She never wanted to hurt Daniel. The only way she could get through the past few years was to force her guilt to turn into anger. Hurting him once was enough to nearly break her. And now she’s done it again.

Zachary Price may as well find her now and end it. If she was half the person her father had been, she would welcome it. Maybe he would tell her why he Registered her before killing her. Maybe she really deserves this. Daniel probably thinks she does.

Accepting it would be easier than trying to outrun it. She can’t fight it without risking arrest for hurting or killing Price.

The Elysians didn’t create the system and the government didn’t pass laws to allow it for no reason. It’s designed to work. To help natural selection keep their world alive and running. To keep the peace and avoid another civil war. The Registration is a compromise most people can agree upon.

And yet, now that Lynell is at the receiving end, she’s fighting it.

Fifteen minutes later the lock clicks and the doorknob turns. Only as the door starts opening does she realize she left the gun in her bag on the other side of the room. There’s a moment of panic before Daniel’s face emerges. He glances at her, eyes still full of sleep, and sets the tray he’s holding on the edge of the bed. Lynell sits forward, glancing down at the contents.

There are two muffins, three small packages of jelly, a plate of watery scrambled eggs and bacon, and two cups of yogurt. There are also three cups, two with coffee and one with juice. Lynell reaches out for one of the muffins and sinks her teeth into it, instantly feeling more relaxed.

She looks up to find Daniel staring at her from his seat on the chair. Maybe he’s changing his mind about helping her run.

She swallows and watches Daniel’s jaw flex. “Are you going to have some?” she asks before wiping her mouth and taking the paper off the muffin.

“In a bit.” Daniel drops his face into his hands, rubbing his temples.

What was left unsaid last night hangs in the air and Lynell expects Daniel to bring it up again at any moment. When he doesn’t, she returns to breakfast. Eating quickly, she goes through her half of everything and lies back down on the bed, covering her full belly with her hands.

Finally, the chair scrapes along the ground and she looks down to see Daniel grabbing a piece of bacon. She lets him eat in silence for a while before sitting up.

“What’s going on, Daniel?”

His eyes stay glued to the tray on the foot of the bed as he eats. “Lyn . . .”

She moves to her feet and leans forward until they’re so close that she can feel his breath and see the hair on his tan arms stand on edge. “I’m on this stupid train. I’m going to Chicago with you. I think I should know what’s going on. I think I deserve to know why someone would Register me.”