by Cheree Alsop
It was inevitable now. Students were already sending videos to their friends of what had happened. I glanced up and saw Dane standing on the edge of the crowd. He met my eyes and gave a triumphant smile, lifting his phone meaningfully. My heart dropped. With his help, the Academy would definitely find me. The crowd of students, parents, teachers, school faculty, and city workers who had surrounded the building made their way to John, and I felt everyone’s eyes on my wings. I turned and stumbled past a building and into a shadowed alley.
Chapter Fourteen
“You shouldn’t have done it,” Jayce said, pacing the living room.
“You would have done the same thing,” Nikko replied calmly.
“No, I wouldn’t,” Jayce protested.
“Oh, you’re right,” Nikko agreed. “Anyone with a normal heart would have. You, however, would have let John fall to his death.”
“If it meant saving my hide, yes,” Jayce replied, but there was doubt in his voice this time.
“It doesn’t matter,” Brie said. She leaned against my chest, her knees tucked up under her chin as she sat beside me on the couch. “What’s done is done. We have to figure out what to do now.”
“Kale needs to run.” Jayce spoke as though I wasn’t in the room.
“We can hide him here,” Nikko said at the same time.
I shook my head, my voice calm despite the thoughts that tumbled through my mind. “I’ve got to let them take me.”
All three of them turned to stare. Brie’s eyes filled with tears. “Kale?”
I shook my head. “We knew it would happen eventually. We were crazy to believe otherwise. It’s only going to be harder if we don’t accept it.” I glanced out the window at the night sky, amazed they hadn’t found us already. In the back of my mind, a small thought reminded me that my security shift had started a few minutes ago. I wondered if Mr. Mason had found someone to take over.
“You promised,” Brie said, her voice unsteady.
“I said if there was a way,” I reminded her gently. “Now I’ve put us all in danger.”
“John's put us all in danger,” Jayce cut in. He cracked his knuckles. “I hope he knows the result of his stupid action.”
Nikko touched his shoulder. “He knows,” he reminded him quietly.
And he was right. John and his very grateful mother had come to the house earlier, some of the many people who had flocked discreetly to Dr. Ray’s home in pairs and trios to talk about what they had witnessed and give us their encouragement. Several even offered me places to hide, but in the end they all left because they knew what would happen if they were near me when the guards came.
“But you can’t just go,” Jayce argued. “You’ve got to fight it. The system is wrong.”
“Then we have to fight it at its source. None of us has power here,” I said.
“The video’s not done yet,” Nikko argued. “It still needs work.”
“And we need to wait until the Blood Match. It’s imperative that we try to catch as many viewers as we can.” My voice sounded more sure than I felt. “I’ll be fine until then.”
Brie pushed off the couch and left the room. My heart slowed at the sound of a door slamming shut.
I rose from the couch and put on my coat.
“Where are you going?” Nikko asked. Jayce just stared at me.
“I need to clear my head.”
“What if they find you?”
“Better out there than here.” I put a hand on both their shoulders, then went out the front door into the night.
***
I slid my fingers along the rough bricks of the library, remembering all the memories since the day Brie, Nikko, and Jayce had found me and given me a new life. The night air hung heavy with the scent of rain and a breeze ran teasingly through my hair, promising freedom if I took to the skies. Familiar footsteps sounded around the corner.
I looked back to see Jayce hurrying toward me through the mist that had settled over the city grounds like a protective blanket.
Jayce’s hands clenched when he caught up. His eyes were dark and matched the tumultuous night. “What are you still doing here?”
I knew he wouldn't understand, but said it anyway. “I can’t just leave.”
The mist slowly turned into rain. Jayce peered through it at me. “You can’t stay here. They’ll find you.”
The concern in his voice touched me. I remembered his hostility my first days at the house, and sighed silently at the difference our time together had made. “If I leave, they’ll come down on all of you. You know that. It’s better this way.”
Jayce shook his head. “Nikko’s hiding everything. There won’t be any evidence at the house that you were there.”
The thought was surprisingly painful. I turned away, but Jayce grabbed the front of my shirt. Adrenaline rushed through me and I fought down the impulse to flip him onto his back. “You can’t go back, Kale. I can’t see you dead on the Arena floor.”
I stared at him. Rain dripped down my hair and into my eyes. I shook my head to clear it. “We knew this was coming. Deep down, I think we all knew there was never a way to beat the system.”
Jayce shoved me roughly. “Don’t say that. Don’t ever say that. There’s a way; we have the way. The video’s going to work. You just have to wait until it’s ready.”
The urgency in his voice grabbed my heart like a fist. I forced my voice past the knot in my throat. “This is the way, Jayce. I’m the only one who can fight from the inside.”
He stared at me and his chest heaved. He held his hands at his sides and clenched and unclenched his fists. “So that’s it? You’re going to give up? You going to leave us, leave Brie, just like that?”
