“Emmie …” Whatever he was about to say was cut off by the floor moving under my feet. A loud explosion came from behind us, debris flying everywhere, shaking the entire building. Heat consumed me as I flew back, my head colliding with a chair before I hit the ground.
Someone said my name, but my ears were ringing from the blast, so I didn’t know who it was or where it came from. From the burn on my stomach, my stitches had been torn.
Dust clouded the air, making it hard to see in front of me. I crawled toward where I thought the door was. Two hands pulled me up so I was on my feet. Wobbling around and coughing, I looked at where the outer wall should have been, only to see a large hole.
“Rocket.” Someone to the right of me said the word, but I didn’t know who. I was too busy staring at the debris.
Waving my hand in front of my face to clear the air around me, I tried to take a couple of steps toward the opening to see more but someone held me back. I looked down at the hands holding me and immediately recognized them. Dante was trying to take me out of the room, away from danger.
Giving in, I let him pull me away. Before we stepped completely out of the room, I noticed a body lying on the floor near the hole. My whole body stiffened as I stared at the lifeless form on the ground.
“Dante, look.” My mouth felt dry. The heat from the blast crawled down my throat.
“Emmie, we need to leave.” His raspy voice echoed through my ears. My gaze settled on his pleading eyes, but I just blinked at him.
I opened my mouth and tried to speak, but my throat felt like it was on fire. I licked my lips and swallowed. “Body.”
He looked confused, but when he glanced back in the room, he saw what I was referring to. He let go of me and rushed back in. I stood there and waited for him.
When he came back out, he took hold of my arm and led me down the hall. Maya and Santiago were ahead of us, holding onto Sean. His left leg was covered in dust, blood, and the shredded material of his pants.
Another rocket hit the building, sending me and Dante into the wall. My body started to fall again, but Dante held me up. We continued forward as the building shook and tried to stop our progress. When we finally arrived at the stairs, relief flooded my body. Mom and Nick were both waiting for us to join them.
I looked up at Dante. “Amy?”
He nodded but didn’t say anything. Without a word, Mom came to my side and she and Dante helped me down the stairs. Nick stayed right behind us the whole time. Before we started down the last flight of stairs, Samantha came running up, stopping when she saw us. Her eyes darted around frantically until they settled on me. A sense of calm washed over her but instantly vanished when she looked at my shirt. Glancing down, I noticed my shirt was soaked with blood.
“Keep moving,” Dante said. “We need to get out of this building before it collapses.”
Samantha nodded numbly and went back down the stairs and out the front door. Once outside, chaos consumed us. Residents were coming out of the buildings and homes, looking wild-eyed toward Austin’s part of the city. Children were screaming and crying, while parents were demanding to know what was going on.
They rushed toward Mom, bombarding her with questions. She tried to yell over them, but no one would quiet down enough to listen.
Following the resident’s gazes, I saw the reason for their concern. Smoke rose from the medical trade school building from the rockets that hit it. Troops from Austin’s territory were headed toward us, their guns ready, some already firing.
“Listen up!” Dante yelled out, but it was useless. There was too much panic in the air.
Nick, Mom, Santiago, and Maya tried to push the residents back, away from the oncoming enemy.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone running toward us. When I turned my head, Derek was just a few feet away. He stopped next to us and handed Dante a megaphone. “Use this.”
Dante held it to his mouth. “Listen up!” He waited patiently until everyone quieted down. “Children on the buses, now. We’ll escort you out of harm’s way. Anyone willing to fight, follow them.” He pointed to where Nick, Mom, Santiago, and Maya were standing. “They’ll get you weapons.” He lowered the megaphone and handed it back to Derek. “Emmie needs help.”
“I’m here,” Samantha said. “We need to get her away from here.”
Dante looked at me. “Do you know where Nick’s family lives?”
I shook my head. “Maybe Nick can just tell us …”
“Emmie!” Eric’s voice rang out. I searched through the crowd until I saw him. He and Joshua came up to us moments later.
