Lilah’s heart ached. Just as soon as she found a safe haven away from the Watch, she realized they were still on her tail. She knew without a doubt that if the Watch found Eden, they’d be as good as dead, underground hideout or not. The residents of Eden couldn’t compete with Kane’s Wardens. Lilah remembered Freedom’s words to her back home.
‘You are powerful. You are the dangerous kind.’
She hoped to God that was the truth.
“We are going to need all of your help to expand the crawlspace,” Jesse said, “and we don’t have time to waste.”
Lilah and the other residents dragged themselves out of their beds and followed Jesse to the larger cabin. She saw a brunette standing at the door. The pale skin of her face was red, and strands of her brown hair reached from her disheveled bun in every direction.
“That’s Violet,” Angela whispered to Lilah and Adam as they approached. “She’s been visiting Freedom in the settlement.”
They gathered in front of the cabin. The wind rattled the trees around them as they waited for Violet to speak.
“Kane made the announcement weeks ago. He streamed a video of his new recruits online to the entire nation,” Violet said. “It took me weeks to travel here and deliver the news. We don’t have much time.”
Violet’s eyes scanned the group, offering Lilah and Adam a slight nod of acknowledgment. Lilah noticed Violet’s gaze linger on Adam’s face a little bit longer than her own. Adam slumped his shoulders and looked away, unwilling to meet Violet’s eyes. Could they know each other from somewhere?
Lilah’s attention was drawn away from Violet when she noticed Jesse carrying a shovel toward her. He handed her the shovel and offered an apologetic smile.
“Some first day, huh?” Jesse whispered.
“Technically, second.” Lilah took the shovel, its wooden bar cool and heavy in her hands, putting pressure on her tired muscles.
“We're going to do all we can to keep you all safe,” Jesse promised, locking eyes with Lilah until she nodded in agreement. Lilah wanted to believe it but still felt unsure.
Angela left to help Jesse pass out shovels. Once the shovels were distributed, Jesse led everyone toward the cabin. Taking off after him, Lilah dragged her heavy shovel on the ground for a couple of steps before thinking better of it and lifting it higher, not wanting to harm the delicate grass.
Even if she didn’t make it out of Eden alive, she could try to leave this place as beautiful as it was when she found it.
They walked to the door under the stairs, and Jesse revealed the hidden crawlspace. Surveying the space, Lilah calculated that they could all fit inside, but not comfortably. And definitely not with weapons ready. She shuddered at the thought of being cramped in a tiny hole underground with armed and terrified strangers.
The group got to work. Lilah struck the soil with her shovel, scooping up all that she could. She tried to hold her shovel steady as she carried the excess dirt outside, but most of it slipped from the sides of the shovel, littering the cabin floor.
A trail of dirt developed from the door to the spandrel. The residents of Eden bumped into each other as they struggled to carry the dirt outside and work inside the tiny crawlspace. As the hole inside the spandrel grew wider, Lilah couldn’t help but feel as if she were digging her own grave. She sighed, deciding that she would be okay with that, given the options. If Lilah were to die here, at least she'd die on her own terms, not Kane’s.
Still, she could feel tears collecting in her eyes. She struggled to keep her long-buried emotions in check. Her hands started to grow hot, so she sat her shovel down. Adam walked over to her.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Lilah jumped, startled. “What do you mean?”
“You’re not working. Something is on your mind.”
“How long can we last in a hole in the ground with no air?” Lilah asked.
“It’s not like this crawlspace is airtight. There will be some air,” Adam said.
“There's twelve of us now!” Lilah said louder than she should. “Do you really think if Kane shows up, he’s just going to leave if he doesn’t see us right away?”
Adam placed his arm on Lilah's shoulder.
“Follow me,” he whispered, leading her away from the crowd and into a kitchen with a couple of dirty dishes scattered about. There was soapy water in the sink. Maybe Angela and Jesse had been cleaning before Violet arrived? Before she had a chance to fully take in her surroundings, Adam moved so close to Lilah that she could feel his breath on her neck. What was he doing? Her attention snapped to him and only him.
“I think we should leave.” His voice was a whisper. “Go back to that cave we found. The Watch can’t see us there.”
Lilah shook her head. “They could be out there already!”
“They will be in here soon if we don’t go now,” Adam persisted.
Lilah swore under her breath and met his eyes. “These people took us in, gave us a home. We can’t just run off and abandon them now that there is danger.”
“They have mutant powers,” Adam reminded her. “They can take care of themselves.”
Lilah snorted. “Not all of them. And have your powers ever made you feel safe? Mine sure haven’t. It just puts a target on our backs.” Then Lilah lowered her voice. “We need to stay here. There is safety in numbers. They took us in, and we need to protect each other.”
Adam's lips parted as if he were about to protest, but only an exasperated breath escaped before his lips snapped shut. He shrugged. “If that's your choice.”
Lilah opened her mouth to answer, to tell him that it was the only honorable option, but before any words could escape, he turned his back on her and stomped toward the crawlspace.
Lilah stood in the kitchen, processing her fear regarding the situation and the anger she felt toward Adam until her rage fully worked its way out of her body. From the moment they made it to Eden, Adam didn’t seem to want to be here. Was it possible he suspected something like this could happen?
