“It’s going to snow soon,” I say. Clouds crowd the sky in grays and blacks. It’s cold, but I’m much colder on the inside.
Up ahead, Jenna is trying to engage one of the male Dresdens in a conversation, but he’s having none of it, which I can tell is really bothering her. She keeps trying different topics from celebrity gossip to politics. Tank is behind her muttering and swiping at branches as he passes.
Everyone seems on edge. Even I’m feeling apprehensive, but I don’t know if it’s because of Max’s continuing whimpers or the fact that I’m moving to a new home with others like me, and I’m not sure if that’s what I really want.
It’s for Max, I remind myself and squeeze him tight.
As the day wears on, I begin to limp on my leg that was stung. There’s not much pain, but I just can’t get it to do what I want. It’s like the monster’s poison is still inside, threatening me even now.
Anthony offers to hold Max, but Max won’t let him, so I alternate between carrying Max and making him walk. By late afternoon, his cat-like protests have grown louder.
“Can’t you do something about that kid?” Tori calls. She’s several yards in front of us, standing to the side of the trail. Her skin is stretched so tight over her high cheekbones that it looks like wax.
“Leave them alone,” Tank says.
Her waxy face chunks into a scowl. “How are we supposed to go unnoticed with that wailing?”
“How am I going to keep from driving my fist into your face?” Jenna says. She takes an equally threatening stance, even though she’s at least a foot smaller. Behind her, Tank chuckles.
Anthony pushes past me. “Enough. Max just needs a break. We’ll spend the night here and push on in the morning.” He unzips his backpack and begins to set up camp, giving them no time to argue.
“About time,” Jenna says, dropping herself onto a nearby tree stump. “Hey, Patch, we can tent together. It will be like old times. Except don’t ditch me this time. I like having you around.”
I look up at her, surprised, as does Tank and Anthony.
“You’re friends with an Original?” the Dresden man, Rowdy, asks. He moves closer to her. This is the first time I’ve heard him speak.
Jenna winks at Tank and me, then turns to Rowdy. “What? Me and Patch? We go way back. I’ve been protecting her, for like, forever.”
Rowdy joins her on the stump. “That’s really brave of you. Not many Primes would risk their lives like that. Personally I think we need to sacrifice all that we can to protect Originals.”
“Me too,” she says. “Hell, I’d cut off my own arm and feed it to her if she needed it.”
Tanks curses under his breath and walks to the other side of camp where he unrolls his bedding. I just shake my head and take Max into the forest to gather firewood.
Nightfall comes quickly, a bluish gray that fades to black just before I have the fire started. The Dresdens sit close, both fascinated and mesmerized by the dancing flames.
“It’s much better in real life, isn’t it?” Tank asks them. His back is against a tree, his legs straight in front of him.
“It’s beautiful,” Rowdy says.
Jenna scoots closer to him. She looks small next to his tall and wide body. “Mind if I get a little closer? I’m cold.”
Tank coughs or gags, and I stifle a laugh, but Max doesn’t. He giggles softly into my chest. I’m not sure if it’s about Jenna or something else, but either way I love it.
Max has been much calmer since we made camp, even wandered around a bit on his own. This helps me relax too, and I take some time thinking about Eden and what it will be like, if I will fit in.
“How’s your leg?” Anthony says to me, his voice quiet among the others who are still talking about the fire.
I rub my palm against the wound. “It’s better. I think I just needed to rest it.”
He nods thoughtfully. “You made the right decision, you know. About Colt.”
The bite of food in my mouth turns sour. “I just hope he can forgive me one day.”
“He will. And I think a lot of people will do things they never thought possible, if you keep doing what you’re good at.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I lean back against a tree. Keep doing what I’m good at? All I’ve been is a liability.
“There is strength in words,” he says. “Primes aren’t powerful because of their unique abilities. What makes them truly powerful, for good or for bad, is their ability to get others to not only believe in a certain ideal, but to sacrifice all that they have for it, even their very life.”
