Ajax and Malik led me to an abandoned building close to the restored glass building we'd seen earlier. We found our friends about five stories up in what I can only describe as an empty room. The floor was concrete and the walls were bare and colorless.
"The place is safe," Caden said in response to the look of dismay on my face, “and it provides a clear view of our neighbors.” There was no glass in the windows, which allowed the cold night air to infiltrate the entire room, but we could easily see the glass building that towered over the streets a few blocks to the east.
Caden was preparing some food and a table had been set up, as well as an enclosed bathroom. Tory immediately went to Malik and put her arms around his neck.
"What's wrong?" she asked him. They whispered with their heads bent together and I moved away, joining Caden as he warmed soup with his orb. My stomach rumbled. Balor was preparing a drink, some kind of tea from the looks of it. I grabbed some fruit and began to cut it up, still trying to sort out my emotions.
"Did you get the information, Kaia?" Balor asked hopefully.
"No," I admitted. "And he transported away from me before I could find out too much."
"They can transport," Caden met my eyes, and I could see his anger as his jaw worked furiously and his teeth clamped together tightly. "What happened?" he asked, after studying my face. He must have seen the anguish there.
I didn't answer him because my own eyes filled with tears and I was afraid to say anything. He and Balor exchanged a worried glance, but I was saved from explaining by the sudden ringing of Ajax's mailbox that interrupted all conversation in the room.
"Where is my sister?" I heard my brother's voice call frantically the moment Ajax accepted his file. Tears fell down my cheeks upon hearing his voice. Balor quickly wiped them away.
"Hello to you too, Tiergan," Ajax answered drily.
"Project my image, Ajax. I need to speak to all of you.” My brother's voice sounded desperate and Ajax hurriedly pulled his image from the mailbox so Tiergan could be seen throughout the room. It looked like he was outside somewhere with the sun shining behind him. He searched the room until he found me. I walked over to his image and fought the tears.
"They asked for you here!" he told me, agitated. His eyes roamed over my face, then turned to Ajax. "The Resistance asked for my sister, Ajax!" It was almost an accusation and he shouted it into the room. I could see the weariness in his face. Ajax moved in front of me and Malik joined him.
"They asked for her here too," Ajax admitted. My brother began to describe what they'd been going through on Danu. I'd never seen him scared or worried as he was then and it made my own stomach fill with anxiety.
"We've been chasing them, always chasing them. We finally found where they've been holed up, but they won't fight. They simply transport away. So we've been working on interrupting their transmissions, trying to break their means of transporting. The other day we interrupted a transmission that said 'capture the brother and the girl will come'. At first we thought it was a mistake, none of us was sure what it meant. But all of a sudden, they've been trying to capture us…me. Now they're following me."
He paused, looked over his shoulder at something or someone, then turned back and continued. "They have a leader. A girl. She keeps her face covered but we know she has white hair and her name is Josiah. Josiah Paris, from what we can make out. Today she sent us a message. She said they will stop all operations and they will even leave Danu if we give them the girl. She said 'the Athlete, Kaia Robi, is the one we seek. We mean her no harm and will protect her at all costs.' She went on from there but I can't get my head around it. What's going on there, Ajax?"
Josiah Paris? White hair? That was no coincidence. She and Jason were related, I felt sure of it. I stepped around Ajax and Malik. I needed to speak to my brother and I couldn't worry about the others hearing.
"Do you trust Cadmus, Tiergan? Do you trust him no matter what?" I could hear the desperation in my own voice.
"What did she just say?" I heard an angry voice from somewhere near Tiergan. My brother took a long look at my face before answering. We stared at each other. I missed him terribly.
"Did you just ask your brother if he trusted me?" Cadmus came into view, nudging my brother a bit to the side. His presence filled the screen. Though they looked like brothers, Cadmus was bigger than Ajax, thicker and perhaps taller. His hair was sandy brown, like his father's, and his eyes were much bluer than Ajax's, a color that was almost purple, and undeniably beautiful. I felt my breath catch in my throat. Cadmus appeared to be as weary as Tiergan, but he was still the most handsome man I had ever seen. There was no trace of boy left in him.
