"Don't—" Tank warns as my fingers move closer.
I don't hesitate. I grab onto the center wire with all of my might. Electricity explodes through my body with such force that I begin shaking uncontrollably, but I don't let go. A painful cry rips from my lungs as I use all my strength to pull apart the wire.
"Sage!" Tank yells, and I feel his hand on my shoulder trying to pull me back.
My scream is so loud that Colt's eyes fly open, his eyelashes caked with blood. They widen further when he seems to recognize me. That's the last thing I see before the wire snaps, and the whole world goes black.
16
Chirping birds stir my consciousness, and my eyes come into focus. I'm lying on my side against a firm mattress with a white blanket pulled up over me. Next to a window across the room is a tall birdcage. Three colorful parakeets chirp and flutter about inside. Two appear content with their living arrangements, hopping along their perch, but one of them with an aqua-colored chest keeps flying upwards as if trying to escape. I feel sorry for it.
"You're awake."
I roll over. Ash stands over me, holding a ceramic mug. Steam rises from its center. "When did you get here?"
She smiles warmly. "Last night while you guys were gone."
"Gone?" I frown. "Wait. Where am I? What happened?" I try to recall the last couple of days but only grasp onto random bits of information. None of it makes sense.
"Here," she says and hands me the cup. "Drink this. It will clear your head."
I sit up and drink as much as I can. It's a sharp flavor, like ginger, but is warm going down my throat.
"Tank brought you into the hospital late last night."
"He did?" I set the cup on a nearby nightstand, thinking hard. That's when I notice my hand. It's red and covered in blisters. The sight of it makes me acutely aware of a stinging pain on my back. "What happened?"
"You burned it. It already looks much better than it did a few hours ago."
My breathing quickens. "Where's my dad?"
"He left a few minutes ago to check on Colt."
"Colt?"
That's when it hits me. Everything from the last twenty-four hours—fighting with Rafe and Tank in the forest, Rafe exposing me as a Prime to everyone, the bloodbath on the train…and then Colt wrapped in electrified barbed wire.
I fling the covers off and swing my feet over the edge. "I need to see him."
My head swims, and I nearly topple over.
Ash places her hand on my shoulder. "Steady. You need more time."
"I need to see Colt." I slide off the bed holding onto her for support.
She sighs. "Fine. Just go slow."
She lets me lean into her as we leave the room and walk down a long white hall that smells a bit like urine. I haven't been in this part of the hospital before. In fact, I look around, this side of the hospital was abandoned yesterday, but it looks like it has been recently cleaned and there are lots of muffled voices coming from behind the closed doors we walk past.
"What happened?" I ask.
Ash's expression darkens. "Rafe's return last night brought in a lot of visitors, many of them injured, Originals and Primes alike."
"Visitors?"
"More like prisoners. Terratas held more Originals than expected. Their conditions were deplorable."
"So Rafe was successful?" I ask, my voice hopeful.
"That depends on your definition of success. We lost almost a hundred soldiers, and dozens more were injured."
"Jet!" I say, remembering just then that he had been shot. "Is he okay?"
"He’ll be fine. It was a shoulder wound." Ash stops in front of a closed door. "Colt is in here."
I reach for the doorknob, but she stops me. "He doesn't look like himself."
I nod, understanding better than she probably thinks, and open the door.
Tank is sitting next to Colt's bed. He stands when he sees us.
"You look much better," he says.
I don't say anything. I'm too busy taking in everything about Colt. He's sleeping but positioned upright, allowing his black wings to be spread wide. The bottom and top tips of his wings, the parts he often fights with, are still sharp as ever, but one of the dagger-like extensions has broken. His wings are held in position by special wires suspended from the ceiling. They shine as if wet like something has been rubbed into them. Holes litter the sheen, but they don't look as bad as I remember.
I slowly move toward him. His face has been wiped clean of blood, but there are tiny cuts all over him from where the barbs must've pierced him. His cheeks are hollow beneath sharp cheekbones, and his lips gray. An IV has been placed into his arm filling him with much-needed liquids, while another tube is taped to his nose. A white liquid flows through it.
"I think they’ll be able to save his wings," Tank says, his voice low.
"Has he woken up yet?"
"He'll probably be out for a few days," Ash answers. She takes Tank's hand. "Let's leave her alone."
Tank pats me on the back as he passes by.
After the door closes, I go to Colt's side. I lightly trace my fingertip up his arm, my heart breaking into a million pieces. The things he must've endured. I loop my fingers into his and lower into the same chair Tank had been sitting in.
I stay like this for what feels like hours, pausing only to eat when my father brings me food. He doesn't say much to me other than to offer his support and give reassuring words about Colt's condition. I'm tempted to ask him about what he might've found in my blood, but in the end, decide against it. He's either going to find a cure for me or not, but I'm going to live my life as if there is no cure and do as much as I can with my new abilities.
It's almost dark outside the hospital room's only window when the door opens. Rafe and Myers walk in. Rafe has a bandage wrapped around his head.
"He looks a little better," Myers says.
"You saw him?" I ask. I keep my eyes on Rafe as he nears Colt.
