I would have to tell her all about it when I returned.
“I hope you’re ready to inspire,” Samson said before leading me to the side of the room. There were few windows in the building, probably once used for storage or manufacturing items. The only light source was from above, shining through large glass panels in the ceiling.
“It looks like they’re already motivated to fight.”
“Looks can be deceiving.” He stood on a small stage made out of milk crates. He tapped the microphone a few times to get everyone’s attention. “Good morning, members of the Resistance. Are you ready to make a difference?”
A loud cheer ran through the crowd as they made a cross over their chests with their arms. They were ready, ready to fight against Stone and everything she stood for. I wondered what their reasons were. Did they have a family member they’d lost like I did? Or was it something more?
Samson waved his hands downwards, settling the crowd into a hushed silence. “In two weeks’ time it will be President’s Day. The day when we are supposed to worship at the feet of President Stone. This year, we will not be cowing to her. We will be taking her down.”
Another pause.
Another cheer.
“That’s right, we have two weeks of intensive training and strategizing in order to make our attack. You will all play a major part. Listen to your instructor, absorb what you are taught, and be prepared for President’s Day.”
He stepped down and waved at me to take the podium in his place. I didn’t have anything prepared so I was going to have to wing it – again.
“Good morning. I just wanted to say that you should all be proud of yourselves for being here. It takes guts and courage to do what you’re doing,” I said. My mouth was dry as I grappled for something to say. “We will all fight together in two weeks’ time and I couldn’t be happier to have so many of you willing to put your lives at stake for a better tomorrow. Long live the Resistance. May luck be with you.”
They cheered again, this time for my words. Wren needed to be here, she would have been luminous at the number of people willing to fight on behalf of the clones and downtrodden.
Wren would have had a more inspiring speech to tell them. She would have spoken from the heart and said something poignant without even realizing it.
It felt wrong doing it without her here.
I hoped she was okay.
We finished up at the training and recruitment center, leaving them to their tasks. Instead of taking me back to the shelter like I thought we were doing, Samson turned and headed into the city center.
“One more mission,” he said with a sly grin on his face.
He explained what I had to do and the thought made me feel nauseous. It was risky, especially after Stone’s big declaration the night before.
But a mission was an order and it needed to be followed in order for us to achieve our goals. If I had to ask a favor of someone, then that was what I would do.
Samson pulled up a block from Aria Square. “He should be in the square. Take as long as you need, I’ll be waiting here the whole time. May luck be with you, Thompson.”
I nodded my understanding and slid out of the van. All I had to disguise my identity this time was a hat pulled low over my head. Part of this mission required me to be recognized, there was no point in wasting time convincing the person of my identity.
The streets around the square were busy as people bustled around in the mid-morning sun. I stuck to the side of the path, making sure I didn’t bump into anyone and staying under the radar of every person there.
When I reached the square my heartbeat kicked up several notches. Like Samson said, troopers were patrolling the area like they always did.
The large statue of President Stone sitting in the middle of the space was always a target for vandals and rebellion. They guarded the statue like it was the president herself.
The team of four troopers were patrolling around the area, their eyes and senses ever sharp for trouble. I didn’t need them all, only one of them.
In the back was Dwyer.
I needed to get him away from the others so we could talk. I only needed a few minutes. If I couldn’t convince him to agree to what I requested in those minutes then I never would.
It would take a few moments for the group to get closer to my position. I ducked into an alley I’d seen two storefronts back. In the dirt between the buildings were trashcans and also what I was looking for. I picked up a sizable rock and palmed it.
Returning to the edge of the square, I watched and waited. The rock was cold in my hand, slimy with moss it had grown while lying in the alley. I had to make sure my aim was perfect, otherwise I would have all the troopers after me. Again.
I held my breath as they approached, focusing all my attention on Dwyer. His stride became the rhythm of my heartbeat, the rest of the world fading away so it was just us.
“Come on, Dwyer,” I whispered under my breath.
He was so close I could almost touch him. Just a few more steps and I would get my opportunity. They turned in their military precision and started walking down the next side of the square.
I threw the rock.
It hit Dwyer in the back of his legs.
His head whipped around to see who had dared to throw a rock at the trooper. Our eyes connected before I nodded toward the road. His mouth opened in surprise, his forehead wrinkled from shock.
“Come on, follow me.”
He said something to his comrades before breaking the formation. Dwyer headed directly for me as I started walked down the street. I could feel his eyes on my back the whole time, hoping I was making the right decision.
I stepped into the alleyway. A moment later, Dwyer followed me. His gun was a barrier between us. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Thompson? Every single trooper in the city is hunting you down like a rabid dog. And you come straight for us? You’ve got a death wish.”
“I need to ask you for a favor.”
“Are you kidding?
“I’m sorry to do this to you,” I said honestly. Dragging Dwyer into our plan was dangerous for all of us. He could rat us out and ruin everything. He could also get caught and suffer the same fate as us.
