Outcasts by Jill Williamson Page B

Charlz’s name. He helped Omar get Levi and Jemma out of the RC.” And it had earned him an X after his number, same as Omar.
    “Let’s open that one first, then.” Kendall ripped open the envelope and removed a single white card. There were only three lines of text.
    Want freedom?
We have answers.
Cinetopia, Theater 9.
    “Sounds subversive,” Kendall said. “If Chord was involved in some rebel cause … that might explain his death. People who rebel in the Safe Lands don’t rebel for long. As Luella Flynn would say, ‘Rebels are a blemish that must be painted over.’ ”
    “Chord was a rebel,” Shaylinn said, feeling as though that supported Kendall’s theory. “And theater nine is where we meet — the rebels, I mean. To talk about our plans. I bet this is an invitation for Charlz to join the rebels.”
    “So this Bender man wants to kill me in case I might expose his potential recruits?” Kendall asked. “That doesn’t seem like adequate motive.”
    “Let’s open the others,” Shaylinn said, curious if they were all the same.
    The messages to Dane Skott and Domini Bentz were identical to the one addressed to Charlz Sims, but the message to Ruston Neil was totally different.
    Mr. Neil,
    Zane told me to contact you if I ever needed someone to trust and he wasn’t around. Since Zane didn’t answer my tap today, and I didn’t think it was safe to leave a voicemail, I’m writing to you.
    I left my messenger bag at the warehouse yesterday, and when I went back to retrieve it, I overheard Bender take a tap from General Otley. I couldn’t hear what Otley said, but Bender asked how Otley’s plans were coming along. He also said that once Otley was the task director general, Bender would be the enforcer general.
    Nothing else notable was said, but before Bender ended the call, he said he’d take care of it, whatever that means.
    While I can’t imagine that I misheard, I felt the best plan was to bring this to your attention. Bender summoned me to the warehouse today. I’m afraid he somehow found out I’d overheard his tap, so I decided to write this letter in case something happened to me.
    Thanks for your time,
    Chord Prezden
    “Bender must have killed Chord,” Kendall said. “What are we going to do?”
    Shaylinn’s head tingled. So did her arms. Hot and cold all at once. Bender kill Chord? She jumped up and trotted toward the door. “I have to go! I have to tell Jordan and Levi.”
    “Wait!”
    Shaylinn reached the door and slammed her glove to the SimPad. It swung inward, but Kendall arrived and pushed it shut.
    “What are you doing?” Shaylinn pounded her fist against the SimPad again, tears blurring her vision. “Let me out! If Bender killed Chord, he could kill any of us. Whenever he wants! I have to warn them!”
    But Kendall closed the door again and this time took hold of Shaylinn’s shoulders. “Just think for a minute, Shaylinn. Please. We have to be very careful and very smart. If Bender sent you here, hecould be outside, watching. If you go running out of here, upset like you are … It will look bad, okay?”
    “Okay.” Shaylinn scanned the room, wishing there were another exit, but Kendall’s words slowly sank in. She took a deep breath. “Okay.”
    “Come back and sit at the table so we can decide what to do.”
    Shaylinn obeyed, rubbing her eyes as she clomped across the kitchen. She fell onto the chair and took another huge breath. “What if we delivered them but kept copies of the messages. We’d need new envelopes, and we’d have to make them look as dirty and rumpled as these. But I could take the copies to Bender, and you could mail the real ones.”
    “I don’t know.” Kendall paced to the fridge and back to the table. “What if we get caught? If Bender never delivers any of the messages, then these people show up at your theater meeting with the original letters …”
    Good point. “Then we’ll make new envelopes and give these originals to Bender.”