"I was speaking to my brother," I told him dismissively, trying not to show he had any effect on me at all. "I don't even know who you are," I added.
"Liar," he shot back, and he had the nerve to smile at me. My heart did a flip flop in my chest. It's impossible to properly describe the way his presence filled every inch of space around us. And it was plain he knew the effect he had on people. He was at least as arrogant as Tiergan, and his confidence was evident though I'd only just laid eyes on him.
"Why are you asking me this, Kaia?" My brother jumped in. "I trust Cadmus with my life. I trust Ajax too. What happened? What did Ajax do?"
"He didn't do anything," I answered quickly. "We were sent to the ruined city to get back some information that the Resistance stole. Their leader is a young man with white hair. His name is Jason Paris. He looked exactly like Ajax."
"You saw his face?" Cadmus looked at me in disbelief. We had done something they hadn't been able to do.
"She saw his face all right," Ajax spoke up. I looked at him sharply. For a moment, we simply stared at each other.
"Hey!" Tiergan clapped his hands. "Over here, Kaia. What do you mean he looked like Ajax?"
"I mean they could be twins." Nobody said a word. The room fell silent.
"Are you sure about that?" my brother asked, gently. He voiced the skepticism that I could feel all around me. They didn't believe me, didn't believe Jason Paris truly looked like Ajax's twin.
"Maybe if you guys had been able to see Josiah's face, you would understand what I was talking about. Shall we come there and help you?" The Crusaders in the room with me chuckled, but the ones on the monitor didn't think it was funny.
"How good of a look did you get?" Cadmus questioned me, ignoring the jibe.
"A very good look," Ajax answered tersely. I could still see and feel the disbelief all around me. None of them truly believed what I said, but I didn't want to argue about it any further, lest I be questioned more diligently about how close a look I got.
"Perhaps we're dealing with a brother and sister then. One on this planet and one on that one," Tiergan pointed out.
"Just like us," I smiled at him. I meant it to be lighthearted, but as the words left my lips, they unsettled me. I didn't think it was a coincidence either.
"Maybe they're twins," Cadmus added. "Both ugly, from what Kaia says." He laughed at his own joke and Tiergan chuckled too. I didn't find it funny but Ajax wasn't offended. Only siblings could get away with that type of teasing.
"Ajax doesn't know him, okay? Don't argue with him or question him. He would never betray you." I felt relief flood through my body, my brother's words were so sure. I needed to hear it. Cadmus smirked at me.
"Make that: don't argue with Ajax or Cadmus. I'm not so sure I'm going to marry you anymore. You better behave."
Anger flickered inside me like a hot flame. I wondered how he had the nerve to claim me, and how my brother allowed it. I wanted to have the right comeback, the right words to put him in his place, but I lost some control and never even considered my words. "Let me make it easy for you. I'll never marry you, Cadmus. I don't appreciate you claiming me. This girl doesn't settle for second place."
"Second place? Cadmus Baal second place? There's no one more first place then I am sweetheart."
"Knock it off,
" my brother finally had something to say in my defense. “Remember this is my sister you're talking to and watch your mouth. Apparently, you're second place to her." Tiergan smiled brightly at Cadmus.
"You know what, Cadmus?" Ajax spoke up. "She's been through a lot today, okay? We need to stop arguing and start figuring out where we go from here. Why do they want Kaia? We need to have a plan because these people have personal transporters and we don't." My heart did another flip flop and I smiled up at Ajax.
"Oh, am I talking to Mr. First Place now?"
My cheeks turned red as Ajax bit back his own smile. Tiergan halted the whole line of conversation by re-focusing on what we should do the next day. He and Cadmus gave us specifics on how to interrupt their transmissions and how to locate where they were hiding out. Most of the conversation was directed toward Caden, who knew how to manipulate solar cells and understood exactly what he was being instructed to do. The rest of us had other parts to play.