It was a calculated risk.
One I hoped wouldn’t be our downfall.
His eyes flicked to the side before returning to me. “What is it? Be fast, I need to get back.”
“I need you to be on Stone duty on President’s Day. And then I need you to keep Door A unlocked,” I explained. “I know it’s asking a lot.”
“That could get me killed.”
“Only if you’re caught. Trust me, nobody will be able to tie what we’re doing back to you. They won’t have any idea who left the door unlocked.”
“What are you planning on doing?” It was a fair question, one I would have asked myself if the positions were reversed. The problem was I couldn’t risk telling him. He would only have to spill to one person to have everything crumble around us.
“I can’t tell you.”
“Come on, Thompson. You’re expecting me to risk my life and you won’t even tell me why?”
“It’s for your own safety. If you don’t know then you can honestly deny any knowledge.”
Dwyer pursed his lips together, his weight shifting between his feet while he thought it through. I crossed my fingers, hoping he would agree. This was our only shot at taking down Stone on President’s Day. There was no other way to get direct access to her. She was too well guarded to make our jobs easy.
“Please, Dwyer,” I pleaded, using both my voice and my expression. I needed that one little three-letter word to come from his mouth. Then we could really plan the day’s events.
“I’ll try, okay? That’s all I can promise,” he finally replied, sighing like he couldn’t believe his own answer. “Sergeant Malone has been particularly brutal these last couple of weeks. He’s suspicious of everything. If I volunteer to be on Stone dut
y, he’ll think something’s up.”
“I understand.” Sergeant Malone loved having a reason to single out a trooper for any reason. If he was worse than when I was still under his command, Dwyer had good reason to be nervous about it.
“I’ve got to get back.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” He stalked out of the alleyway without saying another word.
I hoped he would come through for us.
I hoped he wouldn’t suffer as a consequence.
It had been a long morning already. My mind and body were weary when I returned to Samson and his waiting van. Just like he promised, the engine was running and keen to get out of there. I jumped in and we took off.
“Did you do it?” Samson asked.
“Yep.”
“Good work.”
“Don’t thank me yet.”
My thoughts quickly turned to Wren, like they often did. I wanted to tell her about the morning, talk it over with her to see what her thoughts were. She would always find something positive to say.
When we got back to the shelter, she was still my dominant thought. I hurried through the place, going room to room to look for her. She wasn’t scheduled for any missions so she had to be there somewhere.
I stopped Soleil in the corridor. “Hey, have you seen Wren anywhere?”
She shook her head. “I haven’t seen her all day, sorry.”
“Will you tell her I’m looking for her if you do?”
“Sure.”
We went in opposite directions. Every room I checked made my panic rise higher. She didn’t seem to be anywhere and it was impossible to hide in the shelter.
She wouldn’t have gone outside alone. Wren was smarter than that. She had a better sense of self-preservation than to go out in public where anyone could recognize her. Her face was one of the best known ones in all of Aria.
I asked everyone I saw if they’d seen Wren.
Nobody had.
It was like she’d just vanished into thin air.
The final place to check was the training room, my last hope. I took the stairs two at a time as I tumbled downwards. My heartbeat was racing with panic. I needed to find her, see with my own two eyes that she was alright.
I didn’t see Rocky in my search either.
It couldn’t have been a coincidence.
I burst through the doors and scanned the room, hoping beyond hope to see her.
She was hitting a punching bag.
Hard.
Everything in my body sagged with relief. I hurried over to her, noticing her eyes were rimmed in red like she’d been crying. “I’ve been searching everywhere for you.”
She hit the bag again, making it jerk backwards. “I needed to let off some steam.”
Chapter 13: Wren
“Rocky left this morning,” I said, gritting my teeth with every punch I threw at the bag. My arms were tired and shaking but I continued to hit it anyway.
It felt good.
Cathartic.
I needed to hit something and the bag was better than a human.
“Where’d he go?” Reece asked. He was panting as if he’d been running. I hoped that didn’t mean his mission had failed again. He would be inconsolable.
“He’s gone to get through the wall. He’s not coming back.” Reece was silent as he processed the news. “He asked me to go with him. I tried to say goodbye to him but he’d already left.”
“I’m sorry, Wren.”
“It’s not your fault.” I hit the bag again, putting all my hurt and pain into my fists and delivering hard blows. I stopped, exhausted. My arms were little more than cooked spaghetti.
“Are you regretting it now? Not going, I mean,” Reece said.
“No. Here is where I belong, I need to fight back. I’m glad he’s gone though.”
Reece raised one eyebrow. “Oh?”
“It’s safer for him on the outside. He’s not going to be caught up in this rebellion we’ve started. When we tear down the walls I will find him again.” That thought alone was the only thing keeping me sane.
