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relax and stay calm. Stick to the rules. Sol’s gaze was intent on me as I walked down the steps, and I ignored the warmth spreading throughout my body as I joined him at the bottom of the stairs. I plainly saw the concern, the questions, in his eyes, and it was killing me.
    He glanced at me several times and stayed close while we walked the short distance to the school hall. I wanted to throw my arms around him and cling to him like a girl drowning in a fast river. Did he notice that my entire body trembled? That I was having trouble separating the emotions rolling over me—fear, grief, infatuation, fear again. Inside my pockets, I clenched my hands together, trying not to fall victim to his nearness. I stole glances at his profile, his shoulder. I looked at his hand and thought of how casually it had touched me the day before, sending my heart racing. Was that what Rose had felt?
    By the time we reached the classroom, I had to take shallow, measured breaths, and Sol scanned us through the door.
    Several students looked up as we entered but the news of my caretaker must have spread, because everyone looked quickly away. Chalice already sat at her desk and seemed to look right through me as I took my seat. The other kids refocused on their screens, determined not to miss one word of any lesson so close to the Separation.
    “Welcome to Ancient Religion Myths 14,” the desktop chirped as soon as my earbuds were in place.
    I glanced over at Sol. His eyes were on me, questioning again. I gave him a nod, letting him know that I appreciated it. “Outside,” I mouthed. He nodded, understanding.
    My body relaxed. I could talk to him in the yard and tell him about David, and Rose’s handwritten book and how she’d fallen in love. Maybe telling him about Rose’s mistake would somehow save me from the same fate.
    “What cannot be proven cannot be trusted,” the monotone console voice said. “The idea of faith was invented by those who wished to take advantage of the innocent.”
    I looked at Chalice, hoping that she was listening carefully. She turned her head, biting her lip. She seemed smaller, shrunken against the seat. Her long sleeves covered the red marks I’d seen earlier, but they did nothing to hide the delicate dark beneath her eyes.
    She shifted again, and I saw something on her hand. Was she wearing a ring again? I was stunned. Whatever they’d done to her in Detention hadn’t been enough. Was it worth the risk to miss out on the University? To be Demoted or Banished?
    “Faith is an idea created to control others,” the lesson voice continued.
    I’d barely had time to digest the words when the room flashed yellow. The metal doors automatically locked with an echo, and the desktop screen flickered into six words.
    Inspection in progress. Please remain seated.
    My heart flipped. Had they come for Chalice again? I wanted to scream at her for being so stupid. Hadn’t they already done enough to her in Detention?
    But no inspectors entered the classroom, and the panic continued to well within me. If they weren’t inspecting the classroom, then maybe it was the dorm rooms. They would find my book.
    Now I would be questioned. Sent to Detention to face whatever Chalice had, or perhaps Demoted. I’d fail as Naomi had failed. There would be no Carrier after all.
    The blood drained from my face, and I gripped the edges of the desk to keep myself upright.
    You are the last hope, Jezebel.
    Why hadn’t I stashed the book somewhere this morning?
    After a few tense moments, the Ancient Myths lesson resumed, but the metal doors remained locked, which meant I was right. The inspection was taking place in our dorm rooms and I had to sit in the classroom while my whole life crumbled bit by bit. I tried to concentrate on the droning voice explaining why Buddha and Muhammad and Jesus Christ were false prophets of the world Before, and why all of their books of scripture were the first to be incinerated in the