"There is no stopping that girl now." Nona gripped his arm, trying to get the boy to see what was right before him. "There is no stopping what's coming."
Corday cocked his head and had to agree. "You're right. Claire unleashed a storm of trouble with this shit."
"Corday—"
He didn't want to argue with an old woman. Corday wanted to argue with Claire. "At least tell me she is here."
"She is with the boy."
Corday narrowed his eyes, teeth clenched. "What boy?"
"Her dead boy."
"Oh…"
"She buried him in the compost pile out back." When Corday shifted away, Nona gripped his arm again, stopping the Beta so she might speak her piece. "Claire only just returned. She is tired; don't expect much."
Not interested in wasting more time, Corday held his tongue, marching right through Omegas who were less than happy he'd called again. A reinforced door swung in, sunlight invaded, and there she was, head bowed over a freshly turned pile of dirt.The angle of the building hid her from view, forcing Shepherd to shift from his perch and move like a shadow over the roof. And then there she was, still as a statue, less than thirty feet away, staring down at a small mound of snow-dusted earth. Captivated, Shepherd let out a breath, watching the Beta approach her.
It was as if she didn't register Corday—not until the Enforcer shoved the flyer under her nose. "What is this?"
The Omega brushed the hair off her face, rubbing her skull as if it ached. "A picture of me naked."
"Do you think this is funny?" Corday snapped, working hard to keep from raising his voice. "Do you realize what you've done, Claire? Everyone will know. There will be no safety in anonymity, EVER!"
She would not need anonymity, but she did need Corday to move. "You are standing on my boy."
After a quick exhale, Corday stepped off the mound, pulling her to him. He hugged too hard, his voice breaking. "Your message… it is going to cost you any type of life. You will be hounded until the day you die."
The Omega pushed away, sniffed, and wiped her tears with the heel of her hand. "I know what I did. I know you cannot understand, that our agendas don't line up, but I cannot wait for the resistance to stop dragging its feet. There is no hero, Corday. There is no savior. Thólos has become hell and I cannot even heap the blame for it at Shepherd's feet. What has happened here, we did to ourselves. Either the citizens see what complacency in the face of evil has cost them, or they are all going to die."
Corday pressed his hands to his face to keep his frustration in check. "Are you trying to inspire a revolution? You promised me you would not attack Shepherd's men."
Claire took his hands, pulling them down so he could look at her. She looked like death; exhausted, dark marks under her eyes. "It is not an attack on Shepherd. It's an attack on conscience. It's an attack on the people of Thólos."
Why couldn't she understand? "They will hate you…"
"I don't care." Claire took a step back, her temper flaring. "I told you there was nothing left for me. Don't you get it yet? This is all I can give, so let me give it and stop being so goddamn selfish!"
He tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, saying, "Survival is not selfish. Citizens who hate the bastard will simply kill you for sport. This was suicide."
Claire's voice was flat, steady as she affirmed the obvious. "I know."
"Have you lost your mind?"
She licked her chapped lips. "Look at me, Corday. I'm running out of steam, I throw up everything I eat; sleep gives me no peace… I am already dying."
"You are not dying, you are killing yourself!" the Beta shouted, clutching her shoulders as if he might shake sense into her "If you would just rest… If you would come home with me, I could take care of you."
"No."
"Aside from Nona, the Omegas hardly tolerate your presence here. It's only a matter of time before you're cast out." Why wouldn't she see that he could cherish her? "Why won't you listen to reason?"
"I CHOOSE HOW TO SPEND MY LIFE! NOT YOU, NOT SHEPHERD, NOT SENATOR KANTOR, NOT THE FUCKING PEOPLE OF THÓLOS. DO YOU HEAR ME, BETA?"
He had never once seen her with such fire in her eyes. "You're upset."
Throwing her hands up in the air, Claire agreed, "Of course I'm fucking upset! All I want to do is scream. Knowing that all I can offer Thólos is a naked picture on a flyer makes me loathe myself. How DARE YOU reprimand the fact that at least I am trying to do something while I still can? Your precious resistance does nothing!"
"Claire." He reached out to hold her, soothing what made her tremble and cry. "Please…"