I was going to find Rocky again.
I didn’t need to say goodbye to him, I realized that now. We would see each other once the fight was done, when it was safer in Aria and people could come and go as they pleased.
It was just another reason to fight with everything I had.
Reece and I stared at one another for a long time as the minutes ticked by. It seemed neither of us knew what to say so we said nothing.
Eventually, Reece cracked. “Do you want to do some training? There’s still plenty left to show you.”
I nodded.
We moved to the mat.
We fought.
Every time Reece put me on the floor and told me what I did wrong, I filed the information away to make sure I wouldn’t make the same mistake again. There was rage and fear and hurt and determination fueling me.
I got up every time and we went another round.
My emotions were raw as I wrestled with Reece. The pain of losing Rocky was always just under the surface no matter how hard I tried to push it away.
There was something else there, too.
Reece had never mentioned the single kiss we had shared. He ignored it like it meant nothing to him. It had meant the world to me, which made his ignorance sting so much worse.
I was angry.
Which made me daring.
Stupidly courageous.
The next time I was pushed to the ground, I got up and took a few breaths. “Why did you kiss me?”
Reece froze in place before he started to fiddle with his sleeve. He pulled it down to cover his arm before pushing it back up again. He was looking everywhere except at me.
“I just want to know,” I continued. “Because I can’t figure it out and I think about it a lot.”
“I was caught in the moment,” Reece said quietly, I could barely hear his words. “I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry.”
Every little piece of my heart shattered into a thousand pieces.
How could I have been so stupid to believe otherwise? Of course Reece hadn’t meant that kiss. It was a charged moment, he had acted in the blink of an eye and made a mistake.
Nobody saw Defectives like that.
They didn’t love us.
They weren’t attracted to us.
We weren’t human.
Abominations. How many times had I been told that over the course of my life?
Too many times to count.
I had let myself get caught up in a fantasy when I should have known better. It was laughable to think otherwise.
As much as I tried to hide my shame and disappointment, my face still flushed with embarrassment. I looked away so he wouldn’t see it in my eyes.
“It’s okay,” I murmured.
“Maybe we should call it a day.”
I nodded my agreement and Reece walked away, heading for the door. I didn’t need to use the punching bag any more. All the fight had left me, it whispered into the air with just a few of Reece’s words.
Tears started to sting my eyes but I quickly wiped them away before they could fall. Crying had never got me anywhere before, there was no point in starting now.
Maybe Stone and I had more in common than I thought.
She didn’t cry either.
Perhaps she had experienced moments like this one, too. Maybe that’s what hardened her to the world. Surely if she actually felt love she wouldn’t be so cold now.
Reece placed his hand on the door and stopped. If he was going to try to console me now I didn’t want to hear it. I wouldn’t have anyone feeling sorry for me, especially about this. It was a misunderstanding, something I should have expected all along. It was so stupid of me to bring it up.
Stupidly courageous.
That was me.
And now I just felt stupid.
Reece turned around and faced me. “I lied.”
We had a whole room
between us but it was still difficult to look at him. “I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”
“No, Wren, I lied. It wasn’t a mistake,” he said. All the breath left my lungs, my heart stopped beating deep within my chest. “It was what I had wanted to do since I first met you.”
I couldn’t speak.
There were no words.
“I love you, Wren. But I don’t want to hurt you.”
“So don’t.”
“People are going to talk about us. They’re going to say nasty, horrible things.”
“I don’t care,” I said. I had thought about every single thing that could happen in the rare event of Reece actually having feelings for me. There was nothing he could say that I hadn’t already thought about and analyzed a million times over.
“You’re too precious to get hurt,” Reece said.
My head shook from side to side. “I don’t care. Reece, if I have you then nothing else matters. It doesn’t matter what people think, it’s none of their business. You see me as a person, not as a Defective or a clone. You see me and that is worth everything that comes along with it.”
Reece started running toward me. My feet started running too. We met in the middle of the room as he swept me up into his arms. We spun around and around until I was dizzy.
He placed me back onto the ground, making sure I was steady before letting me go. His hands cupped my face, turning my gaze upwards so I could look into his eyes.
They were beautiful eyes.
Sincere, loving, honest.
I could have drowned in those beautiful green eyes.
He leaned over until his soft lips pressed onto mine. The kiss was so different from the first. Our first was hard and passionate, quick in the moment.
This one was slow and tender, reverent and loving. I never wanted Reece to stop kissing me like that. I wanted to be lost in those kisses forever.
When he released me, his thumb caressed my cheek, so gentle and soft. I could barely believe it was happening and he really had said he had feelings for me.
“I love you so much, Wren,” Reece started. “I’ve wanted this for so long now. You have to pinch me so I know it’s real and not a dream.”
I playfully pinched his belly. “I love you, too. Are you sure you want to do this?”
One Spark of Hope Page 13