Max takes hold of my hand as I say, “I don’t understand.”
Anthony turns his head and looks me directly in the eyes. “I would follow you to my death.”
I’m so stunned that I don’t know what to say. Follow me? A seventeen-year-old girl? But I’m nobody.
“Just be who you are, and people will follow,” he says then turns his attention to the conversation around the fire. The others are talking about the Institute’s latest drug and pondering the implications. I try to listen, but Anthony’s words have created a storm of doubt and confusion in my mind.
It’s not long after that I realize Max’s breathing is slow and steady. I don’t want to leave the warmth of the fire, but I know it’s going to be a long day tomorrow, and I should probably get all the rest I can. I rise and carry Max to the tent.
“Have a good night, Patch,” Jenna calls. “I’ll be in soon!”
I freeze, unable to take her pretend affection any longer. Over my shoulder, I say, “Don’t forget to take your medication, Jenna. You know how that rash can get out of control.”
Tank laughs out loud while Rowdy says, “What rash?”
I duck inside the tent before I hear any more, but I’m smiling.
It takes a few minutes to bundle Max before I tuck him into bed. Darkness has brought a bitter cold that stings my fingertips. The others won’t feel it, not like we do. At least where I’m going there will be others like me who feel the world as it really is.
I climb into my sleeping bag and lie down, but I cannot sleep. Colt’s surprised and betrayed eyes will not let me.
The sound of footsteps crunching against hard grass wakes me. Gray early light filters through the top of the tent where ice crystals sparkle on the mesh opening.
Jenna has her back to me, sleeping. Max is awake and staring up. I nuzzle my cold nose to his cheek.
“Good morning.”
He turns his head and looks me directly in the eyes, something he doesn’t do very often.
“What is it?”
He opens his mouth like he wants to say something, but that’s impossible. I’ve never heard him say a word before.
I sit up, leaving the warmth of my bag. “Max?”
He draws his eyebrows together and strains hard, his mouth still open. A hoarse sound comes out, and his eyes widen. He seems as surprised as I am.
“Are you trying to talk?” I ask.
He tries again, but when nothing happens, he closes his mouth tight and looks up; the blank stare in his eyes has returned.
Did that really just happen?
“Max?”
He doesn’t respond. The moment of clarity is gone.
I dress quickly in layers and then prepare Max for the cooler temperature. Outside the tent, Anthony has a fire burning bright. The Dresdens are awake and surrounding the flames as if they are cold, but they are only wearing black, long-sleeved shirts and pants. I don’t see Tank.
I grab Max’s hand and work our way between the Dresdens to get closer to the heat. My leg is stiff, but it’s not as weak as it was yesterday. Maybe it’s getting better.
Anthony hands Max and me several wrapped food bars. “Eat up. We need to leave camp soon to make the drop-off point in time.”
“Did you sleep well?” Rowdy asks me. His features are softer than the others’. Even his mouth is more pleasant with the corners turned up at the sides.
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“Well enough. This weather makes it hard though.”
He looks around as if noticing winter’s touch for the first time. “I never thought about that. Does the cold affect all Originals?”
“Of course it does,” Tori snaps. Summa, the third and taller of the three Dresdens has yet to speak since we entered the forest.
Rowdy seems unaffected by Tori’s curtness and asks me, “Would you like to use my jacket? I won’t be needing it.”
I’m surprised by his thoughtfulness. “Thank you, but I’m fine. Max could use it though.”
He shakes off his backpack to retrieve it.
“What’s your story?” I ask.
“My story?” He hands the jacket to me.
“Where are you from?”
“New York City, but my story is the same as everyone else’s.”
“No, it’s not,” I say.
“Of course it is,” Tori says. “Parents dead, working till we die, which will be within ten years, probably go childless.”
Rowdy nods as if it’s true.
