His blond mane and her white hair disappeared, but Rinley was holding onto the train’s door. “I got her,” Rinley’s voice strained against her throat as she fell backward, and Lily tumbled in, her jacket sleeve missing.
“Good thing you wear cheap clothes,” Rinley laughed, laying her arm on her forehead.
“I resent that,” Lily responded right before their giggles erupted through the cabin.
Anthony had fallen, and the train rocked back and forth as if to wave him away. He was gone, and we were all alive.
We had escaped.
Over the Edge
“We can get off when the tracks separate. I have to change the course so Phelps won’t know where you’re going,” Miles explained as we all crowded into the electric room. He was working, his brow furrowed so deeply that I doubted he would walk away without a permanent wrinkle. “You two need to get off at the last possible second. Be sure to get close enough to your destination to survive in the wilderness.”
Noah looked over Miles’ shoulder. “But they won’t be able to track us? Even from the main station?”
“No one will be able to.” A grin took over Miles’ small face. “I won’t even know where you two are going. It’s the best I can do.”
“I need to know where we’re going—”
“Push this button, and then, the itinerary link.” Miles showed Noah twice before he continued, “Now, you can type in wherever you need to go,” he said. “This is the newest system I’ve seen. Ever,” he added, “I can’t believe our luck. It must be brand new.”
“Well,” Noah began to speak, his expression grim. “It wasn’t exactly luck.”
Miles raised a brow. “Why do you say that?” He hadn’t seen the weapons yet.
“The crates are filled with guns,” Lily responded from the corner of the room. She was wrapping up the gash in her arm with torn cloth.
Miles didn’t even look surprised. He just looked at Noah. “Where are you two taking them?”
“We’re not taking them anywhere,” Noah said, but he stared at the wall. “Someone else will pick them up from where we drop the train off.” He was finally telling us more. “From there, Rinley and I are walking to another location—”
“Where you will be picked up by another person,” Miles finished.
Noah nodded. The entire plan had been built before he ever arrived in Topeka. The question was what plan he had in place next, what region he was going to affect, where would he go after that, whether he would use his real name.
“But you guys will be fine,” Noah said, and for once, I believed him.
He probably had a plan in place.
The door creaked as Rinley entered the small cabin. When she glanced at her older brother, her blue eyes widened. He had taken off his sage-colored military jacket and revealed his shoulder that had been shot one week ago.
“What is that from?” Rinley asked, gaping.
Noah glanced at the injury that had been reopened. “Those officers should work on their aim.”
Broden was arrested. Noah’s shoulder was torn up. Lily’s arm was slit, and my ankle was broken. But none of us had been shot or killed. We would live to see tomorrow.
“We made it,” Lily commented as she leaned against the wall for support. She stared at the ceiling in the way some people stared at the stars. “We really made it.”
“Almost,” Miles interrupted, “We still need to get off.”
“When?”
He reached over, pulled a lever, and a small window sprung open. Trees flew past us, but their silhouettes punched black holes into the pink sky. “Soon,” Miles said.
The sun was rising, and my ankle was throbbing with every passing minute. I hadn’t stood in two hours. I didn’t even know what direction we had gone in.
“Where do we go?” Lily asked. “We can’t go back.”
“You have to,” Noah interrupted. When we stared at him, waiting for an explanation of yet another mysterious plan, his lips pulled down. “You’ll be better off there for now.” Each word sounded more deliberate than the one before it.
“We’ll be okay, Lils,” Miles agreed. “They can’t convict us if they don’t have proof—”
“Which they probably have,” Lily’s voice shook, “Even if they don’t, lack of evidence hasn’t stopped them before.”
Miles flinched at the truth in her words, but he still argued, “Don’t be worried. I’ve always had a plan to get us back safely.”
“I’m starting to really dislike the word ‘plan,’” she retorted. “We shouldn’t have to go back. We should be able to be safe, too.” She wanted to go wherever Noah and Rinley were going.
“Trust me,” Noah said, “you do not want to go with us.”
Rinley looked out the window like the rising sun could melt the conversation away. She never blinked, not even when the sunlight beamed against her pupils, and I knew she was taking in every last second on the train. Lily didn’t see what the Tomery kids did. The hours left on the train would be the safest place they would ever be.
No matter where the two got off, Noah and Rinley would have to walk through the wilderness to get to wherever they were going. I had never been in the wilderness, but I liked to imagine it was like the acres behind my house − covered in trees, rivers, and game to hunt. Argos would be by my side, and I would make it to safety without a single scratch. But Noah’s traveling would not be so easy. He had proven that from day one, when he showed up in my backyard, thin, dirty, and sunburnt.
“The slowdown will come up soon,” Miles spoke up. “We should get picked up soon.”
“By who?” I finally croaked from my spot on the floor.
Everyone glanced down at me. “You’re awake,” Noah said.
“Been awake for a while,” I responded, trying not to move anything. The numbing pain was surely going to make a comeback.
“We have five minutes before our jump,” Miles said, touching Lily on the shoulder. “Come on.”
As the twins left, Lily grabbed the collar of Rinley’s shirt and dragged her out with them. They shut the door, and I was alone with Noah. No one would hear us talk. No one could see us speak.
