped into a deep slumber.

When she awoke Arch stood over her having obviously been shaking her.  "What time is it?"  Larkin asked groggily, angry that he had made her wait so long but sitting up excited to hear what he would finally say.

"Two-fifteen," he answered then he paused.

"Do I get to see them or not?"  Larkin asked anxiously.

"That's why I was gone so long," he said and even though Larkin was tempted to interrupt and get a clearer answer  but she forced herself to be quiet.  "I had to wait for a long time because some Cian really did go into early failure and need early lung sustainment, but once they finally let me in she wasn't easily convinced.  She was afraid that you would let your disguise slip.  Finally she relented when I pointed out that it would be suspicious to leave you out of the sustainment process, because in the past the early failures have still been allowed to attend the banquets."

Larkin let out a squeal of excitement that she was unable to contain any longer, "So I get to see them?"

A large grin broke across his face and he nodded.  "Thank you, thank you, thank you."  Larkin said unable to contain her joy.

"Now don't get to excited," Arch said as Larkin threw her arms around him.  "You can't say a word to them, they have to believe that you are Coraleigh, you can only see how they are doing.  That's all."

"OK," Larkin agreed without hesitation and the smile returned to Arch's face.

"Get to sleep kiddo," Arch said, "You have a big day tomorrow."

Falling back asleep was difficult for Larkin, as she was more excited than she had ever been before.  When she finally managed to fall asleep her dreams were plagued with the images of her friends faces.  Briar's murky brown eyes faded into Harlow's hot pink ones and her matching brown hair exploded into Harlow's hot pink locks.  Sander's sweet kind voice turned sharp into his white haired Cian's sharp tongued insults.  Then Wilder and Everett's identical figures stood next to each.

The next morning Larkin awoke but not well rested and she found that she had a message from Arch on her ring.  "Wear something elegant," the message read.

She checked the wardrobe to find a long black dress with pink lining and a slit up the entire leg.  She then tried to copy the makeup look that Archer had done to her days earlier but it ended up looking like she had too much on her face.  She gave up and hoped that she would pass without arising anymore suspicion than she already had.  Then she checked her ring for another message to find that Archer had told her where to meet the rest of the 15s.  She walked slightly more comfortably in her heels than she had been during her week of training and climbed into the back of the car.  She didn't need to scan anything because the attendant driving simply asked "Are you a 15?"

Larkin nodded and it seemed that every driver had been given the same address that Archer had messaged her earlier in the day.  When he pulled up to the curb she saw a train station swarming with every Cian 15.  She climbed out of the car and sent a message to Harlow, knowing that Coraleigh would reach out to her friends but not feeling brave enough to try and fool Oakley again.   Harlow immediately messaged back, "We are by the door."

Larkin grimaced at the word we but she reminded herself that Oakley was fun before she messed up her act and gave away the truth.  Harlow was jumping up and down and waving vigorously to get her attention, "Cora!"  She shouted in a sing song voice.  Oakley just jokingly covered her eyes and tried to pretend that she didn't see Harlow, all the while unsuccessfully stifling a laugh.

"HARLOW!"  Larkin yelled back matching the sing song voice and skipping to the girls with a laugh which made Harlow laugh and left all three girls the center of attention.

"Idiots," Sander's cian mumbled and Oakley was ready to go curse him out but the other two shook their heads signaling that he was not worth it this time.

Just as the scene concluded the train pulled up and people began shoving through the crowd to have the chance to climb on first so the seat that they wanted would still be available.  Harlow grabbed both her friend's hands and dragged them through the crowd so they all got seats next to each other.  During the entire train ride the girls chatted about the formal lunch, two of them eager to get to know their plebs.  Larkin listened quietly to the other stories and tried to seem excited for them hoping that her silence could pass for any emotion that Coraleigh would be feeling after sustainment.

Finally they were drawing nearer to pleb city and Larkin couldn't help but press her face to the glass window and drink in all the familiar sights and sound of her home.  Their train passed by the mouth of her friend's favorite hide out tunnel and past the boys job site, finally pulling into the same station she had boarded at after she heard the news about the real Coraleigh.  Her heart began to flutter as they excited the train and walked past the places she had grown up in, the dorms.  Then her hands began to shake as she walked into the dinning hall that had been set for them and saw lines of plebs that she had known her whole life.  She scanned for their faces in the crowd, expecting to see Wilder's tall head over the mob.

Instead she saw Sander's sandy locks moving about and Briar's dark hair beside him, both moving slowly and looking down.  Her immediate reaction was to reach up and wave to them but she stopped herself just in time.  Sander's broke off to go sit by the jerk of the guy Larkin had briefly met but Briar came straight towards Larkin.  Larkin excitement reached a peak as she realized what her seat next to Harlow would mean, Harlow reached out for Larkin's hand to find comfort.  Then Briar's eyes connected with Harlow's looking sad and angry at the same time, as her eyes moved from Harlow to Coraleigh there was a moment of glee then the anger returned stronger than ever.  Briar let out a bloodcurtling scream and lunged forward, clearing the table and making contact with Larkin.

Larkin was too shocked to react and she just laid still.  "You killed her," Briar screamed clawing at Larkin's face and throat, her first connecting hard repeatedly and finally her teeth mashing down anywhere they could make contact.  Larkin felt her own warm blood hit her face and was ready to close her eyes letting Briar kill her if that's what she wanted when she felt the weight lift off her body.  Larkin then heard a shrill scream that had recently had become familiar with, she opened her eyes to see Harlow screaming and Oakley holding Briar in the air.

"Calm down off brand Harlow," Oakley said not fazed by the bloody scene in front of her.

"She killed Larkin and they have Wilder!"  Briar screamed.