Pulse

belittled. She would not give them a guilt trip for leaving her. She would take comfort in the knowledge that they loved her in their own way. She wouldn’t make the same mistake she’d made with Liz, because who really knew when someone could be swept up into the Western State and never be seen outside again?
    Faith opened her eyes and stood. She could feel her parents getting nearer; and putting on a brave face, she turned in their direction with her arms held out.
    “Mom? Dad?” she said, but even in the dimmest of light, she knew it wasn’t so. This was not her mother and father coming toward her; it was Dylan and Hawk. The two of them didn’t speak as they each sat down, one on either side of Faith’s chair. Hawk had been carrying a cloth bag at his side, which he set on the floor next to him.
    “Where are my parents?” Faith asked. She sat down in her own chair and flashed a brief smile at Hawk. She was happy, but confused, to see him.
    “Go ahead,” Meredith said. “But shut the door first. And lock it.”
    Dylan didn’t look at the door they’d entered as Faith heard it shut, the deadbolt turning coldly into place. It struck her then that the door was red, a detail that hadn’t seemed to matter until this very moment.
    “The night you were with Wade Quinn,” Dylan said, never taking his eyes off Faith, “he gave you two Wire Codes because he didn’t want you to remember what happened. A team of Drifters were in that building, keeping an eye on everything, making sure you were safe. Some of those Drifters had a first pulse, and one of them accidentally moved something.”
    “Okay,” Faith said. “What’s that got to do with my parents?”
    “They were in that group of Drifters. They were there the night you and Wade entered the building.”
    The first thing that crossed her mind was Oh no, they saw him take advantage of me. That can’t be good.
    “I’m not the only one with a second pulse,” Dylan said. “Wade has it, too. He knew the Drifters were there.”
    Faith’s mind flashed with an image of Drifters flying against walls, their brains being bashed into lockers. She shook her head, and the image was gone.
    “Don’t say it,” Faith said. She touched the secret spot on her neck where the tattoo of the battered hawk lay hidden.
    “Wade Quinn killed ten Drifters that night,” Meredith said, unwilling or unable to let Dylan carry the heaviest part of the load. “Two of those Drifters were your parents.”
    Faith’s hands began to shake as she stared at the concrete floor. The envelope fell out of her hand, and she looked up at Hawk, who would not look her in the eye. He was so small and young, like a little brother she wanted to protect. And yet all she could think of was how much she wanted to throw him into a wall.
    “I know it’s hard,” Meredith said. “But try to control your rage. Don’t let it get the better of you. You’ll only regret it.”
    Faith clenched her fists and tried to clear her head. Her parents were dead. Wade Quinn had killed them. It was him she needed to punish, not Hawk. Hawk was her friend. She looked at him again and saw that he had his hand buried in the bag he’d brought with him, an alarmed look on his face. He had hold of something she could not see.
    “They understood the risks,” Meredith said. “And they didn’t die for nothing. The envelope is from them.”
    “I’m sorry,” Dylan said. “It wasn’t meant to happen this way.”
    Faith was so angry she didn’t know what to say. She wanted to lash out at everyone in the room for dragging her family into things they didn’t understand. She wanted to take back the way she’d felt about her parents. She was owed a chance to talk with them and make things right, to say the things she was supposed to say. But she’d never have that chance now.
    “She’s still calm enough,” Meredith said. “Better finish.”
    “Stop confusing me!” Faith screamed. “I hate you!”
    “You’re about to hate me more,” Meredith said; and for the first time, Faith heard a glimmer of compassion in her voice. “Hawk received a message from inside the State today. Your friend Liz is also gone. I’m not going to sugarcoat this, because you’re going to find out and it’s better if you do so in a secure location. She was hit with a hammer during the games. It was thrown by a woman with no known connections to our . . . situation .”
    It couldn’t be true. It was too much agony in the