Convergence - The Last Science #2.2 - Heroes and Villains

B2: Chapter 27 - A Voice In Her Head - I

  "Three women are put before the jury of the court, having each committed grave crimes. The first of these is asked her motivation. She replies simply, money. Thus, she is taken away and sentenced. The second of these declares passion—and again, she is taken away and sentenced. But the third—the third woman claims insanity. What happens to this third woman? The jury cannot understand insanity. After all, the normal people who run such a court are perfectly sane.

  The court believes they are somehow qualified to judge us, we on the fringes of society, we mad multitudes who dance on the cliff's edge every day, daring gravity to cast us down. A court of my true peers would consist of a single empty chair, lugged out of some trash dump—scuffed, beaten and with only three legs left, which should crumble under the slightest pressure, but still bears the load of an entire life upon its tired feet."

  ~Cinza, the Rallsburg Diaries

  Natalie hadn't taken a step outside the Kincaid home since Friday.

  She'd finally started paying attention to the news again on Sunday, after Quinn's parents been so kind to her—inviting someone they'd just met to live with them. She knew she couldn't just stay at their home forever, especially since Tuesday would mark the day where Cinza's book was made public. On Monday night, Natalie made sure everything was packed and ready to go, and she didn't sleep a wink.

  It didn't matter, though. Come Tuesday morning, the news was all over the world. Kendra had stopped it. Or at least, she'd delayed it.

  Natalie didn't know what she was supposed to do with that. Could she just go back to school? But what if it came out while she was there? What if she couldn't get away in time, since her phone wouldn't work inside the building?

  Natalie was so scared of the possibilities, she hardly even left her room all day. Most of the week was spent cooped up in her new room, reading every single comment thread and news analysis of the Diaries. She only came out for meals, and to play Conquest with Quinn in a futile attempt to get her mind off of things. The Kincaids didn't bring up her skipping school, to her relief. She got a few sidelong looks at dinner that they did their best to hide, but not a single question. Quinn, of course, asked her tons of questions, but those were all strictly out of earshot of his parents.

  "I don't know," she answered, as Quinn asked why it hadn't come out on Tuesday. She'd told him that she was probably in the book, and that she might have to go into hiding when it came out. "I guess Kendra did something to stop it."

  "I don't know," she answered, when Quinn asked her on Wednesday when she was coming back to school. "It might not be safe yet. I don't know how long this whole injunction thing works. Legal stuff is really hard to read."

  "I don't know!" she shouted, after Quinn asked if she wanted to hang out with the rest of the gang on Thursday. "I don't know, okay? I just don't! Sorry!"

  He retreated after the last one. She felt bad, but she couldn't just go after him. What she said was true—she didn't know. She felt like she didn't know anything, and she was too scared to be seen by anyone she knew. Only Quinn had seen her new look: her eyes, her ears, her new body and everything. What would everyone else think about it?

  Kelsey would probably say it was awesome. No surprises there. Natalie knew that girl, knew Kelsey approve of what she'd done. There was a reason they got along so well.

  Mitch would think it was weird, but would get over it pretty quick. Pretty much as soon as Kelsey said a single word, so they could start arguing about it. Natalie laughed, imagining an argument between the two of them about whether pointy ears or round ears were cooler. She knew where she stood, having enjoyed the benefits for a while, but watching Kelsey and Mitch argue it out would be fun. They got really inventive with their insults.