by Jess Petosa
Ally had seen Exceptional guards move through the woods at a dizzying pace, their bodies almost a blur as they ran. She couldn’t imagine the Rogues, whose appearance sounded extra frightening, moving through the woods at an even faster rate.
“We need to tell the others,” she stood and straightened her clothes. “They need to know.”
Luke jumped up and grabbed her arm. “We can’t, Ally. I promised my father. I shouldn’t even be telling you, but he knew he could never control that.”
“You said everyone would know soon enough, so why not now?”
“The information needs to be given in a proper way. If you tell the others, and they let it slip, the news will travel through the City by way of gossip. There is a good chance there will be widespread panic.”
“I think there will be widespread panic either way,” Ally said.
Luke nodded. “I’m not saying there won’t, but Aden needs a chance to deliver the message with the best information he can give.”
A bell chimed, signaling that their dinner had arrived through the chute in Luke’s room. He left Ally’s side and went over to grab the trays, setting them up on the table in the corner. As she watched him, she couldn’t help but finally feel the panic that was rising up within her. Deep down, she had a feeling everything Aden had told Luke about the Rogues was true, but she still had trouble trusting him. Aden had killed her mother, and with out cause. He couldn’t have the best interest of others in mind; the only person that mattered in his mind was himself. It scared her that Luke trusted him so easily now. All of this information was even more reason for Ally to take the others and leave the City with them, and soon.
Ally didn’t bother leaving Luke’s room that night. She couldn’t face Stosh or her friends knowing what she knew, and not being able to tell them. She took a shower until the hot water ran cold, and then stood under the water for several more minutes. Luke finally had to come in and drag her out and she couldn’t even feel embarrassed that he saw her undressed. He wrapped her in several towels while her teeth chattered from the cold, her body attempting to warm itself up. Exceptionals didn’t feel extreme temperatures like an Ordinary did, which was a further sign that her body was still going through the changing process.
It wasn’t until she was dressed and in bed, wrapped in the warmth of Luke’s embrace, that she finally broke down and allowed herself to cry. She cried for her mother. She cried for Stosh. She cried for the Ordinarys still in the ORC. She cried for the life she had lost, and the uncertainty of her future. Tears spilled out of her eyes and onto Luke’s shirt, and he held her tightly until she cried herself to sleep, silently willing the nightmares to stay away.
And they did.
Chapter Twenty-Two
When she woke up the next morning, she was still cradled in Luke’s embrace. Her face felt stiff from the tears that had dried on her cheeks, and she could already tell that her eyes were puffy. She leaned her head up toward Luke’s and found that he was awake, watching her carefully.
“You must think I’m insane,” she said with a small laugh.
“Nah.” He smiled, but his eyes remained cautious. “I think you care a lot about your friends and family, and would do anything to see them safe. I may not show it in a similar way, but I’m just as terrified as you. All I’ve been able to think about is how I am going to keep you safe. I haven’t done such a good job so far.”
Ally smiled. “You saved me that day in the woods, when we first met. With out you, who knows where I would be right now, or what I would be doing.”
This time he leaned forward to kiss her and their mouths met. They lay that way for a while, ignoring the constant buzzes from the kitchen announcing that breakfast was ready. Finally, Sabine knocked loudly on the door, saying that if they didn’t come out, Stosh was threatening to come in.
“Stosh,” Ally pulled back from Luke, sitting up. “I almost forgot that he is here. I think somewhere inside; I was hoping it was a nightmare. That he was home, safe, in the settlement.”
“Right now, inside the City might be the safest place for him.” Luke pointed out, sitting up next to her.
She ignored him, jumping out of bed and running her hand through her hair. She had slept in Luke’s room before, and in the same bed as him, but something about her brother knowing this scared her. She had never dated anyone back in the settlement, so she had never seen that protective side of him. She had no idea how he would react when he saw her, or what he was thinking right now. And truthfully, she felt awful for spending the night in Luke’s bed, knowing that she was leaving him. Unless of course, she could convince him to come with her.
When she, Luke, and Sabine stepped into the kitchen, they found Asher, Flint, and Stosh all gathered around the table, shoving food into their mouths. Stosh actually had a smile on his face, and laughed at something one of the other boys had said. Ally stepped toward the table hesitantly.
“Hey,” she said.
Stosh looked up and smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Hey Al. The food here is amazing.”
He shoved another spoonful of scrambled eggs into his mouth.
“Can we talk?” she asked, motioning toward the doors that led to the back garden.
He nodded, pushing his plate back and standing up. Luke stepped beside her but she told him to stay, leading just Stosh out onto the patio. She kept walking until she found her way to the fountain and the bench she had begun to call her own. After they were seated she took Stosh’s hand, cupping it the way she used to when they were much younger.
“You’ve changed.” Stosh spoke first, still not meeting her gaze.
“Stosh, look at me,” she said, waiting until he raised his head and their eyes met. “I might look different, but I’m still the same Ally.”
