I groan. But it goes better this time. Joe and Hal lead the team. The tallest and strongest, they can get around the course fastest. Erica follows behind them. Sawyer struggles a little ahead of me, but Paige stays with us, helping us clamber over the hardest parts, urging us on. Kyle blurs over everything, using his speed as propulsion, and Addison, nearly as tall as bulks, doesn’t struggle.
At least the view is good. I get to watch Joe the entire way around. I try to keep my impure thoughts to myself, but Paige winks at me and I know she’s caught me staring.
“Better,” Claus shoots in my direction. “The important thing is how well you work as a team. Paige, Sawyer, and Silver showed a fantastic sense of teamwork, helping each other. Joe, Hal, and Erica, it would be better if you could concentrate less on speed and more on the whole team getting through the course together.”
We take our places again. Kyle blitzes through the tire tracks, up the rope and over the wall. Clearly he needs no help. This time Joe picks me up and throws me to Hal.
“Hey, what are you—?” I protest, but then I’m in Joe’s arms again as he hurls me over an obstacle, and I clamp down on the complaints.
We dodge the swinging effigies through the tree tunnel. Joe hoists me in the air again and throws me at Hal over a new obstacle—hay bales covered in barbed wire—then picks up Sawyer and does the same with him. When we’re finished, we collapse in the grass and drink greedily from water bottles.
“Good,” Claus says.
Matt appears from the shade of a tree on the ridge line with Einstein in tow. My stomach lurches as his eyes find mine.
“Have you found them?” The words rush out of me, and my stomach rolls.
He nods. “Francesca’s making preparations. We need to get back to the cave.”
“Let’s go!” Matt calls to everyone else, then turns to me. “I can’t believe you let him throw you around like that.”
“Huh?” I ask, getting to my feet.
“Joe.” His eyes narrow. “He had his hands…” He looks as his feet.
“It was easier than falling off that stupid wall a hundred times,” I say, slapping his stomach with the back of my hand. “More importantly, let’s go get my parents.”
I hear the fluttering before I feel the shove on my right shoulder. I stumble to the ground, then peer into the sun to see what happened. I’m really tired of landing on my butt today.
Erica flutters into view, her wings an acid green. “Oh, Silver. I’m so sorry. I just didn’t see you there. The hazards of flying, you know, not looking down too much.” Her voice drips with sarcastic cordiality.
“Seriously, Erica?” I explode.
Paige puts a restraining hand on my arm, but I shrug her off. Sawyer stops, hands on hips, looking between the two of us.
“I thought we were over all this? What’s your problem?” I shout at her, back on my feet. “And get your goddamn feet on the ground so I don’t have to keep looking up at you!”
Joe and Hal stop and turn to watch the altercation.
“Silver, seriously... I didn’t mean—” Erica hastily tries to backtrack, hands held helplessly before her. Her wings cycle through all the colors of the rainbow. She plants her feet on the ground and folds her wings into her back. That’s better. Her violet eyes settle on mine.
Joe jogs back to us. “Erica, Silver, what’s going on?” He frowns at Erica. Her face crumples, a tear wells and she wipes it away.
“I’m sorry, Joe. It was an accident. Really. Silver, I’m sorry...” she stammers, voice devoid of the familiar sarcasm, actually sounding genuine for once.
“If you two are going to go on a mission together, you need to sort out your differences.” Claus points at us with his cane. “Do it right now, and don’t come back inside until you have.”
I stand on the spot, watching everyone file toward the cave to learn the whereabouts of my parents. And I have to stay here. Evan gives me a sympathetic look before he follows Claus. Erica stands next to me. Tension vibrates in the air between us.
“What’s your problem, Erica?” I push the question through gritted teeth. Einstein chuffs and settles at my feet.
She bristles. “I thought you were the one with the problem.”
Matt’s head disappears into a clump of bushes near the cave entrance. I long to be with him.
“My experience with people with butterfly wings has never been good,” I say.
She swivels toward me. “That’s not my fault.”
