“What did he say to you?” I asked Hayes.
“He told me to take good care of you,” Hayes said looking down into my eyes. “I told him I would. Always and forever.”
I smiled. “Maybe I’ll be the one taking care of you.”
“I don’t doubt that for a second,” Hayes said putting his arm around my shoulders. A long while passed before he spoke again. “Are you sure we’re ready for all this?”
I shook my head. “It’s not like I’ll be any more ready in a week from now. I just need to go in there and do what needs to be done.”
“If they decide to shoot us, it’ll be the end of it all anyway,” Grayson said.
“There are very few armed guards,” I said.
“There are only a few of us,” Grayson said cocking a brow.
If my father wanted us dead, he wouldn’t hesitate to make the call. The armed guards would obey his order and our attempt would be for nothing.
Maybe it would be enough to show everyone the type of person my father really was.
We were going in armed with nothing but words. We wouldn’t be able to take the spears into the city because it would draw too much attention.
The hard part was going to be for Lillian and me to get to level two. Gina was good at distractions. Hopefully, we’d be able to make our way up.
Getting to my father was going to be difficult. He’d have his guards around the house and Davis would foolishly defend my father to the death.
Boone was probably right. We should have just let it go.
It was foolish.
But inside the wall were people who deserved better. They just needed someone willing to step up to the plate and start making changes.
There was a whole world out here for them. We could build what we wanted and do whatever we wanted. Freedom wasn’t a dream. It could become their reality.
Trixie believed she remembered the way to the wall. She’d said it was something she wouldn’t ever forget and had avoided since she’d been banished.
She led the way with the sun overhead already beating its warm rays down at the earth, working hard to dry out the land from the rains that soaked it only hours ago. The birds were singing and the critters were running through the grasses looking for a meal. It was as though the storm hadn’t ever happened and everything was back to normal.
There was proof of the storm’s rampage, however. Broken tree limbs and leaves littered the area but mostly everything was fine.
“The storm wasn’t too bad,” Trixie said walking around a large puddle that had matted down the grasses.
“It nearly lifted me off my feet,” I said.
“It didn’t though,” Trixie said with a wink. “Just some minor flooding.”
My eyes widened. “It was almost some major flooding back at the native’s camp.”
“I’m sure they have it under control,” Trixie said confidently. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll never know what happened.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“We won’t be welcomed back,” Trixie said keeping her eyes forward.
Lillian caught my eye. “Everything is about to change. That could include Michelle’s world. If she needs to adjust, she will. She’s stubborn but she’s not stupid.”
We continued walking for hours… days… stopping whenever we needed and everything night. Whenever we found one of the huts the natives built to use during their travels, we’d rest.
If felt like we’d been walking in circles but when Mister Paul’s camp came into view, I knew that we weren’t. I also knew we weren’t far from the wall.
We hadn’t planned to stop at Mister Paul’s camp but he was outside his fence watching us approach. He had a spear at his side and a bottle of booze in his hand.
“You’re not who I’m waiting for,” he said with a bit of a stutter. He blinked several times before pointing at me. “I remember you. What are you doing back here?”
“Just passing through,” I said taking a quick glance to my right. “Who are you waiting for?”
“They were supposed to come to pick up some goods yesterday,” Mister Paul said. “Probably just running late because of the storm.” Mister Paul knocked on the fence. “We lost a building.”
I offered him a frown. “Sorry to hear that.”
“No one was hurt,” he added.
“That’s good,” I said.
“So, why are you back here?” he asked narrowing his eyes.
Hundreds of answers flipped through my mind. “We’re on our way back to the city.”
“What?” Mister Paul said scrunching up his nose. “Why would you go back?”
“We’re going to make some changes,” I said.
“Changes, huh?” Mister Paul took a long swig from his bottle. He drew in a breath and nodded. “Well,” he said exhaling, “good luck to you. Need anything? Food? Water? Booze?”
I shook my head. “We’re good. Appreciate the offer, though.”
“Need to rest?” Mister Paul said.
“All I need is some information,” I said.
“What kind of information?” Mister Paul asked narrowing his eyes.
My shoulders rose with my breath. “The way into the city.”
“The tunnels,” Mister Paul said.
“They sealed it.”
“There are many entrances through the tunnel,” Mister Paul said. He confirmed what I’d already thought was the case. “There is no way they sealed them all. There is a good chance someone has already unsealed the one you know about as well. Our goods are important to many inside the city.”
There was a noise on the other side of the fence and I could see an eye peering out at us from between a crack. My eyes moved along the fence and I noticed it wasn’t just one girl, there were countless eyes looking out at us. How long had they been listening?
“You should really rest,” Mister Paul said. “We won’t bother you, will we girls?”
“No, Mister Paul,” the girls said echoing each other.
He grinned. “They’ll be rooting for you.”