“Eric,” Dante said. “Can you show Emmie, Samantha, and Derek the way to Nick’s house?”
Eric nodded. “Yes. Follow me.” He took my hand and pulled me into his arms. His hand touched my shirt and he pulled it back quickly, noticing the wetness. “What happened?”
“My stitches tore open.”
“You need to hurry!” Dante yelled. Shots rang out through the streets. The New Haven warriors that had arrived were already returning fire on Austin’s troops.
Sweeping me up into his arms, Eric broke out into a jog. Samantha and Derek kept pace with us as we weaved through the streets. Naomi met us while we were running. Eric stopped in front of a door that looked exactly like mine growing up. All the houses were identical.
Samantha pounded on the door and a minute later, a woman in her late forties opened the door. She was tall and slender and had her brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her facial features were sharp and pointy but somehow suited her perfectly. When she saw Eric, she opened the door all the way and motioned for us to come in.
“What’s going on out there?” she asked.
“Austin’s forces have started their attack on us,” Eric responded. “We need a place to set up our technical equipment and also to get Emmie some medical help.”
She pointed to the kitchen. “You can set up everything in there.”
“Thanks, Carla,” Eric said.
Derek and Naomi immediately started setting their stuff up on the kitchen table. Carla pulled out a chair and Eric sat me down on it.
As Samantha started fixing me, I looked over at Carla. “Thank you for letting us invade your home.”
“Of course,” Carla said. She smiled softly at me. “This wasn’t how I hoped we'd meet.”
Eric ran his fingers through his hair. “Sorry, my manners got away from me. Carla, this is my fiancée Emmie. Emmie, this is my second mom Carla.”
She took my right hand in both of hers, glancing at my ring. “It’s beautiful.” She turned to Eric. “Just like she is.”
“I know.” Eric smiled. “She’s gorgeous.”
Even with everything that was going on and the pain in my side, I blushed. “You’re being too nice.”
“It’s the truth.” A teenage girl stepped into the kitchen. She looked around fifteen and was practically identical to her mom. When she smiled at me, though, I immediately saw her father.
“Emmie, this is Courtney.” Eric put his arm around her shoulder. “My overly-nice little sister.”
My side stung from Samantha’s disinfectant she used, but I still managed a smile. “Hi, Courtney.” I looked over at Carla. “It’s so nice to finally meet both of you. Eric talks so highly of your family.”
Eric knelt in front of me, taking my hand. “I’m sorry to cut this short, but I need to leave.”
“I know,” I said, squeezing his hand. “Go kick some butt so we can go home.”
He leaned in and gently kissed me on the lips. “I love you.”
I put my hand on his cheek and stroked it. “I love you.”
Giving Carla and Courtney a hug, Eric left us to join the others. Derek and Naomi were still busy setting up their equipment. I had purposely avoided watching what Samantha was doing to me. I didn’t want to know the damage.
Samantha stood and looked over at Carla. “Are you two going to stay here?”
“Yes.
I would like to help out as much as I can.”
“Good.” Samantha talked as she piled her supplies back into her bag. “Keep an eye on Emmie. I need to go find and treat others who are wounded, but Emmie needs to lie down and she needs to stay put.” She slung her bag over her shoulder. “She’s not the greatest at following orders, so you might have to be forceful.”
I gave her a fake pout. “I’m not that bad, am I?”
“Yes.” Derek and Naomi had said it at the same time, making Courtney laugh.
“We’ll take good care of her,” Carla said, smiling. “Don’t worry.”
Samantha put her hand on my shoulder. “I’m serious, Emmie. It ripped open pretty bad. I had to redo the stitches. Take it easy. I’m sure everyone here in the room will agree when I say we want a wedding to attend soon.” She squeezed my shoulder and left the home.
Courtney’s eyes lit up. “Can we come to your wedding?”
“Courtney!” Carla tsked. “Don’t be so rude.”
Looking down at the floor, Courtney frowned. “Sorry.”
