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

Chapter 17

"My real name is Kahless Loen. My father left before I was born, and my mother died when I was three. I am a prodigy; my power is a perfect memory. I can recognize people and things faster than most people. As you can imagine, the Council chose me for a reason." Karen - Kahless, she reminded herself - looked down. She was sharing her story. Mara could see that reliving those events was taxing on her. "I was on duty at the parade, and..." she trailed off. "I was the person dressed in all black standing on the fire escape."

Mara felt like she'd been punched. It wasn't true, was it? "Wh-what?"

"I was the girl you met at the parade."

Mara felt her legs turn to jelly underneath her. Thankfully, she was sitting down on the floor of the quarantine. "That's why you were following me," she realized. "That's why you saved me from the ice girl. Ohhhhkay. It makes sense now!" She grinned. She was trying to make Kahless laugh. To Mara's surprise, she allowed herself a small but genuine smile.

"You're right. That was why I followed you and noted your way of handling Frostbite," she confirmed.

"Well, I was wondering who Alice was. Wait! That's a really awesome variation on Kahless!" Mara complimented.

Kahless blushed. "It was better than Karen, that's for sure."

"Are you going to tell her about your mother?" Max asked her, almost sounding afraid.

Kahless's fists clenched. "No," she said through her teeth.

Max nodded. "Of course."

Mara would have asked, but she knew that it was a sore subject for the girl, and to push the subject would not be in her favor.

"Okay. I won't push you," Mara assured her.

"Thanks," Kahless said simply.

"Of course," Mara replied, smiling. She was starting to understand Kahless more.

"Hey, Mara?" Kahless asked.

"Yeah?" she said.

"I was thinking to visit Nitrana today. Would you come with me? And Nitrana is the girl who wrote those million notes."

"Oh, um..." she looked at Max. He nodded. "Sure."

"Thanks," Kahless said, brightening slightly. "She's a bit intimidating, really. It's just nice to have someone like you," she winked, "near me."

"Are there other prodigies like me?" she wondered, hearing the girl's word choice.

"No," Kahless said. "I'll help you get out of the quarantine."

"Thanks."

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Nitrana's permanent quarters were situated on the eighth floor of Headquarters. She lived in basically an apartment, seeing as she was around twenty-two years old and liked the idea of being independent. Her parents were really awful people, and she had persuaded them to move away when she was younger. 

Or at least that was what Kahless told Mara.

Kahless knocked on the door. "Nitrana? It's Alice."

"You didn't tell her-" Mara whispered.

Kahless shushed her. "Mara, my name is Alice Grimaula."

"Of course."

"Exactly." Kahless smiled.

Just then, the door opened revealing a much older girl in her early twenties. Mara guessed this was Nitrana. She had lightning-blue hair and matching eyes, with a contrasting deep brown skin color. She wore a deep purple sweater and jeans. "Hey, Alice. What's up?"

"Oh, the usual."

"Who's your friend?"

"This is Mara Umidore." Kahless gestured for her to say something.

"Um, hi?" she said hesitantly. Kahless was right; this girl was intimidating.

Nitrana nodded quickly. "Why are you here? And if you don't have a good answer I'm going to make you leave."

Kahless tapped her foot on the floor. "I thought you might want to meet Mara. She's the one who can resist your power."

The girl looked back to Mara; studying her. "She looks like more trouble than she's worth," she said, clicking her tongue.

"Write her something, Urge. You'll see," Kahless suggested, using her alias.

She raised her eyebrows but did as she was told. She walked back into her apartment. Mara didn't dare follow, fearing receiving Nitrana's wrath. When Nitrana was finished, she held the paper disgustedly towards Mara. Kahless turned her gaze away.

Strangle Nitrana.

"Umm... No thanks. I thought we were friends. I'm not strangling you." She added the last sentence for Kahless's benefit, seeing as Kahless couldn't read the note.

She knew immediately that she'd said the wrong thing when Nitrana turned her piercing gaze in her direction. "We are not friends. Don't you ever say that again."

"Of-of course not, Nitrana," she stuttered, startled by the sudden anger directed at her.

"Maybe she isn't as resistant as you thought, Alice," she said with a smirk, slamming the door in their faces.

Mara kept her gaze neutral, but a seething hate was simmering just beneath the surface, barely contained. She felt that at any minute any word or touch could make her break. She didn't want to find out what would happen then.

Kahless grabbed Mara's elbow and led her back to the elevators, not saying a word. Mara was grateful for this.

When she was finally able to speak, she said, "I see what you mean. Intimidating."

"Yeah, I know."

Mara voiced a question that had been bugging her. "Why do you call each other friends?"

"Trust me," she responded, "neither of us is happy with that title. But it's better for everyone if we pretend there isn't infighting."

"Oh." Mara wondered how much of the rest of the Renegades was just lies.

As if sensing her thoughts, Kahless put a hand on Mara's shoulder. "We try to do the right thing. Well, most of us, anyway."

"Who are the exceptions?"

Kahless shook her head. "You'll have to find that out for yourself."