“But no one has the same life,” I say. “We all experience things differently. Just because your parents are dead”—I turn to Tori—“doesn’t mean that Rowdy felt the same way as you did at their passing. Maybe he had a good relationship with them. Maybe he had a happy childhood where you didn’t. Maybe his favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate where you love strawberry. Everyone has their own story, and it’s important we know each other’s.”
“Why?” Rowdy asks.
Anthony is smiling at me, but I glance away and say, “Because then you will see each other as individuals. And you can relate to them in ways other than sadness and death. And then, finally, humans can start caring again—for the actual soul of the man and not the shell.”
No one says anything except for the fire, which spits and hisses. I look down, embarrassed. My foot twists into the hard ground, creating a wavy pattern into the dirt.
Sounds of footsteps come toward us, but no one moves. The steps are familiar.
“The path looks clear,” Tank says when he emerges from the forest. “Let’s get going.”
Thirty minutes later we are well onto the worn path, parts of it wet and slippery. The sky is a mess of purples and grays, and a cold wind finds its way through my layers and to my skin. I’m holding Max so that helps a little, but holding him is also affecting my leg, which is stiff again.
The air smells both salty and fishy. We must be close to the ocean.
In front of me, Rowdy and Jenna walk side-by-side, talking about something I can’t hear on account of the wind. Every once in awhile Jenna throws her head back and laughs. Tank is in front of the line, followed by Tori and Summa. For some reason Anthony is lagging behind. Every now and then I glance behind me to make sure he’s still there.
Max is calmer today. I think I am too. I made a decision, and that choice has put me on a path I can’t change. I can only go forward.
It’s afternoon. My limp is more pronounced. There’s still no pain, just tightness, like my muscle has died and rigor mortis has taken over. Others have asked if they can help me, but because Max has managed to walk most of the way, I haven’t needed assistance.
I think Max recognizes that I’m struggling. He’s not even walking by me right now. He’s several feet ahead, his small body navigating the rough trail with ease. Something’s different about him. Maybe he’s—a shout behind me makes me jump, and I turn around.
Anthony comes running out of the forest. “Run!”
I don’t stop to ask why. I scoop up Max and run hard, straight up a steep hill after the others. Anthony is behind me before I’m at the top.
“Hurry, Sage,” he says, not even out of breath. “The Institute. I don’t know how, but they’ve found us.”
This makes me move faster.
At the top of the hill, Anthony calls to the others. “Run! We’ve been discovered!”
The Dresdens and Jenna take off, but Tank hangs back until I reach him.
“Give me Max,” he says.
Before I have the chance to hand him over, Max swivels toward Tank and goes to him without protest. Tank sprints ahead, leaving Anthony and me.
“No matter what, Sage,” Anthony says while we run hard, “you have to leave us behind. The drop-off point isn’t much farther. We’ll hold them off.”
I’m not sure I can do that: leave them behind.
But I can’t think about that right now.
Just go.
Not far away, the tree line ends sharply and opens into a grassy meadow. I slow up, not wanting to be exposed, but Anthony pushes me forward.
“We don’t have a choice.” This time he sounds out of breath, but I don’t think it’s because he’s fatigued. He’s scared.
Out in the clearing, the Dresdens are waiting. As soon as I pass them, they start running behind me. Tank and Jenna are almost to the other side of the meadow. Tank hands Max to Jenna before turning around to come back for us.
The wind blows fiercely in this wide-open space. Not far off, grass gives way to rocks, and rocks give way to a sudden drop. Dozens of feet below, the ocean must be clawing at the cliff’s edge as if it might climb up and swallow us whole. Snowflakes swirl through the air.
Just then there’s a loud explosion, almost knocking us off our feet.
“What was that?” I ask.
No one answers, but no one moves either.
A whizzing through the air has me searching the sky.
“There!” Rowdy says and points.
