Superior

Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty-Five

Caleb

Perfecta found me as I was wandering back into the main building, my head lost in a flurry of confused emotions. She caught me by the arm, pulling me back just before I mounted the stairs that led to the second floor.

"You need to come with me," she hissed scathingly.

Narrowing my eyes, I wrenched my arm away. I thought of what Miracle had said, and suddenly, Perfecta's determined expression seemed dangerous. Its ferocity made me back away without thinking about it, my arms easing in front of me as if to ward her off.

"Get away from me," I snarled in response, stopping a good distance away and crossing her arms. Perfecta's eyes flashed with anger for a split second, before realization dawned in them and her features softened into a gentler expression.

"I don't know what Miracle told you about me," she said, "but I can tell you for certain that she's lying. Come with me and we'll talk."

She held out her hand, and I stared at it in horror. If Miracle was correct, then following Perfecta would only bring me harm. She would fill my head with more lies, turning me against the only person in the Capitol who really seemed to care for me.

Miracle.

Seeing my trepidation, Perfecta sighed. "Caleb, please. At least give me the benefit of the doubt. I promise that if after what I'm about to show you, you're still distrustful of me, you can walk away and never have to see me again."

"You promise," I echoed dubiously.

She leaned toward me and lowered her voice. "I swear."

After a moment of hesitation, I shuffled toward her. "Fine," I muttered, glancing around warily. "Let's go."

Nodding approvingly, she led me to a staircase, which we descended quickly. Three levels later, we reached the bottom, and I realized that we were in a dark underground passageway, lit dimly with small lanterns but ultimately extending into blackness.

Perfecta led me through a series of tunnels, which wound beneath the building in a snakelike fashion. Every now and then, I'd see a shrouded doorway leading into darkness, but we hurried past them too quickly for me to see inside. Eventually, Perfecta stopped in front of a large metal door and pressed a button beside it. When it slid open, she slipped inside, beckoning for me to follow her.

"Where are we?" I questioned in a wary whisper. The room was pitch black, and no amount of blinking could make my eyes adjust to the darkness. Perfecta didn't answer, but a moment later, a set of lights sputtered on above my head. When the glare faded away, I saw her looking at me seriously. Without speaking, she gestured further into the room. I turned my head, viewing my surroundings for the first time, and gasped in utter horror.

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I returned to the second floor about fifteen minutes later, lost in a shaken daze and still reeling from what Perfecta had just shown me. She'd left me at the top of the stairs, telling me that Nessa would see me later, and to play it cool around Charisma and Champion. I'd nodded emptily, but couldn't seem to form words to respond.

As I trudged down the hall, I had nothing in mind to do other than sleep for the rest of the day. It was hard to believe that I'd woken up less than and hour before, and that we'd spent so little time in the tunnels. That short quarter of an hour felt like an eternity.