by Eaton, Pam
“I called Ania, we got me into rehab, and I started to slowly piece my life back together. I had such big plans.” She shakes her head at that. “I was going to start talking to your grandpa so I could be in your life. I didn’t want to take you from them; I just wanted you to know me, and I wanted to know you.”
I stay quiet. Fearing that anything uttered from my mouth will shatter this dream.
“I was leaving my AA meeting. I had just gotten my two-year sobriety coin. It was great. I felt so happy and light, and I was ready to start trying to see you again. I was almost to my car when two men came up behind me. They bashed me in the head, tied me up, and threw me in the trunk of a car. They took me somewhere; I don’t even know where. Things were so fuzzy, but I heard a man say that my body was too damaged from the years of drug use. I was no good to them. They were going to need my daughter.”
“It had to be Rivers,” I tell her, anger flaring in my chest. “He’s been experimenting on our people for years.”
She nods. “I know that now. Even if I knew that then, there wasn’t anything I could have done about that. But we’re here now,” she tells me.
Yeah, we’re here now, where I finally have a relationship with one of my parents, but she’s dead. All because one man is on a stupid mission, and for what?
“I’m going to stop him,” I vow to her. “I won’t let him keep doing what’s he’s been doing.”
She walks closer to me and grabs my hand. “They have a warning for you. A choice is coming, and depending on the decision you make, you’ll either have incredible aid, or you’ll be alone in this fight.”
I stare at her, waiting for more, but she doesn’t say anything else. “Really?” I ask. “That’s all you’ve got. More cryptic advice.”
“You know the rules,” she says, lecturing me.
I drop her hand and step back. My hands clench at my sides. “Yeah, but come on now. I thought we’d moved past that.”
She gives me a “don’t-push-it” look.
“Will I at least know this choice when it comes to me?” I ask, not caring how sarcastic I sound.
“I hope so,” she says, and it’s not very convincing. I wonder if she knows the answer to that question.
Mom starts walking down the path and I fall in step with her. If it weren’t for the lack of animal sounds, I’d forget we were in a dream. She doesn’t say anything, just worries her lower lip. “What’s going on?” I ask her, noticing the worry lining her face.
Her eyes dart to me and then away. “I don’t know how many more times they’re going to let me come to you.”
My steps falter. “Why? What makes you think that?”
She slows her stride, waiting for me. “It’s just a feeling I have,” she says, rubbing the spot over her heart.
I’ve gone back and forth about these dreams with my mom. At first, they scared me, and then I didn’t believe they were real. There’s still the anger at times when I think about all the times they could have warned me. Like with my grandparents. Two lives could have been spared. And a part of my brain knows that my mom isn’t to blame for that, but another part still feels that anger. And now I might not see her anymore? I finally have somewhat of a relationship with her, but it sounds like that’s going to be gone too.
“You know, eventually, when we won’t see each other in your dreams, just remember I’m always there. I’m always listening. You’ve got so many people cheering you on, whether you know it or not.”
“Are you going to be in any more of my dreams?” I ask again, because this feels a lot like goodbye.
She stops on the dirt path and reaches out for my hand. I let her hold it, and she gives it a squeeze. “I think you’ll see me again soon,” she tells me.
She drops my hand and steps off the path into the tree line, her form fading.
“Bye, Mom.” I whisper once she disappears.
“Bye, baby,” I hear her whisper back.
* * *
The tranquil forest disappears and is replaced by the scratchy sheets on my bed in my room at headquarters. I reach over, finding warm, empty sheets. I sit up on an elbow. The bathroom light seeps underneath the door.
I flop back down and stare up at the ceiling, and my thoughts filter through all the information from another dream with my mom. I rub away the grit in my eyes.
What choice am I going to have to make? And why do they have to keep up with this cryptic B.S.? Can’t they just be like, “If you do this we won’t help, but if you do the opposite, we’ll back you up?”
