Oni used yet another rag to polish the floor, specifically the spot where he'd made a mess. What surprised him was Dev's response to it. She never complained. Even when Oni was living in the slums, he'd complained.

Lotsu always said it's best to talk about desires. It was best to complain about things so that he never lose focus of what he wanted.

They were the only ones there. Sen had surprised Oni by doing the initial cleaning as Dev hadn't quite known how to respond. But once he'd gotten in motion, Dev followed suit. That was two hours ago.

Watching her, barefoot, running the rag from one end of the massive training hall to the next broke Oni's heart.

All because he'd broken the number one rule of all Vagrants—never eat more than your share.

Back home, trying to take more meant someone received less. Now, being here with the excess, he'd hoped to finally feel good about taking part in a meal but instead, he'd ruined things for Dev.

That was why he'd stayed behind despite Sen insisting that they all leave.

Oni considered what to say to her but was caught off guard when she sat down on the floor, staring at it without fail.

Everything in her posture said she'd given up.

That wasn't what Oni wanted.

Being around her for so long felt familiar so he, still crouching, went on his hands and knees and crawled to her.

When he sat down on her right, his intent was to apologize but she said, "I think I owe you an apology."

Oni leaned forward in an attempt to see her face. "What?"

Dev watched the floor for some time. "My father died last year. He had the tumors. And his final words to me were don't enlist. But the way he said it, the words were separate and deliberate and I convinced myself that instead of telling me not to join the Volunteers, he'd told me to."

For a long minute she said nothing. Then finally, she let out a sigh and rose to her feet. Oni waited for her to leave. When she didn't seem capable of walking away, he looked up at her from the side.

"I don't know why I thought I could do this."

Oni found his eyes drifting down to her feet. They were surprisingly cute for someone he usually saw as serious.

Something came over him as he sat with his knees to his chest.

"You have a lot of opportunities. Your father was in the six hundred block. That's already incredible. But you don't have to be a Volunteer. For me, it's the only option I've got. You can do anything, be anything, and yet you come back down here. Worst yet, you're not doing it for necessity, but rather, ego."

She made a sound.

When she turned to face him, he looked up at her again then rose to his feet.

"What does that mean?" she demanded.

He scoffed. What had he meant?

"Isn't it ego, though? We're all in here to train. We're all in her to learn." Something came over him and he got fed up. "All but you who feel entitled to some great divine purpose. If you're so perfect at being a Volunteer then why'd you even come? Expecting to zip through with a few flashy feathers in your cap? Just to prove your father wrong? People die in this program. Every year. Once we move past the second testing, everybody knows you don't go home after that. Everybody but you. You've got nothing to lose. So pardon me if I don't care about your boo hoos."

If Oni could ever compliment something about Dev's looks, it would be her eyes. They were always big and descriptive. Even now, they captivated him despite how haunted they looked from the shock.

"You're wrong," was all she managed to whisper.

The hurt in those words were palpable. Oni didn't doubt he was wrong but he had no counter argument.

"Every Volunteer documents their lives as cadets. We'll start soon, too. And every Volunteer with children leave a message for their offspring—their replacement. My father entered one when he was told he didn't have long left. And when I asked him what his said, he sat me down and explained the motivation for the Volunteer program. He also told me..."

She stopped moving—perhaps even breathing. Oni came to realize that he'd held his breath as well. He wasn't sure what to expect. He was truly a nobody to her and not her responsibility even slightly.

"He wasn't my father," Dev admitted. The corners of her eyes misted but she blinked back her tears. "And I have three bands on my arms for a reason."

The shock of her words almost propelled him back. Her true father was another Volunteer? It would make sense that she was looking for him.

"So you're here to find him?"

Dev stared at Oni's chest for some time before meeting his gaze. "He said he didn't know who my father is, and that I shouldn't ask my mother, because she doesn't know either."

That tear had Oni's lips parting.

"So...no, I'm not coming to look for whoever that person is and with good reason. Because I'm afraid of what I'd do to him."

After that, neither of them had anything to say.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hands and pulled herself together again.

