by Jenna Moreci
ofteethandoozingwithblood,andtheboyswhoopedandchantedovertheir
sharedvictory.AnotherInterloperdartedinfrontofthem,andagainthey
aimedtheirweapons,unleashingtwelvebulletsinunisonthatonceagainfroze
intheair,completelymotionless.TheylookedatEve;shestoodbesidethem,
hereyesandgiftfocusedonthebullets,andthenwithasmirk,shelaunchedthe
ammunitionstraightthroughtheInterloperwithsomuchpowerthatthey
carried right through the front of the creature’s skull and shot out the back, tearingupeverythinginbetweenasthealiencollapsed,dead.
OnlyoneInterloperremained.Thisonewaslargerthantheothers,thoughhis
body was littered with bullet holes and gaping wounds. Jason had already targetedhim,punchinghisjawandchestwithoutreprieve,sendingteeth
spillingfromhismouthandbloodpumpingfromhislesionsuntilhe
staggered feebly from side to side. With a grunt, Jason jabbed again at the alien’sthroat,sendinghimfallingontohisbackamidpuddlesofmudandpus.
Jasondroppedtohiskneesandhoveredoverthecreature’sweakenedbody,
pausing for just a moment to remove his tattered jacket and toss it to the ground. The Interloper blinked, struggling to look back at his opponent, the manwhowouldsurelybringabouthisdeath.HiseyesscannedJason’sface,his
arms and blood-soaked fists, his chest and the thick dissection scar that was visibleabovethenecklineofhistanktop.Asmallsmileformedatthecorners
oftheInterloper’slips,spreadingacrosshisfacelikeaninfectiousdisease.
Thenhelaughed,softlyatfirst,thenwithathunderouscackle,andwiththe
lastounceofenergyhecouldrally,hepointedatJason’sscarwithhistalon.
Hisjagged,brokentalon.
Jasonlookeddownattheclaw—cutatthebaselikethestumpofatree—and
then back at the Interloper, his eyes wide with horror. His body trembled and hislungsraced,andhewassuddenlyovercomewithaheatedfury,ahatredthat
hecouldn’tcontrol.Heopenedhismouthandletoutagut-wrenchingroarthat
echoedthroughouttheforest,andwithallhisstrengthhepoundedhisfistinto
thecreature’sbatteredface—over,andover,andoveragain,untilyellowblood
sprayedineverydirection.Hisjabsweresharpandunyielding,andthen,with
onequickmovement,heplungedhisarmrightthroughthemouthofthe
creature,ignoringtheteeththatslicedintohisflesh,andrippedthelifesource from the alien’s throat. As he held the heart in his torn, bleeding hand, he squeezed it, his fist quivering with rage until the organ burst between his fingers.
JasonstoodandstareddownattheInterlopercarcass.Hecouldn’tfeelhistorn
hand,whichhunglimplyathisside;thepulpylifesourceslidfromhis
shredded fingers and splattered onto the ground. In that moment, nothing existedbutthelifelessInterloper—thecreaturewhohadmaimedhim,hadleft
himwithalastingscaronhischestand,worse,inhismind—andashegazed
downathisfallenadversary,hefailedtonoticehiscomradesstandingbyhis
side,watchinghim.
Theyweresilent—Percy,Sancho,andEve—theirbodiesstill,wornand
beaten,theireyesdeadfromshock.Theyignoredthegraveyardthat
surroundedthem,thestinkthathungfromthemangledcorpses,andinstead watched Jason. Finally, he turned to them, and looked only at Eve, his chest heaving with each laborious breath he took, his ragged hand dripping at his side.Still,hesaidnothing.
AsuddensurgeofemotionracedthroughEve.ShehurriedtowardJason,
throwingherarmsaroundhisneckandhugginghimtightly.Shepulledaway
fromhimandstudiedhisface.
“You’rehurt.”
“You’rehurt,too.”
“Yourhand…”Hervoicewavered.“Youneedtogotothemedicalward.”
“No. I’m nevergoingbackthere.”
Percysprangtolife,pullinghisshirtoverhisheadandwrappingitaround
Jason’shand,thecottonquicklysoakinguphisbrightredblood.
AfamiliarbuzzingranginEve’sear. “Cansomeonetellmewhat’sgoing on?”
JJasked. “Iseveryoneokay?”
