"Who are you?"

"Cassandra Sullivan."

"Sullivan? Your father is Senator Robert Sullivan, right?"

"Yup, that's him."

"Your mother's from the Outer Ring, right?"

"That's correct."

"So, why are you here?"

"My dad pulled some strings to get me back here after the Blot. Sorry if I'm a little inept- I lost my memory because of it."

"Oh, finally," Ezra says, throwing his head back. "You actually managed to sound natural this time."

"I put a lot of effort into that." I tell him.

Lex puts a hand on my shoulder. "That was fantastic. Keep that up and no one will suspect a thing."

"Hopefully," I say, leaning back against the rail in the elevator. "I want this to work out."

My words leave a bitter taste in my mouth. Deva Amador, assassin. It's enough to make me cringe. I am not a killer.

But I'll have to be.

Lex seems to notice the change in my mood instantly. She clears her throat to grab my attention. When I glance at her, she's looking up at me with those large viridian eyes, sincerity radiating from her every pore.

"You may not realize it now, Deva, but..." She gives me an earnest smile, her full lips spreading over her immaculately white teeth. "You're doing a good thing."

The doors of the elevators open soundlessly. We step out of it and into the garage, the shapes of many identical black cars appearing in the half-light. Anden waits by one of them, dressed in simple white clothing.

"I didn't know that you'd be coming," I state. "Are you just driving me there?"

He shakes his head, his dark eyes boring into mine. "I'll be staying with you as your personal servant."

Lex mentioned that it was commonplace for Elites to have attendants from the Outer Ring, so I'd been expecting some company, but I didn't think it'd be Anden.

"Aren't you kind of... you know... conspicuous?" I grumble the next bit, still sour over the topic. "People from all over probably know your face after you beat me in the X-Brawls."

Anden doesn't reply. Instead he pulls what appears to be a small, white compact mirror from his pocket. A long beam of blue light engulfs him; it moves over his face and leaves little dots behind. Soon after, his face changes into one very unlike his own. The face is narrower, with sunken hazel eyes, a hooked nose, thick eyebrows, and hair that is tied back in a simple tail.

"The software from your friend?" I turn to Lex.

She nods. "Undetectable by scanners." She reminds me.

Ezra goes to the car Anden's standing by, kicking one of the rubber wheels. "So, where's Mr. Mask?" He asks casually.

One of Anden's new eyes twitches. "You can't refer to Idris as Mr. Mask. What kind of-"

"I think I like that nickname."

I turn around, blood rushing to my cheeks. Idris stands in front of the elevator doors, dressed as he was when I had first met him, with his black bodysuit, blood-red cape, and mask. When I woke up this morning, he was gone, but his scent had lingered. While Lex was laying out my clothes, I'd embarrassingly buried my face in my pillow, trying to inhale as much of the residual soothing aroma as possible.

Anden glares in Ezra's direction, but says nothing more.

Ezra smirks. "I'm good with nicknames."

Lex and I snort simultaneously. A lie if I've ever heard one.

"Good morning, Lex," Idris says. "I trust that you slept well?"

"I did, sir."

Idris nods at her. "Sorry to end our pleasantries, but I must greet the woman of the hour," he says, turning away from Lex and finally looking at me. "How was your night, Deva?"

"Fine," I reply, and then I try to correct my vague answer. "Uh, I slept well for the first time in a while."

"Did you, now? That's wonderful." He betrays no emotion in his voice- or he's trying to, because I think he sounds a bit pleased with my answer. Still facing me, he now addresses Anden. "Is everything ready?"

"Yes, sir. Her possessions are packed and stored safely in the trunk."

"Lovely," Idris says. His head tilts downwards, and he lowers his voice as he leans in slightly. "You put it in with your other things?"

"The bracelet?"

He nods.

"Yeah, I wrapped it up in a shirt. I would have worn it, but..." I look up at him, biting on the corner of my lip absently. "You don't want to show favouritism, do you?"

He lets out a quiet exhale of laughter. "I think it's a bit late for that. You've always been my favourite."

Damn it, why is my face so hot? "Should I have worn it, then?"

Idris shakes his head. "Keep it hidden, especially in the presence of other Elites. It won't do you any good to be questioned about it. Even if you come up with an intricate lie or excuse, they'll be more than intelligent enough to know that it's not from inside Adia." He steps back. "Be careful, Deva." He adds, and turns to go.

"You're not going to see me off?" I ask.

He sighs. "Unfortunately, I have pressing matters to attend to. I've already gone over the allotted time I told myself I would be here for."

"I see..." I clasp my arms behind my back. "Well, when will I see you again?"

"Soon," he replies softly. "As soon as we both have time, I'll contact Robert so he can get you clearance to come out here."

I give him a small smile. "Alright. I'll see you then."

He nods quickly at me and turns on his heel, striding with his long legs towards the elevator. I watch him until he's in the elevator and the doors have slid shut. After that, I turn back to Lex and Ezra.

"Hopefully the next time you see me, I won't be dead." I joke. To my surprise, Ezra doesn't even crack a smile at this; neither does Lex, though I wasn't expecting her to.

"Listen here, Deva Amador," Ezra begins, pointing at me with an oddly serious expression on his face. "You're gonna seduce that kid, kill his tyrant of a father, and come back to us in one piece. You got that?"