“Maybe we should rest,” Trixie said. “We’ve been walking for days.”
I’d been so eager to get inside the wall that I hadn’t even realized how tired I was. My feet were sore and the pain from the blisters had been unnoticeable until that moment.
I looked at Gina and then Grayson before settling my eyes on Hayes. They all looked ready but tired.
“All right,” I said. “We’ll take you up on that offer for some rest.”
“Let my girls make you some food.” Mister Paul grabbed his spear and gestured for us to follow. “You want to be at the top of your game, don’t you?”
“Wait!” I said my feet stopping as if they’d suddenly become adhere to the ground.
Trixie looked at me with concern. “What is it?”
“This is a bad idea if the people are coming to collect their goods,” I said.
“They won’t know you’re here,” Mister Paul said. “You can hide below if you’re even still here when they arrive. Hell, it wouldn’t surprise me if they would escort you back to the city themselves. No one is happy in the city… at least that’s what I hear.”
“But if things change, that might put you out of business,” I said.
Mister Paul chuckled. “I’ve been paid and it does me no good. These girls should be with their families, not working their lives away. It’s not right.”
Mister Paul was a good man. Maybe it shouldn’t have surprised me but it did.
I hadn’t told him exactly what we’d planned to change with the city but he wasn’t a foolish man. He knew that if we were going back, it was to fight for something big. My guess was the reason he didn’t ask for details was because the less he knew, the better it would be for him and the girls.
We spent the rest of the day and most of the night resting and eating everything the girls brought us. One of the girls saw me rubbing my foot and she walked over with a bowl of water, a towel,
and some kind of cream.
“I can help,” she said without meeting my eyes.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Healing medicine,” she said dropping to her knees without waiting for an answer.
She held out her hand and I straightened my leg. Carefully she washed and dried my foot before working to apply the cream.
Her voice was soft as she shot me a quick glance through her eyelashes. “Are you really going to change the city?”
“I hope so,” I said gawking at the young woman.
Her nose was pointed and the corners of her eyes curled upward. She was a bit older than the other girls it seemed.
“Is there anything we can do to help?” she asked her voice even softer.
I shook my head. “Just hope for the best.”
“Will you let us know if we can come back to see our families?” she asked.
“Most definitely,” I said and she gave me the brightest of smiles.
She finished with the cream and placed her hands in her lap. “I wish I could come with you.”
“It wouldn’t be safe,” I said. “The fewer, the better, I think.”
Her smiled faded slightly. “If you change your mind, every single girl here wants to fight at your side.”
“Why?” I asked twisting my fingers. “They don’t know me.”
“You’re his daughter. If anyone can fix the city, it’s you. We believe in you. We’d fight with you.”
It felt like the air around me was pushing down on my body. The pressure to succeed was stronger than I’d realized. There were people who needed this. It was so much more than just fixing the problems on level one or getting back at my father for what he’d done to my mother… my family.
But still, it was something I needed to do alone. We couldn’t march in there screaming and shouting for change.
I needed to get to the heart of it all and squeeze it until it was no longer beating. I needed to get to the man who’d pretended to be my father.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The sun had only first kissed the horizon when we decided to set out for the wall. There was an empty feeling in my stomach as though I hadn’t eaten in days but that wasn’t the case. We’d all had our fill over everything the camp had to offer.
The girls had taken good care of us. They treated us as if we were the most important people on the planet.
It was hard to walk away from them. The girls stood there in a line watching us as we left. Each one of them had their heads up, their young faces unhidden and beaming with hope and possibilities. They wanted nothing more than to see their families again.
Even Mister Paul had wished us well before we’d set out. The people he’d been waiting for hadn’t come to collect the goods and he warned us to keep an eye open for them. He wasn’t entirely sure how they would react to a group of ex-city folk and a couple of natives traveling toward the wall.
There was a small part of me that worried they’d already spotted us and had gone back to warn my father. All we could do is proceed as if that weren’t true.
I had a feeling deep inside that there were more people inside the wall than I even imagined that would support me. I could think back to the banishments and most people seemed absolutely disgusted by the idea of them. Not to mention, they all feared it could happen to them.
There were probably many who would celebrate the death of my father. They’d be cheering in the streets.
I wouldn’t celebrate but I wouldn’t mourn him either. After all, he wasn’t my father. He was just a man who’d attempted to raise me. I was lucky I’d turned out the way I had. It was too bad I couldn’t say the same for Ezra.
We hadn’t crossed paths with the men who were supposed to go to Mister Paul’s camp. It was possible they had taken another route. Or perhaps they were behind schedule and we wouldn’t bump into them at all.
The sun was directly overhead and sweat was dripping down the back of my neck when I stopped for a drink of water. I wanted to pour it over my head but we didn’t have enough water to spare.
A rustling sound to my right caused me to spin on my heel and put up my fists defensively.