Evelookedaroundathercomrades—atPercy’shunchedbackandbloodied
forehead,atSancho’sgougedshoulders,atthegashesalongJason’sbackand
herownslashedribs.
“Yeah,”shemumbled.“We’refine.”
“Wedidit,guys,”Sanchomuttered.“Wekilledthemall.”
EveturnedtowardPercy’scar.Forthefirsttimesincethebattlehadbegun,
she remembered Florenza, the girl who had sat through the whole thing with herhandsclaspedaroundherears,herheadburiedinherknees,andthesilver
torqrestinginherlap.
“Allright,guys.Let’stakeherhome.”
***
Rightfoot.Leftfoot.
Evedraggedherbootsacrosstheconcretepathway,everystepanarduous
task. She took in a deep breath, a chore in itself, and a shooting pain raced throughthegashesalongherribs.
Hercomradeswalkedbyherside.SanchoproudlypulledtheDirtySanchez
behindhim,thoughhisusuallygleefulfacewasnowwornandtired.Ashirtless
Percyhoistedasinglefirearmoverhisshoulder,anddespitehislimpandhis
dirty, bloodied face, he still oozed a level of badassery that only he was capableof.AndthentherewasJason—hestaredblanklyintothedistanceashe
carried the shaking Florenza in his arms, his tattered hand gripping her so tightly that his own blood began to seep through his makeshift bandage onto herclothes.Itdidn’tmattertohim,ortoEve—thepain,thestruggletheyhad
all shared. None of it was important, because they had made it back to the Billingtoncampus.
Theywerealive.
Alive,yes,butbarelyawake.ExhaustionsettledoverEve,spreadingthrough
her to the point of debilitation. As she walked across campus, she thought nothing of her clothes torn to shreds, her body covered in blood. She didn’t evenseethepassingstudents,nordidsheheartheirfearfulgaspsandcries.
Theypartedbeforeherasifscaredtoevencrossthebloodiedgroup,butEve
wasdeadenedtotheirreactions.
She was so numb to her surroundings, in fact, that she hardly noticed the
bodiesrunningtowardthem.Theywereblurryinhervision,thoughallso verysimilarinappearance.Patrolmen—theypoureddownthepathwayone
afterthenextuntilshecouldn’tcountthemallifshetried,whichshedidn’t.She couldmakeoutColonelEriksen’swhite-blondhairandscarredfacefrom
withinthecrowd,andjoggingalongsidehimwasanoldermaninablacksuit,
hisarmsoutstretchedandhiseyesbrimmingwithtears.ItwasFlorenza’s
father—thepresidentofItaly—andyetstillEvecouldn’tmusterareaction.She
walkedinsilence.
Rightfoot.Leftfoot.Again.Again.
FlorenzajumpedfromJason’sarmsandrantowardherfather,quickly
wrappingherselfinhiswarmembrace.ThepatrolmenwerenearingEveand
hercomrades,butstillshewasvacantandcold,evenastheuniformedsoldiers
surroundedthem,shoutingsomething,somenonsensethatshecouldn’tquite
understand,forshecouldhearnothingatall.
Sanchowasthefirsttofall,droppingtothefloorlikeatreechoppeddown
attheroots.Percywasnext,fallingalongsidehisfriend.Chaossurroundedthe foursome,andstillEveheardnothing,notevenJason’sshoutingasthe
patrolmen forced him to the ground. Eve saw nothing, felt nothing. Not the hands that grabbed at the nape of her neck and the back of her skull. Not the hostilepush,herraggedkneeshittingthepavement,orhercheekslamming
againsttheground.
Shefeltnothing.
CHAPTER13:
THEQUEENOFDIAMONDS
“WhatwereyoudoingwithGallo’sdaughter?”
Evesatquietlyinthedark,enclosedroom—thesameroomshehadbeen
lockedinforthepastfourhours.Shecouldfeelthedirtfesteringinherstill-
freshwounds,thoughsheknewtheywouldhealregardless.Theentirescene
feltlikeadream,likeapieceofherpasthadbeenpluckedfromthepagesof
herlife’sstoryandrandomlyrearrangedintothepresentday.Exceptthatone
keyingredientwasinherentlydifferent—shewasn’tafraid.Notanymore.
“Howwereyouabletolocatethegirl’swhereabouts?”
ShestaredbackatColonelEriksenwithoutahintofself-doubt.Thesoldier
tried his hand at appearing formidable, but Eve could see his pale white skin turn a bright shade of pink that suggested he was frustrated, even worried by hersilence.