The sound of the bathroom door opening cuts off my inner monologue. I turn my head and lock eyes with Gregory as he leans against the doorframe.
“Heavy thoughts,” he says to me.
I don’t have earrings in.
“When were you going to tell me about your mom?” he asks.
I open my mouth but he stops me. “I heard your dream.”
I run a hand over my face and let out a sigh. I swallow thickly. “They aren’t really dreams.”
He pushes off the door and sits on the bed next to me. “How long?”
“Since she died.”
He curses and looks away for a moment. “Any other secrets you’re keeping?”
I reach out and grab his hand. “It wasn’t on purpose. For the longest time I thought it was my mind conjuring things. I didn’t intentionally hide it from you.”
“I know,” he says, bringing our linked hands to his lips. He gives them a soft kiss before he puts them back on the bed. “I’m sorry about how on-edge I am.”
He shifts, and I can see the pain flash across his face. I launch up to a sitting position. “Hey,” I say cupping his face. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” he says, gritting his teeth. “Think I need another dose of medicine from Dex.”
“Well then, let’s go get you some,” I tell him, getting ready to stand. I probably shouldn’t have slept on him last night. Damn it, why didn’t I think of that?
“I would take any pain if it meant having you in my arms,” he says, and I melt. “But we’re not done talking about these dreams,” he says in all seriousness.
“I know, but that can wait. You being in pain can’t,” I tell him, walking over to my dresser and grabbing clean clothes.
He stands slowly from the bed, hissing out a breath. “Get dressed, I’ll meet you at the cafeteria.”
I drop my clothes on the bed, and reach out a hand to him. “I can transport you to the infirmary,” I tell him.
He waves away the comment. “It’s okay, I want to walk.”
He grabs my hand and tenderly pulls me into his body. He grips my hip with his other hand and leans forward to rest his forehead against mine. My hands leisurely travel up his arms until I reach his shoulders. His breath hitches as I caress the back of his neck. I lift up on my toes and he bends down, meeting my lips halfway. He places slow, intoxicating kisses on my lips. An electric feeling courses through my veins, making my heart race and feel light all at the same time.
He caresses my lips once more with his before he pulls away. I drop down on my heels. Both of us try to control our breathing.
He lifts my chin. “I love you,” he says with such conviction. “Whatever comes, whatever your mom hinted at, I will not leave you.”
I bury my face into his chest, wanting to hug him so tightly, but I know I can’t. Tears stream down my face. “I love you.” I manage to push the words out.
He holds me in his arms, and I lock this memory away, knowing in the coming days, weeks, maybe months, I’m going to have to pull it out and hold it close to my heart.
He moves a little, and I feel him wince. I push out of his arms. “You need to get to the infirmary and get more medicine.”
“You’re right. I’ll see you in a few minutes,” he says, and gives me one last kiss.
He walks out the door, and I hurry to get ready for the day.
Thirty-Five
“Becca!” Tiberius screams as he ru
ns into the cafeteria, causing me to jump in my seat next to Tony. “We need to get back to Lucy, now!”
I’ve never heard him yell before, not even once. And we’ve been in some crazy situations before. The entire room stops talking. We really need to stop having all these events happen in the cafeteria. “What’s going on?” I ask, scrambling up from the table.
Tiberius rushes across the room, laser-focused on us. “Lucy said they found them. Luca captured a man who somehow got into the village.”
“Slow down,” Xavier says from my other side.
“Whoa. Wait. How is that even possible? How would they find out about it?” I ask.
“What the hell is going on, man?” Mike whispers to Tony, but he ignores him.
“Tony?” Tiberius somehow asks and accuses in the same breath.
Tony shakes his head violently back and forth and holds his hands up in the air. “I’ve never told them about it, or where you guys were hiding people. I swear.”
I believe him. I step in front of Tony, blocking Tiberius. “All right, let’s go.”
Xavier grabs my arm. “Whoa, wait a minute. You can’t just go rushing off. What if it’s a trap?”
