by Rebecca Ann
“Vi?” Lindsey came into the room. “We have to go.”
“I know,” I whispered, slinging the bag over my shoulder. I blinked back tears. Now wasn’t the time to cry. It was either go to the hideout or back to Ada. “I’m just packing my bag.” I walked over to the bed and grabbed my pillow. “I can’t believe this is happening. It’s what we’ve feared for years.”
“I know,” Lindsey said, her voice equally soft, “but you’ll be safe in the underground. Now we gotta get you to the warehouse. Mark took the girls.”
I pulled the net-screen out of my pocket and placed it deep inside the bag. With one last glance around the room, I followed Lindsey downstairs. As I walked out the front door, a tear ran down my cheek, my throat sore from holding back a sob. With one last breath, I closed the door behind me.
The air smelled of leftover rain, the last of the daylight spilling over the sidewalk. A dusty pink covered the sky as the sun prepared to set. As I reached the steps, I stopped. Dang it. I’d forgotten my cane. The one thing I never left the house without.
“What’s wrong?” Lindsey asked.
“My cane.” I turned back toward the house, but Lindsey grabbed my arm. “Linds, I need my cane.”
“We don’t have time. We have to go. You see those lights in the sky? They belong to hovers. This street will be swarming with Watchers in about five minutes. I’m not letting you get taken.”
I sighed but held onto Lindsey’s forearm, holding my bag on the other shoulder. As people poured out of their houses and filled the street, I shut my eyes. This was it. No turning back now.
Chapter Eight
LINDSEY
“You ready?” I asked as I helped Victoria down the porch steps. When I glanced upward, a bright light shined down from above. I grabbed Victoria’s hand, my own clammy. My legs stayed rooted to the spot in front of the porch as the hovers grew louder. They were right over us! I swallowed, everything coming at me faster than I could process it. I had to get Victoria out of here. With each passing moment, the hovers came closer, their lights blinding. “We have to go! Now!”
Victoria nodded, and with one last squeeze of her hand, I teleported to the warehouse. As the wind died and my vision cleared, I blinked in the dim light. Cold air rained down from the high vaulted ceiling, slabs of wood glued together like a spiderweb. I gulped down a quick breath to try and calm my racing heart. A nervous energy prickled my veins as the roar of hovers overhead intensified. I led Victoria to where Dad stood with Lily, Mom, and Sarah, along with a few others. Victoria’s grip on my arm tightened, and I could feel her shaking. This was cutting it too close. We had to get down to the underground.
“Lindsey!” Dad’s voice came from the cluster of the school staff that stood huddled together, bags in hand. The flashlight lit their faces, which were filled with a terror I suspected wouldn’t leave until we were underground. “I was about to contact you.” His voice carried in the silence, but it did nothing to ease the tension.
I blinked to clear my thoughts. Focus, Lindsey. What’s next? “Is this everyone?” I scanned the rest of the warehouse, the air damp and thick with the smell of old boxes. For some reason, I found it comforting. Underneath this floor, those I loved would be safe.
“No. Shannon called. She went to get a friend, but she’s not back yet. We’ll have to go without her. The rest are at the school. I’m about to go back. It’ll be safer to go in smaller groups. There are already people down in the underground.” Dad motioned for us to follow, his movements quick and stiff. “Right down here.”
Victoria’s fingers dug into my arm as we followed the crowd toward a door in the floor. Dad pulled a metal lever, and the door opened. I glanced down to find the stairs had been lit with a dim golden light, the bulb caked with dirt. I tried to ignore the grime on the cold brick as I used it to start down, my footsteps echoing off the walls. I glanced upward into the black hole above us. It was like walking into a cave. Even after a year of doing this, the darkness still alarmed me a little bit. The smell of damp earth intensified as we continued downward until it overpowered my sense of smell.
“Where are we going?” Victoria’s breath tickled my cheek, her words soft and fearful.
