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

again. She balled her hands into shaking fists, staring at me with something between ire and hunger. I didn’t stop talking.

“You are sad,” I said, voice heavy with compassion. “True. But you deserve to be sad. You should be allowed to feel how you feel, without having it ruin your life as well. But we don’t live in a place that accounts for all of that, unfortunately, and they want to take you and make you into something... diminished. If you go to the Medica, that wonderful human will be lost to us forever. But we can help stop that from happening, if you want us to.”

Sarah let out a sharp laugh. “What can you possibly do?” she asked, voice throbbing with bitterness. “A dropped Farmer and a Knight? What power can you have?”

It was Grey who answered her. He looked into her eyes and reached into his pocket. This time, it was a white pill that he drew out, along with an accompanying bottle. Paragon. My brows bunched together as I watched him, and I carefully noted that the blue pill had disappeared. This just added to my mental list of questions for him after we were done here.

“This medicine,” he said, “can help you avoid Medica treatment, if that’s what you want.”

The room fell deadly silent while Sarah stared at the pill and bottle.

“What is it?” she asked carefully.

“It’s a pill that will change your number,” Grey said. “For the better.”

She didn’t reach for the bottle, but stared at it with hot eyes.

“This isn’t legal, is it?” she asked, her eyes darting over to mine, and I shook my head. Lying to her would just insult her intelligence, and she deserved to know what she would be getting into. She licked her lips nervously and looked back at the pills. “What would you want for them?”

I looked at Grey, curious to hear his answer. He leaned in slightly, offering up the bottle and pill. “Nothing now,” he said. “And we would never ask you to hurt anyone or do anything to hurt the Tower.” He hesitated, and leaned forward. “But we might need your expertise eventually, and when that happens, I hope that you’ll be willing to help us. Though we won’t force you to.”

I paused a heartbeat, and then relaxed, relieved at how he was handling this. He wasn’t strong-arming her into helping us, and I was eternally grateful. If he had, I might’ve had something to say about it, but for now, I was just happy that Grey and Roark were more interested in giving people a choice. Yet it was risky. What would they do if someone refused? I made another mental note to ask Grey, and then re-focused on Sarah, feeling the need to add something to what Grey was trying to say.

“You are so much more than a rank,” I added on impulse, and her gaze snapped to me. “You are a person. Let yourself be who you are, Sarah.”

She continued to stare at me, and then her hand darted out and snatched the bottle and pill, pulling them close to her breast. She clutched them there, breathing hard, like someone standing at the edge of a precipice.

“How do I know I can trust you?” she asked.

I smiled at her. This question, at least, was easy.

“Because we’d be in just as much trouble as you for giving them to you. Just like we have to trust that you won’t tell anyone about these pills. Not a soul.”

She bit her lip. Her feet twisted and fidgeted, tapping against the dusty floor. She unclenched her right hand, revealing the single pill.

“Guess I’ll trust you then,” she finally murmured, and then popped it into her mouth.

I watched her as she swallowed, then looked at us with a blank expression.

“Is it, uh...” she said, sweat breaking out across her face. “Is it a fast change? When will I feel it?”

Grey laughed. “You won’t feel it,” he said. “And yes, it’s a fast change. Look at your wrist, Sarah.”

She did so, and her jaw dropped. Where a three had sat moments before, the display now read five. I was also impressed—apparently Roark was improving upon them.

“That’s not possible,” she gasped. “I can’t just... It can’t...”

“It can,” Grey reassured her. “And it did.”

“A five?” she breathed, prodding at her number like it was some kind of illusion. “But I don’t feel any different.”

I grinned at her. “That’s the point,” I said. “The Medica’s way is to strip away those traits that make you special and unique. Ours is to keep you who you are, but give you the freedom to be that person without worrying about what it means to your rank.”

“The first pill I gave you is a diluted version of the pill,” Grey added. “As are the pills in the bottle. We can get your number higher, but we want to stabilize you somewhere believable first, and then bring you up. In a month, I’ll return here with more.”

Grey went on to explain exactly how to take the pills, and once he was done, for the first time since we had met her, a smile had spread across her lips. It was still fighting with sadness, but the gratitude was there, shining behind her glistening eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered, reaching out to take my hand. “Thank you for letting me grieve, and thank you for helping me. This is... incredible.”

“I know,” I replied, squeezing her hand. “And I want you to know that you’re not alone. If you need anything, net me—just a short message. Say something like...” I looked over at Grey, who was looking at me with confusion and no small amount of alarm, but I ignored it. She’d need someone to talk to, and it was better to keep her close than not. This was no small favor to ask on our part, no small task for her. She’d need reassurance. She’d need a friend.

“I’ll say the bread you ordered is ready?” she