“Don’t thank me yet. Open it,” Allard says.

I lift the lid. Laying on top of shimmery white tissue paper is a black asymmetrical mask made from thin strips of twisted leather. As I slip the mask over my head, it molds perfectly to my face, covering one eye and swirling in a delicate filigree over my forehead and down one cheek.

“It’s beautiful,” I whisper, catching a glimpse of myself in a mirror. Pushing aside the rest of the tissue paper, I pull out a slender black catsuit with mesh cutouts sliced through the bodice and down one leg. “Wow.” I exhale. “I’ve worn a lot of things, but never anything like this.”

“I know it’s daring, but it’s good to be streamlined. It’s functional—there are secret compartments for your tools—but it never hurts to look fabulous, too. Don’t be afraid to use all of your assets,” she says.

“What do you mean?”

“Sometimes people underestimate a pretty face. Look at Chloe. She comes off as a decoy, but she also competed in the Quest. She knows what she’s doing.”

I frown. “You’re right. I do underestimate her… I guess it doesn’t seem fair that she has it all.”

“You can have it all, too. You play your looks down—and I understand that, given your history—but you can be the smartest person in the room and the most attractive. They aren’t mutually exclusive. Don’t let anyone shame you into thinking a pretty face can’t be hiding a world-class mind. It’s okay to like lip gloss and heels and science. You know who you are, and you hold the power.”

“I don’t think there’s any danger of me being the most attractive girl in the room. Even when I looked like my mom, I never was. And that was with a lot of help.”

“But you have something now that you didn’t have then. You know what you stand for, and you’re motivated. If you let the real you shine through, nobody will be able to look away.”

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

March 20X6, San Francisco

We arrive in San Francisco truly Unrankable. I check to make sure the hot pink fabric mask that covers my nose and mouth is in place before lowering my heart-shaped goggles. While navigating the city streets, we’re going to extra lengths to ensure we won’t be recognized. Disconnect makeup has influenced recent fashion trends, which in some ways makes it easier for us to blend in, but it also has caused facial-recognition cameras to become more efficient, so it’s a double-edged sword. Tugging at the hem of my simple black shift dress, I inhale to settle my nerves.