“I’vegotallthetimeintheworld,Evelyn.”
“HasJasonbeentakentothemedicalwardyet?”Whenshefinallyspoke,her
tonewaslukewarmandsteady.“Hashishandbeentreated?”
“I’maskingthequestionshere.”
“AndI’mnotansweringanythinguntilIknowmyfriendsaresafe—that
theirinjuries—”
“Theywouldn’t haveanyinjuriesifyouhadn’tbeensocareless.”
“WefoughtInterlopersand won.Florenzaissafebecauseof us.”
“Isthatso?”thecolonelsneered,risingfromhischairandpacingacrossthe room.“BecauseallweknowisthatGallowentmissingaboutsevenhoursago.
Thenyoufourcameoncampuswithherinyourpossession.”Hestoppedand
scowledatEve.“LookstomeasiftheInterlopershadnothingtodowithit.In
fact,IthinkI’mstaringathercaptorrightnow.”
Evesnarled.“Areyou kidding?Isthissomekindofsickjoke?”
“DidyoukidnaptheItalianpresident’sdaughter?”
“Oh,forGod’ssake—”
“Wheredidyoutakeher?”
“Wedidn’ttakeher anywhere—”
“Whatdidyou dotoher?”
“Wesavedher life.”
“ThenhowdidyouFINDher?”hesnapped,hispatiencewearingthin.“Hell,
howdidyouevenknowshewasgoneinthefirstplace?”
Eveglancedacrosstheroom,andhereyeslandedonthethick,darkmirror
in front of her. She took in a deep breath as she stared emptily at her own reflection.
“Answerme,Evelyn.”
“Youreallythinkthat’llwork?ThatI’veneverbeeninterrogatedbefore?”
Sheglaredbackatthecolonel.“I’mnottalking.”
Thedooropened,andDeanFurstenteredtheroom.Herestedhishandon
thecolonel’sbackandofferedhimanauthoritativenod.
“Excuseme,I’dlikeawordwithMissKingston.”
Eriksengrowled,bendingtothewillofthedeanandreluctantlyshuffling
fromtheroom.Asthedoorslammedshut,Furstpulledoutametalchairand
satbeforeEve,claspinghishandstogetheralongtheedgeofthetable.
“Whatdoyouwant?”Evemumbled.
“I’vebeenwatchingthiswholecharade,andImustsay,I’mnotsurprisedby
yourreaction,”Furstbeganinhistypicalcoolmanner.“IthinkbynowIknow
youwellenoughtoknowthatyoudonotrespondtointimidation.”
“Andyourpointis?”
“I’mgoingtobehonestwithyou.Brutally,asthatseemstobeyour
preference.”
Evelaughedunderherbreath.“Whatakindgesture.Turningoveranew
leaf,arewe?Howdoes honestysitwithyou?”
“WeneedtoknowhowyoulearnedofFlorenza’sabductionanddiscovered
herlocation.”
“AndwhathappensifItellyou?”
Furstleanedbackinhischair.“Ifyouwereseekingherwhereabouts—ifyou
wereinfringingontheworkofourpatrolmenandwhattheyhavebeentrained
andorderedtodo—youfaceimmediateexpulsionand,possibly,criminal
chargesforrecklessendangerment.”
“Wow,whatagenerousrewardformycooperation.”
“Itisnotuptome.Itishowthesystemworks—toprotectpeoplefrom—”
“Themessyoucreatedthroughyourdamnlist?”
Furstpursedhislipswithannoyance.“Fromriskingthelivesofthemselves
andothersinthefoolishpursuitofheroism.”
Eve’seyesshranktoslits.“Soitwasfoolishofustosaveher?Weshould’ve
letherdie?Is thatwhatyou’resaying?”
“I’m sayingthatyouneedtotelluswhatyouknowsoourpatrolmencando theirjobsandourstudentscandowhattheycametoBillingtontodo—study.
Learn.Harnessapropereducation. NotbattleInterlopers.”
“Except that, if I tell you anything, I won’t be harnessing anything. I’ll be rottinginaprisoncell.”
“Therearepatrolmensearchingyourroomsrightnow,aswespeak.Ifthere’s
anythingtobefound,theywillfindit.”Heleanedincloser,peeringat
Eveoverhisglasses.“Now,allthat’sleftisforyoutosayyourpiece.”
