The guard recorded our names on his communicator and then left without any further questions. Now they had my false name. How long before they figured out Autumn Jones was an imposter?

I spent the rest of the afternoon nervously looking over my shoulder at the doors, but no more guards came bursting through. A few times I went to Crystal’s sink to get a drink and put cold water on the back of my neck. I hoped no one else in the laundry room noticed, but the cool, refreshing liquid was too tempting to ignore. Madi’s absence was turning out to be a luxury.

For the first time since I came to work in the laundry room, I wasn’t struggling to finish my cart at the end of the workday. It was all done. Crystal and Di were finished, too. Maybe things did run smoother without a supervisor.

“I’ll be seeing you tonight,” Di said as we walked out the door. “I’m going to bring my lazy husband with me.”

“I’ll see you tonight then,” I said.

She walked away, leaving Crystal and me alone.

“I wish I could see you tonight, too,” I said to her.

“I’ll see what I can do.” She gave a brilliant smile and hugged me.

Then she was gone, running down the stairs without waiting to walk with me.

Chapter Twenty-Six

The apartment was empty when I arrived, and I took the opportunity to get out of my vest for a while. I could feel the heat from the laundry room radiating off my skin. I wet one of the towels and put it on the back of my neck. It felt refreshingly cool. I splashed cold water on my face, and soon my body temperature came down. I put my t-shirt back on just before Jack came through the door.

“I was worried about you today. How did it go?” he asked.

“A couple of Domers came looking for Madi, and I talked to them.”

“Guards from the Dome?” He looked confused. “Why were they there?”

“Crystal’s owner didn’t like her having a black eye and wanted to talk to the person who gave it to her. They asked when I had seen her last, and I told them truthfully. They wanted my name.”

“And you gave them Autumn Jones, right?”

I responded with a sarcastic look. He ignored it.

“That was unexpected,” he said. I’m hoping your alias checks out okay. I didn’t have a lot of time in that storage room.”

He sat down heavily in the chair. I could tell he was thinking hard about the information he had made up on Autumn and Ben Jones.

“And you were right this morning about people talking. Di said she told a few people about what happened last night.”

“I know. It was the main topic of conversation in the mines today. You’re inspiring a lot of people! Today was a good day. We finally have only Liberty guards in our section, so we were able to do some training. A lot more people have joined us.”

“Di said she and her husband were coming, so I managed to find two more people to join.” I made a face.

“Wow, two people. You were busy.” Any sarcasm he had meant to be included in his tone was softened by the fond smile he gave me. “Speaking of tonight, I’m starving. I’m even looking forward to eating that grey muck you call dinner.”

At his reference to our food, I was reminded of my conversation with Crystal that morning, and an image of Jack at presidential parties floated into my head. He really did prefer the finer things that only the Dome could offer. I couldn’t imagine him ever being attracted to an urchin like me.

“You’re such a bourge,” I said almost under my breath.

“What was that comment for?” He seemed taken aback.

“Nothing.” I went into the bedroom and put the vest back on. “Ready.”

Jack was already standing by the door waiting for me. We left together and headed for the common room. He didn’t hold my hand or put his arm around me this time. I wondered if my comment had made him angry.

Even though it was early, the room was already packed. The guard at the door greeted us in his usual manner, and we queued up with everyone else. We collected our food and went in search of a table. David Chavez was there with his wife and asked us to join them.

“I’m not sure if you’ve met my wife, Terra,” he said.

“Pleased to meet you,” Jack said, extending his hand to her. She took it.

“I’m Sunny,” I said, taking the seat next to her.

“I know.” She smiled.

I gestured at her large round tummy. “How far along are you?”

“I’m due any day. And the little one is getting heavy, so he can come out any time!”

“You’re hoping for a boy?” I asked with mild interest. I wasn’t sure why anyone would want to bring a baby into this Pit, but I kept that to myself.

“A boy would be… easier. I was never sent upstairs, but…” She trailed off, looking from me to Jack.

I understood what she meant. I looked at Jack to see his reaction, and noted he was looking uncomfortable.

“Though I’m glad it worked out for the two of you,” she said in a rush. “It’s just that your love story is very rare.”

If only she knew the truth, I thought to myself.

“Don’t be so sure that girls have it rougher than boys,” a man said as he pulled up a chair and joined us. “They killed my son a few years ago. He got a job working in the sewers, but it made him so sick to his stomach that he couldn’t keep up with the workload. They beat him more times than I could say before they killed him. He was only twelve years old. I hope they all rot in hell.” His tone was bitter, his cheeks wet with tears.

The woman at the table next to us pushed her chair back and gave the man a sympathetic pat on the back. “I lost my husband five years ago when the guards beat him to a pulp,” she said. “He was working the diamond mines and accidently broke three picks in one day. As if that’s a good enough reason to kill a man!” She shook her head. “I’ve remarried now.” She turned to look at the man she was sitting with. “I had to remarry if I wanted a place to live. No offence to you, lover,” she said to the man fondly.

Someone put a hand on my shoulder, and I looked up to see an unfamiliar face.

“I heard how you handled that supervisor,” the woman said. “God bless you.”

Jack flashed me his best “I told you so” smile, and I gave my best sardonic smile back. He looked smug.

“It’s about time something was being done,” the man who’d joined us said, tears still glistening in his eyes.

“We all have scars,” a woman behind me said. Her voice was familiar. I turned to find Summer’s parents standing there. “Right now my baby is in the hands of that monster we call a president.”

“Mrs. Nazeem!” I said, jumping up to hug the woman. “I miss Summer, too.”

“I know you do. You’ve always been a good friend to her.” She hugged me back.

“I’d do anything to help her. You know that.”

“You are doing something, Sunset,” she said. She took off my hat and let my hair fall around my shoulders. “Who knew the little girl who was always trying to hide her beautiful hair would one day be the person to lead us? Your mother would be so proud.”

I blushed at the compliment but knew she couldn’t be more wrong. I wasn’t the leader in all of this. Jack was.

Before I could respond, I heard a commotion at the door and turned to see Crystal coming into the room carrying a guitar. Her eye was still badly swollen and starting to turn black. She had a sad smile on her face as she grabbed a chair and went to the front of the room.

People were pouring into the room behind her until it became so crowded it was standing room only, and yet more people remained out in the hallway, standing on tiptoes to get a glimpse of her. I felt Jack’s hand at the small of my back as he came to stand beside me. He had a puzzled expression on his face.

Crystal raised her voice to be heard throughout the room. “Hi, I’m Crystal.”

A few cheers went up.

“Now I know her!” Jack whispered in my ear. “She’s Malcolm West’s mistress. She’s a really good singer.”