I fought down the urge to hit something as the anger I had pushed deep down at the situation threatened to rise up and take control. “You don’t get it, Jayce. They know where I am, who I was with. If they don’t find me, they’ll come after you. Then you can all kiss your futures goodbye. They’re relentless.” The rain started to fall harder and I glared at him through it. “I’ve lived at the Academy my whole life. They’ll never give up until they find me. Letting them come for me is the only way to protect you, Nikko, Dr. Ray, and Brie.”
Jayce opened his mouth to argue, but he knew I spoke the truth. He shut his mouth and his jaw clenched, then he spun without a word and left back through the darkness. A pit rose in my stomach. I let the stress that had built up in my muscles fade with a slow breath. I forced my footsteps forward, continuing on my path.
My muscles tensed again at the sight of a form waiting for me next to the new city building, but when I drew closer, I saw that it was Mr. Mason. He turned silently at my approach. When I nodded at him, he fell in beside me.
“I didn’t think you’d show and took over your rounds. You should be with your friends,” he said quietly.
I shook my head. “It’s not safe for them.”
He nodded as we walked together. “That was a brave thing you did back there,” he said after a few minutes.
“You would have done it, too,” I replied.
He hesitated, then tipped his head pointedly toward my back. “If I’d had those, yeah, I probably would have.”
I felt a little bit better and gave him a smile. “Thanks.”
“I always knew you were different,” he said after we had checked the doors to the utilities center and continued down the beat path.
“Really?” I questioned with raised eyebrows. I relished the feeling of the rain as it soaked through my coat.
He shrugged. “Not that I would have guessed how different. But it was the way you carried yourself. Confident, you know? Sure of yourself. Not something these guys have learned yet.” He gestured vaguely toward the school grounds.
I looked away. “Not feeling so sure of myself right now,” I admitted briefly.
He gave another nod. “I can believe it. I wouldn’t blame you for not wanting to go back. I can’t imagine what they do to mak
e you guys fight like that.”
I didn’t answer and instead bent to check the chains around the doors at the front of one of the original settler’s houses to hide my expression.
“It’s okay to be scared, boy,” he said gruffly.
I glanced at him and couldn’t hide the shame I felt. He read it on my face.
“You’re not the only one debating whether to run from a fight. I was a gunner once, and was tempted not to return from leave on more than one occasion.” He took off his hat and for the first time I noticed the blaze of silver that ran through his otherwise brown hair. “That one nearly killed me.” He put his hat back on and we continued on our path through the falling rain.
“What made you go back?” I finally asked.
He sighed. “It was my fight. You’ve got to pick your battles, the ones you can truly make a difference in.” He glanced at me. “You know what I mean?” At my nod, he smiled. “You’ll make the right choice. That doesn’t mean it’s always the easiest.”
We walked on in silence; at the end of the beat, he patted my shoulder and walked away through the darkness. I listened until his footsteps faded away, then slid down the side of the library until I rested with my back against the cold bricks. I put my head on my knees and gave in to the tears.
They were tears of anger at a situation I didn’t want to face, of fear at returning to life at the Academy, of heartache at leaving Brie, of loneliness so sharp it threatened to engulf me. Tears I had never allowed myself to cry mixed with the rain.
After several minutes had passed, I forced the pain back down. I allowed myself one wracking sob, then put the wall back up and once more locked up the emotions that could get me killed. I pushed up from the wall and stared into the rain. An achingly familiar figure stood near the library stairs.
“Brie?”
She pushed her hood back and let the rain fall on her face as she walked down the sidewalk. I couldn’t tell if it was the chill of the rain or crying that made her nose and cheeks red, but the sight slowed my heart and made me want to go to her and hold her in my arms, to tell her everything was going to be alright. I forced myself to hold back. “You shouldn’t be here. You can’t be around when they find me.”
She stopped a few feet away; the rain fell between us. “You’re not spending your last free night alone.”
I shook my head. “It’s too dangerous, you’ve got to-”
She crossed the last few steps while I spoke and silenced me with a kiss. “I won’t let them take this from me,” she whispered when she pulled away. She took my hand and guided me to the back steps of the new city building. I sat on the stairs and she settled next to me, leaning against my shoulder.
I memorized the profile of her face against the lights inside the doors, and breathed in her scent as though it was the last thing I would ever smell. She took one of my hands and gently traced the scars along the back. “You’re not going to be safe in there,” she whispered.
I rested my chin on top of her head. “I wasn’t exactly safe out here,” I replied.
She gave a soft sigh and turned my hand over to run her fingers along my palm. I closed my eyes and enjoyed just feeling her touch and the love that flowed from it. “We should fight them,” she said.
I shook my head. “This is the only way. We knew it would come to this eventually.”
She sat up and met my gaze. “But is it too soon?”
I willed my heart to slow at the pleading in her eyes. “I’ll be alright,” I said, forcing myself to sound unconcerned.
She frowned slightly. “I don’t believe you.”
I gave her a small smile. “I’d rather you think of me safe, then worry about things you can’t control.”
She thought about it for a minute, then sighed again. “I can’t help but worry.”
I brushed a stray strand of hair from her face and twirled it around my fingers. “Will you do me one thing?” I asked quietly.
“What?”
I studied the hair between my fingers to avoid meeting her eyes. “Don’t try to stop them when they come to get me.”