"Outside the Volunteer program, we're not entitled to access of our deceased family's files, especially from the Volunteer facilities."

But she was now inside it, so he took a guess. "So you'd have to enlist to see them all?"

"It's how I enlisted in the first place. Having a blood relative in the database will automatically enter you if you access the recruitment page." She scoffed. "It's how Sen got stuck."

When she turned to snatch the rag from the floor, Oni picked up his own and gave chase.

"Huh?"

She got the buckets next. "I was debating what to do. But I'd decided to honor my father's wishes. But then, much like how I'd picked up Sen's matrix and got you enlisted, Sen picked up the matrix to keep it from me. His DNA got scanned with that touch and he was instantly recruited as the child of a Volunteer. It shocked the both of us as he was supposed to be his father's clone and none of his family were ever Volunteers." Once they reached the rest rooms and dumped out the water, she took his bucket and rag and put them away. "It was a good excuse to enter after that. And it really changed Sen. He was such a depressed kid before he knew he had a mother. And one who was a Volunteer—a top ranking one."

Oni followed after her like a lost pet as she cleaned her hands then made her way to the panel by the door to document their clean up.

When he met her there, he felt compelled to apologize. "It was crummy what I said about you being entitled."

Eyes still fixed on the panel, she shook her head. "No. Maybe you were right. I think you were absolutely right. We're all here to learn something, myself included. Maybe leadership is the lesson I'm in need of." With one last tap, she looked him in the eye. "But don't think for a minute I'm not here as a matter of necessity. My mother wiped the memory of Father clean from the house once he was gone. The reminders would slow me down."

She'd said it with such certainty and conviction, but it was definitely repeated from someone else. That wasn't how memories worked.

"All I have is this Volunteer program. It's absolutely all I have and I don't get access to those files until we pass the first stages. And I'm not going to lose that chance. So maybe I'm entitled, but trust me, my reasons are a matter of life and death as far as I'm concerned."

Once the lights dimmed, Oni followed behind her. To his surprise, she paused.

"Hey, I'm sorry for unloading on you back there."

Those expressive eyes were back again and she said, "But do me a favor and don't tell anyone what I told you—about—about my dads, especially about the real one—my mom not knowing him. My mother's not the sort to...to do something irresponsible and I'd rather Sen didn't know."

Oni's gut panged. He wasn't sure why but then it occurred to him. She was entrusting him with something. This was a secret.

Once they start telling you secrets, you know you've got 'em.

In the back of Oni's mind, his own words haunted him. And then what do I do?

Then you tell them something you wouldn't even tell me. And then you're done.

Dev waited—waited for him to respond, maybe to even share something personal of his own but...she wasn't the mark. He didn't want to betray her, so he mustered up enough energy to nod and say, "You have my word."

Something else remained behind the surface. They'd shared a small moment with one another. Other than Lotsu, Oni considered few people trustworthy—or friends. Part of him wanted Dev to join those ranks.

She wasn't angry at him, even after he'd manged up her demo and vomited on the floor. He'd misjudged her. Now he understood why she'd lost her temper with those sisters. This was the only chance for her to retain something from someone taken away from her.

He could respect that.

Oni never felt comfortable around girls, that had been his mantra. But if he was honest, he'd never felt comfortable around anyone. The way Dev waited for him by the door meant something. She could have walked away and left him to fumble about how to close up. Or she could have ordered him out. But instead, she waited.

He longed to keep a hold onto something this comfortable. She wasn't the mark...of that he'd already decided but he couldn't help himself. Losing this opportunity went against everything Lotsu always said.

"You should train me to viability," Oni declared. A smile worked its way to his lips, but he fought it back. "Since you say you can't lead, and well, I can't do anything."

Dev's pleased expression softened.

Oni hated seeing her so thoughtful. This was just an excuse to keep her close—she owed him nothing.

"Sorry. It was a stupid idea. Don't let a lost cause drag you down."

"There are no lost causes," she said, turning to face him fully. "Father'd always said anyone can be a Volunteer. All they needed was the proper guidance." She paused and shrugged. "And then he picked me up and threw me into a pool of water without teaching me how to swim."

