Exceptional

by Jess Petosa

  “I tried,” Maver shrugged his shoulders.

  “I know, and I appreciate it.” Ally walked into the lunchroom just then, looking around for him. “Hey, we’ll talk more later.”

  He stood and waved to Ally, who had finally noticed him. She had an intense look on her face, and she strode across the cafeteria with heavy steps. He kept the grin on his face, hopeful that she would have something good to report, and pulled her into his arms when she drew close enough.

  “How did it go?” he asked.

  She pulled back and looked thoughtful for a minute. “Do you want the good or the bad?”

  “The good.”

  She smiled. “I was able to move two red balls across the room with out touching them.”

  “That’s good,” he responded, knowing that there was more coming.

  “But I moved them so quickly that they shot through the walls and into the training area. One took out two male Exceptionals that were practicing with fire.”

  Luke stifled a laugh. “They probably needed a strike to their egos.”

  “And that isn’t even mentioning the ten balls I managed to explode right on the spot before achieving just moving one,” she added.

  He took her hand and led her to the lunch line. “Any progress is good at this point. What did you think of your trainer?”

  “She’s nice.” Ally grabbed a clean tray from the stack. “It is all very interesting. I am just trying to be patient with my abilities. I want them to be controlled now. I want to understand them now.”

  Luke knew exactly how she felt. He had had the same thoughts in his first few days at the training center. “It will come, and hopefully fast. You’ve adapted so well already, I’m sure you’ll have this down in no time.”

  Once they were seated at a table Ally changed the subject. “How did your ceremony practice go?”

  “It was boring.” He leaned forward and whispered, “My father decided to make the announcement at the ceremony, since most of the City attends.”

  Ally’s eyes grew wide. “Wait, and it’s tomorrow?”

  Luke nodded. “He is taking this all very seriously, which I am glad to see. Hopefully with enough preparation, we can be prepared for whenever the Rogues decide to make a move.”

  “You know, I was thinking. Remember those movies you showed me, the ones with the wars back before the virus,” she asked.

  Luke nodded, recalling several movies he owned that fit that description. He wasn’t sure exactly which one Ally was talking about, but they all held a similar theme. Countries used to fight over things like food, fuel, land, and even money. They went to war and sometimes almost completely annihilated each other, killing thousands of innocent people with guns and bombs.

  Ally continued, “What about those explosives that were used to take out large cities or towns? Couldn’t Aden just take them all out at once?”

  Luke was surprised by her suggestion. “We’ve never replicated the bombs shown in those movies. The early Exceptionals decided that it would be a disservice to our country to waste time on building. The world had already experienced enough destruction. They wanted to focus on rebuilding, not continuing to bring each other down. They decided that guns would hold enough protection. No one would be going to war anytime soon.”

  “Until now.” Ally took a bite of her sandwich. “We could actually use them now.”

  “Not exactly.” Luke played with his napkin. “Aden mentioned capturing the Rogues and putting them into some sort of rehabilitation program. He wants to study them further, and see if there is anything we can do to reverse the process.”

  “Like the vaccine for SS-16,” Ally said. “The vaccine that has kept me an Ordinary all this time.

  Luke nodded. “Yes. It would be a waste of life to kill all of those Rogues, and would result in backward progress in raising the population. We are talking half a million people. If there is any hope of them being saved, we need to at least try. Aden still holds on to the City founders’ dreams that we would one day rebuild the country to something close to what it was before.”

  Ally smirked. “If he really wanted that, then he would be passing out vaccines to all of the remaining Exceptionals.”

  Luke crumbled his napkin into a ball. “I don’t want to argue about this again.”

  “No wonder Aden was so interested in it.” Ally completely ignored him. “I wonder if it will work on curing the Rogues.”

  Luke had talked to his father about this very thing just two days ago. “That has been put into consideration. They’ll never know until they find the man you told them about. They are still searching the Wilderness.”

  Ally smiled as he finished his sentence, and something about it worried Luke. Had Ally lied to his father about the location of the vaccine? He didn’t blame her, considering the position she had been placed in, but now would be a good time to step forward with the real location. If it would help cure the Rogues, it would save them a lot of trouble, and possibly save their lives.

  They spent the rest of their lunch talking more about the ceremony and what it would entail. Ally would have the day off from the training and classes, and would be able to attend to watch. Before she headed back down to the training area, they planned to meet in the lobby at the end of the afternoon and walk home together. Ally was already changing so much since she had discovered her Exceptional abilities, and Luke hoped that it didn’t push her any further from him than she was already starting to feel.

  LATER THAT DAY, Luke met Ally in the lobby just like they had discussed.

  “I want to take you somewhere before we go home,” he said as she came up beside him.

  “Where?” she asked, taking his hand. The gestured brightened his mood.

  “It’s a surprise,” he said, leading her away from the Institute.

  It didn’t take long for them to arrive at their destination. He had brought her back to the park he had taken her to on her first day out of the house. Here he had answered her questions about the City, and tried to make her feel more comfortable with him. That day, he knew that she was special, but he had no idea just how much she would come to mean to him.

