It's hard to leave knowing I’ll never see them again. I'm about to say as much when another wave of extreme fatigue washes over. I drop to the ground, a little more graceful than last time now that I know what to expect.
My father lowers to my side, holding me in a sitting position. "I will come to you just as soon as I can."
"I know you will." I lean my head against his shoulder. "I love you, Dad."
He kisses me on the forehead. "And I love you so much." His Adam’s apple moves up and down. After a minute, he straightens and wishes Colt well. "I'm going to say goodbye to Max."
He leaves us alone. I glance up, swaying slightly, into the window of the hovercraft. Jenna is inside with Max, probably talking his ear off.
"Do you need help?" Colt asks me, his voice soft.
I attempt to get up but can't. "Please."
He picks me up and cradles me to his chest as he carries me up the ramp.
"Thank you," I whisper.
It doesn't take long to get to Maine. I feel better by the time we land, the excitement of returning home giving me much needed energy. Colt lands on the beach and lowers the ramp. The moon is full, casting a silvery glow across the beach. I quickly slip off my shoes and sigh when my feet sink into the sandy coolness.
"Do you want to take your shoes off, Max?" I ask. He used to love walking barefoot on the beach.
He shrugs, his response to everything except his need to eat and sleep. Once he asked for a blanket. I lower my head, the excitement of being home dulled. It just doesn't feel the same without Max to enjoy it with me.
"This isn't as bad as I thought it would be," Jenna says as she drops her bag onto the sand and stretches. "Which way is your cabin? I'm beat."
I point through an opening in the tree line. "About a quarter mile through there. You'll see a trail. Max, follow Jenna okay?"
Jenna picks up her bag and begins to walk next to Max. "I'll race you if you want, kid. I'm pretty sure you'll lose. I'm fast." She glances over at him. "No? You don't care to find out? If you beat me, I'll give you some candy."
She continues to goad him well into the forest, trying to elicit some kind of reaction from him.
Colt walks down the ramp carrying several bags. He stops and stares over the ocean. "It's beautiful here."
"I like the sounds."
He drops the bags and sits next to me. I lower my head to his shoulder. Neither of us say anything as we watch the slow and steady waves crash to shore. It's so relaxing here that it's hard to believe that only that morning I was bathed in blood. It feels more like a nightmare than real life.
"I'm going to enjoy spending time with you here," he says.
"I'm glad you came."
He looks over at me and runs his fingers across my cheek. "I love you, Sage. I always will."
He lowers until our lips touch. The kiss is soft and gentle and warms me to the core. I breathe in everything about him.
He pulls away and helps me to his feet. "Let's go check out this cabin. I think we both could use some sleep."
I'm weak, but I'm able to make the long walk to the cabin holding Colt's hand with only the light of the moon to guide us. I could find my way blindfolded if I had to. Jenna has already turned on the generator, powering soft light into our small home.
I open the door expecting to smell dust, but there's only the smell of tea boiling on the stove. The living room looks exactly the same with our old, yet comfortable, sofa and two side chairs. The kitchen is just behind it, open to the living room.
"How did you clean this place so fast?" I ask Jenna.
She turns down the stove. "I didn't. It was already like this. Fresh food is in the fridge, too."
I walk to it and open the door. Sure enough, there's enough food in there for at least a week.
"Who would've been here?" Colt asks. He walks around the cabin, eyeing all the pictures on the wall. A couple of them are framed drawings I made when I was a child.
"I guess my father could've come, but I don't know how. He's been so busy." I walk to the sofa and drop next to Max. "How are you?"
"Fine," he says, his expression blank.
"Do you remember this place?"
He nods.
"Do you like it here?"
He shrugs.
Part of me wants to shake him until I get some kind of emotional response.
"So where am I sleeping?" Jenna asks. She hands me a cup of tea and offers some to Max, who accepts.
"You can have my parent's room. It's the first door on the left."
"Cool. I'm going to go crash and sleep for a week. Anyone need anything before I go?"
"We're good, thanks," I say.
"I'm going to bed," Max blurts. He stands and walks off without another word, carrying the tea in his hands.
"I hate seeing him like this," I whisper.
Colt slides into the seat Max was just sitting in and pulls me to him. "It's hard, isn't it? We just need to give it time. I'm sure your dad can fix him eventually."
"I wish I could be around to see that."
"Shhhh," he says and squeezes me.
I want to stay awake to talk more to him, but a sudden heaviness takes over and before I know it, I'm fast asleep.
The next couple of weeks goes quickly, but only because it's so difficult to stay awake. Every day I try hard to keep my eyes open, but when that smothering weight attacks my body, there's nothing I can do.
I take advantage of the times I'm not sleeping. All four of us go on walks on the beach or hikes through the woods. When it becomes too difficult for me, Colt flies me above the forest or skimming across the ocean's surface. I love our time together. And more than anything else, I love that my last days are spent with the people I love.
I wish the others could be here, but I understand. Tank calls when he can. He was part of the last wave of Enfield soldiers to head West. Tank doesn't like the northwest. He says it's too gray and rainy.
