The Pursuit (The Permutation Archives Book 2)
Page 26
Just as I began to think we weren’t getting any closer to the Paradigm’s headquarters, the forest opened up into a clearing, and the sun penetrated the windshield, causing me to squint past it to see. A few deer grazed in the distance, but that wasn’t what caught my attention first.
We moved closer and closer to a massive structure that as made of the same material as the boat we had just left shortly before. The better to remain invisible, my dear. Or as close as they could get, at least. The place was a lot larger than I thought it would be, making the compound we left look like an ant in comparison. I hadn’t expected it, and a surprised gasp left my lips as I leaned forward, as if doing so could indeed give me a better vantage point. Now I was wondering how they had managed to build such a structure outside of the wall, moving materials without so much as a second glance by King and his regime. The grass that surrounded it was cropped short, leaving it incredibly green and pristine. Perfect. Just like everything else I had seen from the Paradigm at that point. I only hoped the walls weren’t the same sterile, cold white as the compound. Patches of carefully placed wildflowers dotted the landscape, yellows, purples, and pinks standing out against the silver shine of the exterior of the building.
“Wow,” I sighed, gripping the back of my mother’s seat as she drove.
She chuckled and smiled. “Welcome to the Fallen Paradigm, my darling.”
“How did you do this?” I asked. I had to know because this all seemed so fantastic it couldn’t be real.
She sighed and replied, “It’s easy enough when you look like government officials, Mila. At the time, when we started, I had just been let off the Harvest project. It’s easy enough to move a lot of material when so much of it is being transported to build the compounds that you can just slip right on through. Plus, the building was already here. Had been for years. It just needed some upgrades.”
I shot her a confused glance, but she wasn’t the one to answer.
“People lived on this island before the wall went up. The building had been put up not long before that, so it was still in decent shape. Regardless of what people say, the buildings right before that did hold up very well. We still use some of it even now.”
“I guess that explains a lot.” I was still skeptical, but I knew more answers were waiting for me just inside those massive doors.
Just then I spotted movement at the front of the building. Two heads full of blonde hair, both bodies dressed in stark black. Gaia and Cecilia were waiting outside for us to arrive. My heart leaped up into my throat as soon as I realized it was them and I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face.
“Oh my God. Stop the car,” I squeaked past tears of absolute joy.
“We haven’t even made it all the way up there,” Caius voiced. “You can’t…”
“No, I can. Stop the car,” I interjected.
I didn’t care if we weren’t all the way to the building yet. One part of me that had been missing since my abduction was my little sister and, while we had our difficulties, I needed her more than I could ever admit. And not only would I see my sister again. One of my best friends since childhood was there with her waiting for us and I knew in that instant that Julius had to be as happy as I was at the sight of the two. If he was anything like me, the Humvee just wasn’t fast enough. Jameson glanced at my mother, and she nodded. As the vehicle slowed, I barely took the time to let Ryder out of the door before I sprung out, climbing over him without a second thought.
My feet hit the ground, and I was off, barely taking a look back to see if anyone was following. I just didn’t care.
“Mila!” I heard both Gaia and Cecilia cry out, mirroring one another as Gaia took off in a sprint toward me. Cecilia followed close behind as I heard someone running behind me.
“Cecilia!” Julius yelled as he spotted her.
I closed in quickly, pushing all of my available energy into the run. Gaia and I collided with one another, wrapping each other up in a fierce embrace that nearly left me breathless. Tears stung my eyes as I held onto her, sobs leaving my body as I collapsed to my knees. She fell with me and brushed my hair down with one hand while the other moved up and down on my back in a comforting gesture.
There was only one way I knew to describe how I felt. Pure and unadulterated elation and relief that she was in my arms. Alive and breathing. Safe. Well, as safe as we could be with King a looming presence over all of us.
“I was so worried,” Gaia whispered as we knelt there, our focus only on the two of us. “I wasn’t sure they’d get there in time.”
I smoothed her long blonde hair down against her back and replied, “It was a close call, that’s for sure.” I chuckled a little bit and pulled back from her, the sound of the Humvees pulling up like a whisper. “Mom has great timing.”
Tears cascaded down Gaia’s flushed cheeks as her eyes glistened, threatening to let even more spill over. I wiped them away as best I could with my thumb and looked into her eyes.
“Please, don’t leave me ever again,” she begged. Not like I had much choice in the matter, but I understand the need for her to ask that of me.
“Oh, baby sister, I’m not going anywhere. Not if I can help it.” And I meant the words. There was nothing that could take me from my sister now because, if anything or anyone were to try to separate us again, I would fight with all I had to be with her again. Strands of her hair stuck to her face and neck with tears. Pushing them away, I pulled her back in for another embrace and sighed, closing my eyes.
“You ready to see your new home?” my mother asked from behind me.
I pulled away from Gaia, and we both stood, wiping our faces of the tears we had shed. I was certain my eyes were bloodshot and puffy, but I didn’t care. I was where I needed to be, but things would only become harder now. With King breathing down our necks nothing would be simple ever again no matter how much we wanted them to be.
Jameson, Caius, Julius, Cecilia, and Ryder stood just behind her. Smiles littered each face I looked to. I wiped my hands on my pants, and my eyes met my mother’s as I took Gaia’s hand in mine.
“More than ready.”
TO BE CONTINUED
About the Author
Kindra Sowder was born and raised in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. At the age of 12 she moved with her grandparents to Spartanburg, SC where she graduated from high school with honors as well as a superior achievement in Spanish. She graduated college with two degrees in Criminal Neuropsychology. She still lives in South Carolina and lives with her husband and three cats. Two of her series have become bestsellers and she continues to write for the love of the craft.