I roll my eyes. "Look, I'm not seducing him-"

"Save it, cutie. Just do as I say."

I'm about to give him a piece of my mind, my hands clenching into fists and my mouth half open, when Lex takes a step towards me.

"I have something for you, Deva."

She fiddles with the watch on her wrist, and then hands it to me. I hold it up and look carefully at it, but it just looks like a normal watch to me. She taps the face of the watch three times with her pinkie finger, and a small hologram appears, showing what appears to be a control room, an empty chair situated in the center of the hologram.

"There's a camera, speakers, and mic built in, so use this to contact us every night at nine PM sharp to keep us updated on your progress," she says, all business for a moment. Then her eyes shine and a melancholic smile appears on her face. "And if you ever want to talk, I'll answer no matter what time it is."

"Thank you, Lex. I know it's only been a few days, but..." I trail off, unsure of how to articulate myself. Lex seems to understand completely, though; she enfolds me in a soft embrace.

While she helps me to put the watch on, I ask, "Do you remember what you were going to say to me on the night of my birthday, by the way? Before Idris interrupted you? It was something about doing something after all of this was over."

"Oh, that?" She pulls back, fixing my hair and fussing over my clothes for a moment, her cheeks beginning to flush a pretty pink. "It was-"

Before she can say it, Ezra flies at me and pulls me into a tight hug.

"Amador! Talk to me before her. I'm your best friend, right?"

I laugh and send an apologetic smile Lex's way, who waves me off. "Yeah, yeah, alright."

Ezra twirls us around and around, and then kisses both of my cheeks. "Just as long as you don't forget."

"I won't," I assure him. "I promise."

"It's time, Miss Amador." Anden says, cutting through the moment.

I step away from Lex and Ezra, fastening Lex's watch around my wrist. I look to the side. Anden has the passenger side door open and is tapping his foot on the ground impatiently. I climb inside, anxiety growing within me, and wave at them.

"I'll talk to you both soon."

Then Anden is closing the door, and getting in the driver's seat. I hear the sound of all the doors locking. The engine revs as he says, "Buckle up."

I do as he says, looking through the heavily tinted window at Lex and Ezra, my eyes stinging.

We begin to move. I look at the both of them for as long as I possibly can, even craning my neck around to look through the rear window, my lower lip trembling as we drive up the ramp.

"Do you even realize how much worse looking back makes you feel?"

"Yeah," I reply softly, continuing to watch them. "But I can't quite look away."

"I'm required to keep you from doing anything that can harm you, whether physically and emotionally, you know. If you continue to look back, I'll have to turn you around myself."

I frown and turn around, meeting Anden's new eyes in the rearview mirror. "You sure are devoted, aren't you?"

"Of course."

"Can I ask why?"

Anden clears his throat as we drive out into the sunlight, the familiar, dilapidated scene of the slums rising at the sides of the car.

"Idris saved my life, once." He tells me.

"Like Lex?"

"Mhm."

"How'd it happen?"

"You sure are lively today, aren't you?" He sighs. "I committed a crime. I could have been in a lot of trouble- I could have been dead. He stopped that from happening and offered me a place with him. I didn't really have any skills that he valued, now that I think about it. He'd said he'd seen potential in me, though." He makes a turn. "That was a long time ago."

"So you were with him when he first started this whole rebellion thing?"

"Even before that."

"Are you from out there?" I point to the wall.

He narrows his eyes at me in the rearview mirror.

I shrug. "Sorry. I'm just trying to ease my nerves."

He shakes his head, but answers anyway. "I am."

I look away, out of the window. "Then," I begin hesitantly. "Did you know me before I lost my memory, too?" My eyes dart to the rearview mirror and quickly dart away again. He's staring at me.

"You could say that. I suppose I knew of you."

"Idris talked about me?"

"All the time. That shouldn't be some grand surprise, though. His life revolved around you. It still does."

"I don't quite... believe it all," I say quietly. "Because of my amnesia, people could make up stories and just take advantage of me pretty easily. My brother and I were always cautious about it."

"I'm not surprised." Anden says.

"I want to believe it, though," I tell him. "I want to find what I've lost."

"Don't we all."

"Anden," I begin, testing the waters, "do you know anyone named Renata?"

It's worth a shot.

Anden meets my eyes in the rearview mirror again, his new hazel irises stony, betraying nothing.

"No."

I sigh. "Okay. Never mind, then."

For a few minutes, we drive in complete silence. I stare out of the window at the scenery flying by: a mother is washing her children in a large, metal tub outside of their unit, two men smoke and play cards on the side of the road, and the sun hasn't quite come above the wall just yet. A few people look up as the car passes, and a little boy even runs alongside it for a bit, before his stubby legs give out and he tumbles onto the ground, giggling and waving.

Anden drives us into a narrower, darker street nearby. I immediately freeze up in my seat.

"Why are we... why are we driving down this street?" I ask, my breath coming out in short pants.

"It's a bit of a shortcut. We'll get to the border faster this way."

"Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure."

My hands tremble slightly in my lap, trying desperately not to call the memory to mind. I try to focus on something else- anything else.

The memory consumes me anyway.