I watched Cadmus as he gave instructions, and I could see why my brother trusted him. His intelligence was evident and he set aside the arrogance as he instructed us. When it came time for business, Cadmus spoke to all of us with respect and answered our questions patiently.
"I trust each of you," Tiergan told my friends when we had finished discussing our strategy for the next day. "Our goal right now has to be to keep Kaia safe. We can't let them take her. Is that something we can all agree on?" We all could. "What about the information you did recover?"
"Let's have a look," said Cadmus.
I stole a glance at Ajax. Somehow I knew I did not want to see what was on the small disk Jason had handed me. It was set inside the black case, waiting to be viewed. Ajax nodded his head slightly and I didn't want to argue with Cadmus anymore, so I simply nodded my consent. Balor pulled a monitor out of one of the packs, and Ajax scanned the information in. As it began to translate, he pulled the images out so they projected into the room, and our brothers could have a clear view of them.
The images aligned themselves and began to play out across the projected screen. I felt physically sick as I watched. The whole movie was like a history of my life from when I was a small child. It began with Tiergan and me running around with the Baal brothers, but it was clear at once the focus was on me. It moved on to when my brother and I left for the Tennis Academy and depicted a girl who stood out amongst her peers. She was faster, fitter, stronger, and more gifted than the other Athletes. Image after image displayed her accomplishing tasks, both big and small.
The life being portrayed on screen was of a lonely girl who had accomplished great things for her society and nothing for herself personally. Images would flash of my endless training, next to images of children in various parts of the world laughing, dancing, and socializing, while I had few friends, no boyfriends, and was often isolated. Hours upon hours were spent on the tennis courts and in front of the monitors. Tiergan and I were, the movie seemed to suggest, nothing but energy consoles with plugs in our backs leading to the Grids, while the Descenders became energy rich on the sweat and hard work of children.
Then the images began to depict the plague, revealing grief stricken families and dead and dying children in a way that suggested the plague came directly from the Descenders, though the movie failed to elaborate on how this could be true. Descenders were painted as hiding their true selves amongst us while trying to enslave humans for centuries on Earth, long before the Great Oil Wars, through abductions and experimentations on human beings.
Finally, Jason Paris came on the screen, though he kept himself covered with his dark glasses and hood.
"We offer a new life for Kaia Robi. None of you are helping her when you keep her tied to the Reformation. The girl is different; she's made an evolutionary leap. The Resistance recognizes this. Give her to us and she will be able to save all of you."
The screen went black. Nobody said a word.
"Kaia!" Tiergan barked at me, breaking the silence. I met my brother's eyes. He looked sick with worry. "Those images are not from the archives. Someone took those images! They're documenting your life!" He was agitated and I could see the sweat at his temples, but I had nothing to say. It was obvious someone close to me had been following my every move. "When you get home, pull my file immediately.”
Cadmus started to say something but Tiergan broke the connection, leaving me alone with my friends. I knew why he did it; he was upset and didn't want to discuss matters with everyone looking on. He would think about what he'd seen and what it meant.
"Let's eat," Caden said, much to my relief and we reluctantly gathered at the table. The room was silent as we went through the motions of replenishing our bodies, then organizing the room so we could sleep, and taking turns in the makeshift bathroom. I was glad nobody felt like talking. We moved about the room dejectedly and I didn't want to think about how I was portrayed in those images, nor did I want to hear what the others thought. My brother was who I needed.
When it was my turn, I took my time in the bathroom. I washed up and removed my energy suit, which suddenly felt like a tremendous burden. My pajamas consisted of shorts and a shirt. They were black, provided to me by the University. Black, black, black — everything was black, just like my mood. Once changed, I steeled my nerves to face my friends again, knowing they would all be wearing gray and I would be the one to stand out just as I had my whole life. A melancholy settled deep in my bones and my heart felt heavy in my chest. Truly, all I wanted to do, all I wished for, was to fit in and not to stand out. What I wanted was to be normal, to be like Tory and have someone love me too.
