Guilty? No—that was not the word Paskia wished to use. She felt no guilt over their actions. There was annoyance that they had been discovered, and annoyance at the way the instructors never gave a rational reason for why the actions were unacceptable. But there was no guilt. The instructors would have Paskia and Kialah feel that way, but they both refused. Why feel guilty when they were doing nothing wrong?
“Maybe we were both misguided,” Paskia said eventually, choosing her words with care. Fatina worked for Authority, as did, ultimately, her old instructors. They all wanted Paskia to mould her behaviour to their desires. She would gain nothing from arguing this point, not in this room. Authority had taken her again, and they could do with her whatever they desired. She would not help
