The Five Unnecessaries

Chapter 12

"Okay, so, who is Hanover?"

Collin sat cross-legged on my feet, putting pressure on them so I wouldn't lift them up off the ground as I did my crunches. This was the tenth HistCulture question he had asked during exercises that morning.

I answered Collin's question with only one word that would have left no doubt in anyone's mind what I thought of Hanover.

"Well, he certainly is that and worse," Collin said matter-of-factly. "But just in case the computer doesn't count Republic expletives as answers, could you answer a little more thoroughly?"

I crunched up and wrapped my arms around my knees. "He's a current Elite representative. He is responsible for creating thousands of advertisements that brilliantly lock people into more debt so that Sub-Terras work their whole lives for the sake of their 'parent' buying more things they don't need."

"Good answer," he stared at the paper. "Keep your stomach tucked in more as you come up. Protect your back. Tell me what to do if a Sub-Terra has a panic attack when they get to the forest?"

I answered in fragments, every time my chin was near my knees. "Tell them... specifically... what they can earn. If you tell them... they can have it for free... or we will give them a real life or even they can keep their baby... they act suspicious..." I stopped and laid on the ground, trying to focus as my stomach burned.

"That's a good answer," he said reassuringly. "And it's enough crunches, too."

The last week of ISO had been tough, but not in the way I expected. Collin had transformed my entire daily routine. I could now pass the most rigorous of Common Phrases tests, complete two sets of lunges with the weight bar on my back and climb to the forty feet mark on the wall in under a minute. He had explained muscle confusion, and how it would work to my advantage. My legs and arms were sore, but today would be crunches and miles.

I dreaded going back to group classes. I finally felt safe with just Collin and me, training in our Circle. Tessa's words and glares replayed in my mind, no matter how many days we'd been apart.

"Okay," he said as he popped up and reached a handout to me. "So now you've done your crunches and told me all about your first year in middle school, breakfast."

I felt embarrassed for a moment. "Sorry, I rambled."

"No, really. It was fascinating. I loved hearing you talk about it. I never got to experience that much awkwardness. I'd rather have run ten miles a day!"

"Some days I would've, too," I said, shaking my head.

"Oh, good because we're doing six today, but..." he was leading into it.

I groaned but stopped when I saw my breakfast.

"What is this?"

"It's... is it not bacon?" Collin asked.

"I know what bacon is," I snapped back.

"Well, you didn't know what a transponder jammer was yesterday. Just making sure," he said playfully.

I glared.

He looked offended. "Oh, that's a Brie-strength glare, you can't give me that. I just gave you bacon."

I laughed, then stared at the bacon. "We only had bacon on special occasions, like Christmas and Rosemary Day and the last day of the school year and the morning of the cerem—"

I bit my lip, wishing I hadn't thought about that morning.

But Collin must have figured it out. He looked nervous.