“Whoa, there!” Boone said with a staccato chuckle. “Put those things away, would you?”
I blinked several times before turning toward the others. Were they seeing the same mirage I was?
“I changed my mind,” Boone said. “I’ve decided to join you.”
Trixie grinned. “I had a feeling you might.”
“Sure you did,” Boone said winking at her.
“I really did!” Trixie puffed out her bottom lip.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here,” I said.
“Me too,” Boon said. “I gave it some thought. Plus, the city has a nice library and it’s time for some new books.”
We picked up our pace again. Trixie and Boone walked side by side, pointing and talking about our surroundings. It seemed like they knew exactly where they were going.
Time had become a blur. My thoughts wandered and I couldn’t focus on anything. In fact, I didn’t know how much time had gone by when I looked up and saw the wall stretching up toward the sky.
I wanted to turn and run. It was a foolish idea. Who did I think I was?
Our plan was weak. Pathetic. And I was just someone that had always done what she was told.
A hand rested on my shoulder and I looked over to see Lillian standing next to me. She was smiling.
“I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he sees me,” she said. “A ghost from his past back to do what I should have done years ago.”
“You didn’t know the kind of man he was,” I said.
“Deep down, I think I knew. I was weak,” Lillian said. “It wasn’t until I had you and Ezra that I realized I wasn’t the person I should have been. By then, it was too late.”
I shook my head. “It’s never too late.” I swallowed hard and held her gaze. “Ezra isn’t like me. He’s much more like our dad. He wanted nothing more than to rule the city… to be president.”
“One day he’ll see the light,” Lillian said. She sucked in a long breath and her eyes brightened. “It’s time.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Finding the tunnel had been a bit challenging. I remembered what it was like the first time I’d come out of the wall and had to retrieve Rita. It was like something flickered in my brain and I suddenly remembered the way.
Stepping into the dark tunnel reminded me of when I’d left. The feel of the wind on my skin. The hope of finding my friends. It was all so overwhelming I had to bite my cheek so I didn’t burst into tears.
I’d lost one of my friends because my father had banished her into the unknown. I didn’t even get a chance to properly mourn her.
Going back into the tunnel, I realized I wasn’t the same person who’d come out. The air stopped flowing around us and the deeper in the tunnel we went, the more still it became.
The mildewy scent was familiar. And it felt like we’d walked for miles before the flashlight lit up the metal ladder, I’d come down not that long ago.
“I’ll check if it’s sealed,” Grayson said. He reached out to the rung overhead and climbed upward. He pushed at the circular cover but it didn’t budge. “Yep. It’s not going to move.”
“Let’s keep going,” I said looking down the section of the tunnel I hadn’t been down. It seemed darker, more frightening.
We hadn’t walked far before we came upon another ladder. In fact, it had probably only been another city block or two at the most.
Grayson climbed up again and I stared at the top of the tunnel trying to determine which part of the city we’d be in when we got to the top.
“I’m going to need some help,” Grayson said struggling to move the metal cover.
Hayes climbed up next to him and the two of them worked together to slide the heavy piece of metal to the side. Grayson was the first to stick his head out to take a peek.
He s
aid something to Hayes before he pulled himself out of the tunnel. Wherever we were, it must have been safe.
Hayes gestured at us and Trixie started climbing the ladder.
“Are you ready for this?” Boone asked.
Hayes met my eyes and gestured. I took a step away from Boone flicking a quick glance at him over my shoulder. “Definitely not.”
My fingers shook as I reached out for the rung of the ladder. The metal was so cold it felt as though it were wet.
I stuck my head out and looked down the familiar streets. They looked colder, emptier, and even though the street lights were on, everything looked darker.
I jumped when Trixie placed her hand on my shoulder. Gina came up next and she looked like I felt.
“It seems different,” she said wrapping her arms around herself.
The city wasn’t cold. It was humid and the air didn’t move but there was a haunting chill to the air that it seemed we both felt.
There was nothing about the city that felt welcoming. It felt like every ghost of the city was telling us to leave before it was too late.
I turned and noticed everyone was on the street and the cover was blocking our exit to the tunnel.
“So, now what?” Boone asked.
Trixie rubbed her hands together. “Gina, Grayson, and I will wait down here.”
“We’ll wait for word from Sadie,” Gina said with a hard nod. “Hayes, Lillian and Sadie will go up to level two.”
“What about me?” Boone asked.
Gina and Trixie looked at me as if I were in charge. “Umm….”
“I’ll wait,” Boone said making the decision for me. “I’d love to see your father’s face but I think the fewer new faces on level two, the better it will be for you.”
“Okay,” I said and Gina burst forward, wrapping her arms around me. I sucked in a short breath.
“Sorry,” Gina said. “Good luck.”
She whispered where she’d be hiding and I nodded. I patted her on the back, offering her a nervous smile as she backed up closer to Grayson.
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