"When he was first brought in," Myers adds. "You look better too."
"How did you get away from the Institute? Won't they suspect you?"
He shakes his head. "After Rafe's men attacked, we were ordered to go into hiding by the President until Ebony can clean up this mess."
"Mess?" I cringe when Rafe touches Colt's black wing. For some reason, I don't like Rafe so close to him.
"His words, not mine," Myers assures. "The President ordered Ebony to take care of the insurgency or they will cut funding to the Institute."
"But what about oDNA? Won't Ebony withhold the drug from them?"
"Your father created a cure to the Kiss, did he not?" Myers asks, smiling.
"Yes, but he hasn't begun developing it on a mass scale yet." I move closer to Colt, not liking how Rafe keeps poking at him. "Besides, how did the President even hear about it?"
Myers chuckles. "I may have started a rumor."
"What are you doing?" I finally ask Rafe.
He straightens and steps back from Colt. "His wings. They are fascinating. I can see why he commands such respect."
"It's not his wings that do that. Why are you here? Checking in on injured Primes seems like an inefficient task for you."
He narrows his eyes. "We need you to come with us."
"I'm not leaving him."
"It won't take long," Myers says, his softer tone trying to lighten the mood. "Besides, I've been told Colt will be out at least for another day."
"What is it?" I ask.
"We recovered information at Terratas," Rafe says and walks to stare out the window. "The drug, Fenoquel, we learned they recently used it on a settlement in the Northern Territory, one where both Primes and Originals live."
I repress a shiver. There weren't many independent settlements left in the area above the former United States. It used to be a place called Canada, but slowly the population had migrated south to bigger cities where they would have access to pDNA and oDNA.
"Why do you need me to go see it?" I
ask.
"It's not us making the request," Rafe says and hands me a small envelope from his pocket. "This was in the hands of one of the Primes we captured."
I tear into it and read it quickly, trying to keep my hands from shaking.
"The Prime she gave it to was ordered to stay behind, despite the fact that we were shooting bullets at him," Rafe says. "He was sitting in a corner, his head down, but showing no fear."
I read the letter again.
"We believe he was drugged with Fenoquel," Myers says. "Your father is testing him now."
I read the cursive words for a third time focusing on my mother's signature at the bottom. It's really hers. I haven't heard anything from her for weeks, and when she does finally contact me it's to tell me to visit a place called Flin where people no longer feel?
I turn the letter over hoping to find something else, but there's nothing. Only her telling me about how amazing Fenoquel is.
"I'm not going," I say, looking up at them. I try to keep my voice down on account of Colt.
"You have to." Rafe stares at me deadpan.
"Because she's my mother? I don't think so."
"Your mother went to a lot of trouble to make sure that letter fell into your hands," Myers says. "She clearly has some sort of plan and we need to know what it is. The intel could possibly save lives."
I consider his words as I step toward Colt and slip my fingers into his, something I would never have done in front of others before. But seeing how I'm dying soon, I could care less who knows how I feel.
"When will we return?" I ask.
"We can leave first thing in the morning and return by the afternoon," Rafe says. "Flin is only two hours away by hovercraft."
"Who all would be going?"
"Me and whoever else you want."
I meet his gaze. "I want Link to go. I haven't seen him for a couple of days."
Rafe shakes his head. "No Originals. It isn't safe. Anyone else?"
"I'll think about it."
"We'll leave you to it then," Myers says. He turns toward the door but stops. "I don't think I ever said thank you."
"For what?"
"For bringing Colt back, of course. We've been spreading the news across the East and already have a few hundred new recruits."
"That's all that matters to you, isn't? The end result."
Rafe walks to the door. "For now, that's all we can focus on."
Myers bows his head and leaves the room after Rafe. I exhale a tired breath and lower back into the chair, my forehead resting on Colt's bed. I stay like this for a very long time until Ash returns with another doctor to examine Colt. I kiss him on the forehead, silently promising to be back before he wakes.
I slip outside the room and go in search of Jenna, the closest thing I have to a sister. She was right when she said it to me earlier. I feel the same way about her.
It takes me awhile to find for her on account of how crowded Enfield has become. I have to leave many places just to catch some fresh air. I was hoping turning into a Prime would rid me of my claustrophobia, but I still feel that crushing weight whenever my space becomes too crowded.
The night air is warmer than usual, but a cool breeze makes it feel not so suffocating. Stars dot the night sky. I find a quiet corner to take a few breaths while I focus on their far away light. I inhale one last breath before continuing on.
After checking the dining hall, the Green, and Security, I head back to the small cabin we share, hoping to find her there, but it's empty too. I sigh and lean against the outside of the building feeling very alone, even though there are swarms of people all around me. Every cabin is full now, and even the part of Enfield that had once been abandoned is being inhabited. It won't be long before we outgrow this place. Hopefully, by then, we will have won the war and can move back into the cities, or wherever we want to move. For me, I would like to live out my days back at my father's small cabin on the coast of Maine.
I close my eyes and think of the ocean. It has been so long since I've heard its rhythmic waves or felt my toes sink into cool sand.