“I know.” I cross my arms. “But my low expectations have always been met in the past. I bet you were a cheerleader, right? Dated the quarterback?”
Twin spots of red heat her cheekbones. “Being a cheerleader and dating the quarterback aren’t bad things.”
I can’t help the snort that comes out. “Wasn’t Joe the quarterback at your school?”
The blush on Erica’s cheek reaches a new level of red. She shakes her head. “Joe was the quarterback. I dated the linebacker. But Joe…”
The fight leaves me. “I didn’t know you liked him—”
Erica holds up a hand. Her wings flutter again, a pale orange. “I don’t. He likes you, and there’s nothing I can do about that.”
My heart quickens. “Has he said something to you?”
Erica rolls her violet eyes. “He doesn’t shut up about you.”
I sigh, but my heart skips a beat. “So that’s what this is about?”
Along the ridge on the other side of the valley, the sun melts into the trees, shafts of orange light blending into the valley floor, making the grass look golden. Like a promised land. Crickets chirp in the bushes around us and a breath of air breezes through the trees.
“Not entirely,” Erica says, fiddling with the sting of her bow. “I mean, yes, I got the wings to be in the varsity cheerleading team and to attract a boy. Foolish, but I’m so much more than that now.”
I nod and point to the bow. “That’s for sure. Not many cheerleaders go around with a bow and arrow.”
Her arms circle around her waist and she drops her head. Her voice is barely a whisper. “It’s to remember my friend. Because I killed her.”
The world pauses, holding its breath. As desperate as I am to learn my parent’s location, Erica’s statement freezes me.
I goggle at her. “You killed your friend?”
She pulls at her lavender hair, then wraps an arm around her waist. Keeping her eyes on the ridge line, she won’t look at me. When she speaks, her voice trembles. “It’s my penance, being alone without friends, without love. Every time it looks as though I might find happiness, it’s taken away. I don’t deserve a relationship. I don’t deserve friends.”
“What about Addison…?”
“She’s the only one left.” Erica’s voice breaks.
“Nobody deserves to be alone.” I take a step toward her. “You’ve done so much for everyone here, and you’re even willing to rescue my parents when you hate me.”
“I don’t hate you.” Her smile is unconvincing.
“I don’t hate you either.” She’s different from the other fairies I’ve known.
Erica laughs, but then her smile drops. “I can never do enough. Silver, I killed my best friend, and my girlfriend left me for it.” She chokes out a sob. Reaching for the tree at her back, she leans against it.
“I didn’t realize—”
Erica nods her head rapidly. “I’m bisexual. With the current climate, it’s not something I advertise.”
I’m tempted to touch Erica’s shoulder, but we don’t have that kind of friendship and she’s hunched up so high I don’t think I’ll be able to comfort her. “What happened?”
“When I was fourteen my parents gave me the nanite pill for my butterfly wings. It was all I ever wanted. You were right about me, Silver. I was an airhead, a cheerleader, and just wanted to date the quarterback of the football team. Joe.” She lets his name dangle between us for a few seconds. “But Joe came later. After Sarah… after she died and Jess left
me.” She hangs her head and her wings turn a brilliant white. “I didn’t care about anything except being popular and adored. Sarah was my best friend for as long as I can remember and was great with Jess when we got together. When she turned fourteen a few months later, I encouraged her to take a nanite pill too. Another one.” Pink blotches creep up Erica’s neck.
I think of Diana and how angry I was that nanites were forced on her. How angry I still am.
“She’d taken several already for her archery. Speed, reflexes, strength, augmented hearing. Tons of them, but they were all invisible. Nothing cool.” Erica’s shoulders sag.
“I convinced her that taking something physical would only enhance her already near-perfect aim. Really, I wanted us to rule the school together. She refused. She didn’t want any part of that. She didn’t want to be an adjusted. I refused to listen to her. I bought a nanite pill on the streets, I didn’t even know what ability it was. I forced her to take it. I told her we could never be together unless she had an ability like me.
