“Grace was a true leader in her own right, the two of them mirroring each other’s best parts. Charismatic and inspiring to a fault, her name was rarely far off the tongue of those who had spoken highly of Oak. But unlike Oak, she was competitive. If she found faults in textbooks, she would write a new one, a better one, to correct it. If others could not keep up, she’d feed her pride, basking in her superiority. 

When Oak grew wary of Contique’s tyranny, she never wavered. They were friends, yes, the closest. Inseparable in the same way that Theo and Clear were. But, Oak and Grace did not have the mutual struggle that Theo and Clear did. They were never forced to face the morality of their position, of their action, or of Contique’s regime. They didn’t fight for the future of others, but for their own.”