Page 17 of Rite of Unity

“What will you do to him if he’s guilty?”

The rapid shift in topic had me rushing to catch up, and I leaned back in my seat even as I had to work to keep my face neutral.“If he’s guilty, he’ll be sent outside the wall.”

“For being outside his home on a Monday?”

I looked down again, scanning the file.“If this last report is true, he’s attempting to make a profit on the holy day.”

“That’s not what it says.”

My head snapped up.Where was the girl I danced with?The one who seemed genuinely charmed by me?This girl seemed almost angry.

“Are you upset with me, Maryn?”

Something about my bluntness made her still.I had the sense that this was her true face.The moment between performances.It seemed that to get to know her, I would have to find ways to catch her off guard.

The car rolled to a stop, and I slid out, holding the door wide as Maryn followed.I held out my hand, and she took it.Something sharp stabbed my palm, and I glanced down as she tore her hand from mine, tucking her fingers under her arms.

Joe's was a small sandwich shop wedged between rows of houses, the kind that had likely started as a home business before the Covenant made that illegal.

My stomach grumbled, and I considered ordering from him before I thought better of it.

Maryn pushed the door to his shop open and I stepped in after her.“Joe Green?”

A man looked up from behind the counter, the color draining from his face.He nodded.

“You’re under arrest for collecting a profit on the holy day.You’ll need to come with me.”

Before he could speak, his wife stepped between us.“Please.He was feeding Lowers.He made no money.”

"That's not better," I said it quietly, moving around her.Behind him, a girl of no more than ten dropped a loaf of bread, a second girl grabbing her roughly and dragging her out of sight.

My heart sank into my stomach.

“Oh, Joe.”

Chaos erupted as the girls bolted under my arm and through the door.

“Run!”Joe screamed.

I glanced at their retreating forms then back to Joe.

“They were just… They were playing behind the counter.”His gaze swung wildly around the room, and I understood what he was looking for.The cameras.The damning evidence that would eviscerate him in the court of public opinion.

“Why did they run, Joe?”

I hated how much I sounded like my father when he was using his calm voice.But it was too late to pretend and he knew it.I couldn’t overlook a crime like this.

Maryn spun around, eyes wide.“No one saw but us.”

Her words shocked me more than the two girls working in their father’s shop had.

She realized her mistake, but it was too late to take it back.Too late to cover her truth.“Maryn,” I breathed.“Are you a sympathizer?”

I needed her to refute it more than I wanted to admit.

She stilled, her face going blank.

“No.”The word held enough venom that I knew it was true.“But they’re children.”