Dusk

Chapter Ten

"Deva?"

I open my eyes. My vision is blurry at first, but as I blink, the person in front of me begins to come into focus. Dark hair and eyes. High cheekbones. A strong jaw. He looks worried.

But I know him. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I register his face. Seeing it puts me at ease.

"Deva, do you know who I am? Do you remember me?"

I open my mouth. I want to speak. All that comes out is air.

He takes my hands in his own. "Move your right hand for yes, and your left hand for no."

A shock runs through me. I feel something, a memory of this man holding my hands, of the reassurance it gave me. I move my right hand in his, and quickly move my left. I remember him, the feeling of him, his face and his voice. But I cannot remember his name. I cannot remember all of the things we must have done together. Watching his expression, which betrays nothing, I wonder if he's understood my message.

And then he smiles at me. "At least you remember this." He squeezes my hands. "I'm your brother, Blake. You're Deva. I'm so glad you're alright."

Blake and Deva. That sounds about right.

--

I wake in a cold sweat, my chest heaving in the dark. The room senses that I'm awake and the lights come on, dim at first, and then slowly brightening as my eyes adjust. I roll over, burying my face in my too-soft pillow, and I feel like I've been shot all over again when I think of my dream. It was my first memory of Blake, after I'd lost all of my previous ones.

I sit up, my head in my hands. Four days have passed since I was shot, and since Blake and I were separated from each other. Three days have passed since I agreed to kill the High Chancellor of Adia. In those three days, I haven't seen Idris once. Alexandra says he's been busy with resistance efforts, and when we saw Anden, he'd confirmed that.

So why do I feel like I've angered him somehow? He'd left that day without so much as a goodbye or pleasantry. Lovely, he'd said. He didn't sound like he thought anything was lovely at all.

Otherwise, my time has been spent with Alexandra. We've rifled through old recordings of my brawls together, gorged ourselves on snack food and gotten to know each other. She's told me of her life as an Elite, of all of the privilege and luxury that no normal person could ever hope to afford. I'd told her of my life in the Outer Ring, of my brother and Ezra and Ceres. She said she knows Ceres, that we could see each other soon if that was what I wanted.

"If I ever see that bald-headed buffoon again, it'll be too soon." I said in reply. She'd laughed at me.

I flop back onto the bed, dragging the covers over my face. Would Alexandra let me stay in my room all day today? I don't feel like going anywhere- not after my dream.

But as soon as I have the thought, Alexandra comes through the wall, her breath heavy, her normally perfect ponytail askew.

"Are you good?"

"Deva," she pants. "Deva, you have to come with me right now."

I sit up again and swing my legs over the side of the bed. "Just let me get dressed, then, hold on-"

"No, you don't understand. It's your brother."

I freeze. "My brother?"

"He's made contact with us."

We stare at each other for a brief moment.

Then I'm rushing towards the wall. It just barely forms apart to let me through. Alexandra takes my hand in hers and we jog through the identical, mazelike hallways, her earpiece leading the way. We take turns and more turns, and all the while I grow impatient enough to burst.