StV: A Favor For Your Mother, part four

Julie sat in the study with Mr. Maddox, the gray-haired older man who was currently guarding her mother -- or working with her, or something. He'd been introduced to the household as one of the Prophet's Angels, so maybe her mother was working with him instead. Regardless, he had instructions for her, so she kept herself still and attentive.

"This will be your story," he said, and she nodded. "You are Emma Vilde Gundersen. Three years ago, you woke up with gray skin, and the other features appeared over the next few weeks. Your parents took you out of public school and you were homeschooled for the last three years. Then you got swept up in a raid, and taken to a processing center -- which is where you will be when you have to explain this. You will be placed with one or more young people, all captured Deviants. Your job is to act scared and make friends with them."

"Friends?" she asked, shocked and mildly disgusted. Deviants were... well, they were Damned, except that they came to it on their own instead of by rejecting the Prophet's chosen gifts. 

Mr. Maddox studied her for a moment, then clarified: "So long as they see you as a friend, all will be well. The Prophet does not ask you to become friends with them, merely to pretend to it."

Oh. Well, that was nothing new; half her social circle consisted of that sort of friends. "I..." She made her voice firm. "I can do that." 

Mr. Maddox nodded. "We anticipate that they will either escape or be rescued, and take you with them. If that does not happen, we have someone on the inside who will see you safely removed -- and then we will attempt to insert you some other way."

"I understand," she said, and then reiterated. "I am to pretend to be a prisoner, become a friend to my fellow prisoners, and escape with them so that they do not suspect me."

"Precisely," Mr. Maddox said. "Young Angel, I look forward to seeing what you bring to the new world."