“What’s a parade?” Nixie murmured by her side.
“Something that involves marching down roads,” she responded with a vague shrug. She’d either read about it once or heard about it from someone who lived Before, but it didn’t affect her now, so she couldn’t bring herself to be interested.
“Why would someone want that?”
“No idea.”
People were working outside when they finally reached the Mill. Static waved at everyone as he passed. They stared at him for a moment, likely in surprise, before waving back. Willow approached them from one of the fields.
“You know, with how much we keep seeing you with the farmers, maybe you should consider a career change,” Jasper teased.
Willow rolled her eyes and swatted at him. “Shut it. From the look on Static’s face, I take it he found what he needed?”
“More or less,” Peyton replied. Static didn’t hold the door open for them, and while it grated on her nerves, she let him go. He was home and eager to get started. Any delay would just push his sanity over the edge. “How’s everything been here?” she asked, taking her pack off and stretching her arms and back. The others followed suit, and Nixie instantly dropped to the ground. She’d held up well during the trip and, despite her small frame, carried her share of the load. She would make a great asset to the Mill. In more ways than one…
Peyton couldn’t fight the fond smile that split her face, so she didn’t bother trying. Let the others see it. She was home, tired, and maybe just a little bit falling in love.
Nixie suddenly jerked her head around and looked up at Peyton and Willow.
Shit. Did I just say that out loud?
“Peyton?”
Willow had been talking, and she’d missed everything, completely lost in her own thoughts. She frowned, wondering what had Nixie falling so pale. She turned to Willow and focused. “What did you say?”
“I said we caught another Scavenger trying to break in. Well, Ryan did and he won’t stop gloating about it. I think it’s the same one that tried to get in a few weeks ago, after the first break-in.”
“A Scavenger tried to get in after—”
“Where is he?” Peyton said, cutting Nixie off. She didn’t want to get into it, not when things had been going so well.
“Ryan? He’s probably with the Scav. We put him where we kept her,” Willow said, gesturing toward Nixie.
“Her name is Nixie,” Peyton and Jasper said simultaneously. They looked at each other and Jasper cracked a smile.
“Who is it?” Nixie demanded.
“Dunno. He never gave his name, no matter how much Ryan tried to beat it out of him. Not that I agreed with what he was doing, but you know how Ryan can—”
Peyton groaned as Nixie took off down the hallway to the stairs that led to the basement. She quickly dismissed Cooper and followed after her, with Jasper and Willow on her heels. Before they even got to the room, Peyton heard Ryan through the door. Nixie was ahead of them and she barely stopped long enough to wrench the door open before darting inside. Peyton followed.
At first Peyton couldn’t process the scene before her. A man lay bound on the floor with Ryan standing over him. Ryan turned, his lips pulled back in a triumphant, almost feral grin.
“Ryan,” she said, her voice nearly inaudible. “What did you do?”
Nixie cried out, “Ranger!” and rushed to the man’s side. She dropped down to the man, placing herself between him and Ryan. “Are you okay?”
Ranger opened one eye and grunted. “Nixie. You’re okay. I didn’t think you’d made it. This bastard didn’t tell me anything.”
“Watch your words, Scav, or I’ll beat—”
“Ryan, that’s enough. Get out.” Ryan turned to face Peyton. She narrowed her eyes and stepped forward.
“I’m not leaving. You weren’t here for us when we needed you, and I did the job. You don’t deserve your position.”
“Now is not the time for arguing. We can talk about that later, but right now we need Dr. Easton. Does she know about this?”
“The good doctor was called away to Ellington yesterday.” His lips kicked up at the corners in a cruel smirk, and his eyes flashed dangerously even in the dim light.
“Jasper, get Graham.” Her friend nodded and bolted through the door, leaving Peyton staring down Ryan with Willow at her side. She could hear the murmured conversation behind her, but some of the words were lost in the quiet.