“Jess yelled at me and told Sarah not to, but she did. She took it. Her body didn’t take to the change and she died. The last look on her face was one of fear and betrayal. And Jess never spoke to me again. I lost them both. I’ll never ever forgive myself, Silver. Never. She died because of me.” Erica chokes and takes a moment to calm herself. “That’s why I’m here. I need to atone for that. I need to rid the world of that terrible mentality.” Tears stream down her face as she hangs her head. Her voice drops an octave. “I fight against people like me.”
I stare at her. I can’t begin to imagine the guilt she lives with every day. Diana died the same way, by nanite pills forced on her by her parents. Erica might have had one of the worst altered mentalities back in the day, but she’s come full circle; she’s saved countless lives, she’s more than made up for it.
“The bow and arrow?” I nod at the weapon she holds by her side.
She raises it a couple inches. “The only way I could think to remember her and to keep her spirit alive. I took up her sport so that she stays with me every day.”
“If there’s anything I’ve learned during my time in the cave, it’s that the world isn’t black and white. It’s very, very gray. Charcoal, even.” My dad said that to me so many times while we ran through the woods. Now, I understand the shades of gray. The reality. “There is a silver lining here, Erica. Here’s your gray: the cave needs you. My parents need you.” I touch her shoulder. “You can forgive yourself now. You’ve done enough. You deserve a better life, Erica. You deserve to find love again.”
“But not with Joe.” Her wings turn a deep scarlet. “Do you even like him?”
“He kissed me…”
“I know.”
“Truthfully, I don’t know how I feel.” Talking about him still makes my pulse quicken. “I never thought I’d be with a bulk.” But that’s not it either.
“Are we good now?”
I nod. “I’m sorry, Erica.”
“Me too.”
This time her smile holds a flicker of warmth. We don’t hug or join arms or anything, that would be pushing our luck, but we make our way back to the cave together. We find the others assembled in the weapons chamber with Claus and Francesca. Paige shoots me a sympathetic look.
“Everything OK?” Joe whispers in my ear.
I don’t look him in the eye. I can’t. “Yeah, fine. It was just a misunderstanding.”
“Glad to hear it.” Joe sits on a rocky ledge and crosses his arms. Francesca and Claus stand at the front, Matt’s tablet between them. We all crowd around the small screen showing a prison on the edge of Central City.
“So where are they?” I ask.
“On the edge of the city,” Francesca replies.
My knee jigs up and down. “Can we go now?”
“Soon,” she replies. “First we need to tell you what you’ll be facing.”
Claus runs a thumb over the screen. “The approach to the prison should take twenty-four hours. The woods won’t cover you all the way there. You’ll have three miles of grassland between the trees and the prison to get through.”
My stomach quivers at Claus’ words. Fear builds in the pit of my stomach. The panic attacks have left me alone for the most part, but I sense the anxiety tingling at my fingertips and lips. I bite the inside of my cheek. I can’t afford to lose it now.
“The first obstacle is a ten-foot brick wall covered in barbed wire. We’ve all trained for this at the obstacle course; some of you found it a little harder than others.” Claus directs his gaze at me.
“Ha, ha,” I remark. A few seats down, Joe chuckles.
“This one is a little higher, but I think you can all handle it.” Claus points to the wall on the screen. Gray and twisted and ugly. “The next obstacle is an electric fence. I don’t recommend trying to climb this one.”
A few members of the team chuckle. I grimace, remembering the government-issued commercial about the dangers of electricity; some young boy lost his Frisbee in an electricity station, climbed up the massive pylon, almost made it to the Frisbee when he touched a wire. His body spasmed ungracefully in a ballet of death before he fell forty feet to the ground.
“I’m thinking Sawyer or Silver with their telekinetic power can disable the current long enough for everyone to climb over,” Claus says.
Sawyer and I exchange a look.
Sawyer gulps. “Um, I’ve never tried to control electricity before.”
“Electricity is still matter,” Claus says. “You can focus on it just like a regular object and harness its power. I suggest you practice on the electricity in the cave.”
