The Cage(43)

“If she can solve that puzzle,” Lucky whispered in Cora’s ear, “maybe she can help us solve the others.”

Mali suddenly spun, drifting over with that strange bobbing motion, and reached out to touch the curling ends of Cora’s hair. “It is useless to speak in low voices. They know what you say.” She tapped Cora’s head. “They hear you here.”

Lucky tensed. “They can even read our minds through the panels? Then any kind of planning we do is useless. We might as well scream it out loud.”

“There are ways to block the Kindred.” Mali twirled a strand of Cora’s hair slowly around her finger. “It is not thoughts they read, but intentions like escape and restlessness. To read one single word requires much concentration and a strong mind.”

“The Caretaker can read specific words,” Cora said.

“He has a very strong mind,” Mali answered, almost proudly. “And he watches you for so long that he can read even your softest thoughts. Not mine. I spend years learning to block him.”

“So tell us how,” Lucky said.

“I will.” A slow smile stretched across Mali’s face. “For a price.”





UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

HarperCollins Publishers

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22

Cora

MALI TWIRLED CORA’S HAIR tighter around her finger. “Your hair is quite pretty, do you know that. The Kindred have very dark hair and most humans do too. It is rare to find one with hair so light.” She paused. “If you give me some perhaps I will tell you.”

Cora jerked backward. “You want my hair?”

“Only a small piece.”

Lucky cleared his throat. “Yeah, that’s not happening—”

“Wait.” Cora took a deep breath. “I’ll give you some—one lock. But you have to tell us first how to block our thoughts.”

Lucky shot her a look like she’d lost her mind, but Cora ignored him. She shook a strand of hair tantalizingly. “Do we have a deal?”

Mali wobbled her head—her version of a nod. “There are three ways to shield your thoughts,” she explained. “The first takes many years to learn. It is similar to a form of meditation. You must divide your mind into two streams of thought.” She pointed outside, where the ocean was crashing against the beach. “Observe the ocean. The water is warm above and cold below. The mind is the same. Let the Kindred read what is above but not in the deep. Think hard about something—the song on the jukebox—but let your true thoughts sink below. The Kindred can tell that you are hiding something, but they cannot break through.”

“That’s it?” Lucky said.

Mali wobbled her head again. “It takes me seven years to learn this.”

Cora and Lucky exchanged a look. She shrugged and practiced concentrating on the records flipping in the jukebox. Then she tried to split her thoughts to also focus on Lucky’s leather jacket. But within seconds, she’d lost all thoughts of the record, and her headache only worsened. She tried again, but her thoughts jumped from one to the other, never both simultaneously, and the effort made her restless mind throb.

She rubbed her eyes. “What are the other ways?”

“The Kindred cannot perceive your mind unless they also have a calm mind. If they are uncloaked, they cannot read anything. But it is very difficult to make them uncloak. They practice cloaking since they are very young.”

“Then what’s the third way?”

Mali pinched Cora’s arm. She yelped and jerked her arm back.

“Pain,” Mali said. “It is so strong that it hides other thoughts.”

Cora clutched the angry red spot forming on her arm. “You’ve been pinching yourself this whole time. I thought you were just crazy.”

Mali’s head wobbled in her equivalent of a shrug. She held out her hand flat. “Now. Our agreement.”

Cora forced herself not to flinch away from Mali’s scarred fingers. It went against her every instinct to hand over a piece of herself, with her DNA, to a girl who was so cozy with their captors. “What are you going to do with it?”

Mali’s face was very serious, and then her lips dipped into a smile—just for a second—and she looked young and friendly for once.

“I see why you are his favorite,” Mali said, ignoring her question. “I think at first it is just the color of your hair but it is more. You are determined. You have a sharp mind. That cannot help but intrigue him.”