“Whataboutmyfriends?Iwanttoknowifthey’reokay.”
“Youshouldcarelessaboutyourfriends’well-beingandmoreaboutwhat
theyhavetosay.Afterall,ifyourstoriesdon’talign—ifonepersontellsthe
truth,andyoudonot—well,thatwillposequiteaproblemforyou.”The
slightest,mostunderstatedfrowngracedhislips.“Obstructionofjustice?
You’reasmartgirl,I’msureyou’refamiliarwiththeterm.”
Eveletoutalongbreath.“So,letmegetthisstraight.IfIsayIsoughtoutthe
Interlopersmyself—thatIknewaboutFlorenza,trackeddownher
whereabouts,killedthirty,maybefortyaliensandbroughtherbacktosafety—
ifItellyouallthis andhowIdidit,you’regoingtoexpelmefromBillington andlockmeup.Isthatit?”
“Yes.”
“Butyou wanttoknow,right?Youwantthatsortofinformationforyourself.
Foryourpatrolmen.”
“Itwouldbeasilverliningtoanunfortunatesituation.”
“AndifIdon’t,thenwhat?AreyouandEriksengoingtoaccusemeof
kidnappingFlorenza?Turnthiswholethingintoanotherrottensmear
campaignagainstthechimerapopulation?AmIgoingtobearrestedfora
crimeIdidn’tcommit?”
Fursthesitated,hisbodysuddenlyrigid.“Florenzaalreadycameforward
andassertedyourinnocence.Sheinsistedthatyou,Jason,andtheotherssaved
herlife.”Hepausedforamoment,lookingEvestraightintheeyes.“Shecalled
youheroes.”
“SoifIdon’tadmitto infringingonyourpatrolmen,orwhateverthehellyou said,amIfreetogo?”
“Theoretically.”
Evewrinkledherbrow.“Theoretically?”
“Youareanhonestgirltothepointofbeingcurt.Iamencouragingyouto
besorightnow—todotherightthing.Butifyousaythatyourbehaviorwas
innocent—thatyoudidnotseekFlorenza’swhereaboutsintentionally—you will be free to go.” The man lowered his chin, his demeanor suddenly grave andsevere.“However…if,atalaterdate,wediscoverthatyouwerelying,and
ifsuchactionscontinue,expulsionwillbetheleastofyourconcerns.You will beincarcerated,andsowillyourfriends.It’snotamatterofif—it’samatterof when,andforhowmanyyears.”
Eve’seyesweredistant.Shestaredbackatherreflection—athertousled
hair,hermud-streakedface,andhertorn,formerlywhitetanktop,nowsoiled
withbloodofboththeredandyellowvariety.Itwasfoul— shewasfoul—and yet in that moment, the stabbing in her ribs disappeared, and her dirtied face didn’tseemsosulliedanymore.Infact,shealmostfeltlikesmiling.
“Doyouunderstand,MissKingston?”
“Yes.Iunderstand.”
“Good.ThenIwillaskyouagain:howdidyoucomeacrossFlorenza
Gallo’swhereabouts?”
Eveshrugged.“Rightplaceattherighttime.”
Furstgrimaced.“Ineedanunequivocalanswerfromyou,MissKingston,”
heordered,hiswordsuncharacteristicallydemanding.“Didyouseekout
FlorenzaGalloandtheInterlopers?”
Evelookedbackatthedean.Therewasnomoretreadinglightly,nomore
dabblingintheartofwarfare.Fromthispointforward,shewouldbeboundto
thenewpositionshehadchosen.Shewascommitted.
“No.”
***
Themoodinthewaitingroomwasuneasy.Jasonsatinfrontofthe
doorway,anxiouslybouncinghiskneeandeyeinghissurroundings.He
glancedatPercyandSancho—theywereslumpedintheirchairs,theirbodies
drained—andthenhestareddownathiswrists,whichwereshackledtogether
inthick,silvercuffs.Finally,hegazedatthedoorinfrontofhim,hopingthat, atanymoment,Evewouldcomewalkingthroughit.
Suddenlythedoorswungopen,andalineofpatrolmenbargedintothe
room.Jasonbreathedasighofrelief:Eveploddedbehindthem,followedbya
gloweringColonelEriksen.Hebegrudginglyunfastenedtheirhandcuffs.