She placed her palm on her cheek, reassuring herself that her hands were cool. Lilah walked back to the crawlspace and picked up her shovel, working silently while watching Adam out of the corner of her eye. For once, Adam seemed to be trying to make conversation with the other residents.
“We had a friend with us on the way here,” Adam said to Jesse. “He didn’t make it. Was killed by a mutant in a nearby cave.”
“I’ve heard of that mutant,” Jesse said. “The product of bioengineering. A human that turns into a beast.”
“Lilah told me you are not a mutant. How do you decide who gets to be here?” Adam asked. “How do you know which mutants are good and which mutants are bad?”
Jesse put his shovel down. He was silent for so long Lilah wondered if he was ignoring Adam's question. His voice was darker when he spoke.
“I suspect the number of good and bad Post-Humans mirrors the number of good or bad humans.”
“Post-Humans?” Adam asked.
“People with mutations,” Jesse said. “That’s what the government called them in the early years, back when humans wanted to create super-soldiers and push the limits of science. Now they lump humans in with the animals and call everything with altered DNA ‘mutants.’ Now that the Bio Wars have ended, they want to kill everyone with a trace of mutant DNA.”
“Don’t you worry what would happen if all of humanity gained powers? They…we…could take over the world,” Adam said. “If I had to guess, they are worried we could endanger humans without mutations. What if, someday, mutants are the only humans left?”
“If people change, it’s part of evolution. Even if humans spur it along.”
Adam was silent for a moment before he spoke. “How prepared are we for an ambush?”
Lilah’s eyes shot to Adam. Alarm bells were going off in her head as she listened to Adam carry on.
The way Adam spoke about mutants reminded her of the kids from school, her neighbors in
town, and every Warden that had ever threatened her life. She studied Jesse’s facial expression. If he was as suspicious as she was, he had a good poker face.
Lilah dropped her shovel on the ground and marched over to Adam.
“I need to speak with you in private,” she said.
“I’m working.” He gestured to his shovel.
“Now!” Lilah put her hands on her hips. Adam nodded at Jesse before following Lilah out of the cabin.
“Have you reconsidered?” Adam asked. “Want to go hide in the cave?”
“I want you to show me exactly what kind of mutation you have.” Lilah folded her arms across her chest.
Adam blinked. “What?”
“I need to see it,” Lilah said. “To know that you are who you say you are.”
Adam narrowed his eyes. “You still haven’t shown me your mutation.”
“Fine!” Lilah shot back, picking a stick off the ground. She watched Adam’s lips part in amazement as the twig caught fire. He stumbled a few steps back as she grabbed the flame with her other hand to put it out.
Adam flinched.
“Your turn,” Lilah said.
“You create fire with your hands?” Adam's eyes were wide.
“I create heat,” Lilah said. “That can start a fire. It’s a pretty useless ability, for the most part.”
“That’s…actually pretty cool,” Adam admitted.
“What’s your mutation, Adam?” Lilah almost didn’t want to hear his response; the deer-caught-in-headlights expression on his face was enough to tell her all she needed to know. She could see the gears turning in his head, trying to figure his way out of this.
“I don’t have anything to prove to you,” Adam said, marching off in the direction of the log cabin.
For a second, Lilah considered following him but thought better of it. She turned back toward the cabin and raced inside. She spotted Jesse, who was engaging in a quiet conversation with Violet. Lilah rushed over.
“Jesse!” she barged between him and Violet and put her hands on his shoulders. “I don’t know why Adam is here, but I don't think he's a mutant. I think he lied to me.”
“Violet was just telling me her concerns about that,” Jesse said. “She said Kane made some type of video broadcast announcing the new Watch members and one of them resembled Adam.”
Lilah felt lightheaded. She suspected Adam had ulterior motives for being here, but she never thought that he could actually be a Warden. Could Adam be working for the Watch? It seemed strange for Kane to send a teenage boy rather than an army. Then again, armies were in short supply these days.
Could an army be on its way?
How had she not figured this out sooner? She felt guilty for leading him here, but her guilt quickly turned into rage.
“Where is he now?” Jesse asked.
“He went to the cabin,” Lilah said. She stormed off, unsure of what she would do when she finally got her hands on him. Her fist balled; she could almost feel the heat radiating from her own palms.
She pushed open the wooden cabin door. It charred and darkened under her touch.
“Adam!” she called out. But the cabin was empty. Lilah looked at his cot and saw that his backpack was gone. “That bastard!” she said as she raced back outside. Jesse was waiting for her outside the cabin door.
“This garden is thirty acres wide. Where the hell could he be?” Lilah seethed. “Do you think he could have gotten out of Eden?”
“Those gates are too tall for him to climb over,” Jesse said. “And only Angela, Nathan, and I have access to the key. I can get everyone to split up and look for him.”
Lilah nodded, and Jesse took off toward the cabin. Lilah trailed behind him.
“Drop your shovels,” Jesse said once he made it inside. “We have a more pressing problem.”
Angela raised an eyebrow. “More pressing than hiding from the Wardens that could be here any minute?”
