The Color of Knowledge

Chapter Sixteen (pt. 2)

She looked over to Zari, Milo, and Keegan. She nodded, which moved them to exit the lounge to the outside. Ivy hugged her parents.

"Be safe," said Mrs. Stone. "Promise us you will."

"I promise," said Ivy, looking her mother in the eye.

"We'll have your favorite food for dinner when all of this is over," said Mr. Stone. "Steak."

Ivy hugged her parents once more before bending down to become eye-level with Spencer and K.J. "You two take care of each other," she said.

"You sound like you're saying goodbye," said Spencer.

"That's because I am."

"I'm just as smart as you are, you know."

Ivy smiled. "I know. You were just born closer to yesterday, is all. You are just as smart as I am."

"But you're coming back."

"Of course I am."

She rose to face Tima.

"You be careful," said Tima, giving her a hug.

"You know what to do," said Ivy. She strode to the door and opened it. Sunlight spilled into the room, casting the group of people within in a mixture of natural and artificial light. She looked back at the group, stepped outside, and closed the door behind her.

"Is everyone ready?" Ivy asked Zari and the rest. They nodded and started walking towards the government sector of The Society. "There will be heavy security."

On the outskirts of the sector, Ivy was able to see President Khamar's house in the distance. Government workers and security officials strolled about.

"I'm nervous," said Zari.

Milo shook her shoulders. "This is our big break," he said. "This is what we live for."

"I don't think I can do it. What if we get caught and they kill us?"

"That won't happen," said Ivy. "This isn't a serious offense. It's only a distraction."

"Are you sure you'll be able to run on your leg?" Keegan asked Milo. It was the first time Ivy had heard him speak since the night before.

Milo nodded. "It feels better than it did last night. I can do this."

"Ready?" asked Ivy.

"Ready," the three said in unison.

Zari stepped forward past the boundary and shed her plainclothes. Beneath were the clothes of the past. Clothes only remembered by those who had experienced the world before it had ended. People stared. Milo and Keegan stepped forward, mimicking what Zari had just done. People stopped.

"My name is Zari Sororno. I was exiled a few days ago," shouted Zari for all to hear. "I'm back now, and I have brought friends from below. From a place called Subsolaneus."

At first, no one moved. Then, chaos erupted. The security officials jumped into action to grab Zari, but she was too fast. She broke into a sprint, followed closely behind by Keegan and Milo, who moved just as fast despite his injury. As bystanders stared after the disturbance, and with the officials preoccupied by the offenders, Ivy was able to slip past unnoticed. She reached the door of President Khamar, which stood ajar. She stopped.

Swallowing hard, Ivy stepped over the threshold. The house was still. She entered the office she had been in once before, what seemed like ages ago. He was not there. Instead, a tall glass of ice-cold lemonade sat in the middle of his desk, on a coaster.

The sweaty glass had a note attached to it. Ivy grabbed the lemonade and the note, letting her fingers grow numb from the cold, she read out loud. Her voice echoed throughout the house as if she were in a cave.

"Meet me where we first met," she whispered. "I know what you want."

Something creaked in the hallway behind her, making her drop the glass of lemonade and the note. The glass hit the ground, shattering into pieces and splashing its contents over her legs. The note landed without a noise or an afterthought.

"Who's there?"

There was no answer. After a moment's pause, she left the house. The mess was someone else's concern. The place where she first met the President was one she often visited in her dreams. It was familiar, yet daunting. She walked as if no one were watching.