Cinder

During the festival, the day of the ball, Cinder takes her usual place in her booth at the market. However, this day is different because she plans to escape at night, negating the purpose of working on projects she won’t finish. The gasoline-powered car now runs, allowing Cinder to find her freedom away from New Beijing. She will bring along Peony’s ID chip and Iko’s personality chip, fulfilling her promise of escape to both.

A nearby netscreen displays Chang Sunto’s recovery from the plague and her departure from the quarantine. She thinks about what her disappearance will mean for Dr. Erland, who continues to tell her to stay away from the palace due to the queen’s presence. Cinder questions the true reason for her immunity, resigning to never know since she will not see the doctor again.

Unexpectedly, Kai visits her booth, again under the cover of his hooded sweatshirt. He tries a bit of humor as he questions the six ignored comms he sent to Cinder: “You see, I figured it’s probably too much to hope that New Beijing’s most renowned mechanic is having trouble with her port, so I figured there must be something wrong with mine” (290). He places a beautifully-wrapped gift on her table while questioning the reason for her avoidance of him.