Stosh shook his head. “It isn’t just your looks. You are becoming more like them in demeanor as well.” He pointed toward the house.
“There is no them for me anymore, Stosh.” She thought back to her reflection in the mirror last night. She had to come to terms with what she was becoming. “I am an Exceptional now.”
“What’s that mean for us?” he asked.
She looked at the fountain, which was turned off at the moment. “I don’t see why it has to mean anything. You’ll always be my twin bother, Stosh.”
“Will they let me go home? I’m not sure I want to stay here.”
Ally frowned. “I can’t answer that, but I am guessing it will be quite the fight to send you home. There is a reason that Ordinarys never return from the City.”
Ally filled him in on her time in the City so far. She told him about her arrival and getting to know Luke and the others. She tried to paint the picture as brightly as she could, so he could see how wonderful people here really could be, Exceptionals and Ordinarys alike. It was harder to fill him in on the breeding center, and he grew visibly angered when she talked about her time there. She told him about how she ended up at the Warehouse, and how she found out that she was an Exceptional. Their journeys collided the following day in Aden’s office.
Stosh listening intently, managing to hold her gaze. “I’m just glad you are alive. I spent weeks wondered what had happened to you after the Guards had taken you, and then Luke showed up. As much as I hate to admit it, I can tell that guy really cares about you.”
Ally smiled. “I care about him, too.”
Stosh rolled his eyes. “Can we change the subject before I lose my breakfast.”
“What have you been doing, back in the settlement?” Ally asked, having been curious about this her whole time here.
Stosh leaned back and looked up at the cloudless sky. “That day that you were taken, I ran all the way back to the settlement. By the time I arrived I was so out of breath, and so upset, it took me almost thirty minutes to start explaining what had happened. Of course, there was nothing we could do. It was just like when they come for volunteers, being brought into the City is final. I thought they would all be
angry with me for leaving you, but life went back to normal, as if you had chosen to go instead of being captured. Mother and I mourned in private that night, realizing that we would never see you again.”
“We had to continue on with ours lives. We still did our daily work and joined in the required settlement activities, but nothing was enjoyable. I stopped going out with our friends, thinking that if you couldn’t be there to enjoy it, I shouldn’t either. Almost every afternoon, I went back to the boundary line, saying that I would jump it for you. Each day I tried, but I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do the very thing that made me lose you. A few times I contemplated marching across the creek and into Exceptional territory, hoping that they would take me inside and I could rescue you, but I knew I couldn’t leave mother alone. She was so broken after you left, losing me too would have killed her.”
He choked out the last words, a single tear rolling down his cheek. Ally felt tears roll down her own cheeks and she slipped an arm around Stosh, leaning her head on his shoulder. “At the beginning of my time here, I kept asking myself why I had to jump the boundary line that day. If I had just stayed back, like you wanted to, then I would still be in the settlement with you and Mother. Right now, she would still be alive. But good things have happened to me while I’ve been here, so I cannot completely regret it.”
“Good things like Luke?” Stosh pulled back from her.
“Yes, like Luke,” she said.
“You know, I don’t trust him, because of who his father is.”
Ally nodded her head slightly. “I can understand that. I’m just asking you to give him a chance.”
They stared at the fountain for a little while longer, neither of them speaking. Eventually they found their way back into the house and Stosh headed off on a house tour led by Sabine, Asher, and Flint. Luke stayed behind and waited with Ally, taking her hand in his.
“What happens now?” she asked.
“We head to the Institute, where you’ll begin your training. It was one of Aden’s requirements for me taking you home so early. He trusts me more now, and I need to keep my word.”
Ally didn’t like the idea of going to the Institute. It took her further from the boundary wall, and further from her plan of escaping. But she needed to do this for Luke right now, and she couldn’t help but be curious about her own abilities. If there was any chance that they could help her once she was outside of the City, then she needed to learn how to use them properly.
The walk to the Institute felt different than before. Instead of shrinking into the crowd and keeping her eyes focused on her feet, she walked with her head held high. She was an Exceptional now, and she needed to start acting like one. Luke held her hand, leading her through the streets. A few Exceptionals recognized her from the Warehouse and stopped to say hello. Others whispered to each other while they watched her pass, giving Ally a sinking feeling about what they might be saying.
Pax met them in the Institute lobby and gave Ally a hug, startling her. “Welcome to the group.”
Luke laughed. “Don’t scare her out of it Pax.”
Pax backed up, still grinning. “Ready for your first day of training?”
Ally didn’t know much about Luke’s friends, but Pax seemed kind enough. Despite being trained to be an Exceptional Guard, he was always smiling and paid her some attention when she was around. She smiled back, trying not to grow too attached. She wouldn’t be around him for long.
“As ready as I can be,” she responded.
“I’ll take you to the training center. We have practice for the graduation ceremony today,” Luke said as he pulled her away from Pax.
