Free Crystal Keepers by Brandon Mull Page B

Cole tried to ignore the pitying looks from Mira and even Jace.
    â€œThanks for telling us what we’re up against,” Cole managed.
    â€œIt doesn’t paint a pretty picture of our chances to return to our normal lives,” Joe said. “But you deserve to know.”
    â€œWe always knew it would be hard,” Cole said. “I sometimes suspected they were bluffing about people forgetting us. I wondered whether we’d really get pulled back here if we made it home. I wanted it to be propaganda. A trick to keep us here. That hope made your story kind of disappointing, but it’s good to know the truth. We just have to find a way to change how it all works. Somehow we’ll do it.”
    â€œWe start by surviving tomorrow,” Joe said. “Let’s get some sleep while we can.”

C HAPTER
    6
    MONORAIL
    T he monorail station was a spacious, modern structure of steel and crystal. After walking through the front doors, Cole almost felt like he was back in Arizona at some public building—tile floors, powered lights, service counters, people waiting in line. It could have been the lobby of an airport.
    â€œIDs first,” Joe said, leading the way.
    Cole was now dressed in jeans and a brown shirt. The others all wore new clothes too. Joe wanted them to look like true Zeropolites.
    They got in a fairly short line at a counter marked IDENTIFICATION . Joe had explained that the city government used the monorail stations to provide services for the outposts. More than just transportation and shipping, the stations provided banking, processed identifications, registered vehicles and property, recorded complaints, and housed a modest garrison of patrolmen.
    When their turn came, Joe and the kids approached thecounter together. Joe handed his ID card to the older woman on duty. She looked at it, held it under a bluish light, then scanned it into a machine. Staring down at her screen, she looked perplexed for a moment, glancing quickly at Joe.
    â€œIs there a problem?” he asked.
    Cole’s gut clenched, but he tried to look calm.
    The woman gave a small smile. “Your mustache in the photo threw me off.”
    â€œI miss it sometimes,” Joe said, rubbing his upper lip.
    â€œYou look better without it,” she whispered loudly. “How can I help you today, Mr. Boone?”
    â€œI’m traveling with my two nephews, my niece, and their slave. They’re all first-timers in Zeropolis, so they’ll need IDs.”
    â€œOkay,” she said, fingers rattling on a keyboard. “Do they have any identifying paperwork from Elloweer?”
    Joe shook his head. “I’m sure you know how badly organized they are in Elloweer when it comes to records.”
    â€œAll too well,” she said. “I deal with the sloppy results every day. Do you have papers for the slave?”
    â€œHe’s marked, of course,” Joe said. “But we don’t have papers.”
    The woman behind the counter looked at Dalton. “Are these your owners?”
    â€œYes, ma’am,” he replied.
    â€œVery well,” the woman said. “There’s a two-hundred-credit processing fee for minors, and a six-hundred-credit fee for slaves.”
    â€œUse my card,” Joe said.
    â€œThe fees double without papers,” she said.
    â€œI understand,” Joe replied.
    The woman held his card under a scanner. “Okay.” She smiled at the kids, her gaze taking them in. “Have you ever been to the city?”
    â€œNo,” Mira said.
    â€œAre you sure you want to go there?” she asked playfully.
    â€œYes,” Cole said.
    â€œVery well,” the woman said. “I need to take individual pictures, then I’ll need your names along with the correct spellings.”
    She gestured for Cole to come around the counter, so he did. He stood on a mark, stared at a lens, and smiled. It didn’t feel too different from school