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didn’t even notice.”
    I nod. “If Alkine would stop using Pearl Power, everything would—”
    “You know that’s not an option,” Eva interrupts. “He’s doing what he can.”
    “You didn’t meet with him after Seattle. You didn’t hear the way he was talking, like we were gonna bust past the Skyline and take on the Unified Party until all the Pearls were broken. Project Pearlbreaker. That’s what he called it. What a joke.”
    She grabs her spoon and attempts another go at the mush. “Military operations are always dependent on—”
    Something flashes red. My vision blurs and I feel heat in my chest, like I’m back in the reactor chamber with the spinning Pearl. I close my eyes and the image of a coastline spreads across my consciousness. It’s as clear as if I’m standing there, right in front of the water. I hear the waves crash against the rocks, smell the gritty saltiness in the air. But I’ve never seen this place before. It’s barren—no people or grass for miles —and flat.
    Another flash of red and my eyes fly open again.
    Eva gapes at me. “Are you okay, Jesse?”
    I nod. “Fine.” But even as I respond, the coastline lingers in my mind.
    Skandar frowns. “You look like you just fell asleep for a second.”
    I give a slight nod, mostly ignoring him. “Yeah. Maybe.”
    Eva’s eyes narrow. “It’s not like last spring, is it? In Dembo’s room on Visitation Day?”
    “I’m fine.”
    I wish I could believe it. Every time I blink I see it again. And visions like this—weird, random flashes—are never good in my case. The last one led me to Seattle, but that was months ago. I thought it was a one-time thing, a symptom of my Pearlbreaker powers being triggered. Why would some empty coastline pop into my head now?
    “Anyways,” Eva starts up again. “I think if we run through this logically … get it all down in a … a chart or diagram, we can organize your thoughts into a coherent argument and present it to—”
    “Cassius.” I stop myself. I didn’t mean to say his name out loud.
    Her face drops. “What?”
    “Sorry.” I flash a fake smile while I think it through.
    Cassius is on the coast. Back in Canada, a continent away. Was this some kind of warning? He’s the type to get himself in trouble, even more than me, and I still don’t fully understand our bond after Seattle. Maybe I was seeing something through his eyes. A connection.
    Eva groans. “Are you even listening to me?”
    Skandar pokes her shoulder with the end of his fork. “Jesse’s not about to give Alkine some lame chart. That’s like something you’d do.”
    “I’m just trying to help,” she mutters.
    I pull myself up from my seat, abandoning the rest of lunch.
    Skandar leans back, fork pointing at me now. “Where are you going?”
    “Don’t worry. I just have to check on something.”
    Eva frowns. “What could be so important? You just got here!”
    “Cover for me in Tech, okay?”
    “I can only cover for you so many times.”
    “Thanks.” I walk away before she can respond.
    I don’t look at anybody as I dart through the canteen on my way to the stairwell. I’ve gotten good at this lately, blocking out the curious glances and pretending that I’m the only one in the room.
    I make it down four flights of stairs to my room in record time and slip inside. Door locked and doublechecked, I head directly to my desk, pull my identification card from underneath piles of junk, and open the safe in the bottom drawer. Grabbing Cassius’s secret communicator, I lay stomach down on my bed and set the device against the deflated pillow. It’s probably too late to hope that he’ll pick up, but it’s worth a shot. Our time difference is killer, but as far as I can tell Cassius doesn’t sleep. Guy’s a total insomniac.
    I make sure that the dial hasn’t been turned off our channel before speaking. Then, scooting forward so that I can keep my voice low, I whisper. “Cassius?”
    I’m answered with