GENA SHOWALTER

FIRSTLIFE 33
I’ve often wondered… Is Many Ends a made-up place intended
to scare kids straight?
“Do you?” Bow asks as she zips up my jumpsuit. “Have
plans for the Unending, I mean?”
“I’m not talking Everlife with you.”
Her features scrunch with disappointment. “Why not?”
“I’ll be here another three hundred and fifty-two days.”
3 + 5 + 2 = 10
“And?”
And she will leave sooner rather than later. I recognize
her type. Extremely optimistic until something goes wrong.
After her first beating, she’ll cave and do whatever her parents
want, guaranteed.
“Forget the next life. What about this one? Tell me why
you’re here.” I motion to our illustrious cell with a tilt of my
chin.
“My guardian sent me.” She strides to the second twin
bed and sits, and there’s nothing graceful or feminine about
her. “Told me to be a light.”
Ugh. What I hear? Absolute conformity. “You signed with
Troika, then.” Not a question.
Her nod contains a thread of pride. “I did.”
We’re going to clash so hard. “What is light, exactly?”
What’s she going to be pushing on me?
“Whatever is needed to help someone find a way out of
darkness.”
Darkness. “Meaning Myriad.”
She ignores my dry tone. “Meaning a problem, any problem.”
Well, I’ve got plenty of those—though I tell myself this
situation is fertilizer, and something good must grow from it.
“Why are you here?” she asks me.