Saving Eden (Original Series book 3)

by Rachel McClellan

  She leans against the counter and taps her fingernails against its glass top. "I hope so. I want something sweet, like chocolate or something, but I don't see anything like that."

  "We have chocolate powder in the corner."

  "I don't want powder. I want the real stuff."

  "We are not given the real stuff." His face remains expressionless.

  "Can you order it in?" she asks.

  "The food just shows up."

  Jenna straightens. "That's not what I asked. I want you to order it in for me. I'll pay extra."

  "We don't do special orders."

  "Aren't you the owner?"

  "I just am."

  "Am what?"

  He stares at her blankly.

  Jenna slams her fist on the counter and shouts, "I want some chocolate!"

  "There is chocolate powder in the corner," the man repeats. He doesn't even blink at her outburst.

  "Wow," Jenna says. "I've never not caused a reaction before."

  "This is what Fenoquel does to people," Rafe explains. "Do you see now how dangerous it is in the wrong hands?"

  "In anyone's hands," Jenna adds.

  "Why did my mother want me to see this?" I wonder aloud.

  Rafe motions to the door. "I'm sure the reason will be made clear soon enough. Let's go."

  We exit the store and proceed down the street. We walk for ten minutes, searching for what, we don't know yet. As I come closer to the man on the bench I had spotted from the sky, he rises to his feet, staring only at me. His amber colored eyes tell me he is a Prime. He walks toward me, moving fast. His thin mouth matches his thin eyebrows, and his elongated face reminds me of Jet's.

  Rafe steps in front of him before he can get any closer. "Can I help you?"

  "No," the man says, trying to see past Rafe to me.

  "Can I help you?" I ask the man.

  "There's a phone call for you," he says.

  "You know who I am?"

  "Sage Radkey."

  Rafe looks from him to me. "And how do you know that?"

  "Scarlet told me to watch for her." He reaches into his pocket and removes a photo.

  I take it from him. It's a picture of me at the Cylotech lab where Anthony died. It looks like it was lifted from their security feed.

  "What's your name?" I ask.

  "Lucas."

  "How long have you been waiting here, Lucas?" Jenna asks him.

  "Three days."

  I glance up at Rafe. Three days. Did my mother know we were going to attack Terratas? But how would she have known that?

  "Where's this phone call at?" Rafe asks.

  Lucas turns around. "Follow me."

  We follow him for three blocks before he turns up a quiet street. The entire time, Jenna tries to goad Lucas into showing some kind of emotion, but it doesn't work which infuriates her.

  "So if I were to punch you right now as hard as I could, you wouldn't care?" she asks.

  "Jenna!" I scold.

  "Why would you punch me?" Lucas asks, his eyes never leaving whatever destination he has in store for us.

  Jenna pulls back her fist and punches him in the arm. He grimaces and rubs at it, but keeps walking.

  "Don't you want to fight me?" she asks.

  "I don't care one way or the other." He stops in front of a house and points inside. "Go inside and press the button by the phone. Scarlet will answer."

  I move to do what he says, but Rafe stops me. He shoves Lucas forward. "You go first."

  Lucas shrugs and walks to the front door. Rafe doesn't let me move until Lucas is safely inside.

  "Any sign of trouble, separate and meet back at the hovercraft, got it?" Rafe says. He opens the door and lets me pass.

  The inside is simple with a yellow sofa and loveseat, both covered in plastic, along with a brown end table. There is no wall TV or radio that I can see. A narrow dining room is set off from the living room. Resting on top of a small dining table is an old fashioned telephone, one that I've only seen in pictures.

  Rafe disappears into a hallway on my right, probably to search the home. Jenna goes straight into the kitchen and opens the refrigerator. "Fake eggs, fake cheese, fake milk. Ugh. Isn't anything real here?"

  Lucas stands next to the table. "This is the phone. Press here." He points to a small red button beneath the phone's receiver.

  I swallow around the fullness in my throat and pick up the phone. There are no numbers to dial, only the button.