Noah knelt down in order to be eye-to-eye with me. “Are you going to be okay jumping like that?”
I refused to look down at the exposed bone. “I don’t really have a choice,” I muttered. The train rocked and screeched as the wheels against the track began to slow.
He looked at his watch. “Three minutes,” he said, unwrapping the jewelry from his wrist.
“What are you doing?”
“Sophie,” Noah whispered my name as he shook it off of himself. He grabbed my left hand and looped the strap around my wrist. It hung loosely, too big for my hand, but Noah took my right hand and wrapped my fingers around the watch tightly. “Keep this.”
“But—”
“You need it more than I do.”
His words stopped me. It was part of his plan. I could hear him saying it without him speaking out loud. His singing voice rattled in my head. Still, the shadows beneath Noah’s eyes grew. When he looked at me, I questioned myself. Maybe it wasn’t part of the plan. Maybe it was something else entirely.
I wanted to ask, but he let go, and a cold rush moved over my skin. My fingers clasped on the chilled metal, holding onto it as if it were holding me steady inside all of the chaos we were truly in. “Would you leave if you didn’t have to?” I blurted out.
Noah’s lips twisted, “That’s not a real question, Sophie—”
“Would you?” I choked.
Noah didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he looked up at the cracked window. The pink sun reflected his irises, but this time, it wasn’t from tomo.
“I might.”
He would leave, even if he could stay.
“I have to, Sophie. This is my life—”
I leaned forward to wrap my arms around his torso. His hand hovered over my back before he returned the embrace, careful not
to touch my leg.
“Take care of yourself,” he spoke into my curls, ignoring the amount of dirt we were covered in. “Don’t get killed. Lay low. Keep Argos with you.”
“Argos?”
“That dog protects you.” When he chuckled, I felt his sternum bounce, and I could imagine the smirk he had on his face, tilted up to the right side, slanted down to the left.
“We have to leave, Sophia,” Miles shouted as he burst in through the door. He leapt back a little as if he interrupted more than an embrace. “Oh, uh. Sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Noah said, standing.
I couldn’t stand on my own.
The train continued to slow, the cabin leaning to the left, and Noah held out his hand. I took it – not because I had to – but because I wanted to.
“We have to go now,” Lily said, running up behind Miles. She didn’t react at all. “Come on.”
When she ran away, Miles ran after her. Noah helped me hobble after them. Every time my foot hit the ground, air hissed out of my lungs, and tears sprung to my eyes. I glared just so I could see in front of me, and I thought of Noah’s song to distract me. I could hear it, and the pain wavered.
Then, I saw Lily. She was standing at the edge of the door, her face tilted to the side as she watched us. “What song is that?”
Noah was actually humming. I wasn’t imagining it. He was humming it for me, and he didn’t stop to answer Lily’s question.
Miles stood next to his sister, but Rinley stayed in her corner, away from the exit. “Who’s going first?” she asked, only watching the world pass us by.
The train was moving slow enough that I could count the individual trees as we rolled by. One. Two. Then, ten. The pink sun was shifting into an orange glow, and the silhouettes were no longer silhouettes. They were just trees. Green ones, too. Ones that stretched on for miles of untouched land. And we were going to fall right next to their leafy arms.
“We’ll go,” Miles said, glancing down at my foot once.
“Someone needs to go with Sophia,” Noah said, looking directly at Miles.
The curly-haired boy smiled. “Good point,” he agreed.
Before Lily could ask who was coming with me, Miles spoke up, “Land on your feet,” he said to his sister, and then, he pushed her out. He leaned his head out and fought back laughter. “She’s mad, but she landed.”
“Use the watch,” Noah spoke into my ear when Miles was distracted. When Miles turned back, Noah did the last thing I expected. He kissed me. As soon as his lips pressed against mine, they were gone. “Now, get back safe.”
“Okay,” was all I could manage.
Noah nodded as his gaze moved over my shoulder. “You going to help or just stand there?”
Miles was just standing there, and he was staring. “Oh, I—uh—” He cleared his throat as he walked forward. When Miles’ arm wrapped around my torso, Noah let go. My left side was cold. I used my free hand to hold Noah’s watch against my wrist.
Miles walked us over to the opening. “Think of something other than pain,” he said, and then, we leapt over the edge, crashing to the ground.
Tomorrow
I sputtered up dust and curled into the fetal position when the pain caught up with me. My ankle screamed, but my fingers ran over the face of Noah’s watch. The metal pressed against my wrist, and my eyes squeezed shut as the ground shook below me. Noah’s train was rumbling away, speeding across the tracks, further and further away.
Noah was gone. Rinley was safe.
I was enveloped in darkness.
“Sophia! Sophia!” Lily called, collapsing next to me. Her white hair looked like fluffy clouds against the blue sky.
I blinked. The sky should’ve been orange. It was still morning. But it wasn’t. The sky was as blue as the afternoon was hot.
“Oh. God. Are you okay?” Lily never stopped talking. “Please, say something.”