  Ally smiled and walked over to the large oak tree in the middle of the grassy area. She pulled back her shirtsleeve and looked at her forearm, glancing back and forth between the tree and where her mark used to be.

  Luke stepped up beside her. “Your mark?”

  She nodded. “It’s strange, but I kind of miss it.”

  He ran his hand along the spot where her mark had once been. She turned and sat down, falling backward into the grass. “I was wondering if we would ever come back to this place. It feels like years since we laid here last, when in reality it was just under a month ago.”

  Luke joined her on the ground, resting on his side so that he could look down at her. “You were so timid around me, and scared.”

  She laughed. “Could you blame me?”

  “Not really,” he smiled. “But you’ve changed entirely.”

  “Think of it more as getting to know the real me. The girl I was back in the settlement,” she said. “I think you have as well, changed that is.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “You seem different these days,” she shrugged.

  Luke took a deep breath. “I need to ask you something important. But first, I need to tell you something important.”

  Ally closed her eyes. “Hold on, give me a minute to decipher that.”

  He laughed, lifting his hand and running his fingers along her cheek gently.

  “Ally… I love you.”

  Her eyes popped open. “What?” She sat up slowly, turning to face him. “What did you say?”

  “I love you. And I mean it.” She started to respond but he held his hand up to her mouth. “You don’t have to say anything back, I just needed you to know. I know we haven’t known each other very long, but I can’t deny how I feel about you.”

  “What were you going to a
sk me?” Her voice cracked, and her cheeks were reddening with embarrassment.

  “Are you going to leave me?”

  She looked at the ground immediately, suddenly finding her shoes very interesting. He cursed and fell back onto the ground, covering his eyes with his arm. He felt her hand gently touch his side.

  “I want you to come with me. I plan on leaving the City, but I’ve never planned on leaving you.” He could tell by her voice that she was struggling not to cry.

  He lifted his arms and looked at her. “You know I can’t do that.”

  “Why not?” she asked. “Come to the Wilderness with us. We don’t need the City, or the people here. You say Aden has this Rogue situation under control, so let him handle it. We can head south, to the old City. I’m sure we could find a place to stay there, to start over. We can keep away from the Rogues.”

  He was surprised she even knew about the City, but the Ordinarys had a way of holding on to their history.

  “Ally.” He could hear the pain in his own voice. “I can’t. I have to stay and help. I promised my father I would support him in this, and help him. I can’t leave the City knowing that everyone here is in harm’s way.”

  “And I can’t stay here. I need to leave, with Stosh and Willow, and maybe the others. I need to be with my other family, the Ordinarys in the Settlement. I need to warn them and get them to leave, in case Aden’s plans fall apart.”

  Luke sat up and sighed. They both felt similar loyalties to their own people, and they both had a fierce drive to protect.

  “When?” He stared ahead of him, watching as a bird swooped down and ate crumbs from underneath one of the benches.

  “Tomorrow.”

  “So soon?” He jumped up. “Why tomorrow?”

  She stood as well, brushing off her pants. “Because of the ceremony. Doesn’t it make the most sense? To leave when almost everyone in the City is away from the boundary wall.”

  “What about the Guards? What is your plan?” Luke stepped toward her but she backed away.

  “I can’t tell you. I can’t risk you getting in the way.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I shouldn’t have even told you the when.”

  “I want to help you, Ally,” he said, feeling hurt by her words.

  “You’ve done plenty to help me. Now you just need to let me go.” She turned away from him and started to run, leaving the park and disappearing behind one of the houses nearby.

  Luke sank onto the ground below him, letting everything that just happened wash over him. He had already decided that he would never let Ally go again, but now she was begging him to. She was planning on leaving the City, and he was confident that she would see it through. Now he just needed to decide whether or not he would be going with her?

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Ally sprinted the whole way back to Luke’s house, not tiring at all. He had told her that he loved her. Loved. It wasn’t a word that she expected to hear come from his mouth so soon, but as he spoke it, she could feel the truth behind it. She could also sense from her own being that maybe she felt the same as well. She burst into the foyer and immediately searched out Stosh, Sabine, Asher, and Flint. The four of them sat in the dining room, polishing the expensive plates from the display case.

  Stosh looked up from a intricately shaped cup he was holding. “Hey. Have you seen these movies they have here? Amazing!”

  Ally contained her laugh, trying to remain focused. “Are Aden or Luke’s mom here?”

  Sabine shook her head. “It’s just us right now.”

  “Good.” She sat down and took a plate and a rag, joining in their polishing party. “We are going to leave the City tonight.”

  Sabine dropped the cup she was holding, grabbing it just before it hit the table. “What?”

  “You heard me,” Ally said. “Everyone is preparing for the graduation ceremony for tomorrow, so the regular Exceptionals will be busy. On top of that, I figure the Guards will almost expect an escape of some sort tomorrow, so they will probably be lax about their security tonight.”

  She didn’t mention how she had told Luke that she was leaving tomorrow, and didn’t want him to mess with their plans. Especially now that he had told her he loved her. It would be that much harder for her to leave him behind and she needed to make this decision quickly.