I felt her eyes on me. “I’ve got to,” she said honestly.
I shook my head and looked down at her. “It’ll make it that much harder for me to go and someone could get hurt. We both know I have to do this. If I go quietly, it’ll be better for everyone.” I held her gaze. “Will you do that for me?”
Tears filled her soft brown eyes again, but she blinked them back and nodded. “Yes.” She buried her head against my chest and I held her tight, fearing every second that brought us closer to being apart. I counted each breath and memorized the way her hair fell over her shoulders. She eventually fell asleep in my arms. I traced her cheek softly, hoping my fingers would remember the touch of her skin after I returned to the brutality of the Academy. I held her close and watched the dawn rise slowly out of the darkest night I could remember.
***
Brie, Nikko, Jayce, and I entered Dr. Ray’s classroom together. Talking abruptly ceased and all eyes turned to us. I made my way to my regular chair near the back of the classroom with Brie at my arm.
“Kale?”
I turned to see Dr. Ray walk through the door.
“Yes, sir?”
“Come here.”
I glanced at Brie; she watched Dr. Ray in uncertainty. We hadn’t spoken since our conversation on the city building steps the night before. There was nothing else to say between us but lingering gazes and the touch of fingertips. Love beat so strongly in my chest that my heart threatened to burst free. I knew it would break the second I walked out the door and out of Brie’s life. But for now, I gave her a reassuring smile and went back up to the front of the classroom.
“You needn’t wear this any longer,” Dr. Ray said. Without waiting for an answer, he helped me out of my coat and tossed it toward the garbage can near the door. It landed in a heap on the ground. He gave me a sharp nod. “Be proud of who you are. We’re proud of you.”
Several students nodded and smiled at me as I made my way back to my desk. I sat down, feeling exposed and liberated at the same time. Dr. Ray could get in a lot of trouble if the authorities showed up and realized he had known I was Galdoni. The thought that he dared let me show it in his classroom filled me with a kind of proud wonder.
Dr. Ray was a few minutes into his lecture when the door burst open and ten armed guards shoved their way through. Dane stood triumphantly next to the head guard. He gave me a wicked grin.
“I’m teaching a class here,” Dr. Ray told them calmly.
“Silence,” a guard with a black armband commanded. “We’ve come to take KL426 back to the Academy where he belongs.”
“He belongs here,” Dr. Ray stated in the same even tone. Several students chuckled at the look of frustration on the guard’s face. The guard turned and scanned the students with an impatient gaze. His eyes fell on me and widened slightly. He took a step in my direction.
“He’s a student,” Steven, one of Zach’s friends from the party, said. He rose and blocked the aisle to my desk.
“Yeah,” Brandi, a girl who was also in my economics class, seconded. She rose to stand behind him.
A red-headed boy stood wordlessly behind her, and others followed until every student in the room grouped in front of my desk. Their actions threatened to break my careful composure.
“Get out of our way or we’ll make you move,” the head guard threatened. He lifted his gun.
My heart beat loudly in my chest, but I forced down any show of emotion. “It’s okay; let them through.”
Several of the students glanced back at me. Steven met my eyes and shook his head. I nodded and he reluctantly stepped back. The head guard gave a grim smile and pushed his way past them to my desk.
“KL426?” he demanded.
“My name is Kale,” I stated firmly.
He lifted his gun threateningly, anger evident on his face. I merely smiled. “If you’re coming to arrest a person, y
ou’d better make sure you have the right name.”
The students around me gave small laughs, but the guard glowered. “You’re not a person, you’re a Galdoni and a threat to these students. I am under orders to take you off these premises immediately. Resistance will be punished by death.”
“Then I’d better not resist,” I said, my tone heavily laced with sarcasm.
The guard glared at me, uncertain whether I had agreed to come with him or not. I rose and he took an involuntary step back. I gave a grim smile. “Lead the way, oh fearless escort.”
Students mocked him as we walked to the front of the room. I looked back and caught Brie’s eyes. ‘I love you’, I mouthed, and then was shoved roughly out the door.
Chapter Fifteen
My welcome back to the Academy was about what I had expected. The guards led me through the gates that I had hoped to never enter again, across the cement courtyard, through the giant, four-inch-thick metal doors, and into my old cell where they attached my handcuffs to a chain hanging from the ceiling and proceeded to beat me to within an inch of my life, which hurt a lot more than I remembered.
When they finally released the chains and let me collapse on the floor, I curled in on my broken ribs and bruised organs. Even breathing hurt. Images of Brie and my life at school felt like a dream, but a dream I wanted to return to more than anything. Pain throbbed from every inch of my body, but as I felt the ache of familiar scars, I blocked out all other thoughts but the memory of gentle hands tending to my wounds, soft laughter around a familiar table, and the scent of lavender shampoo in the rain. I fell into a merciful sleep several hours later with Brie’s name on my lips.
***
The sound of a plate being shoved through the slot in the door woke me. All I could think of was no, no, no. Not here. Don’t let me be here. I finally forced my eyes open and saw the cold gray walls and iron door that had been my home for most of my life.
