Praise for the novels of New York Times bestselling author
MARIA V. SNYDER
“Inside Out surprised and touched me on so many levels—it’s a wonderful, thoughtful book full of vivid characters and a place—Inside—that is by turns alien and heartbreakingly familiar.”
—Rachel Caine, New York Times bestselling author
“This is a book you’ll stay up late to finish.”
—Book Sense on Poison Study, October 2006 pick
“The rare sequel to live up to the promise of its predecessor, Magic Study is a wonderful combination of romance and fantasy.”
—Audible.com, Editor’s Pick: Best of 2006 for Romance
“Fans of high-spirited adventure, intrigue and romance will celebrate…. Snyder delivers another excellent adventure.”
—Publishers Weekly on Fire Study
“The second book in Snyder’s Glass series is a delight.”
—RT Book Reviews on Sea Glass
“With new magic and new people introduced in Storm Glass, Ms. Snyder has a fertile new landscape to mine for us. I cannot wait.”
—Fallen Angel Reviews, recommended read
Also by New York Times bestselling author Maria V. Snyder
Study series
POISON STUDY
MAGIC STUDY
FIRE STUDY
Glass series
STORM GLASS
SEA GLASS
Look for Maria V. Snyder’s next Glass novel
SPY GLASS
available
SEPTEMBER 2010
MARIA V. SNYDER INSIDE OUT
To my niece, Amy Snyder, for your willingness to read my first manuscript. Your enthusiasm for my stories sparked the idea that I could write for a younger generation.
In loving memory of my grandmother, Mary Salvatori, and my best friend Hazel.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Acknowledgments
1
A VIBRATION RIPPLED THROUGH MY BODY. I AWOKE in semi-darkness, unsure of my location. Reaching out with my hands, I felt smooth sides arching up and in. My fingers touched overhead. Pipe.
A distant roar caused unease, but with sleep fogging my mind, I couldn’t quite grasp its significance. The pipe’s vibrations increased as the thunder grew louder. Water. Coming toward me. Fast.
I scrambled in the narrow space. My bare feet slipped on the sleek surface of the pipe as I advanced toward a faint square of bluelight emanating from the open hatch. It seemed an impossible distance to reach.
Cogon’s voice in full lecture mode echoed in my mind as the water rushed closer. “Someday, Trella. You’ll screw up and there will be bits of you raining out of the showers.”
I reached the hatch and dove headfirst through the opening, convinced the water rushed at my heels. Landing on the hard floor, I shot to my feet and slammed the door shut. When I finished sealing the hatch, the whole pipe shuddered, then the vibrations calmed as the water returned to its normal flow. The metal cooled under my fingers, and I leaned my sweaty forehead against it, catching my breath.
That was close. Soft bluelight glowed all around the water-filtering machinery. Hour eighteen: I knew by the rush of water. The upper workers adhered to a strict schedule.
I checked my tool belt to make sure nothing was broken and my flashlight still worked. Then I climbed from the ductwork and made my way to level two by taking a shortcut through an air conduit. Traveling through the pipes and air shafts, I avoided seeing my fellow scrubs. But my peace and quiet ended too soon as I opened the vent, swung down and landed in the middle of a crowded corridor, scattering scrubs.
Someone knocked into me. “Watch it!”
“Come to mingle with the lowly scrubs, your highness?” A mocking bow.
Used to curses and hostile glares, I shrugged. The mass of people in the tight corridor jostled and pushed me along. Life in the lower two levels teamed with scrubs at all hours of the week. They moved from work to their barracks and back to work. We were called scrubs because rust and dust were the twin evils of Inside and must be kept at bay; however, scrubs also maintained the network of mechanical systems which kept both uppers and lowers alive.
The scrubs shoved. They frowned. They complained. I hated every one of them. Except Cog. No one hated Cog. He listened. Empathized with tales of misery. Made people smile. A rare occurrence—as rare as a person like Cogon.
I headed toward the cafeteria in Sector G2. It stayed open around the clock. As far as I could tell, Inside’s length and width equaled a square with four levels. All constructed with sheet metal. Overall measurements, by my calculations—for reasons unknown Inside’s exact dimensions and specifications were classified—were two thousand meters wide by two thousand meters long by twenty-five meters high. Each level was divided into nine areas.
If I drew a square with two lines across and two lines down inside it, I would end up with nine smaller squares. The first row’s three squares would be labeled A, B and C, the next row D, E and F, and the last row G, H and I. With this configuration, there were four Quadrants A, C, G and I, which were Inside’s corners, and five Sectors B, D, E, F and H. That was the basic map of each level. Boring, unoriginal, and predictable to say the least.
The cafeteria and dining room for the lower two levels encompassed all of Sector G2. The number two meant it was on the second level. Even a four-hundred-week-old scrub couldn’t get lost. Hydroponics resided directly below in Sector G1—the lowest level—making it easy for the food growers to send vegetables to the kitchen scrubs.