“Somewhere safe,” I answered. It was the truth. No one would find them down here. At least, I prayed they wouldn’t. Several pairs of footsteps echoed behind us. “Hold onto the railing.” I took my time going down, and when my feet hit gravel, I exhaled. Phew. We’d made it. I turned as Victoria walked down the last set of steps, breathing hard. Sweat glistened on her forehead.
“I am never walking down a set of steps without my cane again,” she said as she took my arm.
“I’m sorry, Vi. I’ll get you a new cane.”
As we stepped through the entrance, I glanced around as my body relaxed for the first time in hours. Now I needed to find Dave. Not that I could see much past my nose down here with dirt swirling around me. People went about their business as usual. They disappeared into and emerged from the buildings that flanked the streets, their expressions lost in the shadows that danced along the road as a dim orange glow spilled from long black poles along each side of the road. People came from all directions, most dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. All hurrying to plan the next thing that would help LIs. I let my mouth lift into a tiny smile. These were the only people, aside from my family with whom I didn’t have to hide my Controller ability. I sometimes used my time down here to practice. Dave had made this place a safe haven for everyone, including Half-Controllers. We were all hiding from something or someone.
I gently pried Victoria’s hands off my arm as people came up to us. Resistance members and their families. Some of them waved while others stopped to hug me, children in tow.
“Wow!” Victoria said, and a tiny bit of awe made its way into her words. “This is incredible! You’ve been coming down here?”
“Yes. For about a year now. I need to go check on a few things. My mom and dad and Lily are to your right.”
“I’ll be fine,” Victoria said. “Go do what you need to. Oh, wait!”
I turned. “Yeah?”
“Would it be possible to speak with Shannon’s father? I want to talk to him about the idea we discussed.”
“As soon as we get everyone settled, I’ll introduce you,” I said and, at Victoria’s look of uncertainty, added, “I promise, Vi.”
“Okay. I trust you.”
I weaved my way through the crowd toward Dad, who stood with Mom, Lily, and a few others, but two children cut in front of me. Daniel and Margaret. My heart stopped as realization hit. If he was with Margaret, one of the students from the school, that meant his mom wasn’t coming back. Somehow, I forced out a smile as I ruffled Daniel’s dark hair. “You like it here, buddy?”
Daniel looked up at me with his large dark eyes. “Yeah! Are we gonna live here now?” He bounced from side to side.
“Buddy, calm down, okay?” said Katie, one of the Lighter teachers, her hand on Daniel’s head. She cast an apologetic look at me, her brown eyes full of fear. “Sorry. It’s an adventure to them. They’ve been hyper since we arrived at the warehouse.” A note of sadness hardened her words as she shifted her son from one arm to the other. “Did you ever find out where his mom is?”
I sighed. “Sent back to Ada, I’m afraid.” I put a hand on Katie’s shoulder, offering whatever reassurance I could. “You’re safe down here.” I patted Katie’s shoulder and headed over to where Victoria stood with Jackie, one of the Lighter trainers, who held a boy no older than the one in Katie’s arms.
Victoria kissed his forehead. “You are getting so big, little man.”
“Say thank you,” Jackie said in a high-pitched voice, running a hand over his hair. She looked at me, her expression unreadable. “How long do you think we’ll be down here?”
I took my time in answering. I hated telling people I didn’t know. I was supposed to. This was the resistance headquarters, after all. “I’m hoping not long.” No
t if I had anything to do with it, but beyond getting people down here, I wasn’t sure what to do. “Wait for instructions from my father, okay?”
I headed toward the smallest building on the street. As I climbed the uneven brick steps, a breath left me. I’d gotten the first group to safety, and in a few minutes, I’d go get more. For now though, I wanted to help Victoria get settled.
“Lindsey?”
I glanced up to find Shannon’s father in the doorway, his forehead wrinkled and his blue eyes dark with worry. “Hi, Dave. Sorry. I was actually coming to find you. We’ve brought as many people as we can, and I plan on getting more.”
“Come on in.” Dave disappeared into the darkness.
I stepped up into the front room of what we’d named the register’s office. A thin line of light spilled from an open doorway that led to the offices and classrooms. I walked across the carpet and through the door, blinking in the bright light. An uneasy silence settled over the hall, and I quickened my pace until I reached the last door on the left. Dave’s office. I found him standing behind his desk.
