The Renegade

Chapter 10

Nothing changes.

I don't know what I expect--Ila's eyes to roll back in her head or her to see Luk and instantly remember him, but nothing changes. Her memories don't return to her in a rush. She doesn't look up with sudden recognition in her eyes.

Nothing changes.

Did we fail? Did I forget one of the dosages or the ingredients? Did the immunotherapy fail to balance the neurotoxins in her brain? Did Hayl's antidote not work? Greer and Hayl trade worried glances between them, and my heart sinks.

"It could take some time for the antidote to work," Mother Greer says. "We'll monitor her blood levels and keep her under observation for the next 24 hours. If it doesn't work..."

Hayl's eyebrows are furrowed and she shakes her head. "It'll work. It has to work. We did everything right."

Greer purses her lips, crossing her arms over her chest. "She might be too far gone. What did you civilians do to her?"
Hayl doesn't say anything but her eyes widen and I can see the whites. The truth is, Ila's lack of response to the antidote may have nothing to do with the medicine. Perhaps her brain has been destroyed beyond repair. Perhaps Hayl and Elz were forced to destroy her and there isn't any hope.

"We have to figure something out," Greer says, turning on her heel. "Get me one of the other kids. We'll try the same regimen and see if it works."

"Wait!" Hayl says as Greer moves towards the door. She catches her by the arm and Greer recoils from her. "Just wait. Give us 24 hours. Ila shows symptoms beyond memory loss. She's endured a lot of trauma. Right, Elz?"

Elz stands by Ila's bedside, holding the girl's hand and staring down at her with compassion in her pale eyes. She startles at her name and looks up at Hayl. "What?" She blinks. "Oh, yes. Yes, she's endured incredible trauma and shows symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."

"There you go!" Hayl says, her words quick. "Her memory recall may delayed by trauma and nothing to do with the efficacy of the serum. I think we should give her another round of immunotherapy and then introduce Luk after 24 hours and see how she responds. We have to give the serum a chance. If it works on her, it should work on everyone."

Greer's lips remain pursed and she rests her hands on her slender waist, weighing the options. She knows that if she puts off the antidote for even a few hours, the results could be disastrous, but I think she's curious like Hayl is. She wants to know if they've conquered the memory loss.

"Very well. Twelve hours, however. Not twenty four. There are hundreds of other children who need to be saved, and one girl is not worth the risk of all their memories."

"I'll stay with her," Elz says. "She doesn't know me from before, so I won't affect her memories."

No one could tear Elz from the child even if they wanted to. Ila looks up at Elz, her dark eyebrows knotted. "Are you talking about me?" she asks, sounding as confused and lost as ever.

"Yes, dear," Elz says, smoothing back her hair. "I'm going to stay with you here for a while."

Ila nods and one of the Domans passes her a computer pad with a game on it, and she pays no more attention to our conversation.

"What about Luk and I?" I ask. "Can we wait here?"

"You can't stay with her," Hayl explains. "It might disrupt her memory recall."

"Okay, not in here. Can we wait outside? Until Luk goes in to see her?" I prod, feeling Luk's eyes on me from the other end of the room. I can't let him down; I know he won't want to leave her or let her out of his sight.