“OK then,” Sawyer says to his shoes.
“Next, you’ll reach the outer wall of the prison itself. The structure is a square with one main door and one back entrance. Both heavily guarded and armed. There are laser beams sweeping the space between the fence and the building, so watch out for those.” Claus pauses to tap on a faint red beam on the tablet screen.
“Each door is guarded by one bulk and one ogre at all times. President Bear’s special guards. Joe and Hal may need to take them out, quietly. All the guards are armed, so speed and stealth are important here. Paige and Silver, you may wish to have a look from the air to get a bigger picture view. But watch those shifting laser beams; they’ll zap you to ash if you get too close,” Claus warns.
The list of tasks is growing.
Claus continues. “We know there are another four guards who walk the perimeter around the top of the building and another four outside the most external wall. How many are inside we don’t know. You’ll have to think on your feet, but I suspect once you’re through that wall, you’ll have more obstacles to face. Prepare yourselves for any eventuality.”
I glance at Matt, whose brow is wrinkled in thought. Paige jiggles her leg up and down beside me and I push my heel into the ground to keep mine still. Sawyer kicks at the floor. Kyle paces at the back of the room, his feet blurring. I wish we could go now, before the building anxiety quashes my resolve.
“Remember,” Francesca says, smiling at each of us, “each and every one of you has a valuable ability. If you work together, I believe you can do this. Are there any questions?”
“Can we go tonight?” Addison asks.
“Tomorrow is best. It’ll be dark soon,” Francesca replies. “The army often patrols the woods at night.”
Tomorrow. Tomorrow I will rescue my parents. Tomorrow I will feel their arms around me again.
“What do we do if someone gets injured?” Paige asks.
“That’s where Silver can help. She’s the healer, but if someone is too far gone, you’ll have to leave them behind,” Claus says.
I look down the line of my fellow team members, wondering how many of us will make it back.
“Leave them behind?” Addison echoes with a stutter.
Francesca nods. “As harsh as it sounds, the end results are more important.”
“Joe and Matt
will be leading this mission with the maps and information to guide you. They’re your superiors for this mission; what they say goes.” Claus looks each of us in the eye, making sure we understand.
“I’d come if I could, but I’m needed here,” Francesca says. “I also need Claus and a few of the others to guard the cave. I have faith in you. All of you.”
“There’s one more thing I want to discuss before you go,” Claus says, resting a hand on his hip as he loads a final image. An image that fills my nightmares. It’s a monster I have experience with.
“Hellhounds. Most of you haven’t come across them. They’ve been very top secret until recently.” An expectant hush falls over the room. It’s quiet enough to hear the occasional dripping at the back of the chamber. “These are the deadliest creatures on earth. They will kill you in two seconds, ripping your throat out. They. Do. Not. Hesitate.” He emphasizes each word.
Joe and I exchange a look. We’ve fought hellhounds. We’re well aware of the size of the threat. If we come across them on this mission, well, I don’t want to think too hard about that.
Joe mentions my hellhound attack. At the urging of my friends, I describe the killing moment several times. A new respect shines in peoples’ eyes. She killed a hellhound, she can do anything. But it was difficult. Close to impossible. There were several moments during that battle, while terror skittered through my brain, that I didn’t think I would make it. I don’t want to ever feel like that again.
A burst of static erupts from the radio room, followed by a flurry of angry voices. We all dash across the narrow passageway.
“What is it?” I ask.
“The army,” Matt says, swiveling to face us. “They’re here.”
It’s time to gear up,” Francesca says, her somber eyes roving around the room. “You need to go now.”
We reenter the weapons chamber, where Claus has laid out camouflage gear and backpacks with everything we’ll need. He hands out the assault rifles and pistols we took from the troop of trolls at the warehouse. While I trained with my knife, the others have learned how to shoot. There’s little conversation as we change. Everyone listens to the bursts of voices from the radio.
The Unadjusteds Page 22