“I can be there and back in a moment,” I tell him.
“And what if Chelsea’s there? You’ll be a sitting duck.”
“I’m not unarmed this time,” I say, showing off the gun holstered in the waist of my jeans.
“When did you get that?” Tony asks, but I wave him off.
“Hurry back, because I do not want to be the one to tell Gregory what’s going on,” Xavier says, not even fazed that I have a gun on me.
I give him a nod and grab Tiberius’s hand. And right before we leave, I turn and look at Tony. “Don’t worry. It’ll be okay,” I whisper to him, giving him a wink.
* * *
I transport us straight to his living room. “Oh, thank goodness.” The relief in Lucy’s voice is thick.
“Where is he?” Tiberius asks, looking around like the guy should be duct-taped to a chair next to the couch.
Lucy rubs his arm, trying to calm him. “Luca’s got him at his house. Right now, it’s just this guy. And I scanned him. He’s got no tracking equipment on him. He says he came here to warn us, but I’ve got to doubt it.”
I start pacing in front of the coffee table.
Tiberius plants his hands on his hips and looks off into the distance, hopefully coming up with a plan. “Okay. This is what we’re going to do.” He starts laying out his plan and I could hug him for it. “Lucy, double-check the border. Make sure everything is working. I’m going to call Walter and have him gather everyone to meet at the building next to the water tower. Becca, I’ll meet you at Luca’s and we’ll see what we can find out.”
I nod, and in a blink, I’m standing at Luca’s front door. I knock and hear Luca yell for me to come in. I walk in the house and I immediately see who supposedly came to warn us.
“The last time I saw you, you were throwing a fireball at the car I was riding in,” I say to Daemon. “Never thought I’d see you here.”
He’s sitting on a chair in the middle of the living room. But he doesn’t look nervous or uneasy being around Luca. His legs are spread wide and the way he’s slouched screams arrogance. Maybe being able to shoot fire out of your hands makes you cocky.
“He says he’s here to help,” Luca tells me, and apparently being angry makes his Italian accent super thick.
I drag a chair over from the kitchen and sit across from Daemon. “And what are you here to help us with?”
He leans forward, staring me straight in the eye. “Rivers is coming. And soon. You need to get all these people out.”
My insides clench in fear. “And what’s their plan when he gets here?” I ask him. My voice may seem calm, but I’m freaking out right now. Because this is a village with a lot of women and children. And even if we could get them out of here, I don’t know where we’d take them.
Daemon leans forward in his seat. “Those who have actual powers will be taken, and those who were deemed experiments will be eradicated.” He says it in such a detached way.
Luca’s body goes scarily still next to me, and he starts talking heatedly to him in Italian.
“Cool it, lizard boy,” Daemon says.
I throw my arm out to stop Luca from charging him.
“Don’t be a jerk,” I warn Daemon, but he just shrugs.
I keep my arm out, just in case. “And you’re okay with Rivers coming and kidnapping these people? Do you know how many kids we’ve rescued from his labs?”
He sits up straighter. “That’s why I’m here.”
I search Daemon’s face, trying to find deceit, but I’m leaning towards believing him. Because with his power, he could have blown Luca away. But I’m not a hundred percent. “And how do you guys even know about this place?”
They shouldn’t. With all that Lucy has done, we should be hidden from the world.
“Tony.”
It feels like the world stops at him saying that name. I lean forward. He couldn’t have said the name I think he said. No. No way. “Excuse me?”
He waves away my question like he didn’t just drop a huge bombshell. “He didn’t tell us, so don’t worry about that. But the video game he was always playing? What he didn’t know was that one of the guys he was playing with was Thompson. They were able to track him through the game. Back door IP address.”
I hang my head. This is going to destroy him. I take a deep breath and look back at Daemon. “And why are you warning us? Because I’ve got to be honest, I’m having a hard time not believing this is just a trap. I don’t even know what you could gain by being here.”