Nixie sat in front of Ranger, still in shock at seeing him in such terrible condition. Half of his face had disappeared under crusted blood, with a range of cuts still seeping. His bottom lip had split while his left eye had swollen shut. His arms were bound to his sides with a thick rope that crossed over his chest, and his wrists had been tied behind his back. Nixie moved carefully behind him and gently ran a hand down his arm to find the knot and work at it.
“What happened?” she asked softly, not wanting the others to overhear.
“Faulkner sent me to retrieve you. We were almost caught the first time so I needed to re-strategize, but clearly that didn’t work,” he said wryly. “We need you. I came back alone—figured it would be easier with just me this time, and if this happened, no one else would be at risk.”
“I didn’t know you came back before. They didn’t tell me.”
“Why would they? I wanted to come back even sooner than this, but Faulkner didn’t want to risk it. Said you’d be fine. Guess he was right.”
“I’m okay now, but a month is a long time.”
“I should have tried sooner. We should have had a contingency plan in case someone was taken in the first place. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I don’t need it. Let’s get you out of here and cleaned up.”
The knot loosened and Nixie carefully pulled the loops, slipping it free of his hands once it was loose enough. She moved to the knot at his back as he flexed his wrists.
“They treatin’ you all right?”
“There not bad people,” she said softly, flicking her glance up at Peyton who squared off with Ryan. “I trust them.”
“They’re the same people who kept you here.”
“I know,” Nixie said, frustrated. How could she make him understand that things—people—change? “It’s more complicated than that. Just trust me on this, okay? Would I ever lead you wrong?”
Ranger sighed and dropped his head forward. With her small fingers she worked at the last knot until it loosened and fell away. Ranger sucked in a deep breath. “Thank God. I thought I’d never get out.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Day? Maybe two? I lost track of time. I think I lost consciousness at one point.”
Nixie looked over to the others. “Peyton? He needs to see Dr. Easton. He’s hurt bad.”
“Dr. Easton isn’t here, but we’ll do what we can until she’s back,” Peyton said. She turned back to Ryan as the door opened and Jasper strode in with Graham.
“We need to move him to Doc’s suite,” Peyton instructed. Jasper and Willow moved forward to help lift Ranger, who pulled away from them.
“Dude, it’s cool. We’ve got you,” Jasper said. He held out a hand as one would to a scared dog. Ranger hesitated before nodding and letting the smaller man help him stand. “We’re not like that one,” he added, jerking his chin toward Ryan.
“Did you know about this, Graham?” Peyton asked as they led Ranger from his prison. Nixie stood torn. Part of her wanted to stay with Peyton, hear what Graham had to stay, and help, but the other part wanted to go with Ranger and make him feel safe. In the end, her concern for Ranger won out, and she closed the door behind her.
CHAPTER THIRTY
“Did you know about this?” Peyton demanded again, once the door shut and cut them off from Nixie. Graham stood before her with his hands shoved in his pockets. “Did you know he was keeping someone down here?”
“Someone? He’s a Scav,” Ryan said.
“He’s stil
l a person!” she yelled. Back and forth she paced, gesturing as she spoke. It was that, or her fists would make their marks on Ryan’s smug face.
“Touchy. Since when did you get so friendly with them? Don’t tell me you’ve got a soft spot for that little one.”
What could a few rounds hurt? She turned on him as one of Graham’s warm hands landed on her shoulder and pulled her back with a strength she’d forgotten he had.
“Peyton, don’t. Don’t let him push you.”
“You still didn’t answer my question.”
“I knew.”
She backed away from his hand, the words an arrow through her chest. “You knew?”
Graham sighed and ran the same hand that had been on her shoulder over his face. “I knew he’d been caught breaking in. I didn’t know what Ryan had done with him.”
“Why didn’t somebody check?” Her voice sounded shrill even to her own ears. Ryan had pushed her over the edge, and her composure fled. “You know what he’s capable of!”
