Page 144 of Rite of Unity

He reached for his glass, taking another swig.“Fuck man.What happened to the guy in college who kissed a Middle girl in the locker room?”

I flexed my fingers, standing.“I never should have told you about that.”

He laughed dryly.“I see.It’s fine for the president’s son to make a mistake, but not the rest of us?”

I leaned over the desk.Josh tipped back to stare up at me.

“I chose Rakel, I invited her to my Rite, and I didn’t sleep with her.”

Josh snorted.“You won’t choose her.No one does.”

Heat flared in my veins.“You’ll choose Leila, or you will be held responsible.A fine isn’t good enough.I’ll see to your punishment myself.”

Color drained from his face, and I met his gaze with all the steely resolve my father endowed me with.I looked at him and understood that I’d never really known him.He planned to let her die.

Not if I had anything to say about it.

He ran a hand over his face, sliding his chair back and opening the desk drawer.Reaching inside, he pulled out a small silver disk and tossed it at me.

“Here.It’s not what you asked for, but when I went digging around in my dad’s stuff, I figured it was what you really wanted.”

I glanced down at the disk.

“Just get out.And take your information.”

I hesitated only a moment before swiping the disk off the desk and turning for the door.

“Hey,” he called, and I halted in the doorway, not turning.“You knew about this shit, didn’t you?And you eliminated them anyway.”

My grip tightened on the disk.

“Never let them know they hold more knowledge than you.”

I hated that my father’s words guided me in this moment, but he was right.I wouldn’t admit I didn’t know what Josh found.

“Do the right thing, Josh.”

I stepped into the hall and tugged the door closed behind me.

“Hypocrite!”

Sliding the disk into my pocket, I left Josh’s house.

***

I stopped outside an Upper-Middle home.Modest by Center standards, but comfortable.The kind of home a family with a son could expect.

Micah had grown up outside the wall, like Maryn.Different streets, different circumstances, but the same world.Had they ever crossed paths before joining mine?In another life, without me in it, would they have somehow found each other?

I shook the thought aside, striding up the steps and knocking.

Leland opened the door, and his eyes crinkled at the corners.“Elias.Come in.”

I stepped through the door, shaking his hand.

“Miriam!Get tea.Elias is here.”

Micah’s mom peeked her head out from the kitchen and smiled.“My boy!”