Ordinaries

Chapter 24

I managed an awkward laugh. "Did you take one of those pills too, Pilar, or—?"

"Cut the crap, dude. And I told you, it's Adriana. Adriana Xu. Now would you tell me your name? We're about to get to know each other very well."

Another scream ripped through the music, and it dawned on me that her and I were the only normal ones in the room; everyone else was crying, or practically having sex on the dancefloor, or just generally bugging out. The desperate look she'd given me the last time I'd seen her, a few hours ago, flashed in my mind. And like that, I knew I could trust her.

"Luke Williams. It's nice to meet you, I guess...Adriana."

"There. Was that so hard?"

I pulled out my flask and took a swig. I was way too sober for this. "What do you mean Lindsey needs time?" I asked.

Adriana flashed her eyes around the room before grabbing my arm. "Follow me. And grab your friend."

She slipped into the crowd and through a door along the wall. I turned to Lindsey, who was slumped against the wall, staring at the ceiling and whispering to herself. I wordlessly tugged her through the crowd with me after Adriana.

I found Adriana in what looked like a wine cellar. The dimly lit room was practically empty for some reason, with only a couple of people in the very back. I deposited Lindsey against the wall, where she slid down to the floor and put her head down. Adriana picked a bottle of wine off of a rack and smashed its neck open on a wall. She then poured its contents into a couple of stray cups on the floor and handed one to me. I took it from her with a muttered thanks.

She sipped from her cup before speaking. "I can tell that you're Ordinary because you're not comfortable here. Don't worry, it's not obvious," she added as I opened my mouth in defense. "But it takes one to know one. I'm actually impressed. I thought I was the only one who made it."

"Wait," I said, processing her words in my sluggish state of mind. "You mean...?"

"That's right," Adriana replied, something like amusement on her face.

"But, the truck," I sputtered, "you entered an ID number and everything. And you were with Yasmine—"

"Luck." Adriana picked a piece of glass out of her cup. "When I escaped, I didn't really have anywhere to go besides Elys. We came back at a very fortunate time, with it being Ether Week. I remembered an old friend's ID number and I met Yasmine almost as soon as I got here. But what happened to Ether? Obviously something, or you wouldn't be here."

"It was blown up," I said. "Decimated." Adriana frowned, like that was regrettable, but not too big of a deal. I recalled the riot in Ether, supposedly incited by the escape of an Ordinary girl, and it dawned on me that Adriana was the Ordinary who'd figured out how to escape Ether. I didn't know whether to hug her or curse her out. I opted for a question instead.

"Why did you leave?" I asked. "Ether, I mean."

"The Necrose got me during The Taking. It was a stupid mistake; I was coming back late from a party." A look of disgust came over her as she spoke. "Only one of them came for me. Since it was so late in The Taking, he didn't have any restraints left. But he grabbed me anyway. He took me all the way to the force field before I had the guts to ask what was happening—and all he said was, "Testing. If all goes well, you'll become Extraordinary.""

I gaped at her, remembering Elf Girl's similar words only hours ago. "And then what happened?"

Adriana pursed her lips and shrugged. "Then I bolted. He'd already pulled out his disc and opened the force field. I knocked him out and ran. He didn't have his guard up at all, probably because he thought I'd get all starry-eyed and complacent at the idea of becoming Extraordinary."