“You have no idea what I’m capable of,” Ryan said. “And that’s your problem. But get used to it, Peyton. There are a lot of people here who won’t stand for you being in charge. Not after what I’ve done to prevent those dirty Scavs from getting in. You make nice with one and I get the job done.” Ryan turned on his heel and reached for the door. “We let this one walk, and we’re going to pay for it. You might trust that girl, but this one isn’t like her. He’s not going to turn so easily just because you bat your eyelashes at him. The second you give him some slack, he’ll be off. And then there’ll be no stopping them.”
Peyton let him leave, and as soon as the door clicked shut she rounded on Graham. “How could you have let him?”
“I didn’t know. He kept a guard on the door.”
She snorted. “Like that would keep you out.”
“Sometimes you need to pick and choose your battles, Peyton. What would I have done before you got back? I’m not in charge. You are. I’d have been overstepping my bounds.”
“Someone needs to stand up for them. Dad would have. I thought you would have, too.”
“Before you left you weren’t all too concerned with their well-being. What changed out there?”
Peyton crossed her arms over her chest and looked around the dim room. It was hard to believe that just a month ago Nixie had been the one on the hard floor glaring up at her with hatred. And last night they’d slept side by side, curled up around each other. “I woke up,” she said simply. “Fighting like this…being two separate people…it’s not working, Graham. I’m tired of it. If we didn’t fight, Dad wouldn’t have died. He’d still be here.”
“You wouldn’t have met Nixie.”
“No, but maybe I wouldn’t have had to meet her. Maybe I would have known her all along. Things would be easier. For us. For everyone.”
Graham sat down in a folding chair that had been placed near the center of the room facing Ranger. “Tell me what happened.”
And she did. Peyton told him everything, from the moment they left, to Static’s burn, and Nixie’s ability to find water. She told him about the city, getting lost, and Nixie unexpectedly calling up the storm. When she finished, Graham stared at her in disbelief.
“I know! It sounds crazy, and believe me, if I hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have believed it myself. But it’s all true.”
“And the others, do they know about her?”
“No. I figured it out and got her to admit it to me. I didn’t tell them. It’s her business to tell people, not mine. Please don’t say a word.”
“Of course I won’t. It’s just hard to believe. With that kind of ability, she could solve everyone’s problems. The crops would flourish.”
“I know.”
“When it started to rain everyone ran around, trying to collect as much water as possible. It started so suddenly. Do you think she could do it again?”
Peyton nodded. Nixie could do it again if she tried. She believed in her.
*
“We have to get out of here,” Ranger said softly from the bed he lay on.
Nixie leaned over him and gently pressed a cool washcloth over his face to soak off the blood. Jasper stood off to the side near the foot of the bed with his back to them, watching the door. Nixie knew the young guard was listening, or at least trying to, but at least he afforded them the semblance of privacy, and for that, a surge of gratitude rose within her.
“If you’re suggesting sneaking out, there’s no need. We can leave when you can walk on your own.”
He snorted softly in disbelief. “They really have you thinking that?”
“Of course, because it’s true.”
“Oh, Nixie. I didn’t think you were a fool, but they put some crazy ideas in your head.”
A flash of annoyance filled her, and she struggled to fight it back. Ranger is not the enemy. He’s a friend, and he means nothing by it. He just doesn’t understand. “The only crazy idea they put there is that we don’t have to starve to death. I went out with them. On a mission.”
“Why would you help them? They kept you hostage. Or did you forget that?”
She couldn’t deny that it had started off that way, but how could she convince him it wasn’t like that anymore? She sighed and glanced around. She’d have to show him. “Jasper?” The guard turned. “Can you give us a minute?”
He hesitated, his eyes taking in Ranger’s battered body before he gave a short nod and left the room. When Nixie turned back to Ranger, he looked surprised. Or at least as surprised as he could look with the condition he was in.