“Yes, like figuring out what to do about the Warden that’s already here,” Jesse said.
Whispered murmurs spread through the room.
“What do you mean?” Angela asked.
“Adam,” Jesse said.
“No.” Angela frowned
“Yes,” said Jesse.
“I’ll kill him!” Kevin yelled.
“Not if I get to him first,” Jill said.
“Probably telling the Watch about our location right now,” Akeria added.
“He can’t get out,” Jesse said. “I still have the key to the gate. The issue is, in a 30-acre paradise, there is plenty of room to hide.”
“No time for this,” Lilah said. “Help me catch him.”
The residents of Eden split up in their pursuit of Adam. Lilah ventured beyond the vegetable garden full of garlic, potatoes, tomatoes, and corn, to an area full of tall grass and wildflowers. She looked behind every bush or tree she could find until something told her to go back toward the gate.
Sweat fell down her face as she raced through the garden, looking for the gate they had come in. While others were looking under and behind every structure they could find, Lilah thought to look up. Adam had climbed on a tall sturdy tree that rose far over the gate. He was perched on the highest branch that could hold the weight of an eighteen-year-old man. He peered over the gate, seemingly preparing to fling himself over to escape.
How stupid are you? Lilah thought. You are at least twelve feet above the ground!
“Adam, get down from there!” Lilah called out, her voice loud enough for others to hear. In a few moments, Angela and Jesse ran over and stood with Lilah.
“Crap,” Angela whispered under her breath.
Adam ignored Lilah, inching toward the edge of the branch, trying to get as close to the gate as possible.
“If you survive the jump, you’ll have way too many broken bones to make it away from us.”
Adam didn’t even look down at her.
“Adam, I will light this tree on fire if you don’t get down from there!” Lilah threatened. This caused Adam to finally turn and face her. She expected his eyes to be full of bravado, but his face was pale, and his expression held so much fear and dread that she knew her threat wasn't the cause of it.
Did he see something—or someone—out there in the forest? She considered threatening him again, but something in his eyes kept her quiet.
Chapter Twenty
Adam
Adam's legs were wrapped securely around the stocky branch. His hands, red from how tightly he was holding on for dear life, trembled despite his grip. His stomach heaved whenever he so much as thought of looking down.
Better to be nauseous than dead.
The weaker branches around him swayed with every gust of wind. He gulped as the leaves rattled a warning. He could hear the soft crack of the branch he was perched on starting to split under his weight. Adam hated heights, but death by mutant ambush sounded worse.
Without a key, there was no way out of Eden rather than up a tree and over the gate. He could still hear Lilah yelling below, threatening to burn down the tree. With how angry she seemed, he suspected she had the power to turn the entire garden to ashes with one touch.
He knew she’d never do it. Eden was sacred land to her, and despite her threats, it would kill her to harm it. However, he wasn’t sure if her sentimentality extended to him. If he got in arms reach of her, he’d be dead.
Ignoring Lilah’s threats, Adam looked over the gate again. If he tried to move one-inch closer, he’d risk the branch breaking under his weight. He contemplated propelling himself over the gate until he saw something in the distance that made his heart jump.
Five Wardens were approaching the garden— four men and one woman.
They were a good distance away, and Adam squinted as he tried to see if he recognized any of them. The brown hair and slight build of the girl told him it might be the female Warden he’d met on his first day in the Chicago settlement. She was walking next to a boy with red hair.
“What type of lab did they have you working in?” Adam mumbled to himself under his breath.
Adam crept down the branch to rest lower on the tree, not wanting the Wardens to see him quite yet.
Now that they were here, maybe he would make it out alive. He allowed himself to glance down at Lilah, standing there with her hands on her hip, and wondered if she would survive.
His stomach twisted as the guilt came back. Adam reminded himself he had nothing to be ashamed of.
“I’m not kidding! I will burn that tree to the ground!” Lilah called again, but this time her voice was shaky, unsure. Did she see the panic in his eyes?
Adam wondered if she could sense the ambush that was coming. She didn’t deserve to die. Despite all the warnings in his mind that told him the safest place for him to be was in a tree and not with the angry mob below it, he found himself making his way back down. He lowered himself from branch to branch until he was only a few feet above the ground. He leapt from the tree, knees stinging as his feet crashed onto the soil. He fell forward, catching himself with his hands before his head met the ground.
Lilah raced toward him, hands blazing, but Angela grabbed her shoulders and held her back.
“You’ll kill him!” Angela warned.
“Good!” Lilah sneered.
“I’ll make him wish he was dead,” Jesse said.
Before he had time to recover from the fall, Jesse marched over and landed a hard and fast punch on Adam’s face. Pain radiated through Adams' body. The world grew dark as Adam fell to the ground with a thud.
When Adam opened his eyes, all he could see was darkness. There was something tight wrapped around his eyes, blocking his vision. He blinked, hoping the motion would loosen his blindfold, and his eyelids brushed against a scratchy fabric.
He tried to lift his hands to his eyes to remove whatever was blocking his vision but found that they were bound to his sides. He strained his leg muscles to stand, only to realize his ankles had been tied to whatever he was sitting on.
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