Link was in the first group to go. I've talked to him one once since we parted. He told me he's trying to get as much done while he still can. He said he's starting to experience numbness in his legs. That was three days ago. I begged him to return to his family before it got worse, but he said he didn't want them to see him like this.
My father calls every night and makes me promise to stay strong until he can come. I agree for his sake, but I have no control over my body any more than he does.
I open my eyes. Warm light filters through my window. I inhale a heavy breath and look around. My room is empty except for dust motes swirling in the sunlight.
Pressing myself into a sitting position, I wait to catch my breath before I listen closely to the sounds in the cabin. My hearing is still sharp despite my weakened condition.
Colt is talking to someone. At first, I think it's Jenna, but I don't hear her voice. He must be on the phone.
The first week we were here, Colt barely slept. Every time he tried, he would wake from horrible nightmares. Eventually, he was able to speak to me about what had happened when the Institute captured him. The torture he had endured was considerable, and it broke my heart to hear about all of the horrible things that were done to him. Since his confession, he was sleeping better, but most of his time now was focused on trying to save me. I wish he could just have some lasting peace for once.
"I don't know if she can wait that long," he whispers, but by his tone, he might as well be yelling. "Just get her here! Whatever it takes!"
I drop back into the bed, too exhausted to remain upright. I've heard him talking to people for the last week. He has been contacting everyone he knows to find a way to save me. I even overheard him offering a ridiculous amount of money that I'm sure he didn't have to a Techhead who thought they could develop a cure, but in the end, the Techhead said she'd need at least three months. We didn't have that kind of time.
"Colt," I breathe.
He hurries into the room. "You're awake."
I reach my hand out to him.
He grips it tightly.
"Lay with me?" I ask, my chest moving slowly up and down.
He slides onto the bed and lets me rest my head on his chest.
"You need to let me go," I say.
His whole body stiffens. "I won't."
"Promise me you'll live your life. That you will find peace and love. This is all I want before I go. I need to know you'll be all right."
"Stop talking like that! This is not the end. You have to fight this, do you understand?" He stares down at me, but I'm too exhausted to look up at him.
"I'm tired of fighting."
His chest heaves up and down. Before I can inhale my next breath, he flips over until he is straddling me.
"You will not give up, Sage Radkey. There is still hope!"
I give him a weak smile.
"Why would you ever want to leave this?" He presses his mouth to mine in a passionate kiss. It sparks some life into me, and I move my lips against his, enjoying the way he tastes. I don't want to leave this. If I had my way, I would be with Colt always, but that dream was not meant to be.
After a minute he pulls away and grins.
"You keep that up, and I won't go anywhere." I smile back at him, but even as I do, I feel my eyes begin to close again. "I can't stop—"
The darkness comes upon me quickly. It feels different this time, more smothering. I try to open my eyes, try to even move, but my body is a lead weight.
"Sage?"
I feel Colt shake me.
"Damn it! Wake up!"
I want to call to him and tell him that I'm there, but my body won't respond.
"Please, Sage," he whispers. He presses his forehead to mine. I feel his warm breath near my lips. "I need you."
I try to get back to him, but my consciousness slips further and there's nothing I can do to stop it.
29
Something tugs on my senses. My consciousness might not have stirred, but there's something familiar about the voice calling my name. It's a voice I never expected to hear. It continues to pull me through a mind-smothering fog.
"Come on, sweetie. You have to wake up now."
"Why are you giving her more?" This is Colt's voice. He sounds panicked.
"We need to increase her heart rate."
My father? What's he doing here?
A moment later, a little more clarity comes to my mind. I fight to open my eyes.
"That's right, Sage," Colt says. "Keep trying."
I feel his warm palm caress my head.
Very slowly, my eyelids open. The world is blurry. There are dark figures standing over my bed, two sitting on each side of me. Colt is on my left. I only know this because he's still stroking my hair. I turn his direction. The motion takes great effort.
Colt exhales, a noticeable sigh of relief. "I can't tell you how happy you've just made me."
"Give it to her," another voice says. It's my father again.
I shift my gaze to a figure standing at the end of my bed. I blink a few times trying to clear my vision.
"Dad?" My voice cracks like I haven't spoken in a long time.
"I'm here," he answers. "I told you I would come."
There's a smaller figure standing next to him. It's got to be Jenna with all that blond hair. Just beyond her, near the window, is someone else. My eyes slowly come into focus. It's Max. He's staring out the glass, sunlight illuminating his face. The pain in my heart is instant, and I begin to close my eyes again.
"No!" Colt snaps. "You stay awake! Do this for me!"
"Serious," Jenna moans. "I can't handle his mopiness anymore, so don't you dare go back to sleep."
"Sage, sweetie," a soft, familiar voice coos.
I turn my head toward the person sitting on my other side. I suck in air. "Mom?"
"I'm here, and I'm going to make you all better," she says, "but—"
"How?" I interrupt.
She takes a breath before explaining. "When Ebony created super pDNA, she also created a way to reverse the effects in case a super Prime became too powerful and unstoppable, hence a cure. Techheads always create a way to fix their creations should they ever need to."
"Why didn't you tell us this sooner?" Jenna asks.