“Ceremony?” Ally raised an eyebrow.
“They put us in these black robes and make us listen to a speech from my father. It signifies our passing from teenage Exceptionals to adults. It officially gives us the right to move into our career training, and if you are a guy, grow your hair out.” Luke rubbed his hand through his short hair.
Ally laughed. “I don’t know if I can picture you with anymore hair than that.”
“It’s been buzzed my whole life, so I am right there with you.” He led her down a main hall to the right and into the elevator. They went down several flights before the machine stopped and they exited into another hall.
“I wish I could stay with you,” Luke said, turning around to face her.
“I wish you could too, but even if you didn’t have anywhere to be, this is probably something I need to do on my own. I need to know that I can handle this.” She leaned forward and kissed him. “I’ll see you at lunch?”
He nodded. “I’ll see you then.”
He stepped back into the elevator and Ally watched him until the doors closed. She followed the hall to a large, open room. Several other Exceptionals were there working with their own abilities, and she tried to picture Luke in this very room, practicing along with them.
A female Exceptional came up from behind her. “You must be Ally. I’m Dr. Loo. Shall we get started?”
The female wore a long, white lab coat, showing that she was a doctor. She was shorter than Ally, which was surprising, and had a round face and almond shaped eyes, like Maver. Ally shook away memories of the doctors from the ORC, and from Aden’s office, and tried to focus on the task she was being handed today. She needed to get a better grasp of her abilities and what they were.
Dr. Loo led her into a small room off to the side of the main training area. “We’ll first need to get an idea of what you can do now, so we can assess and decide what you might be able to do in the future.”
Ally looked down at her hands. “I’m not sure that I can do anything now. I’ve only used my abilities twice, and both times I was extremely angry and very upset.”
Dr. Look tapped her fingers along her porta-comp, making notes. “I want you to close your eyes.”
Ally did as she asked, spacing her legs apart for balance.
Dr. Loo continued, “Search within yourself for the energy that binds your abilities. Feel for the buzzing it creates in you, that vibrating energy it puts off.”
Ally did as Dr. Look asked, even though she thought she would be unsuccessful. She had no idea how she would find that inner energy with out something making her mad first. Right now she only felt frustrated that she couldn’t display any sort of ability, like the other Exceptionals. She was about to tell Dr. Loo that it was hopeless when she felt something. Something buzzed beneath her ribs, pulsing with her heart rate. She kept her eyes closed and tried to focus on the energy, finding that she could almost feel it, as though she were touching it with her hands. There it was; a small orb of light floating at the center of her being.
“I have it,” she managed to croak out.
“Good!” Dr. Loo sounded pleased. “Now help it expand. Imagine it growing until it travels upward and into your arms.
Again, Ally did as she was asked, and was surprised at how quickly the energy responded to her thoughts. She could feel, as well as see, it moving upward and through her body. The vibrating energy filled her completely, and she could feel her control over it. She opened her eyes, knowing she could still keep focus of it.
Dr. Loo was smiling. “Now, we know that you can blast objects backwards, which tells us you can probably move them around as well.”
She took a red rubber ball from a bin in the corner of the room and placed it on the floor between them. “I want you to raise this ball off the floor, and move it back to the bin.”
Ally nodded and focused on the ball, raising her arms like she had seen others do, and like she had done when she used her abilities before. Her fingers tingled from her energy and she looked at the ball, imaging it moving across the room. A bright light burst from her palms, and they energy escaped her almost all at once. She quickly gained control of it, pulling her hands back to her body.
Dr. Loo had jumped to the back wall, an amused look on her face. “Usually we are trying to increase the output of energy in Exceptionals, but
for you, we are going to need to work on holding it in until we see what you can do.”
Ally stared at the spot where the ball had been just moments before. Shards of red rubber scattered around a black scorch mark in the floor.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Don’t apologize. You aren’t the first Exceptional to destroy an object, and you won’t be the last. This is why you are here Ally, so that we can work on your abilities. We can’t have you running around the City with an unknown power. We want to help you contain it, and control it, so you don’t pose a danger to yourself or anyone else.”
Ally nodded. “Let’s do it again.”
Dr. Loo grabbed another red ball from the bin. “I have at least a dozen more of these in there.”
“Bring it on,” Ally said.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Luke waited anxiously in the lunchroom, hoping Ally would arrive soon. He had been nervous to leave her down in the training center, knowing just how overwhelming it could be at first. He hoped she was having success with whichever trainer they paired her with, and that she hadn’t injured herself or anyone else in the process.
Maver walked up to the table, a tray in his hand. “I know you’re eating with Ally today, but I need to tell you something. I went to the ORC, like you asked, and looked for the Ordinary you mentioned.”
“And?” Luke sat up straighter, intent on listening to Maver’s information.
“They said she had been moved to one of the housing units,” he responded. “And I think you know what that means.”
Luke kicked the leg of the table. “She’s pregnant.”