“I’m okay,” I groaned. The taste in my mouth was the worst part. It was sweet like blood, but bitter. I had bitten my lip, and the blood mixed with the mud on my face.
“You’ve been out for a while,” she explained, but I couldn’t ask for how long because Miles was shouting his sister’s name.
“We’re okay,” Lily shouted back.
I turned my neck and looked backward, over my forehead. The ground was the sky, but a truck rolled toward us. The rumbling I had felt was the truck’s engine, not the train. I had never felt the train. I had passed out.
“Is she okay?” Miles asked as the door creaked open. Two sets of feet jumped out.
“She’s fine!” Lily shouted as I drifted in and out of consciousness.
“Where’s Sophia?”
I was in Lily’s bony lap. I was in a man’s arms. I was off the ground, bouncing lightly as someone carried me across a path. I was in a forest. I was in a car, lying down in the back. I was mumbling. I was asleep. I was awake.
“Sophia?” The passenger leaned over to look at me.
I opened my eyes to a gray-eyed man with salt and pepper hair. “Can you hear me, kiddo?”
“Dad?” I croaked the rarely used word. “You’re home.”
“I’m here, kiddo,” he said, and the truck bounced over a dirt part I had never seen before. It was dark now, but the headlights weren’t shining in front of us. He understood land more than I did.
“You did good, kids,” he spoke to Miles or Lily, or me − all of us − and I closed my eyes to concentrate on his rough voice. “We’re all going to be fine, and tomorrow, we’ll be home.”
We hadn’t won the war, but we had won the battle.
About the Author
Shannon A. Thompson has been a writer for as long as she can remember, but most people remember her as “that girl with the book.” At sixteen years old – with the continuous support of her father and brother – Shannon’s first novel, November Snow, was published. Many years have passed since then, but Shannon continues to share her novels, poems, and ideas with the world, and she hopes that you will continue to enjoy them.
Currently, Shannon lives in the Midwest with her loyal cat, Bogart. She has more than ten books in various stages of publication, and her poetry has been published in the United States and Norway. She has a B.A. in English from the University of Kansas, but she hopes to teach writers herself one day. Until then, she continues to speak with readers and writers on her insightful blog at www.ShannonAThompson.com.
Other Books from Shannon A. Thompson
MINUTES BEFORE SUNSET (BOOK 1 OF THE TIMELY DEATH TRILOGY)
Goodreads Book of the Month
Eric has less than a year left before his fated battle when he meets her. She’s a shade like him, but separated from the Dark – and with more power than she should have. And he can’t stay away.
Jessica is new to town and desperate to figure out who, or what, her birth parents were. But she can’t find them without overcoming Eric, and she won’t let him stop her.
Get it here
SECONDS BEFORE SUNRISE (BOOK 2 OF THE TIMELY DEATH TRILOGY)
Eric has weeks before his final battle when he’s in an accident. Forced to face his human side, he knows he can’t survive if he fights alone. But he doesn’t want to surrender, even if he becomes the sacrifice for war.
Jessica’s memory isn’t the only thing she’s lost. Her desire to find her parents is gone and so is her confidence. But when fate leaves nightmares behind, she decides to find the boy she sees in them, even if it risks her sanity.
Get it here
NOVEMBER SNOW
In the city of Vendona, bad bloods aren’t considered human; they aren’t even considered animals. They are lower than that. The parents of these creatures abandon them. The cities shun them, and the government massacres them.
In 2089, an election threatens a revolt, and two bad bloods meet. Among the chaos, their accidental relationship reveals a twisted history, and citizens are forced to make a decision. Battles begin, love blossoms, and three
brothers’ past repeats, while bad bloods focus on their only goal: to survive.
And very few of them will.
Get it here
Other Books from AEC Stellar Publishing
WHEN STARS DIE
By Amber Skye Forbes
Shadowy figures haunt Amelia’s days in Cathedral Reims, and they are waiting for her to join them. Will the dangerously attractive priest, Oliver Cromwell, be able to protect her and the ones she loves? When Stars Die is the first book in The Stars Trilogy.
Get it here
THE DRAGON THREE
By Victoria Perkins
Brina Fine’s secret sets her apart from the rest of the world. It's only a matter of time before they discover the truth.
Aidan Preston clings desperately to a haunted past. A startling revelation will change everything.
Thana Decker is just trying to find normalcy again. She never imagined how important she could be.
Brina. Aidan. Thana. They are the Dragon Three.
Get it here
THE OBSIDIAN MIRROR
By KD Keenan
Gods and monsters are hard at work in Silicon Valley. An ancient evil is weaponizing modern semiconductors to destroy the earth’s natural balance. And Sierra Carter, the recently-fired public relations executive with a lot on her mind, doesn’t know what to make of the enticing young man who appeared on her porch in the form of a coyote.
Get it here
THE SCRIPTLINGS
By Sorin Suciu
Merkin and Buggeroff are Scriptlings, learning to cope with capitalist magicians, quasi-magical computers, a wandering tribe of monosyllabic demigods, and sometimes-invisible goats. The Scriptlings is a laugh-out-loud contemporary fantasy written for geeks and mortals alike.
Get it here
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