by Jess Petosa
“Foot races just aren’t the same in the City,” Maver laughed, starting to pull himself up the wall.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Luke responded, following his lead.
Once they were over the wall and into the City, they retrieved a bag they had hidden in a bush nearby. They pulled clean, white uniforms from it and changed behind one of the homes, throwing the gray clothes into a nearby trash bin. They slipped into the street and made their way toward the City Center, falling into the foot traffic of the other Exceptionals.
“Did you accomplish what you went out there for?” Maver whispered beside Luke.
He nodded. “I did what I could.”
Pax spotted a few of his fellow Guard trainees and took off from the group, saying that maybe he would see them at the Warehouse tomorrow, the biggest fight day of the month. They ran into a group of friends from the Institute who happened to be going to the Warehouse this afternoon. Maver joined them but Luke decided against going, choosing to head home to Ally instead. She would be back from her errands with Sabine soon and all he wanted to do right now was spend more time with her.
On the way to his house, he battled with whether or not he would tell her about his trip to see Stosh. If she knew that Luke could leave the City so easily, she might ask him to take her to see her family, or even to help her escape. He knew that she cared for him, and wanted to be with him, but the temptation might be too much. If he didn’t tell her, it might backfire on him like the ORC had. In the end, he decided to wait until she brought the subject of her family or the settlement up again before he would determine what he would do.
Chapter Fifteen
The following morning, Ally slipped out of Luke’s bed and walked over to wear he lay sleeping on the couch. With a smile on her face, she leaned forward and jumped onto his chest, holding her head up so that she could see his expression. Instead of being entertained by the sight of his surprised face, she learned the lesson that you should never surprise an Exceptional. Especially one with strong abilities.
Luke’s violet eyes popped open and she was shot up into the air. Before gravity could bring her back down, she found herself floating just inches from the ceiling. Luke still lay on the couch below her, his palms facing up at her.
“Not a good idea.” Luke’s face held a stern expression but as he continued to look at her, it softened until his mouth pulled up in a crooked smile. “I like having this kind of power over you.”
Once Ally’s body had landed safely on his, she leaned forward and kissed him quickly. “Sorry about that. I guess I didn’t expect that much of a reaction from you.”
Luke laughed. “I’ve never had someone sneak up on me before.”
“No way.” She gave him a look of disbelief. “Stosh and I had a running tally going of how many times we could scare each other. I was just starting to pull ahead before I left the settlement.”
Ally noticed Luke’s expression change at the mention of her brother. He seemed to be struggling privately, as if he had something he needed to say.
“Luke?” She said reached out and touched his face.
Rather than responding, he grabbed the back of her head and pulled her in for a kiss. A moment later he had flipped her underneath him and had his body pressed into her, his lips grazing her neck ever so softly.
A small groan escaped her throat before she pushed him back. “You make it hard for me to hold myself back.”
He kissed her hard on the mouth before pushing himself up and off of her, leaning back against the couch. “That isn’t such a bad thing.”
She cocked her head, shooting him a look, and rolled off the couch. “What’s the plan for today?”
“I was actually thinking about going to the Warehouse today. It’s the first Sunday of the month, which is the biggest fight day.” He grabbed hold of her and pulled her down on his lap.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up at him. “Oh, could I come with you? I’m interested in seeing what that place is all about.”
Luke frowned. “I wish you could, but it would be a very bad idea. Besides, I doubt you would enjoy it as much as you think.”
“Why not?” She said, implying that the question was for both parts of what he had said.
He used a free hand to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. “The Warehouse rules change on the first Sunday of the month. It is the day when Exceptionals can bring things to barter with in their fights, including Ordinarys. If you came, another Exceptional could challenge me to a fight and demand that I hand over my contract with you if I lose.”
“Couldn’t you just refuse?” Ally understood why Luke had said she wouldn’t enjoy the Warehouse very much. It was just another place for Ordinarys to be objectified and mistreated.
“I could refuse to fight, but that really isn’t my style. And even if I knew I could win, it wouldn’t be worth the risk. It is much easier to leave you here, where I know you’ll be safe.”
Ally smiled. “I guess I can understand that. I’m sure Sabine has more errands that I can run with her.”
“That’s another thing.” Luke gave her a push off his lap and stood up beside her. “I need you to stay home today, just in case. Sundays are big at the Warehouse, and I don’t want to risk something happening to you while I’m there, or because I’m there.”
She nodded her head, even though inwardly she could feel the rebellious side of her fighting to speak up. She didn’t want to be controlled, or treated weaker than anyone else, but there were still many things she didn’t understand about the City.
“Maybe I’ll spend some time in the garden today. I haven’t been to the fountain in awhile,” she thought out loud.
“I’m glad someone is enjoying that place as much as my mother used to.” He pulled away from her and slipped into the bathroom to get ready.
Ally ended up spending the morning folding laundry with Sabine, and helping Mazzi rearrange the kitchen cabinets. Even though they were not her chores, she felt like she had a purpose by helping. She didn’t want the other Ordinarys to think of her just as Luke’s ORC contract. She wanted to be worth more.