  "House is empty," Rafe says when he returns.

  I press the button and hold the receiver to my ear. It rings over and over. I almost put it down when I hear, "Sage?"

  The sound of my mother's voice makes me feel all kinds of emotions. I want to cry, laugh, yell, scream. She is my mother, the woman who lovingly raised me. She's also the woman who betrayed her family and hundreds of Originals.

  "Where's Max?" I ask.

  "What do you think of Flin?"

  "Where's Max?" I ask again, my voice growing louder.

  "He's safe, for now."

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "It means," she snaps, "that there is only so much I can do to protect him. Ebony still hasn't decided yet whether to use him as leverage or grant my wish and give him Fenoquel."

  "Don't you dare—"

  "Why wouldn't I?" she asks innocently. "I would be giving him a life full of peace."

  "Is that honestly what you think you would be doing? These people here are not peaceful. They’re merely existing."

  "In peace with one another."

  "They're not happy!"

  "But they're not miserable either! Don't you see? This will fix everything! People can live long lives and no longer fight!"

  "That isn't living, Mother!"

  I take a few breaths to try and calm down. I can hear her doing the same.

  "Why did you want me to see this?" I ask, my voice calmer. "You could've just told me about it."

  "Because you need to see what the world could be like. You need to help me."

  "I will never help you do this to people!"

  She's silent for a moment. "Then things are about to get really bad."

  "What do you mean?" I look up at Jenna and Rafe.

  "Your people have started a war. Ebony will not show mercy. What I'm offering you is a way to save everyone you love and care about."

  "Fenoquel is not saving them."

  "You would rather have war?"

  It only takes me a second to answer. "A life without the freedom to be happy or miserable is no life at all. War would be better than that. At least if we die, we will die free and with the knowledge that we did all that we could to stop those who would see us broken and enslaved."

  She clears her throat. "So be it. Just remember, I warned you."

  "Tell me where Max is, please," I say before she can hang up. "Give me this one thing."

  "I can't, but know that he's safe, and soon, his misery will be over."

  The line goes dead.

  18

  I walk into our cabin in Enfield with Jenna behind me. We didn't talk much on the way back, mainly because Rafe let Jenna fly home, and she was so nervous she didn't dare do anything else. I also couldn't stop thinking about my mother's words. She wanted to change Max, as if he hasn't been through enough. I think I hate her and feeling that way toward someone I should love makes my stomach sick.

  After I told Rafe everything my mother had said, Rafe had left the cockpit to make several calls. He seemed to know what was coming but didn't share it with us.

  I drop my bag onto my bed, glad to be rid of its weight. "Thanks for coming with me."

  She lies on her bed opposite of mine and stretches out. "Your mom’s wrong, you know."

  "I know."

  Jenna stares at the ceiling. "I'd rather die than be all emotionless like that."

  "Me too."

  "She must've gone to a real dark place to ever think that was okay."

  I look over at he
r, but she keeps her gaze at the ceiling.

  "I mean, seriously," she continues. "What the hell happened to her? She has a really smart son, a husband who's also a genius and pretty hot for an old guy—"

  I wrinkle my nose, having never considered my father 'hot'.

  "—and a daughter who would do anything for the people she loves. Why would she want to shut those qualities off?"

  "Because she doesn't want us to suffer," I say simply. "I understand a little where she's coming from, but I still don't agree."

  "You better not because if you ever became like one of those dumb drones, I would punch you in the throat until you finally did some—"

  A knock interrupts us.

  I sit up and open the door. "Yes?"

  "Tank sent me to find you," a young, familiar-looking Prime boy says.

  "Thanks, Tim," I say. "Is everything okay?"

  "Colt's awake."

  My heart skips a beat, and my mouth goes dry. Jenna swings her legs over the bed.

  "I have to go," I say.

  Jenna stands. "I'm going with you."

