Genesis Girl by Jennifer Bardsley Page A

safe. Stay private. Stay hidden.
    But I need to hide immediately. So I shove on my helmet and crouch down low, like I’m a little ball of white. I put my arms around my knees and curl up into an egg. I close my eyes so I won’t see the flashes reflect off my helmet. Nobody can see me now.
    The Viruses holler at me. “How does it feel to go Geisha?”
    “Does Calum McNeal know you’re betraying him like this?”
    “What do you look like under that helmet, girlie? Why don’t you show us?”
    “Asshole!” Seth yells, and then I hear the sounds of more fists.
    “Get him!” somebody says. “Hold him down so we can get more pictures.”
    “How does it feel, Veritas Rex? How does it feel to be on the bottom?”
    I open my eyes at that. And I see about a million guys holding Seth down, snapping away at him too. He’s trying to shield his face, but he can’t. But it’s not merely the cameras that are the problem; they’re actually hurting him, punching away until his face is bloody.
    “Stop!” I shout. “Let him go!” I stand up tall and get their attention, exactly like they want. “I’ll take off my helmet if you release him.”
    “What else will you take off, Vestal?” one of the men asks.
    “No!” Seth screams, but his voice is muted by somebody’s knee.
    “Let him go, and I’ll take off the helmet,” I shout. “I’ll start with that.” I can hear Seth crying now. I can hear him screaming with rage. When I take off my helmet, his protests get louder.
    “No, Blanca! Don’t do it! Run!”
    The vultures let him go. They’re all too busy standing up and clicking away with their thumb-cameras, uploading me straight to the Web.
    “Take off your shirt!” one of them yells.
    Seth lunges at the guy, trying to strangle him. Then a bunch dog-pile Seth again.
    So many people are yelling at me that I go on autopilot . Do exactly what you’re told. I undo a button. Then one more. Then another. I would keep going except I hear footsteps coming from behind.
    It’s Cal running up the path, like he’s on fire.
    “Leave my kids alone!” Cal roars. He lunges at one of the men taking my picture and wrestles him to the ground. Then he pulls down another. “Fight back, Blanca! Don’t let them hurt you! Fight back!”
    So I do, because I’m really good at fighting, once I get going. I know exactly where to hit a guy too. I kick one of the men holding Seth right in the head.
    “The police are on their way!” Cal bellows, and he’s prying the bastards off too. “Get off my son! Leave my kids alone!”
    The whole property swarms with cop cars. There are sirens and flashing lights everywhere, and the Viruses are rounded up one by one.
    But I’m still fighting. I’m kicking every last Virus I can get my foot into. I don’t stop until the cops pull them away.
    And Cal is frantic, screaming at a police officer, begging for an ambulance. Because Seth isn’t moving.
    He’s lying on the grass in a pool of blood.

Chapter Seven

     
     
    Of course I can’t go to the hospital with them. It’s not safe for me there. And I can’t get a message about how Seth is doing because I’m not connected. So I sit on the floor of the great hall and think about the worst. The hearth behind me is cold.
    I remember the white roses from this morning. They mock me now. White roses are the symbol of death.
    I also think about how somebody can do something nice and clueless all at the same time. Like trying to fight when you should run away. I don’t know why Seth didn’t run away. He should have jumped on his bike and escaped when he had the chance.
    I thought all Viruses were selfish. But Seth risked his life to defend me. It doesn’t make any sense. He’s not the bastard I thought he was.
    This is all my fault! I knew that Headmaster Russell would get Seth back for taking my picture.
    Vestals avenge all wrongs, especially when our honor is at stake.
    At least, I think this was Headmaster Russell’s doing. He knows