After they had eaten a light lunch Sabine checked her work list. “I have to run some errands to the outer suburbs. Do you want to come with?”
Ally hesitated, thinking back to what Luke had said earlier. Maybe he had just assumed that Sabine and Ally couldn’t handle themselves outside of the home if something were to happen. She didn’t want to stay inside every time Luke went to the Warehouse with his friends, or to the Institute.
“Only if Asher comes,” she said, coming up with some sort of compromise in her head.
Asher looked up from his lunch, seemingly surprised. “Um, okay.”
By the time they left the house and were on their way toward the outer suburbs, Ally already felt better about her decision. She was walking between Sabine and Asher and she took a moment to loop each of her arms through one of theirs.
“I could stay out in this warm weather all day long. I don’t want the summer to end,” Ally said.
They were in the third month of summer, which was generally the hottest, but it also meant that chiller weather was right around the corner.
“You’ve seemed… happy, lately.” Asher said, his arm tense under hers.
“I have been happy. I am happy,” she responded. “What do you expect me to feel?”
Sabine shrugged. “We are glad you are happy, Ally. It is just concerning how quickly you flipped a switch between being emotionally broken in the ORC to being bright and chipper back home. It is what I wanted for you, especially with how comfortable you’ve become with Luke, but do you think maybe you’re pushing your other feelings inside and not dealing with them?”
Ally pulled her arms from theirs and wrapped them over her stomach. “I can’t sit around and focus on the negative anymore. My situation isn’t going to change, so I need to make what I can of it. Plus, I have Luke now. If I need to be in the City for
the rest of my life, with him is where I want to be. One day, when Luke is leader, we’ll get the ORC shut down and then I’ll really be able to let those memories go.”
“I just hope that he lives up to everything you believe him to be.” Asher said in a low voice.
“Me too,” Ally said, focusing on the street in front of her.
“So, where are we headed?” Asher changed the subject.
“Mrs. Mathias needs me to pick up a message from an acquaintance of hers. Apparently they don’t currently have an Ordinary that can deliver it. Then we need to stop at the market and get more fruits and vegetables. Pretty simple.” Sabine took another look at her list before folding it neatly and placing it back in her pocket.
“Exceptionals can be so lazy sometimes.” Asher rolled his eyes. “Sure, they say that they are busy training and taking lessons, but the majority of them that have already graduated waste their time on stupid activities.”
Ally had never heard Asher speak like this before. He always completed his work list each day with out complaint.
“You would like it in the settlement.” She turned her head so that she could look at him.
“You think?” he asked.
“No person there is more important than another. Sure, some jobs may seem harder than others, but we are always reminded that even the small pieces of the puzzle hold us all together.” Ally thought back to all the times she had heard Po give the same speech to a younger Ordinary that wasn’t completely happy with his or her work assignment.
“And when it isn’t a work day, we can run through the woods, swim in the ponds, and do whatever we want. The Guards only patrol through two or three times a week, so for the most part it is Exceptional free. There may not be as many luxuries there, running water for one, but the settlement definitely has its positives.”
As Ally spoke to Asher, she could feel a longing growing within her. From the moment she walked through the stone tunnel into the City, a part of her started to consider that she would forever be stuck within these walls. Ordinarys had never returned home before, so why would she? Then once she was in the ORC it became clear why no one came home. They were not allowed. Since then she had come to an understanding with herself that she would live in the City with Luke, and that they would be happy together. But what if she could go back to the settlement? What if she were given the choice? Would she choose to go home and be with her family, or would she choose to stay here with Luke?
“Ally…” Sabine grabbed her arm.
“Sorry, my mind was wandering again,” she responded. Ally was sure that they were wondering why she had suddenly stopped talking to them.
“No, Ally.” Sabine pointed in front of them.
They had reached the outer suburbs, the area of the City with smaller homes that were all shoved together tightly along the main road. Despite the volume of homes, there were barely any Exceptionals or Ordinarys on the street. Either they were in the City Center at this time of day, or they were inside their homes relaxing.
Ally followed Sabine’s finger to a spot in the road about twenty yards in front of them. Four Exceptionals stood there, spread out across the width of the street. There were three males and one female, and one of the males stood out further from the rest. Ally figured he must be the leader of their little group because he looked like he was trying awfully hard to be a tough guy.
“Tighe,” Asher said under his breath before turning to Ally and Sabine. “We should get out of here.”
The name sounded familiar to Ally, but she couldn’t quite place it. The Exceptionals moved forward, their quick steps covering the short distance in seconds. Now they stood just a yard in front of Ally, Sabine, and Asher, their violet eyes narrowing in a threatening way.
“Can you let us pass?” Ally asked, trying to make it obvious how unimpressed she was with the four Exceptionals.
The male in front, the one Asher had addressed as Tighe, smirked. “Normally I would. But today… today I have plans for you, Ally.”
Ally shivered at the way he said her name. “What would those plans be?”
“You are just going to have to come along and find out,” he said as he stepped toward her.