  I resist the urge to sprint past Tim and Jenna. I've waited so long to see Colt. A whirlwind of emotions crowd my mind. The most powerful one is fear for him. I remember what it was like after I had been tortured. The emptiness inside me, making me feel like a shell that was being forced to walk, talk and interact with others when all I wanted to do was wither away.

  I only had to endure the torture for a short time, but Colt had been with the Institute so much longer. I fist my hands, anger replacing that fear. The Institute has caused so much pain to so many people.

  "How long has he been awake for?" Jenna asks Tim.

  He glances over his shoulder. "Um, a few hours I think."

  "A few hours? Why didn't anyone tell us?"

  "You two were gone, plus he wanted to be debriefed on everything that has happened."

  "Who debriefed him?" I asked.

  "Tank, Raven, and Jet."

  Anger flashes again, but it's laced with jealousy. Raven got to see him before me. It's silly, I know. Colt has never shown any real interest in her, but I've seen the way she looks at him. I shake my head. It doesn't matter anyway. Maybe Colt should like her. It's not like I have long to live anyway. A sudden hollowness fills my heart, and I touch it.

  Jenna looks up at me. "You okay?"

  I nod.

  The hallway leading to Colt's room is crowded. It seems everyone wants to talk to him. I resist the urge to yell at them to leave him alone.

  "Wait here," Tim says at the door.

  "We're not waiting," Jenna snaps. "We're going in."

  Tim places his hands on each of our arms stopping us. He is surprisingly strong. "Colt gave specific instructions. He doesn't want people just walking in."

  Tim slips inside the door. Almost a minute later, he cracks it open again and says, "You can enter."

  Jenna rolls her eyes and goes through first. I inhale deeply and go after her.

  Tank is inside pacing the room. He doesn't seem to be aware of our presence. Colt stands near the window, staring out across Enfield. His black wings are folded to his bare back, but parts of them are wrinkled from being damaged. His jeans hang low on his hips. He runs his fingers through his much longer, inky hair and turns around.

  Our eyes meet. He immediately places his hand on the windowsill as if for support.

  "Hi," I say lamely. I want to run to him and throw my arms around him, but there's tension in the room, one that was already here when I entered, that stops me.

  He averts his gaze and forces a smile. "It's good to see you two."

  "You look much better," Jenna says. She seems to be holding back too. She keeps looking from Tank to Colt as if trying to figure out what's going on. "Everything okay?"

  Tank stops moving and looks up at us. "I have to go. Jenna, you need to come with me."

  "But I just got here!" she whines.

  "Now."

  She looks back at Colt. "I guess I have to obey Dad. Catch up with you later?"

  He nods, his focus on the floor. I wish he would look at me again.

  Tank and Jenna leave the room. As soon as the door clicks closed, I take a few tentative steps toward Colt, trying to find the right words to say.

  "I can't know everything you went through," I begin, "but I know a little of what Ebony is capable of."

  He slowly looks up at me. As soon as our eyes meet, his chin begins to quiver. I don't hesitate. I close the distance between us and throw my arms around him. He buries his head into the top of my shoulder and clings to me. I gently lower us to the floor where I can better hold him.

  His sobs are quiet but full of pain and emotion. I don't say anything, just hold him as tight as I can. Sunlight spills into the room blanketing us in its golden light. I lightly run my fingers over his broken wings.

  Eventually, his breathing slows and some of the tension leaves his body. He sits up, wipes at his eyes with the back of hands and leans against the wall behind him. I scoot next to him and do the same, linking my fingers through his.

  More times passes. We stare at the blank white wall opposite of us. I ignore all the voices outside the door, most that are wondering about Colt. I'm pretty sure he can hear them too.

  "I thought about you all of the time," he whispers.

  I squeeze his hand.

  "Whatever they did to me, no matter the pain, I just had to think about you and it would all go away. As long as I was focused. I had to stay focused." He inhales a hitched breath. "Sometimes it was hard."

  "I know," I say.

  "I need to be strong again. They all want me to be, but I don't know if I can do it."

