The Gift

Chapter 53

Wisty

It was too easy.

The apparatus on the table was a steam turbine hooked up to a generator, and, get this, all I had to do was use magic to heat the thing up to light the bulbs on the table. I lit those bulbs so bright the other kids started yelling at me to turn them down because it was hurting their eyes.

Sore losers.

Not that I blame them-I'd be honked off, too, if I wasn't going to get any chocolate.

I'm so pumped I don't even care that Byron's coming, too. And, I have to admit, his very traitorous presence ticks me off so much it's easy to light up every single bulb that I walk by on my way out of the Dynasium.

I hardly notice that the "Reward Center" looks like some enormous, dingy corporate call center with carpet-board cubicles all over the place. Sitting at many of them are blissed-out, brown-mouthed children, with enormous platters of chocolate in front of each of them. The kids are covered with wires and weird electro-majiggies that sometimes seem to pulse with a strange blue light.

But, OMG, I can smell the chocolate! Mouth watering. Knees weak. Can't talk.

"Prisoner Allgood and Informant Swain, please proceed to cubicles 124G and 124H," says ERSA.

"Follow me," says Byron. "I'll show you how to hook up the monitors."

"Monitors?"

"You need to wear the monitors when you eat the chocolate."

"Not surprised, I guess, that you're so skilled in surveillance tech," I snort. But just between you and me, right now I'd wear an I BYRON T-shirt if it meant I could get some more of that chocolate.

Byron helps me put these little suction-cup things on my forehead and arms. They're like those electrodes they use on patients in the hospital, only they're bigger, and the wires are a whole lot thicker.

And then, Oh yeah, here comes an automated cart with two huge platters of chocolate-I'm talking bigger than my head! One has Byron's name on it, and the other -

I've wolfed down at least a quarter pound before I even realize I've done it. The stuff tastes that good.

And I'd suck down more except my stomach is starting to protest. I guess there's a reason people don't eat candy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I take a breath and look around.

Some of the kids have clearly been here awhile and have eaten their entire trays. Most of them are now slumped over. Napping, I guess?

Except maybe that little kid over there-he definitely looks a little green.

And that girl lying on the floor. While I watch, two goons in medical scrubs come in and drag her away.

Byron looks up from his own personal choco-fest and notices my glance.

"Yeah, she probably hasn't learned her limit yet. They'll take her to the vomitorium."

"The vomitorium?" I ask, not really thinking it through.

"That's what the students call the place where they pump your stomach."

"Ah," I say, vaguely finding that disturbing, but I feel another choco-craving coming on and quickly turn my attention back to my glorious platter. I swear, if they'd had this stuff back in my high school, I would have weighed 250 pounds.

But right then I start to get really tired, and the suction cups on me-it's as if they've gotten very cold. They're almost burning, the cold stings so much. The wires are glowing an unearthly blue color. And my stomach's totally knotted.

And I don't know that I've ever been so tired in my whole life. It's as if these wires are sucking the life out of me…

Byron is giving me a worried look. What's he saying? Maybe if I just put my head down on the desk for, like, a few seconds, just close my eyes…