What happened next was a blur to Ally, but from what she could gather, Asher tried to step in front of her in some sort of defense. Either with abilities or the use of his Exceptional strength, Tighe sent Asher flying across the road and into some trash bins outside one of the homes.
Ally put her hands up. “I’ll go with you, you don’t need to hurt my friends.”
“Maybe they should be more careful,” Tighe spat at Sabine.
Sabine squealed and backed up, cowering behind Ally.
“Sabine, go see if Asher is okay. Then I want you take him home,” Ally said, hoping that once home, Sabine could find Luke and tell him what had happened.
Sabine nodded quickly and rushed to the side of the road, leaning over Asher’s body. The collision had knocked him out, but since Sabine managed to remain calm, Ally determined that he must at least still be alive.
“This is Luke’s Ordinary? Are you sure?” The female Exceptional sneered. She had long dark hair pulled into a slick, high ponytail. She was tall, like the others, and had angular cheekbones that jutted out of her already intense face.
“I’m sure. We better go before a crowd begins to gather,” Tighe said.
Ally noticed that a few Exceptionals had stopped to watch them. They didn’t seem overly worried about her well being, or about Asher’s limp body on the ground. They probably witnessed this type of Ordinary treatment every day. Tighe grabbed a hold of Ally’s arm and began to pull her along, keeping his grip tight. The four of them didn’t share any conversation as she was pulled through the streets. She doubted the Exceptionals had much to say to each other that she was welcome to hear.
They walked past homes and shops, and even right past Luke’s neighborhood. She hoped that Asher was starting to come to and that Sabine could get him on his feet and home soon. Flint could easily find Luke, or even Pax and Maver, and explain what happened. Ally tried not to focus on how mad Luke would be when he found out she had left the house, but instead how relieved he would be to get her back safely. She just needed to figure out where Tighe was taking her, and hoped that Luke would as well. Suddenly, she knew where she had heard his name before.
“I recognize your name now,” she said. “You are the Exceptional who always challenges Luke to fights. Hasn’t he beaten you several times?”
Tighe stopped in his tracks and jerked her body around to face him. “If I were you, I would keep my mouth shut. Hasn’t anyone taught you that Ordinarys don’t speak unless spoke to?”
Ally made a show of biting down on her lips. She really shouldn’t have spoken at all, but the realization of who Tighe was gave her a better idea of where he was taking her. As they drew closer to the City Center, her suspicions were confirmed. Flint wouldn’t need to find Luke; Tighe would be taking Ally right to him.
Luke had told her just this morning that he needed her to stay home for her own safety, that today was a bad day for her to be out unprotected. She should have listened to him, but it was too late to change that now, no matter how much she wished she could reverse time. Tighe apparently had big plans for today, and they included challenging Luke to a fight. This time, he would have Ally to barter with, and Luke would have to either oblige him or forfeit his contract with her.
“What have I done?” Ally mumbled, realizing that she might have given up everything good she had found in the City. Today she just might lose Luke.
Chapter Sixteen
The Warehouse loomed up in front of them. It was easy to pick out seeing as it was the oldest looking building in City Center. It reminded Ally of the factories they had passed on their way to the Lake. Luke had once explained that the Exceptional teens didn’t want the maintenance crews to work on the appearance. They liked the run down look it had.
Two lines stretched in eithe
r direction in front of the building, and one of them was even starting to curve around the side. Tighe and his friends marched her right up to the double doors, where two teen Exceptionals stood. They were obviously training to become Guards by the way they stood at attention. She felt that familiar uneasiness in her gut as they looked down at her.
“Tighe,” One of the Exceptionals nodded his head and leaned back, opening the door for them. Ally was shoved forward through the doors and into the crowded entryway of the building. Ally could immediately see that the Warehouse was one big open space. The upper floors had been cleared out to open up the building, making the ceiling visible several stories above. Bright lights lit the building and as she was pushed further forward, she could see a make shift concrete circle to the right. It appeared to be a ring for the fights to take place in. In a building this size, she was sure there was more than one of these.
The crowd to her left cheered loudly, signaling that something exciting was happening in one of the current fights. Ally couldn’t see much around her at the moment, since all of the Exceptionals were much taller than her. Tighe regained a hold on her arm and pulled her forward, using his free arm to push Exceptionals out of their way.
“Find Luke,” Tighe said to the female Exceptional who had been traveling with them. She nodded and disappeared into the wall of bodies in front of them.
“He has been here all afternoon, he will probably be leaving soon,” one of the males beside her said.
“Not with her here he won’t,” Tighe grinned.
They finally pushed their way out of the crowd and into the middle of the room. Ally took the chance to grab a better look around, finding that she was right about there being multiple places to fight. There were two rings on either side of the area they stood in now, and each area was surrounded with rows of seats that staggered upward at least one story. It appeared to be built that way so that everyone in the crowd could have a view. The ring closest to her on the left, where the cheers had come from, was now empty and being prepped for a new fight. Ordinarys swept the floor, moping up bodily fluids that Ally couldn’t identify. She suddenly felt nauseous.