  I run my thumb across the top of his hand. "Do you remember what you told me after I was rescued from the Institute? You told me to fake it until I make it. It was hard at first, but eventually, it worked."

  He gently squeezes my fingers.

  "What the Institute does to you," I say, "they try to destroy everything about you. They get inside your mind and your heart, to places you didn't even know existed. They’re a virus, a horrible plague that needs to be destroyed." I hear the bitterness in my voice.

  For the first time, Colt turns to me. "It's their views and belief system that needs to be destroyed, not the people. Most of them, anyway."

  I lift my eyebrows.

  "A few of them tried to help me escape. The Primes who work for them, they’re just trying to survive like us. They simply chose the wrong side. If they knew your father has a cure, I think we can get them to switch. A lot of them, anyway."

  "You really think so?"

  "I do." He closes his eyes and whispers, "Fake it until you make it." He brings himself to his feet. I join him.

  "I don't like what’s been happening here," he says. "Rafe's work does not represent any of HOPE's ideals."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I read the reports of their attack on Terratas, the ones I could get my hands on anyway. Have you had a chance to go over them?"

  I shake my head, guilt filling my gut. I hadn't even thought about reading them.

  "Were you aware that Rafe lined up over three dozen Primes and shot them in cold blood while filming it? And he broadcast it across the country?"

  Guilt turns to revulsion. I press my hand to my mouth. "Why would he do that?"

  "Because he believes it’s the only way to defeat them—to be more violent than them and more frightening. Anthony told me about Rafe and his methods. That's why Anthony was so against joining with the West's resistance to begin with. There is no love lost between Rafe and Anthony."

  "I didn't know that." But even as I say it, I'm thinking back to when we snuck into Cylotech thinking Colt was there. Rafe had refused to help us but ended up helping us in the end. Had he come sooner, maybe Anthony would still be alive. Had that been deliberate?

  "Where is Anthony anyway?"

  Blood drains from my face. He doesn't know.

  Colt
's expression darkens, and he steps toward me. "You have the same expression Tank had when I asked him. Are you not going to answer me either?"

  Tears fill my eyes. "I'm so sorry. Anthony is…"

  "Did they capture him? When? Where? We'll get him back, I promise."

  "Dead."

  Colt chokes on a breath.

  I grab onto his hands, knowing how much Anthony meant to him. "I'm so sorry."

  "Tell me what happened."

  I fill my lungs with air and explain everything that had happened. The more I talk, the angrier he becomes.

  "How long ago was this?" he asks through gritted teeth.

  It's painful, but I think back to the day Anthony died. It feels like an eternity ago. "A week."

  He slumps onto the bed. "I missed him by seven days?"

  I lower next to him and rest my hand on his knee. "Tank, Jenna and I took his body back to his home and buried him in the woods next to his wife. I can take you there some time, if you'd like."

  He nods and runs his hand across mine and holds it tight. "What else did I miss?"

  I swallow the words I've been waiting to tell him, afraid of how he'll respond. "There's something else I need to tell you. I've done something…"

  "Tank already told me about the super pDNA injections. I didn't believe him until I saw you."

  I wait for him to say more but he doesn't.

  "Are you upset?" I ask, biting the inside of my cheek.

  "I'm not happy about it, but there's so much going on right now. I can only handle one problem at a time. Besides, I need you right now. I don't care if you're super strong or fast. All that matters is that we make it through this war together. We can deal with everything else after."

  I lean into him, my heart beating fast. I should tell him the truth about my limited days, but I don't want to overwhelm him. One problem at a time.

  My hearing picks up commotion in the hall. Colt tenses at the same time. Rafe is trying to get into the room, but Tank argues with him about waiting.

  The door flies open, and Rafe walks in. Colt and I jump to our feet.

  "I'm sorry," Tank says, coming in after him. "I couldn't stop him."

  Jenna also comes in and closes the door from others trying to peek in.

  "Hello Colt," Rafe says. "Good to see you on your feet again. I wish I could give you more time, but war waits for no one."