The Girl Who Dared to Think by Bella Forrest (e reader for manga TXT) 📕

I had to cling to. It would mean freedom from Scipio and the insanity of the system. A system in which a ten’s word was worth its weight in gold, while a four was seen as a disgrace already, propelling them farther and farther down with their negativity and fear. Psychological contamination threats kept the lower-ranked members of the population isolated, when they needed to be together, and loved. Efforts made to help them improve. Made to feel like they were worth something more than just an arbitrary number on their wrist. I couldn’t be here anymore, living inside a broken system while I slowly died inside, watching everyone spend the rest of their lives as slaves to Scipio’s needs. I spent every waking moment thinking about what could be out there. Who could be out there. How they had survived, and what life was like for them now.

Could they see the stars? Were there clouds that formed in the sky like they formed in the greeneries, when the heat from outside caused the water to evaporate, the water in the air growing thicker and thicker until it burst into a gentle rain? Did they have grass? What did it feel like? What did it smell like? What did it taste like?

I wanted to believe because I wanted to know. Before Roark and Grey, I would never have believed such hope existed. And now that I had it, I found I was impatient to do something about it. I hoped the next two weeks would go by quicker than the first two had. Because otherwise I was going to break down and make my own way back to Roark’s.

I picked a path that would take me through the Lion’s Den—the biggest outdoor market, which stood just in front of Greenery 10, the farming floor that jutted out the sides of the Tower like dark wings. They always grew the best food. It was the de facto capital of all the greeneries, as the Head Farmer had always resided here.

I was picking my way through the stalls, when suddenly the hairs on my neck stood on end. The sensation that I was being watched loomed over me. I slowed to a stop, my heart pounding up into my throat. I realized I needed to look busy, and turned toward the stall closest to me, becoming very interested in apples, while furtively searching the crowds for the source of this horrible sensation.

The feeling started to fade as I looked around, finding no sign of anyone watching me. It lessened considerably as I scanned the market, and suddenly, I felt very silly.

You’re being paranoid, I told myself, turning away from the stall and heading back down the aisle. If Devon or Gerome knew, they would’ve come to question me already. Besides, even if they were watching, I hadn’t given them anything to be suspicious of. I mean, I had, but I hadn’t done anything bad recently, so...

I stopped in the middle of one of the narrow aisles between stalls and breathed deeply, trying to calm my fraying nerves. Truthfully, I was more concerned about the paranoia itself. I kept jumping at shadows, my heart hammering every time I saw a Knight heading toward me, and I barely slept anymore, thanks to the nightmares that seemed to find me. It was not a recipe for emotional stability.

“You okay?” a familiar voice asked, and I looked over to see Grey standing there in his battered green coveralls, his eyes glittering with humor.

I immediately looked around, my instincts screaming at me that something was wrong, and he took a step closer, concern radiating from him.

“Liana?”

“What are you doing here?” I asked, jerking my head around and meeting his eyes. “This greenery is right next to the Citadel! Do you think you should get this close, considering your recent brush with death?”

“Hey, whoa.” He raised his hands, as if to soothe a startled animal, and I bit back the urge to growl at him. He wasn’t sticking to the plan! Roark had promised me he’d be lying low for a month as well. “I swear, I didn’t know you were here. I was just grabbing some breakfast before I ran a few errands.”

“Yes, but around the Citadel?” I pointed out, still clinging to the same line of questioning. “I can’t get you out of that room again if you get caught. I can’t. They haven’t even taken me back down there since that day. I—”

“Liana, calm down,” he cut in, taking another step closer so that only inches separated us, and placing his hands on my shoulders. “It’s okay. I promise. This is accidental, and I’m fine.” He tilted his wrist toward me, revealing his blue, glowing nine, and I nodded, but I wasn’t any less tense. We were so close to the Citadel, and Knights came through here all the time. What if Gerome or Devon came through here—and, being bachelors, they would be through here—and saw us together? I shuddered to think of it.

Grey studied me, and then looked around. “You need a day off,” he said after a pause. “When’s your shift?”

“This afternoon,” I replied. “But we really shouldn’t be—”

“You need to talk,” he said firmly. “Maybe we shouldn’t have just left things like we did. I’ve been pretty paranoid as well, but at least I’ve had Roark as my sounding board. You’ve been all alone with it. What about your friend, the one who helped me?”

I lowered my gaze, a pang jabbing into my heart. “I’ve been avoiding her... and everyone else. I didn’t want to drag them down with me.”

Grey frowned, his brows furrowing, and then nodded as if he’d just made a decision that I wasn’t yet privy to. “Wait here for a minute,” he said, his warm eyes earnest. “I’ll be right back.”

I opened my mouth to reply, but he disappeared before I could even say anything, leaving me standing there sputtering. I looked around, wondering if anyone had