How Much I Know - a Renegades | Marissa Meyer fan fiction

Chapter 15

Mara sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She had actually been able to sleep last night, seeing as her library job was canceled.

Mara sat up and stretched. Before her father came home the night before she had practiced with the notes. She realized that it was much easier when she stopped being afraid of her power and accepted it. But she was afraid. It was so easy to resist the power of others. She felt like she was depriving them of their top defense.

She stood and changed back into her Renegades uniform. Her boots were supposed to come today, but for the time being, she just wore her worn-out walking shoes. She tried to tame her black, overly-curly hair by putting it in a ponytail. She'd been told that her hair was beautiful, but in truth she hated it. It was always hopelessly tangled and when she did brush it her hair became a messy mane.

Mara's father was long gone. He worked two shifts at the 24-hour fast food restaurant down the block to pay for the house and food. Mara left her tiny room and collected the notes, which she stashed in her fanny pack, along with her own handcuffs. She smiled. She probably didn't need them anymore, seeing as she could resist the Puppeteer's control entirely. Thinking about the parade made her wonder about that girl, Alice. She had no skin showing, and not even her eyes were exposed. Mara wondered who that person was.

She shrugged. Maybe she wouldn't ever learn the girl's identity. It was probably just as well, though. She would think about it even more then. Mara swung open the door. The cool air was refreshing on her face. She grinned. She would enjoy learning more about the Renegades and her new prodigy status.

Setting off for Headquarters, Mara had a bounce in her step. The few people up this morning waved and smiled at her, but frowned at her uniform. Apparently, the neighborhood was surprised at Mara's being a Renegade. They had a reason to; after all, she had never shown any superpowers.

The walk seemed to last forever, but Renegade Headquarters finally came into view. Mara slipped inside the revolving doors to find Max waiting for her.

"Good morning," she called when she was close enough.

"Good morning, Mara!" Max waved in her direction. She made her way towards the glass.

"Where's Karen?" Mara asked. The older girl had said that she would be there.

"I don't know. You should probably go check for her. She would have sent me a comm if she woke up this morning, so she's probably still asleep," Max said.

"In her rooms?" she asked, starting toward the elevators.

"No. Floor 17, she'll be at the computers," Max instructed her. "She said it was hard today."

Mara wondered how Max was so sure of Karen's location, but she decided not to ask. It was either a place she frequented and told Max about, or she had sent a comm to him today. Probably the latter, but either way it would show their close companionship. She walked over the elevators and pushed for the 17th floor.

The glass doors slid back, revealing a semi-lit room with rows of computers and monitors. Close to the door, Karen's head was resting on a keyboard. Her bright hair littered the keys, and her eyes had dark circles underneath them. She was sitting on a light brown cushioned chair. Mara noticed the screen. It was showing a file including images and text. The information was dated a few years ago.

"Karen? Wake up. It's morning." Mara shook her slightly. The girl's eyes fluttered. Her eyes flicked around the room before looking up at Mara.

"Oh, good morning, Mara. I'm sorry that I've been here. I couldn't sleep. Let's go downstairs and continue with your training," she said.