A small, circular object is coming right for us. It lands in front of us then makes a series of clicks until it opens. A light shoots straight up and swirls and pixelates until it forms a tall figure. When the image finally comes together, Ebony and her protruding forehead stand before us.
“Going somewhere?” she asks. She’s wearing a long gray dress, and her hands are clasped together at her slender waist.
Anthony puts his hand in front of me and pushes me back.
“Let us go, Ebony,” Tank says. “These children deserve to live a long life, not be blood slaves to the elite.”
“How rich coming from you, Tank. Have you forgotten that you were one of the elite? How many pDNA and oDNA injections were you given?”
Color drains from his face. “That was a long time ago.”
Ebony’s lip twists up into an ugly sneer. “How convenient that you have a change of heart after you become a perfect being.” Her gaze leaves Tank and turns to the rest of us. “Surrender now and no harm will come to you, other than imprisonment of course. And if you’re lucky it won’t be Purgatory Island.”
No one speaks or moves. I scan the edge of the forest searching for Jenna and Max but can’t find them. Hopefully they are long gone.
Ebony laughs. “Did you really think you would make it to Eden?”
Anthony jerks in surprise. Even the Dresdens seem taken off guard.
“You didn’t think I knew, did you?” Ebony asks.
Anthony’s jaw tightens. “How?”
“It’s okay, Anthony,” Tank says. “She doesn’t know where.”
“Don’t I?” For the first time, Ebony smiles, exposing a row of perfectly white teeth. Her incisors are unnaturally pointed, making me think of monsters and death.
Behind her, the forest comes alive. Bushes shake and tree branches move.
They’re coming.
“Last chance,” Ebony says. “Give us the Originals.”
Tank cracks his knuckles and shifts his weight back and forth. “I’ve been waiting years for this. I want to make you bloodsuckers bleed.”
While Tank and Ebony continue to exchange verbal blows, Anthony turns to me and grips my arm. “You need to run. Follow after Jenna. She’ll take you where you need to be.”
I shake my head before I speak. “I can’t. I won’t leave you guys here to fight.”
He smiles kindly. “Join your people, Sage. Let us deal with ours. Your turn to fi
ght will come soon enough.”
I glance over his shoulder; the blood drains from my face. A familiar figure has exploded from the forest amidst a flurry of white snowflakes. I know his run, I know the way his fists pound into the ground just before his hind legs propel him forward in great bounds, but more than anything else I know the hungry look in his eyes. He wants me.
But it’s not possible.
He should be dead.
“Anthony?” I say, but only the last syllable of his name is audible.
He turns around, and his whole body tightens. “How is this possible?”
“I can’t leave now,” I say behind him, frantic. “He’ll track me straight to Eden.”
The Canine slows but his gaze remains fixed on me. At least a dozen Primes jog behind him; three of them are Titans. Several of the others have guns. We are greatly outnumbered and outgunned.
“You look surprised, Original,” Ebony says.
“Explain to me how he’s still alive,” I say, knowing she won’t be able to resist a teaching moment.
Ebony raises her hand, making the Canine and the others come to a screeching halt. Dust and bits of torn grass billow behind them.
The Canine snarls and spits at me, then snaps his powerful jaws several times. Fear courses through my veins like poison, burning from the inside out. My only comfort is knowing that Jenna has Max far away from all of this.
Ebony clears her throat. “I realized years ago the value of Canines. They hunger for the hunt. It overrules any sort of moral reasoning, which makes them the perfect soldier. However, if one is killed, our trace on an Original is lost.”
“You talk too much,” Tank says. I notice he’s reaching into his pocket out of view from Ebony.
Ebony glares, her features all sharp lines and points. “Don’t interrupt me.”
“Let her finish,” Anthony says as he wipes a large snowflake from his eyelashes. He’s as curious as I am to find out how the Canine is still alive.
Her voice lowers like she’s about to reveal a great secret. “It was my idea to find twins. Two is always better than one.”
Escape to Eden Page 28
