Wisteria (Wisteria Series) by Bisi Leyton Page A

again. At least to make sure there’s no risk of a breach.”
    “Why? Your grandfather’s Thayn built this tower one hundred and fifty years ago to make it impregnable to the Terrans. Not even one of their tanks could break the walls.”
    “What do I know about construction or tanks? I will sleep better knowing everyone is okay.” Bach climbed on to the ledge.
    He was about to jump off when Felip stopped him. “Are you afraid of her?”
    “What?” he scoffed.
    “It is like you are trying to find reason to leave, but I could be mistaken.”
    “You are right—you are mistaken.”
    “Or are you lonely here? Is that what this is about?”
    “Lonely?” He almost fell off the edge. “For a Terran? If I wanted to find entertainment of that grade, I would not have settled for her.”
    “They do look a lot like us. If you drink a lot of sandwine, you might trick yourself into thinking she was?” Felip jeered.
    “I do not know what you are talking about.” Needing to be alone, Bach jumped off the ledge. He grabbed onto a windowsill to break his fall when he reached the eleventh floor, and climbed into Room 1134, his east side entrance. He headed to the stairwell, moving swiftly through the dark interior.

     
    * * * * *
     

     
    The food Felip had brought for Wisteria was far too rich and too much for her. When she was younger, she never had trouble eating big, rich meals, but after years of living off rations she couldn’t seem to indulge anymore. The main reason she couldn’t seem to eat much was because of her worry over the horde of biters below.
    She limped out into a dark corridor and spotted a door near the end. It was open and a bright light shone from it into the hall. She could hear music and laughter emanating from the room. Slowly, she moved to the door and peaked inside. Felip stood playing video games in front of an enormous television at the far end of a massive living room.
    The floor was marble and she was sure there was a swimming pool on one end of the room. On the other was a large mirror, which made the room look even larger. When everyone else she knew was struggling to find food, these boys were living like kings, and really stupid kings at that. She couldn’t understand why biters didn’t just break in and overrun this place. Wisteria needed to escape, but with the swarm below that was impossible. Maybe she could reason with the guys to turn off the music and the lights at the very least.
    “Hello,” Felip greeted her. “Have you decided what you are going to do?”
    “I can’t leave, not with the biters swarming down there.”
    He gestured for her to sit.
    She hopped over to one of the sofas and sat down in front of the television, spotting a newspaper on the couch. The headline read, Doomsday Virus Cured ! She wanted to both laugh and cry, because people had been so naïve and stupid back then. It was certainly an old newspaper from before the swarms.
    There was a time when the government thought the biters could be saved. It was months after the outbreak and everyone thought there was a real cure. The scientific community, media, and the government championed it. Some pockets of scientists were skeptical, but they were painted as quacks and panic mongers.
    People clamored for this cure and it was practically handed out on street corners. Her mother wasn’t convinced and she made them bunker down in Bristol. Wisteria waited, hoping for sanity to return while people were treated, but that never happened. Three weeks later, most of the government, media, and medical communities were infected. Days later, she heard the final broadcast from the BBC, with a message from Queen Elizabeth asking people to stay calm and carry on. That was the last government communication of any kind.
    “Television, wow! I can’t remember the last time I watched TV,” Wisteria remarked as she sat down. “But how do you make all this work?”
    “Magic,” he teased.
    “Seriously.”
    “If I explained