Oni's jaw dropped, horrified, but instead, she laughed.

"I'm not good with talking. Which is what Mother always did. Talk me in, talk me to come forward. Father simply jumped in with me. And it worked. I don't think she knows." Hands perched on her hips, she studied Oni's face for some time then said, "But it would be a challenge, to be sure."

At her slow smile, Oni's body warmed.

What was this feeling? He could bathe in it.

Here he was, in the one place coveted by everyone he knew, training with a head cadet with the most decorations, and yet...that smile made him feel like all of this was more than worth the risk of his life.

"I'll take you up on that offer," she declared.

When she turned and walked away, he allowed his smile to grow. She didn't see it as she grabbed her helmet from the perch on the wall and walked out. That smile only got wider the more they walked. Oni'd already eaten his share of food for the day, not that he retained any, and so, he headed back to his bunk where he was sure Sen would make him pay for the mess up.

To his surprise, when he stopped at his doorway, Dev's fleeting wave disappearing down the hall, Oni didn't mind. He watched after her even when she turned the corner and faded from view.

Being around her was nice. And at least he had one friend.

For lack of something better to do, Oni kicked off his boots, caught each one, and knocked. There was nothing. Not even a sound. Maybe Sen wasn't here.

He took that as a good sign and walked in.

Sen didn't turn away from his desk. Before him, a plethora of purple and pink holograms floated forward then back again. He continued to type against each one at lightning speed.

Oni was sure to mutter a greeting before he took to his usual spot on the floor. There, he could put his boots, but otherwise, he was expected to inhabit one spot against the wall and nothing further.

"You're late," Sen said.

A chill ran through Oni's body until Sen answered himself.

"I am not late, brother. I had some things to do today. Don't you remember?"

For a long moment, the voice didn't respond until it said, "Oh."

Sen still his typing fingers and waited.

"Perhaps you should give me more details next time."

On this side of the communication, Sen lowered his hands and sat back. He hesitated in unhooking his matrix but did so to convey his schedule for the next day.

He must have been talking to his clone somehow.

"But I'm on duty tonight so we'll spend the entire time together. Are you ready?"

Sen didn't sleep, as far as Oni was concerned. The night before, his first time there, Oni passed out without knowing when Sen went to sleep. When he awoke, the boy was still at the desk doing his work as if nothing had happened.

Today was no different.

Something strange occurred, however, video feeds came and went. Each that popped up, Sen scrutinized for a few seconds then tapped for it to fade.

"I've asked you not to watch cadets who are going about lawful practices."

The voice was prompt. "But they engage in dubious activities."

"They are dubious to the naked eye. Stick to the ones where someone's screaming."

A video flashed and Oni face heated.

Unsurprisingly, Sen watched for a time then dismissed it.

"What exactly is the crime of that one," Sen inquired.

"Possible prostitution."

Letting out a groan, Sen rubbed his face. He seemed fed up if not angry but that wasn't the tone of his voice.

"Even when you watched it, that was what you gathered?"

Silence lingered but ended with a simple, "Yes."

Sen considered the word for some time then said, "New parameters. Ignore the intimate encounters unless someone appears in pain."

The same video flashed again and Sen rubbed his face with both hands before tapping it to make it fade.

"New parameters, search for someone in a heightened state of panic. If it involves intimacy, immediately report it." Nothing happened so he lowered his left hand and hazarded, "Then, if there's intimacy without obvious distress, after the encounter, should something be exchanged, document that as possible prostitution."

The silence that time was stifling before a new image appeared.

Sen sighed but lowered his hand before tapping the video. He moved in front of it before Oni could see.

"Brother?" the distant voice called. "Is this possible prostitution?"

Sen's voice was stern. "It's not possible prostitution, it is prostitution. Immediately rescind that recruit's privileges. And identify the head cadet involved. Now."

"Should I reroute them to you?"

Already on his feet, Sen hooked his matrix, grabbed a baton from the wall, and grumbled, "No. I'll gladly find them. You're coming with me, too, wash out."

Oni froze, unsure if the boy was talking to him.

They made it to the door as Bray raised his fist to knock.