She was standing near enough to me, so I reached out and took Courtney’s hand. “Of course, you can come.” I glanced over at Naomi who was busily working. “I haven’t had much time to plan the wedding since we’ve been busy and, well, Eric only officially proposed a few days ago. But I’ve been reading some old traditions they used to have for weddings.”
River Springs only offered a simple wedding. It was the bride, the groom, and their immediate families. You sat in a room, the president said a few words, declared you married, stamped the certificate to make it official, and that was it.
Courtney’s eyes lit back up and she sat down in a chair next to me, still holding onto my hand. “What did you find?”
Talking about my wedding during an attack seemed incredibly silly, but it distracted me, which was what I needed. “I’ve found out a lot. They used to have extravagant weddings before the separation of the cities. All your friends and family would come to see you get married. People got married in churches, at the beach, in backyards. You could get married anywhere you wanted. Decorations were set up and after the ceremony, everyone would get together to eat and dance.”
“That sounds amazing!” Courtney said. Carla had taken a seat on the other side of me.
“Where are you thinking about getting married?” Naomi asked. She was looking at her computer screen, but still listening to the conversation.
“At the park near the school in New Haven.” I looked at Courtney. “It’s a beautiful area right up against the mountain. During the spring and summer, the grass is green, and these small, blue flowers line the area.”
“How romantic.” Courtney sighed making all of us laugh a little.
“Eric and I will be up front while our friends and family sit on chairs and watch the ceremony. We’re not sure yet who’s going to marry us.” I adjusted myself on the chair, so I was more comfortable. “They have what they call groomsmen and bridesmaids. The bridesmaids all wear matching dresses and stand near the bride, all of them holding flowers. The groomsmen stand near the groom and have matching suits.”
“What, no flowers for the guys?” Derek asked with a smirk.
I rolled my eyes at him. “Actually, they pin little flowers to their suit right near the heart.” I looked back at Courtney. “Anyway, I was hoping that you and Naomi will agree to be my bridesmaids.”
Courtney put her hand over her mouth and gasped. I glanced over at Naomi, who had stopped working and just stared at me.
“Are you serious?” Courtney asked.
I smiled at her. “Of course. Eric considers you his sister, which means you’ll be my sister, too.” I looked at Naomi. “And I consider you a sister already.”
Naomi shuffled some papers around in front of her. She wasn’t one for showing emotion, but I could see her holding back the tears.
She finally gave up and came to me, putting her arms around my neck. “Thank you. I consider you a sister, too.”
Derek froze where he was and watched us hug. When Naomi pulled back, he looked back and forth between us. “So, if you two consider yourselves sisters, does that mean …” He gulped. “I mean, Naomi, you and I …” The color drained from his face. “Are we getting married or something?” When Naomi widened her eyes at him, he cleared his throat. “I mean, I want to one day. And, well, I love you and all …”
Naomi’s jaw dropped. “Did you just say you love me?”
“Wait.” I looked over at Derek. “You’ve never told Naomi that you love her?”
He shook his head. “I’ve wanted to for so long, I just didn’t know how.”
My eyebrows rose. “And this was your ideal setting to tell her?”
“No!” The color rushed back to his cheeks. Naomi went and sat back down in her chair, staring at her computer. Fear and panic swept over Derek’s face. He looked over at me and mouthed, “Help me.”
I motioned for him to take her hand. It took him a while to understand, but he finally reached out and took it. Naomi still stared at the screen.
Carla cleared her throat. “Courtney, why don’t you and I help Emmie to the family room so she can lie down on the couch?”
I didn’t want to leave, but I let them take me away. Luckily, I could still see them from the couch. Carla started to say something, but I shushed her. Courtney sat down on the floor near me and we both stared into the kitchen. I had to strain my ears, but I could hear the words.