“I will find her, sir,” Mark was saying.
I jerked my head in Mark’s direction. He sat in one of the black straight-back chairs in front of the desk. “Mark? What are you doing here?”
Mark twisted in the chair, and I half expected him to crack some joke about how he’d never been to headquarters before, but his expression remained serious as he said, “I came down here to tell Dave that Shannon hasn’t been responding to my messages.”
“What?” I sank into the empty chair beside him, my hands trembling. For the first time since meeting Dave, I couldn’t look him in the eye.
Crap. I should’ve gone to get her before coming down here. “My dad said she went to a friend’s house. Can you track her?”
“Yeah. She’s with the Dawsons. They haven’t been picked up yet, but they could be soon, which is why we have to go.”
I put a hand to my forehead as I tried to decide how to proceed. Exhaustion clouded my brain, but I had to push through it. Shannon and everyone else were depending on me. “Um, okay. Let me get Victoria and my sister settled, and we’ll go.”
“Lindsey, give these to your father,” Dave said, holding out a stack of white cards. “Apartment assignments.”
I took them with a nod, only half listening, my mind still on Shannon. “Okay.” With one last, desperate look at Mark, I teleported back to where Dad stood, appearing in front of him. “Here, Dad. Apartment assignments.”
Dad took the cards. “Thanks, sweetie. And don’t worry. Shannon will be fine.”
I waited for my stomach to loosen and my hands to stop sweating at his encouragement, but with each second that passed, the pit in my stomach grew. “I really hope I’m not too late.”
I walked over to where Victoria stood, talking with Bethany, who, for once, wasn’t wearing jeans but a pair of black leggings that stopped just above her ankles and a long white t-shirt with purple cursive letters that spelled out Lighters Are Awesome on the front.
“If we end up doing school down here, I could definitely use the help,” Victoria was saying, “but you might want to ask one of the Lighter trainers, if that’s what you really want to do.”
Bethany pumped her fist. “Yes! Thanks, Ms. V.” She looked at me, face bright with excitement. An emotion I rarely saw down here. “I’m gonna be her TA.”
I held up a hand for a high-five. Bethany hit my palm with a slap. It sucked that she had to spend the last of her senior year down in this dirt hole. “Awesome! I wouldn’t expect anything less. Is your mom here?”
“Yeah. Over by your dad.” Bethany picked up a large black bag off the ground, swinging it over her shoulder. “Where do we go?”
“Lindsey!” Lily crashed into me with such a strong hug that we both nearly fell over. “Shannon isn’t here yet! Go find her! Please!”
I pulled her arms from around my waist, taking her hands, the fear in her words making me want to run to the top and bring Shannon down here right now. “Hey, calm down. I’m gonna go get her. I promise.” I kissed the top of Lily’s head. “Go with Mom and Dad, okay? I’m gonna take Victoria to her apartment. As soon as we find out which one she’s in.” I scanned the crowd until I spotted Dad and Dave walking toward us. He walked with a purpose, his steps long and quick, his face pale. His blue eyes, however, held the warmth of a man who hadn’t been stuck in a dark, dirty secret location for twenty years. As they drew closer, I could make out a scar on his left cheek. A scar I hadn’t noticed a few minutes ago. Or the last time I’d seen him a couple of weeks ago.
“Everyone!” Dad called. “Please gather over here.” As the group assembled, he said, “This is Dave Babcock. He runs this facility and has graciously allowed as many people as possible to come down here until it’s safe to go back up top again. My daughter Lindsey is now a Watcher and will be helping transport as many people as she can down here, with the help of several others.”
“I’m very pleased to have you all join us,” Mr. Babcock spoke up, his voice carrying across the group. “We’ve already assigned everyone to an apartment, which contains two bedrooms that can hold two people. Principal Cooper will hand you a card with your building and apartment number on it. There will be a tour of the facility in an hour.”
