Read False Memory for Free Online Page A

and the rain.
    I shake my head and climb into my own bed a few steps away. I pull the sheets over my face and wait for sleep.
    When I sleep I dream. Noah is in my bunk and we’re quiet because the others are asleep and we both know this is against the rules. Our hands move over each other and explore the places we only get glimpses of in daylight. His breath is hot in my ear and he asks if we can but of course the answer is no. He gives a disappointed groan and kisses the soft spot under my ear.
“How long are you going to make me wait?” he says.
    The room changes before I can answer. Now I’m playing chess with Olive. She leans over her pieces, biting her lip. Noah and Peter spar halfheartedly in the space between our beds.
    “Don’t worry about it,” I say to Olive. Although I don’t know what I’m specifically talking about.
    “It was a stupid mistake,” Olive says. “No wonder I’m always fourth place.”
    “Hey, I’m always third. That’s one from four.”
    Olive scrunches her face. “You’re always second. Don’t act like Noah is faster than you. Or smarter.”
    I grin, moving my bishop into her half of the board. “Well, he cries if I don’t let him win.”
    “I heard that,” Noah says, ducking under one of Peter’s kicks. “And of course our fabulous leader has to be the best at everything.” It’s a joke, but there’s an edge to it. Some hint of accusation.
    Peter chuckles. The room changes again, morphing into one of the stone corridors. The four of us round a corner and pull up short. Phil stands there, arms folded over his barrel chest. He has a red goatee but his head is shiny and smooth.
    “Where do you think you’re going?” he says.
    Olive steps in front of us. She always had the most pull with Phil. She isn’t the strongest fighter, but she’s the best listener. “We were going for a walk, Sifu. ” Only Olive calls him Sifu regularly. Chinese for master, or teacher.
    “It’s midnight,” Phil says.
    “We just want to go outside,” Olive says, giving her most dazzling smile.
    Phil tries to hold the hard look, but he steps aside. “Be back before the sun comes up, or Tycast will have my ass in a cast.” Phil always uses that phrase, which summons a disturbing mental image. “We have a mission tomorrow morning, so no sleepy faces.”
    Mission makes us groan in unison, but really we’re excited about it. We train nonstop, or have class, but every once in a while Phil has us go on scavenger hunts in or around the city. I love getting out, stretching my legs, seeing the sky.
    Noah pats Phil on the chest. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of the good Dr. Tycast.”
    Phil shakes his head and grins. “The man is terrifying.”
    The corridor changes. We’re in a train yard, later in the same night, running alongside a moving train. We jump onto the end of the last car. Climb to the top and stand up, riding through the muggy night, lit only by the white moon. Pure exhilaration.
    The scene changes again. I’m in a classroom. The four of us are learning calculus, then history, then economics. Phil is our teacher. There are four chairs, four desks, four students. It’s always this way. Class is about learning the material fast, so we can get back to physical training. There is no talking, just lecture and tests. Phil horrifies us by saying civilians go to school for more than seven hours each day, and learn less. We get it done in three hours.
    Suddenly I’m in a gym. Phil demonstrates a throw on Olive, then we practice on each other until our breath is short.
    Another change. I’m in an all-night diner. The four of us in a booth. Noah and I hold hands under the table. It’s the same night we rode the train just for fun.
    A couple kids eat burgers and fries in the booth across from us. One whispers a joke and they all laugh and steal glances at us, until I make eye contact with one of them. They stop.
    “You ever wish you were normal?” Olive says, popping a fry into her