"I hear you're looking for me."
I open my eyes. Jenna stands in front of me, her eyes red.
"Where have you been?" I ask.
"I was with your father."
"Why?" That is the last place I would've checked. Jenna hates the smell of the lab and always complains that she can't understand a word my father says.
"It doesn't matter." She glances into the distance. "What do you need?
I clear my throat. "Rafe wants me to go to a place up north called Flin, or really my mother does for some reason. She sent me a letter."
"What's at Flin?"
I briefly tell her about Fenoquel. "I was hoping you would go with me. I don't want to go alone."
"What about Tank? Or Link?"
"I want you."
"Why?"
I rub my palm over my knuckles on the other hand. "I need someone with a clear head and no ulterior motives to give me advice." I inhale a breath. "I need someone like Anthony."
Her gaze meets mine and she nods. "I'll go, but understand that if you do something stupid, I'm going to tell you. I don't like stupid people. They’re super annoying."
I grin and so does she. Then I start to laugh. She chuckles too, and some of the tension between us disappears, but we still have a long way to go for wounds to heal. I just hope I live long enough to make sure that happens.
17
The hovercraft lifts into the air, the rising sun's light spilling into the many windows of the cockpit.
"My eyes!" Jenna complains and covers her face.
Rafe steers the craft in the opposite direction putting the sun at our backs. "We're going to have to fly low to avoid detection should anyone be searching the skies. Get comfortable. There's not much to do until we get there."
"Are you sure this isn't a trap?" I ask.
"I don't think so. We've been watching Flin via satellite ever since we read the letter. Nothing is going on there. It's like the place is a ghost town except with people in it."
"That's a funny way of putting it," Jenna says, scrunching her nose.
"You'll see what I mean."
I make myself comfortable in the corner of the cockpit and stare out the window as we skim the tops of the trees. It's a massive forest that goes as far as the eye can see. I've heard people talk about huge deserts and prairies in the West with not a single tree for miles. I can't imagine what that would look like. Forests have all but taken over the East coast and Northern Territories.
Some time later, Rafe interrupts my thoughts of my home in Maine. "We're close. I'm going to put us in stealth mode and circle around Flin. Keep an eye out for anything suspicious."
I sense a deep vibration beneath me as the plane becomes invisible to those on the ground. Up ahead, the forest gives way to an open area full of small, modest homes. The houses are close together with no fences or trees between them. In the center, there's a single block lined with all kinds of shops.
There are several people in the streets: a shop owner sweeping the sidewalk, a lone man sitting on a bench doing nothing but staring into the distance. A woman walks down the sidewalk, another stands on the corner as if waiting for something. All is quiet otherwise. I only spot one parked vehicle, an oddity for this time of the day, but maybe in such a small town, cars aren't needed.
"Pretty dead," Jenna says, her voice quiet. "Can either of you tell if they’re Originals or Primes?"
"Not from here," I say.
"Our intel showed a thirty percent Original population." Rafe turns the craft around. "We'll land a mile out and circle the town on foot. If all looks clear, we'll proceed inside."
The forest surrounding the small town is grossly overgrown, making it difficult to navigate, which proves to be a good thing. If we're having trouble, that means others will too. The only real way into the town is by hovercraft or a dirt road in serious need of repair.
"Do y
ou hear anything?" Rafe asks me when we reach the edge of town.
I hold still and focus my hearing. One day this ability might come automatically without me having to concentrate.
There are sounds all around, but nothing out of the ordinary. Birds' wings rustling the air, small animals scurrying across the forest floor, several deer breathing steady as they remain bedded down in the thick brush. The town is close enough that I expect to hear voices, a radio, or even a television, but all is eerily quiet.
"Nothing," I say.
Jenna looks at me. "You have super hearing too?"
I shrug.
"I bet you don't have a super scream," she mumbles and walks back toward the dirt road.
Rafe and I join her. Uneasiness settles in the pit of my stomach as we walk closer to the town. Not because I think this is a trap, but because there is something disturbing about the town. Could it all be attributed to Fenoquel?
The road leads right into the center of town. We pass several homes on the way. A couple of people watch us from windows. They don't smile or wave. Not even frown at our presence. There is literally no emotion.
"Weirdos," Jenna says under her breath.
"They're drugged. Completely emotion free," Rafe responds.
I detect a slightly higher tone to his voice, almost as if he's impressed. I look at him, my brows furrowed, but he stares straight ahead.
We continue down the road until we reach the first shop, a small market.
"Let's go inside," I say.
I open the door. A gust of cool air blows my hair away from my face. There are only six rows of different kinds of food, all of them government approved, which really means created by the Institute. I don't see any fresh fruits or vegetables, nor meat. In a remote place like this, I would normally see some of that as the people should've learned to live off of the land, but there's nothing. This tells me that the government, or really the Institute, is the town's sole support.
Jenna approaches a short man behind a counter. By his dull brown hair and matching eyes, I can tell this man is an Original.
"Can I help you?" the man asks, his voice monotone.
Saving Eden (Original Series book 3) Page 13
