âI know. Itâs hard when everything changes.â Harper really wanted his old friend to see the bright side of things. âSome of the people here wonât understand that. But I do.â
He tilted his head and studied Ninesâ face. âWe can do anything we want now, you know. Is there anything youâve always wanted to try?â
Nines couldnât help it-- he froze, staring at Mi- at Harper like an animal caught in the headlights. What kind of a question was that? No. Of course there wasnât anything heâd always wanted to try. Individuality was discouraged within their ranks, and heâd been one of them since the day he was born. Heâd never...wanted to try anything. Not anything out of the ordinary, anyway. Sure, heâd been excited when they handed him his first blaster, but that didnât...really count.
His expression hardened after a long moment, and he cleared his throat, looking away. â--No,â he said, and the challenge was apparent in his tone. The defensive âfight meâ was strong with this one. â--Why, have you been fulfilling lifelong dreams?â