He shifts and suddenly looks super uncomfortable. “I don’t know if there’s anything I can say that’ll make you believe, but get Mr. Smith and Gregory here. They’ll tell you what you need to know.”
Okay, he obviously doesn’t want to tell me, but I’ve got to wonder… “I’ll get them. And probably Xavier and Raven too.”
His eyes flare just a little at her name, but he quickly schools his features back to the arrogant mask he’s been wearing. I bet she’s the real reason why he’s here.
The front door opens and Tiberius stalks into the room. “He says he’s here to warn us that Rivers is coming,” I tell him without taking my eyes off Daemon.
Tiberius stares him down, and I’ve never seen him look so scary. But this is his home, this is a place he built, and now he’s got people coming to invade and destroy it. The room fills with his anger like a palpable living thing. I get up, drawing his attention, and carefully walk over to him.
“I kinda believe him,” I say. “But I’m going to go grab Mr. Smith and Gregory so they can tell us even more. It was actually his suggestion.”
I see him hesitate for a fraction of a second. Mr. Smith doesn’t know about Fordlandia. He knows we’ve taken these people somewhere, but we haven’t told him anything about it where it is.
“Go,” he orders me. “Who knows how much time we have before they get here.”
I close my eyes and picture the door of Mr. Smith’s office, and in a blink I’m there.
I pound on his door.
No one answers, so I raise my fist to beat against it again when it opens. “Becca? What’s going on?” Mr. Smith asks, eyeing my fist poised in the air.
I push past him into his office. “I’m taking you somewhere. You and Gregory. Probably Xavier and Raven too.”
He leans against the doorframe, arms crossed, eyes stern. “Where?” he asks.
“I don’t want to say here,” I tell him. I still don’t trust it here. And even if there’s a small chance that Rivers doesn’t know, I don’t want that information to get back to him. “Where’s Gregory?” I ask.
He gives me a long stare, but then he pulls out his phone and starts typing away. “They should be here soon. I told them to hurry,” he tells me once he’s done typing. “What’s going on?” He may ask, b
ut it sounds more like a demand.
“We’ve got big problems.” And that’s an understatement.
The office door swings all the way open and Gregory stands there breathless. I rush across the room to him, but he stops me before I get there. “Just give me a minute,” he says in between shaky breaths.
Xavier and Raven come up behind him. “What’s going on?” Xavier asks, looking between Mr. Smith and me.
“I need to take you guys to Tiberius, right now,” I tell all of them.
Both Xavier’s and Gregory’s faces harden. I hold out my hands, and everyone grabs on. I look at Raven. “Brace yourself,” I warn her, and she scrunches up her face.
Thirty-Six
The moment we appear in the room and the group sees who’s in the chair, everyone starts yelling at the same time. Except for Raven. She lets out a surprised gasp.
“You’ve got some nerve—” Xavier starts.
“What the hell is he doing—” Gregory’s voice rises.
“Enough!” Mr. Smith yells, cutting everyone off.
Daemon smirks from his chair, until Luca smacks him on the back of the head, effectively wiping away that smug grin. It also causes Raven and Mr. Smith to get their first look at Luca.
The room falls silent until Raven blurts out, “Do you have scales?”
Mr. Smith shoots her a will you shut up look. He nods at Luca, like it’s every day you meet a lizard man. “Before we go any further, someone fill me in on where the hell we are and what’s going on,” Mr. Smith says.
I step forward and give him a brief explanation on where we are and what Daemon told us. Mr. Smith sits down heavily on the couch. He steeples his fingers in front of his face. After a few moments he says, “Gregory, pull up a chair.”
Daemon squirms in his seat. I grab Gregory’s hand before he can sit down. He looks down at me. Let me see if I can help. I don’t know what enhancing you and Mr. Smith will do, but we need to know everything.
He gives me a small nod and I walk over with him, still hand in hand. Daemon’s gaze stays fixed on our clasped palms. His eyes dart to Raven and then back to us. “Golden child gets to break the rules, huh?”