“Girls,” Dad said as he approached us, “Victoria, you’ll be in Building F with Shannon, apartment two seventeen. I’m going to put Sarah and Lily in the room next door to you and Shannon.” As he held out a white card, I took it from him. “The code to the apartment. Memorize it and tear this up.”
I handed the card to her. “Don’t lose that. I’ll read it to you when we get there.”
I waited until Victoria had a hold of my elbow and started down the path, walking slow, reading the gold numbers on the side of the buildings. Lights stood on large black poles, their bulbs like tiny heads. Grimy, hazy light spilled over the street in lines that reminded me of a prison cell door. Gravel crunched beneath me, my footsteps slow and hesitant. A kind of eerie peace hung in the air, but I couldn’t relish in it for long as the smell of dirt itched my nostrils. I’d learned to deal with the dark and grime.
“This place is huge,” Victoria whispered. Our feet crunched the gravel in almost the same rhythm. “I’ll never learn my way around here.”
“Yes, you will.” I picked up the pace a little bit. “You’ll be walking around here like you own the place in no time.” I didn’t dare tell her the smell of dirt was getting to me.
I paused in front of a set of steps, visible enough that I could make out the cracks in the brick. I glanced right then left at the other set of steps, probably in the same condition.
“What’s wrong?” Victoria asked. Her hand tightened around my elbow.
“These steps are really uneven; be careful.” I took my time, leading Victoria and telling her when to step. When we reached the top, I looked at the card again.
“What apartment number am I?” Victoria asked.
I typed in the code on the keypad next to the door. It swung open with a single beep. “You’re in number two seventeen, apartment F. Remember that.” I whispered the code to her. “Got it?”
“Yes.”
As we stepped over the threshold, my feet met carpet. My mouth fell open. In all my time down here, I’d never actually been in an apartment. There was never a need to. I was always in the conference room for meetings or the cafeteria. Standing here now, the contrast between this room and outside was like stepping into a whole other world. A deep red couch ran along the wall to the right of the door. A multi-colored rug with a pattern that weaved in and out covered almost the entire room. Two dark straight-back chairs flanked a square wooden coffee table while two end tables did the same for the couch. One lamp on each table cast the room in a soft yellow glow.
I walked through the living room toward the door straight ahead that led into a fairly large room with one set of bunk beds, both covered in a dark red bedspread. Not
exactly my taste, but it was better than the alternative. The wardrobes that were set opposite the door reminded me of one of those net-viewer period dramas where everyone wore fancy dresses and lived in huge mansions. The single lamp sitting on the small table next to the wardrobes hardly gave the room any light. The bunk beds were pretty much in the dark, but Victoria would be okay once we got her a new cane.
“It’s no palace,” Victoria said at last, her voice lighter than in the last hour. “But we’ll be safe here.” She looked at me as she said it. “Right?”
“Right. I’m going to make sure you are.” I untangled from Victoria’s hold. “I gotta go get some more people. I’ll be back.” I squeezed Victoria’s shoulder. With a wave to Shannon, I headed out the door and down the steps.
“Lindsey, meet me by the entrance,” Mark said.
“Okay.” I teleported to find Mark waiting, the street empty except for a few people.
“We just got assigned our first few pickups.” He shook his head, expression grim. “I just got a net-call from my commander. Evacuations have finally hit Caldwell. We gotta stop by the station first.”
I sighed, feet dragging through the dirt as I followed him toward the door. It was beginning.
Chapter Nine
VICTORIA
I dropped my bag in front of the wardrobe and knelt down on the rug next to it. Time to try and make this place livable. A thin line of light spilled over the rug and the bag of clothes from the lamp on the table by the wardrobe, but it was the musty smell pouring out of it that made me wrinkle my nose.
I reached up to run my hands over the bottom shelf and immediately pulled them back. Eww. It was covered in dust. I wiped my hands on my pants as a clanking sound echoed behind me. I turned as it came again. A cane hitting the door. Sarah. I got to my feet.
“Victoria?” Sarah asked as she came further into the room. “Is Lindsey gonna bring my mom?”