“Like I said, we can leave when you want. They’re not going to keep us here. Most of them are not like Ryan. He’s terrible. But the rest are just like us. They’re just trying to survive. Only they’re doing a better job of it than we are.” She dipped the cloth in a basin of water, rinsed it out, and pressed it to his face again. “I want to talk to everyone. Get them to come here for help.”
“Faulkner won’t like that.”
“Faulkner is wrong. About everything. Things could be so much easier. Maybe not like Before, but at least easier than they are now.”
Ranger pressed his lips into a thin line despite the split. “We’re all alive because of Faulkner. Do you know what you’re saying?”
“I know. But remember what I said? About him being touched with the madness?”
He grunted in agreement.
“You said you’d take care of it if he was.”
“Keeping us from the Settlers…it was for our own good.” Ranger struggled to get the words out. Nixie could hear it in the strain of his voice and the way the one eye couldn’t seem to focus on one particular spot. “Since you’ve been gone, he’s been saying weird things. About sins. I don’t know what it means.”
Nixie changed the subject since the conversation seemed too painful for him. They could talk about it later. “Look, you’ve only dealt with Ryan. Trust me. If you meet the others, you’ll see what I mean. They’ve been so kind to me. Dr. Easton fixed me up, Avery gave me clothing, and Graham took me in. They could have kept me down in that prison, but they didn’t.”
“Maybe they just wanted you to be lulled into a false sense of security. So you’d believe them.”
“I thought that at first, too. But don’t be so cynical, Ranger. Why would they do that? I’m an extra mouth to feed. What do they have to gain? An extra pair of hands? I’m not exactly the strongest person.”
“Your abilities.”
Nixie shook her head. “They didn’t know about that.”
“Didn’t? You mean they do now?”
“No. Only Peyton.”
“Peyton, is she the guard?”
“Yes.”
“You seem comfortable with her.”
Nixie felt the color rise in her cheeks and couldn’t stop it. Comfort didn’t quite describe it. Before she could say anything, Ranger started to speak again.
“Nixie, about Faulkner. There’s some
thing I need to tell you.” When she didn’t respond, he took as deep a breath as his injuries would allow. “I should have seen it before, but he’s—”
The door burst open and Dr. Easton strode in with Jasper at her heels. In her hands she clutched a bag, which she immediately dumped on the ground. “If I hadn’t taken an oath, I’d kill him myself,” she swore and brushed Nixie aside.
Nixie moved out of the way as quickly as she could and stood by Jasper at the foot of the bed, alternately amused with the Doctor’s entrance and worried about Ranger’s reaction to her. When she reached out and touched his face, he jerked back, nearly dislodging himself from the bed.
“Settle down, son. I’m just checking you over. I’m a doctor.”
Ranger looked to Nixie for approval, and she smiled. “You’re in good hands now.”
“But I need to—”
Dr. Easton didn’t let him finish. “Not that Nixie didn’t do a good job of cleaning you up, but let’s get the rest of this fixed and then you need some decent rest and a good meal. If you two wouldn’t mind?”
“I’ll be back later,” Nixie promised as she and Jasper slipped from the room. Ranger started to protest, but once the door clicked shut, virtually all sound died.
“We should probably get some rest,” Jasper suggested. Nixie agreed. After the last few days, all she wanted was a comfortable bed for a few hours, because who knew what would happen tomorrow once Ranger was back on his feet. His cut-off words echoed in her ears. What had he been trying to tell her about Faulkner?
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Even though she didn’t think she’d sleep soundly due to recent events, Peyton fell into a deep sleep the second her head hit her pillow. She didn’t wake up again until early the next morning, with a parched mouth.
After talking to Graham yesterday, she’d decided today she was going to ask Nixie to dance again, to see if she could bring another storm. She believed in her and knew she could do it. And hopefully Nixie believed in herself as well. She had just taken her first sip of fresh, cool water when a light knock sounded on her door. Hoping it wasn’t an emergency, she cautiously opened the door, relieved to see Nixie standing on the other side.
The First Twenty Page 17
