Renegade (The Elysium Chronicles #1)(82)

She laughs, and it has this hollow sound to it that sends chills racing up and down my spine. “You don’t really remember me, do you?” she asks, but gives me no time to answer as she continues without pause. “I was recruited after you.” Her fist clenches and then unclenches. “Every training exercise I had to hear how I should look up to you. How all the girls should look up to you. That you were the best. The Governess’s little pet, and everyone else had to follow in your shadow.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask.

“Oh, stop playing stupid. I know you’re not as dumb as you want everyone to think. I should know. You were constantly upstaging me. The child prodigy. You aced all your language classes. Broke all the training records. Had your first kill at the age of six. You were Little Miss Perfect.”

Gavin looks back and forth between the two of us. He doesn’t say anything, but I have to wonder what he’s thinking. If he’s questioning how much I know. How much I remember. And, if I do remember, why I haven’t said anything to him.

I give a small shake of my head to tell him I don’t remember any of what she’s saying.

“But you weren’t perfect, were you? You were a failure.” She gives me a smug grin. “Which left me to take your place. And I did. I became Mother’s new prodigy. And I’m better than you ever were.”

I don’t say anything. I don’t know what she wants from me.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” she snarls.

“Say what? That I’m scared? Or surprised? Angry? What?”

“I’ve waited years for this moment.” She presses her fists to her eyes. “And it isn’t going at all how I wanted it to. You don’t care. Just like always. You’ve never cared about anyone but yourself.”

Her words remind me of what Macie said. “Mother and Father adore you. You can do no wrong in their eyes.… You’ve never cared about anyone but yourself.… But now this Surface Dweller comes and you show what you really are. A selfish, flighty, and foolish little girl.”

Are they both right? Am I really so selfish I never noticed this girl?

Then I remember what happened to Nick. What Mother did to him. What she’s done to the men we killed. What she did to me. It’s all because of the Conditioning.

“You’re still not listening!” she yells, pulling me back from my thoughts.

“You’re right,” I say. “I am selfish.”

Gavin gives me a quizzical look with his brows knit together. The girl, however, tilts her head as if not understanding what I said.

“But so are you,” I continue. “And it’s because of Mother that we’re this way. It’s the Conditioning. You think you’re her new prodigy? Her pet? Think again! She’s using you. Just like she used me.”

Veronica laughs. “Nice try. Is that what he wants you to think?” She jerks her head toward Gavin. “It’s more like he’s using you. And you expect me to fall for it, too?” She laughs. “Mother explained everything to me. How your training failed and your true self is coming out. That without the Conditioning you’re just a stupid, flighty, foolish girl.”

“… But now this Surface Dweller comes and you show what you really are. A selfish, flighty, and foolish little girl.”

My eyes widen as I begin to understand. Why the two sound the same. Macie was Conditioned. Just like Veronica. Like Nick. Like me.

“… And you can’t even see that Mother isn’t using you. She’s had only the best intentions for you. It’s the Surface Dweller who is.”

I glance over at Gavin, who is glaring at the girl. He shoots me a worried look, but I turn my attention back to her.

“No,” I say. “He isn’t. But Mother is using you. And me. She’s destroying the city. She’s experimenting with Conditioning, and it’s failing!”

She shakes her head. “That’s what Mother said you’d say. It’s not destroying anything.”

“We’ve seen it,” Gavin blurts out. “Everyone in this Sector is either dead or some kind of experiment gone bad. People are killing one another.”

Veronica raises her brow. “Then you must feel right at home, Surface Dweller. Your people are nothing but savages and murderers.” She dismisses him and turns back to me. “No one here was killed by anyone other than us. They were traitors, just like you.”

It’s no use arguing with her, and we’re wasting time. Gavin nudges me and then tilts his head toward the left. I follow his gaze to see he’s gesturing to the control panel for the submersibles.

Obviously, he wants to get over there so we can open the doors to one of the tiny little ships. I give a slight incline of my head, gesturing to him that I understand and agree.

“They were innocents,” I shout, startling everyone but Gavin, who creeps toward the panel.

Veronica glares at me. “They were not. They were helping you escape. Once they found out you’d murdered your best friend. They were coming to your aid.”

“What? No they weren’t.” Why would they do that? After I killed Macie? It doesn’t make sense.

“Yes. They were Timothy’s friends and family.” She tilts her head. “Remember him?”