I say, trying to decipher the kaleidoscope of color covering Mother’s tablet. Mother has kept me by her side all day. She seems afraid to let me out of her sight. “Riots, uprisings, and general unrest.” She touches a symbol that looks like a curling snake. “This indicates the Splinter Group.” I point at a spot on the screen. “Where is this?” Mother swipes her hand over the tablet and the image of our Society superimposes over the symbols. “The Southland. So far, they’ve remained mostly outside Austin, but we’ve had reports of unrest in the Midlands as well. And, of course, you know we’ve had sightings here.” I nod, remembering the crowd outside the nightclub. “How are you keeping it hidden? Surely, the surrounding population realizes something odd is happening.” “We control all means of communication, Lark. The public only knows what we allow.”