  “You mean we are going home?” Stosh perked up, setting the cup on the table. “I’m in, tell me what I need to do.”

  Sabine’s head shot toward Stosh, her cheeks turning a bright pink. “I guess I’m in too.”

  “I have a plan, but first we need to find Willow.”

  “Willow is here?” Stosh sat forward. “You didn’t tell me that.”

  When she had told him about her time at the ORC, she had left the part about Willow out, not wanting to upset him further.

  Now she gave him all the details and finished with, “We need to find her first, and then we can go. I can’t leave her behind.”

  The five of them finally agreed on what they would do and went their separate ways to prepare for the trip. Ally was beginning to think that Luke would never come back to the house, and that would mess up her plan entirely. She was actually surprised that it took him as long as it did. She thought he would have come after her almost immediately, but it took him over an hour to show up. She was, however, able to predict that he would want to speak with her privately, and it was something she had been counting on.

  She paced in the middle of his room. “I need to know where Willow is. Have you found her yet?”

  Luke nodded. “Maver informed me just before you arrived at lunch today. Just in time for your escape it seems.”

  She could hear the contempt in his voice but she ignored it. “Where is she?”

  “She is back with the ORC,” he responded.

  Ally tried not to let that information phase her. “So Coarse is finished with her. Could you go there tonight and request to have her?”

  Luke shook his head. “For starters, we cannot take more than one Ordinary from the ORC at a time. If we win their contract at the Warehouse, well that is a different story. But, it seems as though Willow is not available for contract at all.”

  Ally paused for a moment, thinking over his words. When they finally made sense to her, she walked to the bed and sat down. “Willow is pregnant.”

  He came and sat alongside her, taking her hand. “Yes.”

  “How will I get her out?” She looked over at him, having trouble making eye contact with him after their talk in the park.

  Luke smiled. “This is where I can give you some good news. If an Ordinary is pregnant, and sent to live in the ORC until she has the baby, she is placed in Exceptional housing. Willow will be in one of four housing units surrounding the ORC, and she should be easy to retrieve.”

  Ally breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you Luke, for your help.”

  He leaned in to kiss her but she pushed him away. They had already resigned to part ways, and she didn’t want to give herself any possible reason to stay. He put his head in his hands and turned to look at her.

  “I need you to let me help you, Ally. Whatever you have planned, I can help you leave the City safely. I can’t stand the thought that something might happen to you while I am at the ceremony tomorrow. And my father will notice if I am missing.”

  Ally groaned and leaned back on the bed. “We are leaving tonight.”

  The words left her mouth in a rush.

  “I assumed that.” He laughed. “You are such a bad liar. I just wanted to see if you would tell me.”

  She punched his arm. “Not funny. So, what are we going to do first?”

  “First, we’re going to go get Willow.” He stood and offered her his hand, pulling her up.

  Ally had told the others to pack and meet in Sabine’s room, which was where they found them.

  “Is he coming too?” Stosh asked when Luke stepped into the room.

  Ally shook her head. “No, but he is going to
help us escape.”

  Sabine frowned and Asher and Flint looked surprised.

  “Did you find out where Willow is?” Sabine stepped forward. Somehow she had found all of them entirely black outfits, just like the ones Ally and Stosh wore back in the settlement.

  “Yes, and we’ll need to leave as soon as we get her. It won’t be long before they notice her absence,” Luke answered.

  Sabine gave Ally and Luke their own black outfits and they changed quickly, grabbing the packs that Asher held out to them.

  “It has enough food and clothing for one week, just in case.” He said. They had talked about possibly having to hide out in the woods for a little while until they could get a message back to the settlement. They didn’t know just how quickly the Guards would come after them, if they even did.

  It was nearing the end of summer, but the sky was still light well into the evening. They waited until the sun disappeared behind the houses and the light outside dimmed considerably. Mazzi saw them off, tears brimming in her eyes. Ally tried to convince her to come with them, but Mazzi said that she felt at home here in the City, even though she wasn’t an Exceptional. Ally didn’t probe further; everyone needed to make his or her own decisions.

  Luke led them through side streets and alleys all the way to the ORC. It loomed up ahead of them, drawing memories back into Ally’s mind.

  “I really hate this place,” she whispered.

  “There are the housing units.” Luke pointed to four large homes. Two sat on the left of the ORC, and two on the right. “I’ll take Asher to the homes on the right, Ally, you take Stosh with you to the homes on the left. Sabine and Flint can keep watch.”

  They all agreed and took their positions. Ally and Stosh hurried across the road and into the alley beside the two housing units. She took a quick peek around the corner so see if Luke and Asher had made it to the other units, but she could no longer see them.

  “What is the plan now?” Stosh whispered. “How do we get inside to look for her?”

  “We might not need to,” Ally whispered in response, pointing to a large back window that both homes had on the first floor. Bright lights spilled out of them and onto the concrete below. “It wouldn’t be time to turn in just yet, so maybe they are all gathered downstairs. I bet those windows look right into the main room of the home.”