"Because I wasn't sure I could get my hands on it. Ebony had it hidden and since Sage killed her, I couldn't exactly ask Ebony where it was. I've been searching for it ever since I found out Sage took the injections."
"Link," I breathe. My eyelids are so heavy.
"The cure is on the way to him as we speak," Colt says. "He'll be fine. His condition isn't as bad as yours."
"Give it to her already," my father orders.
I struggle to listen to what they are saying. I'm so very tired.
My mother presses a tip of a needle to the crook in my arm and inserts a cool liquid. "I want to say this will cure you a hundred percent, but I'll be honest with you, sweetie. You're very sick. I worry that it's too late."
"What?" Colt blurts.
She ignores him. "Part of your recovery is up to you. You have to want to live with every fiber of your being. Can you do that?"
My eyes threaten to close again. "So tired."
"I know," she says, "but now is not the time to rest. Now is the time to fight. Will you do that?"
I moan. I'm tired of fighting. I'm tired of excruciating heartache. I'm tired of nightmares every time I close my eyes.
"I love you, Sage," Colt says, his voice pleading.
I look over at him. I do love him so much. We could have a happy life together. I glance at Jenna. She gives me a thumbs-up sign. My eyes move to my father. His eyes are tearing. I've grown so close to him over these last several months. He's someone I want to be like. Beyond him is Max. He's no longer staring out the window, but at me.
Something my mother said moments ago comes to me suddenly. 'Techheads always create a way to fix their creations should they ever need to.' What if they have a way to reverse the effects of Fenoquel? I'd give anything to have Max back.
I can no longer keep my eyes open. Just before they close again, I squeeze Colt's hand tight. I don't want to fall asleep again.
"Sage!" Colt's voice sounds miles away.
I feel myself drifting through a dark and cold space, a sensation I haven't experienced before. I need to get back! I struggle to grasp onto something solid, but it's like I can't feel my body anymore. My thoughts are all that is left.
I concentrate hard, thinking of everything that has happened to me, and all of the people I have come to know and love since that day I was taken from my home. The memories flash through my mind like a movie reel, but they are too fast for me to latch onto. I'm afraid if I can't stop them, they will be gone forever.
All of a sudden they come to an abrupt stop, the darkness gone. I'm sitting on the floor in a gray room, my back against the wall. A black desk is in front of me. Just beyond it is a framed poster that reads: "MyTalk: Your Voice Matters."
It takes me a second to remember where I am. This is where I first met Anthony after I snuck away from the Institute. What am I doing here?
The door opens suddenly, and I scramble away, but when I see who it is, I nearly faint. "Anthony?"
He smiles big, his caramel eyes so full of life. I move to stand.
"Don't get up," he says. "You're very weak."
He crosses the room and kneels next to me.
I grab onto his hand and whisper, "I thought you were dead."
He shakes his head. "I'm very much alive, just not in a way you will understand."
"Am I dead?"
"Not yet, and I want to keep it that way. Too many people are counting on you."
My eyes well with tears. "I miss you so much."
"I miss you too. I'm proud of everything you've accomplished."
This makes me cry, tears spill onto my cheeks. "Oh, Anthony. I feel like I've made so many bad decisions. I ignored what you taught me and many people were brutally killed by my hands."
"And many people were saved
. You need to forgive yourself. War is an ugly affair that changes us at our core. Somehow, you need to find your way back to that amazing girl I first met whose words inspired and uplifted me. There's about to be a new world that will need them."
"I don't know if I can find them again."
"You will, but it will take time." His fingertips brush a strand of hair away from my eyes. "Do you want to live?"
"I want to, but I'm so tired." Even as I say it, I feel the darkness tugging at me, threating to swallow me hole.
"Make the choice, Sage. Concentrate. If you want it bad enough, it will happen."
"Where will you go?"
"Don't worry about me. I'm happy where I am. Close your eyes, Sage." His voice is as soft as a whisper.
My eyes lock with his, and he nods and smiles kindly. I do as he asks.
"Concentrate," he says. "Make the choice."
Darkness approaches. My consciousness pushes against it as I think of Anthony. His hand is squeezing mine.
"Choose."
I want to live, I think, pushing my desire outward to the great blackness. Despite the pain, despite the heartache living often brings, I choose to live.
I choose to continue building my relationships with my father and possibly even my mother. There is much I want to say to her when I get feeling better. I choose to find a cure for Max.
I no longer feel Anthony's hand in mine, but I keep concentrating. The darkness begins to retreat.
I think of Colt. I choose to live a life full of love, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let anyone or anything take that away from me. My eyes fly open.
I choose to fight.
* * *
THE END
Epilogue
It's late in the afternoon, but I still haven't returned to the cabin. I just can't bring myself to leave my warm spot on the beach, my feet buried in the sand. The sun is high in the sky, and a breeze blows off the ocean cooling my skin. I tilt my head upward and inhale deeply.
Since I woke up three weeks ago from nearly dying, I've lived each day to the fullest. It's a choice I make every morning. I don't know if I really saw Anthony that day I almost died or if it was my imagination, but I remember his words. They will never leave me.
Saving Eden (Original Series book 3) Page 24