I emerged from the bathroom and went through the motions of talking to my fellow Crusaders and discussing our plans for the next day before I could pull my sleeping bag away from the rest of them and find a quiet spot for myself. We threw up our orbs to circle the room and protect us as we slept. If there were any change in energy, any outside influence in the room, the orbs would sound an alarm.
I isolated myself in a corner, apart from the others. From the corner of my eye, I could see Ajax hesitate, as if maybe he wanted to sleep near me, but I avoided meeting his gaze. Probably he just figured I wanted to be by myself, but the truth was, I was afraid to have him sleep beside me. I worried that if he so much as said a kind word to me, I would lose all sense of composure and start to cry. I did not want to cry.
"Good night, Kaia," Balor said, sadly, once we had all settled into our sleeping bags. Without looking I knew Tory would be cuddled up next to Malik and the boys would be spread apart.
"Good night, Bay," I answered, and then everyone else chimed in until we had all said goodnight to each other.
I lay a long time in the dark listening while the others slowly fell asleep, waiting until their breathing changed and took on the rhythm that comes with slumber. When I was sure they were asleep, I crawled out of my sleeping bag and walked over to the windows. The cold air bit at my face but felt refreshing. At least I could feel something. Outside the windows lay the ruined city and as I watched over it, I thought about who I was. My brother, I knew, would be thinking about it as well, worrying over me across the universe. When he chose to end our transmission abruptly, I knew it was because he didn't want to hear anyone else's input. He wanted to talk to me in private.
Ajax stood up and carried his sleeping bag over to mine. He set it down and joined me at the windows. I guess I knew he wouldn't fall asleep either. His eyes met mine in the dark, but his expression was impossible to read.
"What did you think of Cadmus?" He asked, not letting any emotion show. It wasn't what I expected him to say and I thought about it for a moment.
"Cadmus is like the sun," I answered, my voice a whisper, "very dazzling and best viewed from far away." Ajax smiled just a little.
"And his brother?" he asked, his voice so quiet I had to strain to hear him. I didn't have to think about my answer as long.
"His brother is like water. Something I could never live without." I said the wo
rds and knew them to be true. I didn't have a handle on most of my emotions, but I knew I didn't want to be without Ajax again. He put his head down and ran a hand through his black hair.
"I'm an Unviable," he said, letting the sadness creep into his voice.
"Yes, I know. I've seen the way they've marked you."
He tugged at my arm and led me back to my sleeping bag. We climbed into our separate spaces and lay side by side, facing each other in the darkened room. He reached out a hand and smoothed the hair back from my face. When tears splashed onto my cheeks, I tried to turn away, but he didn't let me. Instead, he put his arms around me and drew me close until my head rested against his chest. I snuggled up to him and let out a huge sigh of relief. It felt good to be near him and my body relaxed as the tension melted away. My hand reached to touch his necklace and he didn't stop me. With the stone between my fingers, I felt an enormous sense of comfort and belonging and I began to fall asleep with the rise and fall of Ajax's breath in his chest. Before my eyes shut completely, I felt Ajax tighten his hold on me as he leaned down and kissed the top of my head.
Chapter Sixteen
Ajax
I woke up because Malik was nudging my foot. I opened one eye to find him standing at the foot of my sleeping bag. The sun had not yet risen and the room was draped in shadows. Kaia was still curled against me, with her head on my chest and her left hand clutching my necklace. I shouldn't have done it, I shouldn't have let her lie against me. I should have turned my back against her as I did back home, but I didn't have the strength last night, especially after seeing all those images of her. I never wanted this and never thought for a single moment Kaia would have any sort of effect on me at all.
"Give her a chance," my mother had pleaded with me, while also informing me she would be holding me back.
Never, I thought to myself, my heart hardening against my mother's words. I didn't care what she thought about Kaia needing me to train her, or her belief that we would excel together. I already had excelled; I didn't need Kaia Robi.
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