“I didn’t mean for it to come out like that,” Derek said. He put his hand on Naomi’s chin and turned her face toward him. “Naomi, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Beautiful girls like you aren’t supposed to like guys like me.” He wiped some sweat from his brow. “Naomi, I love you. Very much so. I want to marry you. I really do. I think our kids would be so cool.” He closed his eyes and I could tell he was cursing himself for that last sentence.
Carla let out a laugh, making Courtney and I turn toward her. She just shrugged as she whispered, “Sorry, but this is some good stuff.”
We turned back to Derek and Naomi.
“Marry me, Naomi,” Derek said. “I promise I’ll take care of you and do my best to make you happy.”
Throwing her arms around his neck, she kissed him on the lips. Courtney covered her eyes, but I noticed she moved a couple of fingers so she could peer through.
After a minute, I couldn’t take it anymore. “Is that a yes?”
Naomi pulled back and laughed. “Yes! It’s a definite yes.”
Derek threw his arms into the air. “Captain Awesome has done it once again.”
I sighed and lay my head down on the arm of the couch. “And there went the whole moment.”
Carla went and got me a pillow as Derek and Naomi went back to work.
A few minutes later, someone knocked on the door. When Carla opened it, Joshua burst into the home. Carla just gaped at him, not knowing what to do.
He was walking toward the kitchen, so I called out to him. “Joshua.”
He stopped and spun around, surprise in his eyes. He shook his head back and forth, making his blond hair bounce around. Muttering under his breath, he came and sat down on the floor next to Courtney. He looked upset, so I reached out for his hand, but he swatted my hand away. “They kicked me out.”
“What?” I asked.
“Dante and them.” Sighing, he ran his fingers through his hair and then took my hand. “They made me leave. Said they couldn’t trust me.”
I gently squeezed his hand. “Can you blame them?”
Joshua twisted his mouth as he thought. Closing his eyes, he leaned his forehead on our clasped hands. “No. But it still sucks.”
“I know, but I could use the company right now.” I shook our hands a little. “You forgot your manners, Joshua.”
He snapped his head up. “What?”
Courtney snickered and Joshua turned to her, looking at her like he had just noticed her for the first time. He blus
hed deeply. “Oh, sorry. Uh, I’m Joshua, Emmie’s brother.”
“Other side of the family,” Derek yelled out from the kitchen.
Joshua turned to look at Carla who was sitting on a chair next to the couch. “Sorry for barging into your home like that.”
Carla shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. I understand. That’s my daughter Courtney. She wasn’t here when you and Eric came by earlier.”
“Nice to meet you,” Joshua said to Courtney. He cleared his throat. “And thanks again for letting me invade your home.”
“I’m glad you’re here,” I said. “We’re talking about my wedding. You all need to keep me entertained so I don’t go crazy from being cooped up.”
Courtney instantly filled the void, going on and on about my wedding. Gunshots and shouting sounded in the distance, but I tried to drown it out by talking more and more. After an hour, my eyes drooped.
I was almost asleep when Derek shouted out my name. “Emmie!”
Moaning, I pried opened my eyes. “What, Derek?”
He came over and handed me a communication device. “It’s Austin. He wants to talk to you.”
I knew my attack had surprised them. Dean had reported seeing buses pulling into Janice’s territory. My plan to get New Haven here had worked. Planning the attack started immediately; we couldn’t waste a single minute of our time.
Once our troops were in position, we fired the rocket launchers at the medical trade school building. Our source had told us that was where Emmie, Janice, and the stupid revolutionaries were having a meeting. I had hoped to kill them all at once, but somehow, they all escaped without any serious injuries.
I had to bring them to me, or at least bring Emmie to me. She was the one I wanted. One of our tech guys was easily able to contact Derek, who happened to be in the same room as Emmie. Everything was finally coming together.
“Hello?” Her voice came through the communication device. A mixture of weariness and orneriness weaved through her tone.
“Emmie. How nice to hear your voice again.” It wasn’t, really, but my goal for the moment was politeness. Although, I wasn’t sure how long it would last. My patience was wearing thin.
Rise (New Haven Book 3) Page 23